December 21 is the
winter solstice, and in 2012 the Sun on the solstice will be almost perfectly aligned with the
plane of the galaxy (the Milky Way galaxy). What is astonishing is how precisely the Mayan calendar was able to pinpoint this
alignment of the planets.
What's so Special About Planets Aligning?
The equator of the Milky Way galaxy (
Galactic Equator) and the path of the Sun (the
Ecliptic) will cross each other at exactly 11:11 am GMT on
December 21, 2012. What does this mean exactly? Or, even better, what is the probability of this occurring?
Every year on the winter solstice, our Sun has a
Declination of -23.5
degrees, and a
Right Ascension
of 18 hours. But what makes the alignment of 2012 special is how this
alignment occurs relative to very distant stars. On December 21, 2012,
the alignment will be right along the plane of the entire galaxy. This
precession of the equinoxes goes in a complete circle and
happens only once every 26,000 years. In other words, the winter solstice moves
360 degrees every 26,000 years, or 0.01 degrees each year.
A significant detail that promoters of the 2012 doomsday fail to
point out, however, is that the plane of the galaxy is not the width of a
needle. The plane of the galaxy is quite wide - in fact, it takes the
winter solstice between 700 hundred and 1,400 years to cross the plane
of the galaxy! So 2012 is just one year amidst a span of 700 years.
We Are Entering a New Mayan Epoch
Did
the Mayans know something about 2012 that we don't? I think more
significant than the fact that the planets align in 2012 is the fact
that we are entering a new Mayan epoch, or Long Count. While the pundits
will be focused on doomsday prophecies and the destruction of the
world, those
pondering our purpose may find themselves
enlightened by a greater perspective - one that may not be clear until
hundreds or thousands of years from now.
According to the Mayans we are entering a new age. What does this
mean? We think it may have something to do with the shift towards a more
Eastern, or spiritualist, way of life. The Western way of life, and the
worship of material goods, progress, and capitalism, has accelerated
its way headfirst into battles and wars for hundreds of years.
Hopefully, our race will eventually elevate itself to a new era of
understanding - one where we find ourselves to be more introspective,
and spending our time pondering not only the bigger questions of life -
but the smaller ones as well. Spending more quality time with our loved
ones, and enjoying the moments. Because we feel there will be many more
to come.
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