Is December 21, 2012 the End of the World?

Will the end of the world take place on December 21, 2012? That is the question amongst millions of people worldwide. The Maya Calendar seems to be at the central point of focus in regard to the world ending. The calendar states that the end of time will occur on December 21, 2012. Some are referring to this date as the "Apocalypse" and scores of scholars have dedicated countless time and innumerable resources to this prediction for many years.

Mayan Calendar

The Maya calendar is actually a system of several calendars and almanacs and not a single calendar like many mistakenly believe. Two calendars, the Tzolkin and Haab, are used in conjunction. The Tzolkin is 260 days long, while the Haab is 365 days in length.

In addition, there is the Long Count calendar which tracks longer periods of time. The Long Count calendar is very complex and uses a numeric decimal system for recording dates. It also refers to the "Great Cycle" which is comprised of 5125.36 years.

The date of December 21, 2012 is significant because it is the end of the Long Count and Procession Cycle. December 21 is also the winter solstice which was a crucial day in the Mayan culture. It is at this point in time that the Mayan Calendar stops, and it is this fact that many have clung to, believing because of this event and several other key factors, the world will indeed end.

While the Mayan calendar is regarded as the most accurate calendar ever developed, it is extremely complex. If you would like to learn more about it, a great resource for books dedicated to this topic is at www.amazon.com.

Culmination of Three Events

There are three events which have come to light that enforce this theory of the world ending:

• On December 21, 2012 the Maya calendar ends and many believe that catastrophic events will occur.

• The ancient Egyptians believed the year 2012 was one where great change would take place.

• On this December date, the sun will align with the center of the Milky Way which hasn't occurred for about 26,000 years.

According to Journalist Lawrence Joseph who writes in his book, Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End, when the sun aligns with the center of the Milky way "whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 pm Universal Time."

ABC Interview with Patrick Geryl

ABC News correspondent Christine Brouwer wrote an article on July 3, 2008 in which she interviewed Patrick Geryl, a former lab worker for a French oil company. According to Geryl, he had quit his job because he felt he had saved enough money to get him through December, 2012. Geryl figured he wouldn't need money past that point.

In Brouwer's report, Geryl states that there will be nothing left after December 21, 2012, thus money will not be needed.

Patrick Geryl is not alone in his beliefs. There are thousands of people in the world who have formed survival groups, created web sites, and even survival stores which sell knife kits, gas masks, etc.

Geryl, whose home is in Amsterdam, has plans to buy land situated high up in the African mountains. Geryl also has about 16 followers. They plan to build concrete dwellings to survive the great Apocalypse.

Books on 2012

If you would like to learn more about the end of the world prediction for December 21, 2012, there are plenty of books available that will whet your appetite for more, or simply scare the wits out of you. In addition to Lawrence Joseph's Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End, you may want to check out the following:

• The Mayan Code: Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind by Barbara Hand Clow

• 2012 The Odyssey by Gregg Braden

• The Return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck

Sources: www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-03-27-maya-2012_n.htm, www.abcnews.go.com/print?id=5301284, www.amazon.com, www.2012endofdays.org/Mayan/Mayan-Calendar.php