In the Mayan calendar, 2012 is the end of a 5,125-year cycle which began in 3,114 BC – fourteen years after building began on Stonehenge . This cycle ends on either December 21 or December 23, 2012. The 21st is the most popular interpretation, because it’s also a solstice. The Mayan calendar counted mostly in twenties: 20 days = 1 uinal, 18 uinals = 1 tun, 20 tuns = 1 k’atun (144,000 days), 20 k’atuns = 1 b’ak’tun. So 1 b’ak’tun is 5,125 years, or 2,880,000 days. This is the end of the thirteenth such cycle, meaning the Mayan count started almost sixty-seven thousand years ago.

December 21, 2012 isn’t the end of the world. None of the apocalyptic predictions hold any scientific water. There is no Planet X or Niribu headed for us, the earth won’t lurch upside down and geomagnetic reversal is not “due” (and has never hurt us before anyway), a solar flare might knock out a few satellites but not us, and we’re not headed into any dangerous planetary alignments or galactic planes.

What 2012 can offer us is a paradigm shift – a shift in our collective consciousness, if you like, or if you don’t, a change in our world view. Instead of acting from a perception of scarcity, evil, and fear, we can change our perception: the world has enough, people are good, this is a safe place. It’s our free will to change our minds and to live accordingly. We can learn slowly, through bitter lessons, or we can take a leap towards light and love. This can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. This happening in 2012 can also be a self-fulfilling prophecy – or, to put it another way, a goal.