As 2012 draws near, a growing number of people are proclaiming massive changes that will be taking place on Earth. Much of the speculation is due to the Mayan (large) calendar which ends on December 21, 2012 (according to its relation with our modern calendar, of course). The movie 2012 has some information about this, and the web is full of it.
Type “2012” into a search engine and you will get 332,000,000 results. The web is buzzing with the ‘end of days’ sites, with much greater emphasis than the Y2K bug could ever have generated. All kinds of outcomes are offered, from a meteorite hitting the planet, to utter collapse of civilisation due to greed, to the third world war.
All religions are being tapped into for “clear signs” of the catastrophe, as well as prophets and science. Pseudo-scientists have either the Planet X (also Nibiru, or sometimes as having Nibiru, with its Planet X) crashing into earth in or around that date. Other “prophets” say the people of planet Nibiru (or Planet X) will arrive to earth to see what their “creation” (the Human race) is up to.
Others still talk of comets or other heavenly bodies striking the planet, causing a climatic change of such proportions that only a half billion people will be able to survive. They imagine a “nuclear” winter that will either send the earth into another ice age, or turn large parts of it into searing deserts. The list of catastrophes is endless on the web.
December 2012 is an important time in many calendars and prophesies, including the Hindu calendar, the Hopi prophesies and, interestingly, Maori lore. In Maori lore December 2012 or thereabouts is when the curtain is lifted. Or is dissolved or comes down – depending on the various translations of the phrase in old Maori - "ka hinga te arai".
This speaks of the reunification of “Rangi” (the Sky) and “Papa” (the Earth). The creation legend goes thus – in the beginning Rangi and Papa were partners and were closely clasped together. They had a number of children, who lived in between these two parents, squashed and without light. One day these children (who were all Gods - God of the Wind, God of the Sea, God of War etc) decided to push their parents apart so they could have room to move. They all tried and failed, till one of the Gods, Tane, pushed them apart, separated them, and there was light.
Ka hinga te arai then could mean the Earth and Sky becoming one (what would be consequence of such a move, or does it mean something other than coming together?); it could mean the blotting out of the sun due to some kind of covering (whether from an explosion that send dust and debris into the atmosphere to block out the Sun’s rays) or (my favourite) it could mean an opening of the dimensions through an upsurge of the human consciousness so things previously unknown to us becomes apparent.
One meaning of the phrase is the removal (dissolving) of the planes separator - basically the merging of the physical and spiritual planes. Some translate this as a time when the unknowables become known through a shift in perception that is forced onto mankind. This, for once, is one of the saner interpretations of what could happen in 2012.
In the Hopi Indian prophesies 2012, or thereabouts, is seen as the return of the Pahana (the White Brother from the skies) with whose coming will come the dawn of the
Fifth World. We are presently at the end of the fourth world, according to Hopi Indians. Out in South America it is the Sons of Light returning to Earth to help mankind onto the next step in their evolution.
There are many people around the world who believe in something close to this understanding of what will happen in 2012 – humanity will undergo a change of sorts to their consciousness in that time, with or without help from others. Some web pages are dedicated to this approach, with a number talking of the galactic centring where our sun, for the first time in thousands of years, will hit the centre of our galaxy, the Milky Way.
This alignment to the galaxy will have profound impact in the way we use our senses, our brain and our consciousness. Gravitation forces and other cosmic forces (including the cosmic background radiation) will work together in ways that will change us, and everything else, associated with our planet. This includes some major changes to the alignment of the planet, it is said.
“But our old ways of thinking, including our biology will change as the Sun, Earth and Pleides line up in space. This will cause an increase in discharge of photons from the sun which is bound to cause changes in our brain pattern,” – astrologer and modern day guru Dattatreya Siva Baba.
Others still are saying that around December 2012, several wormholes will open at the centre of our galaxy, allowing “others” from around the universe to finally contact use. Various ideas and descriptions have been given of these others, including the Sons of Light, and a host of “aliens” who are not aliens but our friends from far across the universe.
In Hinduism, the field of speculation is vast as far as 2012 is concerned. Several people are putting forth the idea that Kali Yuga will end in 2012, and Satya (Krita) Yuga begins. Other are saying the Kali Yuga has a few thousand years to go, some say 5000 years, others 427,000 years.
Some modern “thinkers” believe that the yuga calculations are all wrong and, yes, the Satya Yuaga (the Golden Age) is about to begin. But with a proviso – there will be calamities, natural and otherwise – like financial problems, wars and global warming.
These thinkers take the likes of Sri Aurobindo and use his proclamations like "India of the ages is not dead nor has she spoken her last creative word; she lives and has still something to do for herself and the human peoples" to show the changes the end of the next two years will bring for the Earth.
India has long been touted as the guru of the world by the many modern sages and thinkers and innovators of the spirit. They, including Swami Vivekananda, have said that India will rise as the teacher of the world when the rest of the world is surfeit of its childishness and is willing to learn the way of wisdom from India.
Keeping such prophesies in mind, it is no wonder that the younger generation in India and the Indian Disapora is leaning towards a consciousness shift rather than catastrophe in 2012. But as long as we, the Indians of today, continue aping the West, this guru aspect of India will remain in abeyance (but that is another story).
All and good, as this writer also believes in something positive and even good happening in 2012. After snuffling through the thousands of ideas surrounding the year 2012, one thing was very clear – mankind is desperately looking at ways to stop the wounding of its psyche and the planet.
The escalation of the war against the planet and its people has reached a peak that even WWII could not achieve. When children start dying at the rate one every six minute (due to disease, abuse and lack of clean water and food) then it is time to re-look at the way we have been doing things.
