The well-known claim that 21 December 2012 marks not only the end of the Mayan calendar, but also an extremely rare alignment of the sun at the winter solstice with the so-called ‘Dark Rift’ at the centre of the Milky Way – and that both therefore betoken the ‘End of the World’ – flies in the face of all the evidence, namely that:

1. The Mayan calendar in fact ends not on 21 December 2012, but septillions, if not octillions of years in the future.
2. The so-called ‘Dark Rift’ is not in fact a rift at all – let alone a Black Hole – and does not lie at the centre of the Milky Way, either. In fact, it consists merely of huge clouds of dust and gas that lie in deep space between us and it.
3. Contrary to some distinctly optimistic drawings and photoshopped images, you cannot see the sun passing through the Milky Way, since the sun is a daytime phenomenon, and the Milky Way an extremely faint night-time one. It follows that the Maya cannot have seen it, either.
4. This invisible alignment actually happens not just once every 26,000 years (as is usually claimed) but every year, at present at least. Here is a table showing the degree of alignment between 2001 and 2020:

Approximate degree of conjunction of winter solstice with solar transit of galactic centre during 21^st century:

2001                                                        3^o

2002                                                        3^o

2003                                                        3^o

2004                                                        3^o

2005                                                        3^o

2006                                                        3^o

2007                                                        3^o

2008                                                        3^o

2009                                                        3^o

2010                                                        3^o

2011                                                        3^o

2012                                                        3^o

2013                                                        3^o

2014                                                        3^o

2015                                                        3^o

2016                                                        3^o

2017                                                        3^o

2018                                                        3^o

2019                                                        3^o

2020                                                        3^o 

[Note:  3^o is approximately six solar diameters as seen from Earth]

 You should therefore pay no attention to the obsessive doom-mongers who constantly try to scare you into buying their books and video ‘documentaries’ by asserting the contrary, and least of all to the History Channel with its ludicrously melodramatic 'Armageddon' films. Simply ask yourself how and where they propose to spend all their profits if 21 December 2012 is really the End of the World.

And don’t believe their usual ‘get-out clause’, either, to the effect that what is at stake isn't really the End of the World after all, but the dawning of a whole new world of love, light and peace. Be assured that the ancient Maya believed in nothing of the kind, as any reputable, accredited Mesoamerican scholar will happily confirm. 

So, if you’ll pardon the phrase, pull the other one!

For further information, click on the link to the main page in the RH column --> .