The 2012 Story

by John Major Jenkins

  Galactic synchronization. A term coined and a concept used by author José Argüelles, defined by Brian Swimme in his introduction to The Mayan Factor. It is related to, and perhaps developed from, the Photon Belt concept (see entry). It is astronomically unrelated to the galactic alignment.

  GMT. The original Goodman-Martínez-Thompson correlation, proposed in 1927 by Thompson: JD 584285, making the cycle-ending date fall on December 23, 2012. (JD refers to the Julian Day designation.)

  GMT-2. The adjusted Goodman-Martínez-Thompson correlation number, finalized in 1950 by Thompson: JD 584283, making the cycle-ending date fall on December 21, 2012.

  Gnomon. A shadow-casting device, often a vertical pole, used to measure the sun’s movements through the day and year.

  Gnosis. A knowing conferred by direct inner experience. See buddhi mind, Primordial Tradition.

  Gnostic. A term applied to religions that cultivated direct initiatory awakening to wisdom, as opposed to obediently following exoteric dogma.

  Haab. Period of 365 days used in Mesoamerican calendrics. Same as the “vague solar year.”

  Hermetic. A magical and religious movement stemming from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. Generally, Hermetic philosophies are based on a conviction that comes from a direct initiatory experience of the deep interconnection between subjective and objective domains. The hermetic adage testifies to this: As above, so below. This refers not only to an interweaving between sky and earth, but also of microcosm and macrocosm, subjective and objective. Standard definitions of the word “hermetic” as pertaining to secrets, obscurity, and unrevealed information are superficial.

  Hero Twin. Hunahpu or Xbalanque; one of the two sons of One Hunahpu in The Popol Vuh.

  Hero Twin Myth. Generally, equivalent to the Creation Myth and The Popol Vuh. Specifically, pertains to the section of The Popol Vuh that involves the Hero Twins and their adventures.

  Hun. One.

  Hunahpu. One of the Hero Twins of The Popol Vuh. Refers to the day-sign Ahau, and therefore, as Hun-ahpu or One Ahau, to the Sacred Day of Venus.

  Iconography. The study of pictographic language and image systems used to represent ideas. In the development of writing, pictographic expressions usually precede more abstract hieroglyphic or alphabetic writing.

  Inferior conjunction. This occurs when a retrograde planet crosses in front of the sun on its way to becoming a morning star.

  Intellectus. See noetic.

  Izapa. A pre-Classic site in southern Chiapas, Mexico, near the Guatemala border. A significant ceremonial and astronomical site of the Izapan civilization that preserves some of the earliest carved portrayals of episodes from the Hero Twin myth, dated to 400 BC-50 AD. Was also involved in the formulation and adoption of the Long Count calendar.

  K’awil. A deity connected with Jupiter and concepts of transcendence and transformation.

  Logograph. An image that represents a word or a morpheme (the smallest meaningful unit of language). Logographs, or logograms, are commonly known also as “ideograms” or “hieroglyphs.” Strictly speaking, however, ideograms represent ideas directly rather than words and morphemes.*

  Long Count calendar. A system of time counting developed sometime between 400 BC and 36 BC by the Maya that basically uses five place-value levels: the Kin (day), the Uinal (20 days), the Tun (360 days), the Katun (7,200 days), and the Baktun (144,000 days). A typical date in the Long Count, from Baktun to Kin, is written: 9.16.4.1.1. It is a cycles within cycles system, an expression of a cyclic time philosophy rather than a linear time philosophy.

  Mayanism. The essential core ideas or teachings of Maya religion and philosophy. A counterdefinition of Mayanism has developed on Wikipedia that uses the term to identify popular and New Age appropriations and misconceptions of Maya ideas. This is a problematic use of the term, because it contradicts the consistently proactive meanings ascribed to analogous terms, such as “Hinduism” or “Buddhism.”

  Meme. An adopted unit or element of cultural ideas, symbols, or practices transmitted from one mind to another, often unconsciously, through speech, gestures, or rituals.*

  Mesoamerica. The area between Central Mexico and Central America, including Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.