As it is said: the solution of a problem that exists today cannot be found in the methods of problem solving that we were using yesterday. So we must look to the extraordinary and as yet “unthought” of solutions to our present problems.
Every idea of governance that we have seen has its pitfalls, some more than others as shown by the collapse of “communism” in the recent past. The so-called collapse of “capitalism” in the recent years has also shown us what happens when greed and rampant consumerism is let loose upon the people.
The so-called liberations and revolutions have, in fact, not liberated people, just made us more like the people who had held us off from that world of power for so long. Children appear to be more abused worldwide than maybe ever before – with child slavery on the rise, and child prostitution even being condoned by parents in the less developed sections of the world, where a father can sell a daughter to pimps for less than $100.
Food production is the highest it has ever been and so much of it is wasted, yet a third of the population find it hard to put together three square meals each day for the family. Water, the most abundant element on earth, is getting expensive to have as more waterways are poisoned and fewer places of clean water become available to the world’s population.
And nature is taking its toll (or its revenge) on every sphere of the globe. Mankind, it appears, is finding harder to adjust to the new ways that the Earth is reacting to its perilous situation.
These are the problems that have been besetting mankind for a very long time now. And we still haven’t any answer to them. Is the “end of days” phenomenon (this attitude to the years 2012) a subliminal cry of help from the collective psyche of mankind? Why is it that so many from several parts of the planets are concerned so much over a little date?
I, for one, don’t believe the Earth will be destroyed. Yet, I can’t help feeling something will happen in 2012. I think it will be a bit of almost everything – some calamity will hit us at a pace and proportion that will force our hands into living a better life. Whether this is a global catastrophe or an event of such proportion that mankind finally says “enough is enough”, I don’t know.
One of the prophesies I abide by is that there will be “minor adjustments” to the planet, with minor adjustments seen from the point of view of the planet and not us. This is already happening. Few of us know that the magnetic poles has already shift by several degrees southward over Europe. Some say it is as much as 15 degrees (?). This would explain why Spain and Portugal are presently experiencing snowfall in areas where it was previously sunny at this time of the year.
Could it get worse? Yes, it has been steadily getting worse. The nature and scope of natural disasters in the past few years has been unprecedented. Earthquakes and tsunamis are getting more frequent, global warming (whether man-made or natural) is a fact, and the weather patterns around the world is throwing up surprises almost every day.
The level of human suffering will have to peak before “realisation” of the evils of greed, selfishness, partisan leanings and racism takes place for humans. It has to get worse before it gets better. Maybe it is up to us to ride out this ‘worse’ phase before we can get to the golden age.
The way of wisdom as shown by our ancient seers is to hold everything in trust – there is no ownership of anything, including the resources of the earth. Just as a school headmaster will look after the property of the school with diligence and with faith, so should every human being look to the things he or she owns, individually and as a collective.
But just as when the headmaster is transferred and he give up the ‘ownership’ of the school properties without a fuss, so should human being be ready to give up anything they ‘own’ – their family, their property, their very life. This is the way of detachment that our ancients showed.
Notes:
Golden Age Could Begin in 2012
The ancient Hindus mainly used lunar calendars but also used solar calendars. If an average lunar year equals 354.36 days, then this would be about 5270 lunar years from the time when the Kali Yuga started until 21 Dec 2012. This is the same year that the Mayans predict rebirth of our planet. It is also about 5113 solar years of 365.24 days per year, and is day number 1,867,817 into the Kali Yuga. By either solar or lunar years, we are over 5000 years into the Kali Yuga and it is time for Lord Krishna's prophecy to happen according to the ancient Hindu scriptures. Lord Krishna's Golden Age could easily begin in 2012.
Ka hinga te arai (from the internet)
Basically the other more secretive legend that follows on from this (Creation mythology) says that there will come a time when the children of Tane (that's you and me) are so busy, so distracted with fighting, with greed, with lust etc, so separated from our original parents (Rangi and Papa - so that kinda means we have lost our links with the natural order of things) that Rangi and Papa will take that opportunity - while no one is looking - to quickly come back together...destroying everything in the process. There has been much meditation done on this event and yep...2012 seems to be the year the old people are coming up with.
What the more grounded among the Indian astrologers says - The widely accepted belief of Hindus is that Kali Yuga will see total annihilation. Creation will once again begin after total destruction. This will be Satya Yuga.
So connecting 2012 to Hinduism and Vedic astrology is done by those people who want to create fear and optimism at the same time among people – and earn a living by predictions and writing books.
Hinduism teaches that all animate and inanimate is Brahman. Doomsday predictions and 2012 are products of ego or ignorance, which hampers self realisation. To the realised there is no beginning and end.
So – No, the world will not end in 2012. Many such predictions had come and gone and this too will go as will the many such doomsday predictions that will come in future.
It is widely believed that Kali Yuga began in 3102 BC.
Now there are several people quoting Puranas to indicate that Lord Krishna had predicted an end the Kali Yuga after 5000 years and the beginning of the Golden Era.
But traditional scriptures do not agree to this as Kali Yuga will last for 432,000 years.
Now those who are stating that Kali Yuga will end after 5000 years are indicating the beginning of Golden Age in 2012. They are scrupulously using a mix of solar and lunar calendars used by Hindus to suggest that Kali Yuga will end in 2012.
In the “Brahma-Vaivarta Purana”, Lord Krishna tells Ganga Devi that a Golden Age will come in the Kali Yuga - one of the four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of eras, as described in Hindu scriptures. Lord Krishna predicted that this Golden Age will start 5000 years after the beginning of the Kali Yuga, and will last for 10,000 years.
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