December 21, 2012. The end of theMayan calendar does not
necessarily mean the end of the world. It seems that
the Mayans, along with the Hopi tribe, believe
that it is
more of a new beginning, rather than an end. Some quatrains by Nostradamus may be associated
with the year 2012, & if we are to believe the prophecies
within his quatrains, then the outcome is somewhat more sinister & violent. As it stands, it may be an end to violence, or a violent end. The music within "2012 - Prophets & Prophecies" musically explores these
different theories & offers them to the listener,
to use their own imagination to each of the potential events as they listen to each track.
Track 2. Calm Before The Storm:
A quiet or peaceful
period before a period during which there is great activity, argument or
unpleasantness. Are these now the immediate days running up to great activity
and/or unpleasantness in the coming days of the year 2012? Time will tell!
Track 3. Nostradamus:
Michel de Nostredame or Nostradamus as he is popularly called, was
born in France in 1503. He was a kind of pharmacist and a healer and around
1550 he developed an interest in the occult sciences and started writing
almanacs. He became famous for these and many people used to come to him for
horoscopes and asking psychic advice. Later he started summarizing his
prophecies and writing them in quatrains which is a four lines poetic para in
French. He compiled about a thousand of these undated quatrains into a book
called “The Prophecies” for which he is very famous even today. Nostradamus
wrote in a cryptic style and his quatrains need interpretation. Many have found
that most of these predictions by Nostradamus have been accurate and his
prophecies are highly regarded by astrologers and in many occult circles.2012 Nostradamus predictions have gained a lot of
popularity, firstly because the year is coming closer and secondly his
predictions seem to match predictions from other sources like the bible, Mayan
and Gnostic texts and so on. You must also keep in mind that Nostradamus predictions are never
clear cut and he writes symbolically and hence different people interpret these
symbols in various ways. Although this is the case, many of his predictions
have been interpreted correctly regarding the second world war, Hitler and so
on. This makes 2012 Nostradamus predictions even more interesting to read as
most people feel that they can be highly accurate.
Nostradamus Theory:
2012
Nostradamus predictions paint a bleak picture of massive destruction and havoc
brought about by a comet. It is not clear whether this comet will strike the
earth or will pass very close to our planet, causing massive earthquakes and
other cataclysmic occurrences. But all interpreters of his quatrains are united
on the opinion that it will be a comet which will come somewhere in December
2012. Nostradamus writes in one of his quatrains – “In the sky will be seen a
great fire dragging a trail of sparks”. This line clearly suggest a comet and
many are of the opinion that it will be very big in size. Certain interpreters
put the size to be just a little less than the planet Jupiter, and if such a
comet passes close to the earth the effect of its gravity will cause the oceans
to rise and also give rise to earthquakes.Another
theory is that the even though the comet will pass close to the earth it might
cause an asteroid to shift course and impact the earth. Such an impact will be
the size of several atomic bombs and will cause massive destruction. Some
predict that the superpowers of the world will send atomic missiles to break
this asteroid in space, but still there will be a shower of hail and fire from
its fragments.For
2012 Nostradamus also suggest that because of the massive destruction caused by
the comet there will be widespread anarchy and certain nations can take
advantage and plunge the world into a third World War. One of the quatrains
says – “King of terror shall come from the sky. He will bring to life the King
of Mongols.” This line has been interpreted that after the coming of the comet
China will gain prominence and might start attacking countries to gain
supremacy.
2012
Nostradamus predictions also gives an indication of the fate of certain
nations, and how long the comet will be seen in the skies. He mentions – “The
Great Star will blaze for Seven days” meaning the comet will be very near the
earth for seven days and nights. Further he says – “The Huge dog will howl at
night, when the great pontiff will change lands”. The great dog is taken to be
the United Kingdom by many interpreters, and the line suggests its destruction.
The pontiff is taken to be the pope and hence Rome too will be destroyed.
Track 4. Guardians of Time:
For the Maya (guardians of time), December 21, 2012 winter
solstice is a very important event, the beginning of the Fifth Sun. Then will
come the Great Transition to what the Mayans call the Itza Age: age of Light
and Wisdom will arise with multi-dimensional consciousness.
Track 5. Mayan Prophecy:
The Winter Solstice on December 21, 2012 ~ precisely at
11:11 AM Universal Time ~ marks the completion of the 5,125 year Great Cycle of
the Ancient Maya Long Count Calendar. Rather
than being a linear end-point, this cycle that is closing is naturally followed
by the start of a new cycle. What this new cycle has in store for humanity is a
mystery that has yet to unfold...2012 is also considered the completion of the 26,000 year
Precession of the Equinoxes cycle, and some say it also signifies the end of a
104,000 year cycle.
