Despite Hollywood hype, believers in Mayan cycle say 2012 is not the end of the world | Oregon Living - - Oregonlive.com
Maxson, who's spoken to a few groups interested in 2012, patiently explains the myriad details of the Mayan long calendar. He admires their astronomical knowledge and mathematical skill. He marvels that a culture that thrived between A.D. 300 and A.D. 900 saw itself in the midst of a time cycle that began in 3114 B.C., would end in A.D. 2012 and then -- as cycles do -- begin again.
"It's not the end of the world," Maxson says, "it's the end of a cycle."
He agrees with John Major Jenkins, a Colorado writer who's published 10 books about the Mayans. Jenkins argues that the significance of 2012 rests on a galactic alignment, in which the sun and Earth will line up with the center of the Milky Way. As the alignment approaches, Maxson expects life on Earth to be unsettled for a while.
"Personally, I believe in a shift," Maxson says, "that we'll become less materialistic and more spiritual. I believe in the balance of yin and yang and this is a balancing -- on a huge, huge scale."
Anyone else agree? I do.