How Did the Maya know about 12/21/2012??

[Tumbleweed]

I'll admit, I don't visit here very often so this has probably been discussed ad nauseum, but just how in the hell did the Maya know that Dec 21 2012 was a very special day, cosmic alignment-wise. You know, the Milky Way, Sun, Earth, planets, et al aligning on some sort of an axis, a day that only occurs once every 21,000 years.
It just bugs my logical mind that they knew it was a special day. And no apparent hoax to debunk, either, from what I have read so far, just a calendar that ends on that day. Just a real lucky guess?
And wouldn't you know it -- just two lousy days before I am eligible for full SS benefits!

[JoeEllison]

It is all just silly nonsense, when you get right down to it.

[Tirdun]

Where are you getting info on this being some sort of cosmic alignment whatever?

The Mayan calendar "long count" ends in 2012, much as my wristwatch will "end" at 23:59:59 tonight. Then it switches to a new count, an event the Mayans considered significant (not catastrophic).

[Tirdun]

I'll add that the last few cosmic alignments were a wonderful example of nothing happening when cherrypicked cosmic bodies moved into slightly interesting proximity to imaginary lines or triangles or arcs or whatever the shape du'jour was. Books were sold, a few people might have had a panicky afternoon and the planet went on a'spinning with nary a second thought.

[ServiceSoon]

This has been discussed but not in the context of your question. I asked the same sort of question in the last Mayan thread.

I think their discovery can be contributed to years of astrology. I mean, if you didn't have a television, computer, or job what would you do all day? Of course, there could be other theories but you would have a hard time proving them

[Tumbleweed]

Were the Maya trying to simply say that their calendar would be obsolete after 12/21/2012, because the Earth's day and year would change at that time, for whatever rerason?

[madurobob]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

I'll admit, I don't visit here very often so this has probably been discussed ad nauseum, but just how in the hell did the Maya know that Dec 21 2012 was a very special day, cosmic alignment-wise. You know, the Milky Way, Sun, Earth, planets, et al aligning on some sort of an axis, a day that only occurs once every 21,000 years.
It just bugs my logical mind that they knew it was a special day. And no apparent hoax to debunk, either, from what I have read so far, just a calendar that ends on that day. Just a real lucky guess?
And wouldn't you know it -- just two lousy days before I am eligible for full SS benefits!

OK, I'll bite: just what are these very special cosmic alignments and how unusual do you suppose they are?

[Wolverine]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Were the Maya trying to simply say that their calendar would be obsolete after 12/21/2012, because the Earth's day and year would change at that time, for whatever rerason?

No. The calendar doesn't "end" on December 21st, 2012, it just rolls over.

Was our Gregorian calendar obsolete after December 31st, 1999?


And, to what "alignment" are you referring?

[latent aaaack]

Here's a link that sums it up from this thread: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...ighlight=mayan

http://www.astro.uu.nl/~strous/AA/en/2012.html

It seems they did manage to get a very unlikely 'hit' at the least. I don't know what the odds are of this - ie. how many possible astronomical conjunctions and patterns exist that could possibly be associated after the fact with a random date thrown out by the Mayas.

From the 'conclusion:'

Quote:

I believe that it is but a coincidence that 65 baktuns are approximately equal to the period of the precession of the equinoxes and that it is coincidence that the coming date of 0.0.0.0.0 in the Long Count falls on a southern solstice in the middle of the Milky Way.

You might think that it would have to be a very great coincidence, because if you choose the length of 65 baktuns at random then the chances of it happening to be about equal to the period of the precession of the equinoxes would be very small, and if you fix the date 0.0.0.0.0 at random (without regard to solstices or the Milky Way), then the chances of it happening to fall on a southern solstice in the middle of the Milky Way are also very small.

