Technology

Over the past 2,500 years there were different times when some group of people or other thought that the world would end on a particular day in the near future. Many such dates have come and gone. A date for the doomsday is nothing unique in the history of humankind, but Dec 21, 2012 is. Because never before has so much hype been created on such a truly global scale, never before did the notion of impending doom generate such an outpouring of books and scholarly discussion. In this annotated bibliography we will take a brief look at some of the more popular books circulating on this subject of enormous interest for millions of people around the world.

Andrews, S., Andrews, C. (2008). The Complete Idiots Guide to 2012. New York  Alpha Books

The 2012 doomsday scenario originated from the Mayan calendar and is still centered around it. The authors begin with exploring the mysteries of the Mayan prophecies. This book is presented in six parts In parts 1 and 2  the Timekeepers and Cosmic Treasure Hunt  an overview of Mayan culture is presented. Part 3  Prediction of 2012  presents Mayan predictions, while also comparing them with the predictions of Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce, as well as those of the Book of Revelation. Part 4  Signs of Change  deals with the signs such as global warming, earthquakes which could be indicating that the prophecies are coming true. In parts 5 and 6  Transition and After 2012  that authors talk about what could really happen in our immediate surroundings and what to do, with a personal focus. This book is very readable, yet informative and erudite, in the typical manner of Complete Idiots Guides. While the authors are sympathetic to the prophecies, they bring in a good measure of skepticism.

Credibility of the authors Complete Idiots Guide is a very reputed series. S. Andrews is a respected scholar in Mayan prophecies, and C. Andrews has been a pioneering researcher in New Age-related topics.

Braden, G., P. Russel et al. (2007). The Mystery of 2012 Predictions, Prophecies, and Possibilities. Boulder, CO  Sounds True.

This book is a rather fascinating collection of essays by a host of experts, many of whom have their own books on the subject. This volume is divided into four parts. Part 1, with 4 essays, is on the Mayan calendar and Mayan cosmovision. The 6 essays of Part 2 deal with Science, Business and Politics in the Context of 2012. Part 3 is called Spirituality, Signs, and Symbolism Surrounding 2012, and has 8 essays. The last 6 essays of the final part are on the theme of A New Humanity Evolution Toward 2012 and Beyond.  While this book is highly informative on a wide-range of New Age-related topics, it does not clearly say much about what is going to happen in 2012. So many experts, so much discussion, but nothing concrete or take home material comes out of it. This makes it certain the experts themselves are very uncertain as to what could happen in Dec 2012

Credibility of the authors This book is, by definition, a compilation of articles by noted experts in the field.

Braden, G. (2009). Fractal Time The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age. New York  Hay House.

Braden had been a senior computer systems designer before he became a bestselling author of books such as The Isaiah Effect and The God Code. After years or decades of research, he has developed a powerful new concept called fractal time. Fractals are self-repeating patterns within a pattern, and form the cornerstone of the modern chaos theory. Braden tries to apply the same model to time, essentially taking his approach from the concepts of cyclical time that were prevalent in so many ancient cultures. Fractal patterns in time operate on different levels, on global, national, local and personal scales. Some credibility can be attached to Bradens theories since fractal patterns occur everywhere in Nature, why could they be not incorporated in the nature of time itself However, despite all the impressive research that has gone into this work, the actual mathematical working out of the concept seems clumsy at times. Since fractals repeat themselves indefinitely, it would be possible to predict the nature of events associated with the future, and Braden manages to arrive at the conclusion that something colossal is going to occur in 2012.

Credibility of the author Greg Braden has been on the forefront of New Age research for the past 22 years.

Clow, B.H. (2007). The Mayan Code Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind. Rochester, VT  Bear  Company

This has become a rather popular book in 2012 circles. It is based on a totally alternative history of the world. To begin with, Barbara Hand Clow speaks about 16.4 billion years of evolution of life in this universe. However, science is very sure that the Big Bang occurred only 13.7 billion years ago, and it would have taken at least a few billion years for star systems to form that could give birth to life. However, this need not be a consideration since parallel universes are not ruled out. Just like our galaxy is a part of a cluster of galaxies, our universe could be a part of a cluster of universes in which life first evolved 16.4 billion years ago. What is slated to occur in 2012 is the awakening of the world mind. In fact, it would occur in 2011, next year, itself, but would take another year to spread and consolidate, leading to global enlightenment.

Credibility of the author Barbara Clow is an internationally acclaimed teacher and Mayan Calendar researcher, with over a dozen books to her credit.

Geryl, P. (2007). How to Survive 2012 Tactics and Survival for the Coming Pole Shift. Kempton, IL  Adventures Unlimited Press

The author of this book is very straightforward. There would be destruction on a truly colossal scale in 2012 and the years to follow. The sun would reverse its poles sending out massive solar flares which would affect earths magnetic poles and throw everything into chaos. In his previous books, The Orion Prophecy, and The World Cataclysm in 2012, taking ancient prophecies as his authority the author explored what kind of devastation could be in store for us. This book is meant to be a survival guide for those few who are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to survive the series of cataclysms that would ravage the planet, however a good portion of it recapitulates the authors research first presented in the earlier books. Pole shift has happened scores of times before in the recent geological history of our planet and scientists have evidence for it, but this is the first time it would be happening with a complex and fragile civilization spread across the planet. According to the author, the next pole shift would happen sooner rather than later, and if one has to believe ancient prophecies, it would occur on Dec 21, 2012.

