Dec. 21 2012: end of a cycle, not the end of the world

Rampant rumors about the demise of the world later this month are nothing but superstition and a misreading of the Mayan calendar, according to JZ Knight, founder and president of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment in Yelm, Wash.

 

"Don't run up your credit cards to the maximum limit or engage in other foolish behavior," advises Knight. "There is no apocalypse on the horizon, and 2013 will be coming soon." NASA agrees, stating recently on their website, "Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than four billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012."

 

Much of the hype about the "end of the world" emanates from popular interpretations of the long-count Mayan calendar, which reaches a finish point later this month. Many experts and historians agree this calendar, which started about 3114 B.C., predicted the end of a cycle, not the end of the world. This means a new era starts in 2013, and there are no end times on the way.

 

Time of transition and renewal

 

"At Ramtha's School of Enlightenment, we understand that the end of every cycle is a time of transition and renewal," Knight said. "Some of Earth's transitions will be difficult for us, so it is highly important for everyone to maintain a sense of self-reliance. To heal the Earth we have to change the way we live. We can replant and reuse, learn to grow our own food, and become less of a burden on the environment."

 

An archaeologist at Boston University, William Saturno, told Science magazine recent discoveries of Mayan wall writings in Guatemala showed calendars that predicted the future well beyond 2012.

 

Effects on the environment

 

Besides the Mayan calendar, global warming and the effects on the environment have alarm many people. A recent report by the World Bank predicts sea levels could rise by three feet or more by the year 2100, causing massive flooding in nations from Mexico to Mozambique to the Philippines, with a major depletion of crop yields in the U.S., India, and Australia.

 

Knight says 2013 will offer more hope and less hype as the dialogue focuses on the renewal of the Earth rather than its demise.