However, the probability of getting three sixes when casting three dies is also very small, but if someone does cast three sixes then that is not evidence of design or foul play. After all, if you cast the dies, then you must get some result, and if the dies are honest, then any result is equally probable, with the same very small probability, so getting three sixes is then just as likely as getting, for example, a two, and then a four, and then a three. This shows that the improbability of an occurrence is not by itself proof of design or foul play.

[aggle-rithm]

Originally Posted by latent aaaack

Here's a link that sums it up from this thread: http://forums.randi.org/showthread.p...ighlight=mayan

It seems they did manage to get a very unlikely 'hit' at the least. I don't know what the odds are of this are - ie. how many possible astronomical conjunctions and patterns exist that could possibly be associated after the fact with a random date thrown out by the Mayas.

From the 'conclusion:'

The Mayans were very good astronomical observers. It's possible that their calendar divisions and sub-divisions were based on repeated patterns they witnessed in the sky. If their observations and math were accurate enough, there would inevitably be some sort of alignment. It would be no more of a coincidence than the Sun appearing at the same spot in the sky as it did a year ago.

Pure speculation, of course, as I don't have all the facts.

[LostAngeles]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Were the Maya trying to simply say that their calendar would be obsolete after 12/21/2012, because the Earth's day and year would change at that time, for whatever rerason?

Your language is funny, but the idea is the what others have already said.

The Mayans didn't, "know," about 12/21/12 any more than I know about 12/31/08, the vernal equinox, the new moon, or the end of my menses. The current cycle ends and a new one begins. That's all it is.

People are basically all worked up about Mayan New Year's Eve. At this point, when 12/21/12 comes, we should take Prince's advice.

[Tumbleweed]

Hey, I'm no astrology buff. I haven't the faintest idea of what is aligning with what. Google it if you want those answers.
It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.
And either that day has a special alignment of some sort or it doesn't. It's not make believe. The effects may be postulated by anyone, but either objects are in a once in 21000 years line or they are not.
To me, if that alignment does exist, it is mind boggling that someone bascially living in the Stone Age could predict it

[aggle-rithm]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.

Careful about confirmation bias. Just because there happens to be an alignment of the Milky Way at the critical time doesn't mean the Mayans knew there would be an alignment of the Milky Way.

Pick any point in time, and there will probably be some sort of astronomical phenomenon associated with it.

[not_so_new]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Hey, I'm no astrology buff. I haven't the faintest idea of what is aligning with what. Google it if you want those answers.
It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.
And either that day has a special alignment of some sort or it doesn't. It's not make believe. The effects may be postulated by anyone, but either objects are in a once in 21000 years line or they are not.
To me, if that alignment does exist, it is mind boggling that someone bascially living in the Stone Age could predict it

Exactly who was it again that predicted it?

[not_so_new]

And exactly what did they predict to happen?

[egslim]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.

Careful, Eratosthenes, a scientist of ancient Greece, made the first accurate measurement of the Earth's diameter. Source
At least one ancient Greek knew the Earth wasn't flat. I know very little about the Maya's, but without evidence we should not assume they believed the Earth to be flat.

[Wolverine]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Hey, I'm no astrology buff. I haven't the faintest idea of what is aligning with what. Google it if you want those answers.

But where did you read about this "alignment"? Different sites make different claims, and because I'm not psychic I don't know what you're basing this on.

[madurobob]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.

Sure. In fact, our current scientists can't even say when this mythical alignment of the earth and the galaxy will occur because they cannot specifically identify the galaxy center. Some suggest this alignment has already occurred (1999).

So, the real issue here is that folks found the fun fact that the Mayan calendar had a stop on 12/21/2012 and then went looking for events to assign to it. The Mayans predicted nothing about that specific date as far as anyone knows.

[LostAngeles]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Hey, I'm no astrology buff. I haven't the faintest idea of what is aligning with what. Google it if you want those answers.
It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.
And either that day has a special alignment of some sort or it doesn't. It's not make believe. The effects may be postulated by anyone, but either objects are in a once in 21000 years line or they are not.
To me, if that alignment does exist, it is mind boggling that someone bascially living in the Stone Age could predict it

Alignments happen all the time. It depends on where you stand. Also, not everything is moving in the same plane (e.g Pluto, comets).