  Metaphoragrams. A term coined and used by Maya scholar J. Eric S. Thompson which highlights his conviction that Maya hieroglyphic writing contained and could convey much more than phonetics or even ideographs. As the term suggests, the glyphs conveyed, via metaphor, other sets of information, similar to how contemporary Maya day-keepers utilize word puns and rhymes to access a larger set of interrelated meanings. Along these lines, Thompson also said the glyphs were anagogical (see entry).

  Milky Way-ecliptic cross (the cross formed by the Milky Way and the ecliptic). The two locations in the sky where the Milky Way crosses over the ecliptic. One is in Sagittarius and one is in Gemini.

  Nahuatl. The Central Mexico culture and language.

  Neoplatonism. The modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy, based on the teachings of Plato and early Platonists, that took shape in the third century AD, whose members included Macrobius and Plotinus. The earlier Middle Platonists, such as Numenius and Porphyry, also subscribed to Pythagorean ideas.

  New Year’s Day in Maya calendars. New Year’s Day is the first day of the haab. Since different cultural groups followed different haab placements, New Year’s Day occurs at different times for different groups. Also, since leap year was not recognized in the Maya haab, New Year’s Day precesses backward around the Gregorian calendar at the rate of one day every four years. This does not complicate the universally shared sacred count of 260 days.

  Noetic, intellectus. The word “noetic” ultimately derives from the Greek word voŨς (nous), meaning “intellect, higher mind, thought.” It is associated with the direct knowing or intuition of noesis, involving a faculty of understanding superior to discursive, deductive reason.*

  Nondual awareness. Awareness of the interdependence of subject and object. Non-dualism is a philosophy rooted in the direct experience that separateness is an illusion, and that the illusion of separateness is maintained only in more limited states of consciousness.*

  North Celestial Pole. The center of the earth’s rotation projected into the northern sky. The stars appear to revolve around it. It sometimes corresponds to a star, but because the earth is slowly wobbling (see the precession of the equinoxes), it traces a circle in the northern skies very slowly over some 26,000 years.

  One Hunaphu. The father of the Hero Twins in The Popol Vuh.

  Ontology. The philosophical study of the nature of being, existence, or reality in general, as well as of the basic categories of being and their relations.

  Pan-Mayanism. A term used by anthropologists Kay Warren and Victor Montejo, as early as 1997, to discuss and explain unifying political and cultural movements among the indigenous Maya of Mexico and Central America.

  Pedagogue. One who is pedantic (see entry) in his or her style of writing or teaching. A person who evinces this style is pedagogical.

  Pedantic. Describes a teacher or scholar who is characterized by a narrow concern for book learning and formal rules.

  Perennial Philosophy. The notion of the universal recurrence of philosophical insight independent of epoch or culture, including universal truths on the nature of reality, humanity, or consciousness.* See also Primordial Tradition.

  Performative contradiction. A lack of fit between the content and the performance (or sense) of the speech act. For example, “all statements must be false” creates a vicious circle. As pointed out by philosopher Ken Wilber, to assert that “there are no absolutes” is also a performative contradiction, revealing the inherent absurdity of one of modern deconstructionist philosophy’s most cherished premises.*

  Photon Belt. A fringe idea that developed in the 1980s involving the belief in an energetic beam of light that sweeps through the galaxy, possibly emanating from
the Galactic Center, or different density sectors of the galaxy that our solar system passes through during different eras. It has become loosely attached to 2012 and ideas involving contact with beings from the Pleiades. See also galactic synchronization.

  Popol Vuh. A document recorded by Maya elders in the 1550s, possibly based on an older hieroglyphic book. It preserves within it a World Age doctrine, the story of the Hero Twins, as well as lineage titles and genealogies of Quiché Maya leaders. Some of the episodes preserved in The Popol Vuh are also found on Classic Maya vases and carved in stone at the pre-Classic site of Izapa.

  Precession of the equinoxes. The earth spins once around its axis every twenty-four hours. The earth also exhibits a very slow wobble, changing its orientation in space such that the North Celestial Pole (see entry) traces a circle in the northern skies. One complete wobbles takes approximately 26,000 years. Precession affects the position of the sun on the solstices and equinoxes in relation to background features such as stars, constellations, and the Milky Way. The position of the sun on, for example, the March equinox precesses slowly backward along the ecliptic (see entry), moving into a different constellation every 2,160 years.

