JUN 25, 2007 - Why 2012? is an online resource I turned to in an ongoing process of wrestling with the significance of the end of the Mayan long count. Lots of Apocalyptic types are wailing that it means the end of the world; which I'm sure is wrong. To me, the real question is, what is the significance of the winter solstice in 2012 being the end of the Mayan long count? In Why 2012? (an article which originally appeared in The Mountain Astrologer magazine), author John Major Jenkins postulates that ancient Mayan astronomers were cognizant of the precession of the equinoxes. Jenkins postulates that these astronomers of old calculated the end date of their calendar system first (based on the moment of the Sun crossing the Galactic Equator), and then reckoned backwards through time to arrive at a beginning date for their calendar some 5,125 years prior. I'm not convinced by Jenkins' presentation, but I am intrigued. And I believe you will be too.