On December 21, 2012, the Mayan Calendar's 13th Baktun
cycle will end. On this date, the world as we know it is also reported to have
some changes. So it should. This is the natural order of our universe. It is
the order of all things. Yet, despite the fact that change is normal and
expected in everything that we know, there is a tremendous amount of
anticipation for this one upcoming date of December 21, 2012 in particular. The
reasons are many, both good and bad. For some, December 21, 2012 is the
beginning of a new era, where humanity will evolve to a greater understanding
of our place in the universe. To others, it is the much prophesied Apocalypse,
or the doomsday end. Ironically, for most of the living decendents of the
ancient Maya themselves, it's just the end of another calendar cycle or simply
another day.
Although the majority of all
knowledge on the greatness of our ancient Mayan ancestors has been lost due to
the cultural genocide raged against them in the fires set by Spanish invaders
in obeyance of orders from the Holy Roman Catholic Church, four ancient texts
known as the Maya 'codices' (singularly called a 'codex') have survived. In
addition to these important ancient manuscripts which for the most part
function as almanacs providing astronomical and ritualistic recordings, a
couple later (Post-Conquest) written sources, namely the Popol Vuh and the
Chilam Balam (a series of 9 manuscripts), are often used as the main historical
references cited for theorizing contemporary society's beliefs about ancient
Maya culture and mythology.It is primarily through these written
sources, along with the study of existing Mayan ruins containing carved
inscriptions, other ancient artifacts found such as pottery, and the
groundbreaking work of Russian epigrapher Yuri Knorosov (who was instrumental
in the decipherment of many Mayan glyphs), that, modern Mayanist scholars have
been able to formulate their individual theories concerning the significance of
certain Mayan recordings.
The 2012 winter solstice also coincides
with a periodic astronomical event where the Sun, the earth, and the
mid-section of the plane of the Milky Way are in rough alignment with one
another, many in the New Age community have been using this reoccuring
astronomical phenomena in relation with the coinciding end of the Mayan
calendar long count cycle as a means to promote a plethora of pseudo-scientific
New Age pronouncements.
Track 6. Book of Changes (I Ching):
The I Ching (Book of Changes) is a
"reflection of the universe in miniature". The word "I" has
three meanings: ease and simplicity, change and transformation, and
invariability. Thus the three principles
underlying the I Ching are the following:
1.Simplicity - the root of the substance. The fundamental law underlying everything in
the universe is utterly plain and simple, no matter how abstruse or complex
some things may appear to be.
2.Variability - the use of the substance. Everything in the universe is continually
changing. By comprehending this one may realize the importance of flexibility
in life and may thus cultivate the proper attitude for dealing with a
multiplicity of diverse situations.
3.Persistency - the essence of the substance. While everything in the universe seems to
be changing, among the changing tides there is a persistent principle, a
central rule, which does not vary with space and time.
Track 7. Lords of the Night:
In Mesoamerican calendars, the Lords
of the Night are a set of nine gods that ruled over a
particular night. The Lords of the Night were cyclical, so that same god
recurred every nine nights. In the Aztec calendar, the Lords of the night are
Xiuhtecuhtli, Itztli, Piltzintecuhtli, Cinteotl, Mictlantecuhtli, Chalchiuhtlicue, Tlazolteotl, Tepeyollotl, and Tlaloc. The Maya calendar also has nine Lords of the Night,
though their specific names are unknown. The glyphs corresponding to the night
gods are known and mayanist identify them with labels G1 to G9.
Track 8. Hopi Prophecy:
The theme of
the Hopi prophecy is that the Earth is going to soon go through a great
purification and that humanity can make the decision as to how extreme this
purification will be. Their belief is that the world goes through a period of
destruction and renewal and that we are about to enter into a new age, the 5th
world.
Track 9. The Oracle:
An oracle In Greek and Roman polytheism was an
agency or medium, usually a priest or a priestess, through which the gods were
supposed to speak or prophesy.
In generalized usage, an oracle can also
be:
·divine revelation in Christianity
·Urim and Thummim in
Judaism
·any form of divination
in other religions
Track 10. After The Rain: This track's title for me has a direct relation to the
overall theme of this cd. I look at rain as washing the earth of dust and
grime. It gives life to all the plants and vegetation. Rain also helps to shape
the environment around us, through erosion. Rain is an integral part in
the power of giving life, the ability to grow. I feel that after a rainstorm
there is a crisp freshness in the air, a feeling of my environment being
cleansed, refreshed and renewed. If the Mayan and Hopi tribe's belief in a
new beginning for 2012, which is the outlook I much prefer, rather than an end
to us all...then this new beginning will, in my mind, be after the rain.