  Pre-Classic Period. 2500 BC to 200 AD. Its beginnings are marked by the development of the first ceramic traditions in Central and Western Mexico. Also known as the Formative Period, it is divided into three phases: the Early (2500-1200 BC), Middle (1500-600 BC), and Late (600 BC-200 AD).

  Pre/trans fallacy. According to philosopher Ken Wilber, the nonrational stages of consciousness (what Wilber calls “prerational” and “transrational” stages) can be easily confused with one another. One can reduce supposed “transrational” spiritual realization to prerational regression, or one can elevate prerational states to the transrational domain. For example, Wilber claims that Freud and Jung commit this fallacy. Freud considered mystical realizations to be a fallacy of reduction. Wilber thinks that Jung commits the converse form of the same mistake by considering prerational myths to reflect divine realizations. Likewise, prerational states may be misidentified as postrational states. Wilber characterizes himself as having fallen victim to the pre/trans fallacy in his early work.* See http://wilber.shambhala.com/html/books/cowokev1_intro.cfm.

  Primordial Tradition. A school of religious philosophy that holds its origins in the philosophia perennis et universalis, or Perennial Philosophy, which is in turn a development of the prisca theologia of the Middle Ages. The early exponents in the early-twentieth-century revival of this view of reality include Ananda Coomaraswamy, René Guénon, and Aldous Huxley. The Primordial Tradition seeks to establish a fundamental substratum of religious belief in all authentic religious teachings, adhering to the principle that universal truths are a cross-cultural phenomenon and transcendent of their respective Traditions, mythologies, and religious beliefs. The idea of the Primordial Tradition was well received by both practitioners and the academic community, and its development was actively endorsed by the International Conference of Religions in Chicago, 1893. The Primordial Tradition does not elevate any Tradition or religion above another, and instead upholds the truth claims of all authentic religions and spiritual movements. Adherents of the Primordial Tradition can be found in any religious system, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Paganism, Christianity, or Islam.* The Maya and other New World indigenous civilizations have been excluded from belonging to the Primordial Tradition, a situation that is no longer tenable. See also Perennial Philosophy.

  Quetzalcoatl. A Nahuatl deity that is the same as the Maya Kukulcan. Also called the Plumed Serpent, this deity embodies the principle of uniting opposites and transcending duality. In some teachings, a “quetzalcoatl” is an enlightened person who has integrated the dual cosmic forces within his or her own being.

  Sacred Calendar. Although this term usually refers to the 260-day cycle by itself, it can also refer to the complete framework of time cycles used by the Maya.

  Sacred cycle. Refers to the 260-day cycle (the tzolkin).

  Sacred Day of Venus. The sacred day (including its number coefficient) that begins a Venus Round. Example: 1 Ahau is the traditional Sacred Day of Venus. Ahau, by itself, is simply the Senior Sacred Day (coefficient is required to designate the Sacred Day apart from any occurrence of Ahau).

  Senior day-sign (senior year bearer). Of the four year bearers, the most senior one initiates the 52-haab Calendar Round. The most revered day-sign; can vary from group to group.

  Seven Liberal Arts. A seven-tiered system of initiation and education that took form in the Middle Ages and has led to the modern collegiate system of grades and degrees. It was originally based on the Neoplatonic conception of seven planetary spheres of increasing or decreasing proximity to the divine empyrean.

  Seven Macaw. A bird deity in The Popol Vuh that exemplifies the motivations and goals of self-serving egoism, thus embodying that archetype.

  Sidereal year. The time taken by the earth to orbit the sun once with respect to the fixed stars. Hence it is also the time the sun takes to return to the same position with respect to the fixed stars after traveling once around the ecliptic (as viewed from earth).

  Sinusoidal orbit of our solar system around the Galactic Center, above and below the galactic plane. A full orbital circuit in this process is completed in roughly 250 million years. Because our solar system occasionally physically passes through the galactic midplane, this sinusoidal orbital motion is often confused with the galactic alignment, which is the apparent shifting of the sun (on the equinoxes or solstice) around the ecliptic, caused by the precession of the equinoxes, completing a full cycle every 26,000 years.

