Are you ready for the coming apocalypse?
Many survivalists across the world are seriously preparing for an “end of days”, with one of the first deadlines being Dec. 21, 2012. Some see this as a literal world disaster, while others view it as a symbolic transition between levels of consciousness.
On our calendars, for special days, we can find explanations such as “Christmas” or “Winter Begins”. Under the equivalent of the date Dec. 21, 2012, would the Maya of 1,200 years ago have written an entire page of possible catastrophes, including “collision with big rock from outer space”, “communication with aliens” and “change to another species after entering galactic beam”?
We probably will never know the annotations on the calendar of a typical Mayan kitchen. Less open to speculation are the basics of how the Maya counted days. Campbell River resident Roy Myers, who holds a PhD in astronomy, will present an illustrated program on the mechanics of the Mayan calendars at the Campbell River branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Although he is acquainted with a number of disaster scenarios proposed for the end of the world in Dec. 2012, Mr. Myers will not attempt to persuade the audience to accept or reject any particular viewpoint. Instead, he would like to focus on three areas. First, he will explain how the main Mayan calendars worked. Certainly their day names were different, but the concepts have similarities to the ways our modern world marks days. This would also include the reason why the Mayan calendar is said to “end”.
The second section draws on Myers’' background in astronomy. Many disasters refer to a galactic alignment. He will show the movements of the players in the alignment, and suggest how an observer today can begin to appreciate what the Maya saw long ago. Finally, he will comment on specific resources available in the library’s collection pertaining to the 2012 scenarios.
This is a free program and all are welcome. For further information on the subject, check the library’'s catalogue on the VIRL website at www.virl.bc.ca , under the subject heading “Maya calendar” and “two thousand twelve AD”.