Track 11.The Sacred Tree:
To the
Maya, The Milky Way was seen as the Tree of Life where all life came from, depicted
as their symbol of "The World Tree"
Sacred trees, representing the power of life to grow
from the underworld realm of the dead, are a common motif in the art and
literature of the ancient Maya of Mesoamerica. Such trees are similar in
concept to the tree of life described in the Book of Mormon, as well as to the
mythic traditions of many other contemporary world cultures. Hieroglyphic
inscriptions and sixteenth-century highland Maya texts describe a great world
tree that was erected at the dawn of the present age to stand as the axis point
of the cosmos. In its fruit-laden form, it personified the god of creation who
fathered the progenitors of the Maya royal dynasty.
In terms
of Mayan astronomy and mythology, the Dark Rift feature (which the Maya called
the Black Road or Xibalba Be) lies along the galactic equator (the Milky Way)
in the place where the December solstice sun will be in 2012. (More precisely,
the December solstice sun will reach the southern terminus of the Dark Rift,
where it touches the ecliptic in Sagittarius.) Thus, in terms of Mayan
mythology, we can also describe the Galactic Alignment of era-2012 as the
alignment of the December solstice sun and the Dark Rift. This entire region is
targeted by the cross formed by the Milky Way and the ecliptic between
Sagittarius and Scorpio.
This
Cross was also recognized by the Maya, and was called the Crossroads or Sacred
Tree. This entire region is embraced by what astronomers call the 'nuclear
bulge' of the Galactic Center—the center of our Milky Way galaxy. As any
amateur astronomer or naked-eye star gazer knows, this nuclear bulge is
recognizable without the aid of radio telescopes. It is wider and brighter than
other parts of the Milky Way. So, in a general sense we can also say that the
alignment in 2012 is an alignment between the December solstice sun and the
Galactic Center.
Track 12. Winter Solstice:
The winter solstice occurs exactly when the axial
tilt of a planet is farthest away from its star, depending on the polar
hemisphere of reference. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our Sun during a
solstice is 23° 26'. More evidently from high latitudes, a hemisphere's winter
solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the
sun's daily maximum position in the sky is the lowest. Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment
in time, other terms are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as midwinter,
the longest night or the first day of winter.
The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in
the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days.
Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice usually occurs on
December 21 or 22 each year in the Northern Hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in
the Southern Hemisphere.
Track 13. Four Cycles of Life & Time:
There was the cycle of the mineral, the rock. There was the cycle
of the plant. And now we are in the cycle of the animals coming to the end of
that and beginning the cycle of the human being. When we get into the cycle of
the human being, the highest and greatest powers that we have will be released
to us.They
will be released from that light or soul that we carry to the mind. But right
now we’re coming to the end of the animal cycle and we have investigated
ourselves and learned what it is to be like an animal on this earth.
Track 14. Pearl of the Fifth World:
The Fifth world
is a step above previous worlds and marks an enormous transformation that we
have ever experienced in the first four worlds. The Fifth World will be a
blending and harmonization of all four worlds, but taken to a different level.
These four worlds together, in a cosmic equality, will bring about a new kind
of life. Mineral, plant, animal and human will be looked at as being equally
alive.
In the Fifth
World, it will not be part of the blueprint to use and abuse the mineral worlds
any longer. Mining for gold and silver, or other Earth based resources, will
stop. We will not wear gems for vanity, but for the energy and out of great
respect. We will recognize the Mineral Kingdom as living beings, way beyond
what we do now.
In the Fifth world, it will not be part of the blueprint to use and abuse the
Plant Kingdom either. Logging forests for out of control building, produce
grown with pesticides and other uncountable abuses will not be part of the
Fifth World blueprint. We will recognize plants as living beings, just as much
we are living beings! There will be honor in earth gardening and taking care of
the plants of the world.
In the Fifth world, it will not be part of the blueprint to use and abuse the
Animal Kingdom either. Caring for the animals of the Earth will be just as
important as caring for our children. We will not see a difference between
animals and humans as we do now, even though we are all mammals in the Fourth
World.
In the Fifth world, the new life will not use other kingdoms to manifest what
they want or need. More over, it is a symbiotic relationship or type of
cooperation between the four world life types to create what is needed. A lot
of what the Fifth World will be for us, we can't conceive as yet. But as time
grows closer to the unveiling the pearl of the Fifth World, the clearer it will
become.
Track 15. The Piper's Last Stand:
According to Celtic legend, bagpipes can be heard by the spirit world.
It is commonduring military funerals for soldiers of
Scottish regiments, that a 'lone' piper plays a lament
for the dearly departed.In armed conflict, the piper remains playing to the end, guiding souls
to their last resting place.
The Piper's Last Stand...This being the final track on my 2012 - Prophets & Prophecies Cd...I
think that out of all the debating that goes on back and forth about the outcome
for mankind in 2012, It will either be an end to violence, or a violent end. I
hope it's not the latter...and hope that the piper, and all of us, and our
children, and their children, will one day see the end of violence, and a new
enlightened future for all generations to come.