  Stela, stelae. Carved standing monuments often found at archaeological sites. Many contain tzolkin/haab and Long Count dates, or iconographic depictions.

  Syncretism. The process by which the Maya assimilated to Christian and European values. The process occurred largely in terms of surface details and formal behavior, while essential spiritual beliefs of the Maya were retained.

  13-Baktun cycle. A period of time in the Maya Long Count. It equals 1,872,000 days, or approximately 5125.36 years. It is an expression of a doctrine of World Ages and occurs in association with Creation Texts. The current 13-Baktun cycle began on August 11, 3114 BC, and ends on December 21, 2012.

  Toponym. A name or glyph used to designate a place or location—for example, a Maya city.

  Traditionalist philosopher. A philosopher who subscribes to the perspective of the Perennial Philosophy (see entry), which is also called Traditionalism.

  Tropical year. 365.2422 days.

  Tzolkin. The sacred count of days (260-day cycle). Derived from the Quiché Maya term chol’qij (count of days).

  Tzolkin/Haab, Tzolkin/Haab framework. Conventional combining of tzolkin and haab calendars to designate a unique calendrical position within the 52-haab Calendar Round period. For example, 4 Ahau 3 Kankin is a tzolkin/haab date, which occurs only once every Calendar Round.

  Vague solar year. 365 days, otherwise known as the haab.

  Venus calendar. The system by which morning star appearances of Venus are predicted. Consists of the nestled cycles of tzolkin, haab, and Venus.

  Venus cycle. The synodical period of Venus. Equals 583.92 days; the Maya used a 584-day approximation.

  Venus emergence as morning star. The first day on which Venus becomes visible in the eastern morning sky after inferior conjunction (passing in front of the sun). Reckoned to occur four days after perfect inferior conjunction.

  Venus Round. The period of 104 haab that synchronizes the primary cycles of the Maya Calendar Round (the tzolkin and haab) with Venus. Provides a framework by which the astronomical phenomena associated with Venus can be predicted.

  Waxaklahun Ub’ah K’awil. The Copan king who ruled between 695 AD and 738 AD. He erected the famous stelae in the Grand Plaza. Commonly used English translation of his name is 18 Rabbit.

  World Age doctrine. The belief that humanity passes through distinct chapters
or phases of evolution and/or devolution. Many cultures subscribed to a World Age doctrine, which is closely connected to concepts of cyclic time.

  Xbalanque. One of the Hero Twins from The Popol Vuh. Refers to the day-sign Ix and the full moon.

  Xibalba. The Maya underworld. The portal or road to Xibalba is called the xibalbe or xibalba be in The Popol Vuh, and it corresponds to the dark rift in the Milky Way.

  Year bearers. The sequence of four day-signs on which the first day of the haab can occur. There are four because of the relationship between the 20 day-signs of the tzolkin and the 365 days of the haab. 20 divides into 365 evenly with five days left over; thus, every year the year bearer advances by five.

  Zero counting. Used by various groups to count the twenty days in the haab months from 0 to 19. The Ixil and Quiché Maya dropped zero counting at some point and began counting the haab days with 1.

  Zero date, base date. Pertaining to the Long Count, corresponding to 0.0.0.0.0. The term “base date” is also used for other types of calculation bases found in Maya inscriptions.

  *Definitions and discussions marked with an asterisk were adapted from their respective Wikipedia entries.

  APPENDIX TWO

  TIMELINE OF THE 2012 STORY

  August 11, 3114 BC. 13.0.0.0.0. Beginning date of the current 13-Baktun cycle of the Long Count. It is a mathematical back-calculation generated when the Long Count system was inaugurated sometime between 355 BC and the first century BC.

  355 BC. Long Count inauguration date suggested by Munro Edmonson; a hypothetical calendar reconstruction.

  400 BC-1 BC. Izapa is thriving and its stone carvings are made, depicting early episodes of the Hero Twin Myth.

  36 BC. Earliest dated monument in the Long Count, from Chiapa de Corzo.

  31 BC. Long Count monument from Tres Zapotes.

  19 BC. Latest possible date for a fragmented Long Count monument from Tak’alik Ab’aj, a “sister city” to Izapa. It may date to 39 BC, making it the oldest known dated Long Count monument.