Credibility of the author Patrick Geryl is an archeological researcher and the co-author of The Orion Prophecy

Jang, H-Y. (2007). The Gaia Project 2012 The Earths Coming Great Changes. Woodbury, MN  Llewellyn Publications.

Written by a Korean author, this is a hard-core New Age book. The author is supposed to be a channel, and has received revelations about 2012 and how it is a part of a grand scheme that encompasses all of human history, the known parts as well as the secret parts normally known only students of theosophy and occult. The author believes that the world is already undergoing the process of purification and transformation but it will culminate in 2012, which is when the ascension of the planet will begun. According to the author, there are aliens all over the place controlling the strings and leading the planet toward its destiny. It may feel depressing to think that we are just underlings, but that would be a negative way of looking at it. We can also take a positive attitude, cooperate with the higher beings and facilitate Earths difficult transition.

Credibility of the author Hwee-Yong Jang is a renowned channelist in South Korea.

Jenkins, J.M. (1998). Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date. Rochester, VT  Bear  Company

This is an older book written some time before the 2012 hype caught up. The author has written many other books on Mayan culture and science, and is one of the foremost experts in this field. He wrote this book from a Mayan perspective, that is, what the Mayans themselves thought about Dec 21, 2012  end date. The theory that 2012 could bring a great new positive change on our planet is well known, though it does not receive the hype that the doomsday scenario receives. Many people who have somewhat researched this subject believe that both possibilities exist that there could be a doom of the civilization as well as a new bloom of consciousness, while some believe both would happen one after the other. The author of the book, however, dismisses the doom possibilities, firmly asserting that the Mayans believed the world would be re-born spiritually from that day forth, and there is no need for physical destruction to take place for such a spiritual transformation to occur. In fact, physical destruction will greatly impede spiritual growth, limiting our mental focus to basic material needs.

Credibility of the author Jenkins is a well-known researcher in the of ancient Meso-American cultures.

Joseph, L.E. (2007). Apocalypse 2012 An Investigation into Civilizations End. New York  Broadway Books

Most people generally do not realize it, but our planet has always been in a very precarious position. As it is, it is an incredible feat that our civilization survived for 5 to 10 thousand without any major disruption. But we cannot count on our luck to last forever. In the past few billion years since the earth has formed and stabilized, its climate has wildly fluctuated there were times when the whole planet was seemingly in a perpetual spring, and there were times when the entire planet turned into a big snow ball. In this book, the author explores most of the major threats facing us as a civilization. In the aftermath of a huge cataclysm, even if human populations survive in sparse quantities, it may be very difficult for the civilization to continue or even make a resurgence in any conceivable frame of time. This book is very enlightening in so far as it invokes various scenarios (natural disasters) that could spell the doom of our civilization. But it is not really convincing when author suggests that some of these catastrophes can occur just within the next three years, right on time for December 2012, as if they have some obligation to comply with the Mayan calendar

Credibility of the author Lawrence E. Joseph is a noted scientist in the field of plasma physics, and wrote extensively about the coming apocalypse.

Page, C.R. (2008). 2012 and the Galactic Center The Return of the Great Mother. Rochester, VT  Bear  Company

Many believe that in 2012, our planet will go through some kind of galactic alignment and become vulnerable to influence from the galactic center. At the center of our galaxy, even as in the case with most other galaxies, is a humungous black hole. People therefore think that exposure to radiation from it could destroy the life on this planet. But the author of this book takes a totally different view. The galactic alignment will allow spiritual transformation of the planet. This kind of astronomical alignment takes place once every 26,000 years and of course it does not happen overnight. This time, it supposedly began in 1987 and will last up to 2023, presenting a window of opportunity for expanding our consciousness. Incidentally, human species was very much around when this precession event occurred the last time, but nothing is known to have happened 26,000 years ago. However, some experts of human evolution speak of the Great Leap Forward that happened about 50,000 years ago, which is very close to 52,000 years, and marked a spurt in human culture. There could be another great leap forward in the years to come, within our own life time.

Credibility of the author Christine R. Page is a successful healer and conducts international seminars on auric energy healing.

Van der Worp, J., M. Masters,  J. Manning. (2007)  Planet X Forecast and 2012 Survival Guide. San Francisco, CA  Your Own World Books

In 2012 circles, Planet X is the name given to an unknown celestial body that is likely to collide with our planet on that fateful day of Dec 21st. This book is for thorough-bred New Age enthusiasts. It is also based on various conspiracy theories, such as the one that claims the U.S. government is in contact with not one but multiple alien races and that some of these alien races are very hostile. The treatment of various facets of astronomy and cosmology in this book is interesting, but it is disappointing that it is all mixed up with New Age kook stuff. As the title suggests, this book has a practical emphasis, much of it is a survival guide that contains many useful tips. On the whole though, the message of this book seems to be that in the event of a major collision the devastation would be so extensive that there would be little left to do for us to save ourselves. There are higher powers and the fate of the earth is best left in their hands.

Credibility of the author Worp is a Dutch physicist. Manning and Masters are scholars on ancient text and have previously collaborated on a series of texts related to the Kolbrin Bible.