Who says they were predicting anything?

Tell me what 12/31/11 predicts?

If there is some, "alignment," it could very well just be a coincidence. How many ancient calendars end cycles on certain dates that don't coincide with a purported celestial event?

[Wolverine]

Originally Posted by LostAngeles

The Mayans didn't, "know," about 12/21/12 any more than I know about 12/31/08, the vernal equinox, the new moon, or the end of my menses. The current cycle ends and a new one begins. That's all it is.

Speaking of which, here's a list of Mayan long count rollovers versus Gregorian dates.

Long Count	Gregorian date
0.0.0.0.0	August 11th, 3114 BCE
1.0.0.0.0	November 13th, 2720 BCE
2.0.0.0.0	February 16th, 2325 BCE
3.0.0.0.0	May 21st, 1931 BCE
4.0.0.0.0	August 23rd, 1537 BCE
5.0.0.0.0	November 26th, 1143 BCE
6.0.0.0.0	February 28th, 748 BCE
7.0.0.0.0	June 3rd, 354 BCE
8.0.0.0.0	September 5th, 41
9.0.0.0.0	December 9th, 435
10.0.0.0.0	March 13th, 830
11.0.0.0.0	June 15th, 1224
12.0.0.0.0	September 18th, 1618
13.0.0.0.0	December 21st, 2012
14.0.0.0.0	March 26th, 2407
15.0.0.0.0	June 28th, 2801
16.0.0.0.0	October 1st, 3195
17.0.0.0.0	January 3rd, 3590
18.0.0.0.0	April 7th, 3984
19.0.0.0.0	July 11th, 4378

Ok, so what can we shoehorn?

[KingMerv00]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Hey, I'm no astrology buff. I haven't the faintest idea of what is aligning with what. Google it if you want those answers.
It just seems odd that the Maya figured out that an alignment with the Milky Way of some sort was possible, given that they apparently were not around to witness its 21000 year patterns, in an age where the Earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.
And either that day has a special alignment of some sort or it doesn't. It's not make believe. The effects may be postulated by anyone, but either objects are in a once in 21000 years line or they are not.
To me, if that alignment does exist, it is mind boggling that someone bascially living in the Stone Age could predict it

The Bad Astronomy Forum says that this alignment happens once a year. If that is true, it doesn't seem like such a big deal to me.

http://www.bautforum.com/astronomy/6...alignment.html

[Tumbleweed]

I basically saw a show on the Discovery Channel about he Mayan Calendar and then went Googling
Okay one can speculate that the Maya knew nothing about cosmic alignment at all. (Not likely given their calander expertise) but still those alignments do occur on a "special" day to them
Again, I find that to be a very odd coincidence. And if it can be shown that other cultures considered the date to be "special" for whatever reason, that would be just plain old weird

[LostAngeles]

Originally Posted by Wolverine

Speaking of which, here's a list of Mayan long count rollovers versus Gregorian dates.

Long Count	Gregorian date
0.0.0.0.0	August 11th, 3114 BCE-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/32nd_century_BC
1.0.0.0.0	November 13th, 2720 BCE- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_century_BC
2.0.0.0.0	February 16th, 2325 BCE- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24th_century_BC
3.0.0.0.0	May 21st, 1931 BCE- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1143_BC
4.0.0.0.0	August 23rd, 1537 BCE - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1530s_BC
5.0.0.0.0	November 26th, 1143 BCE - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1143_BC
6.0.0.0.0	February 28th, 748 BCE - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/748_BC
7.0.0.0.0	June 3rd, 354 BCE - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/354_BC
8.0.0.0.0	September 5th, 41 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/41
9.0.0.0.0	December 9th, 435 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/435
10.0.0.0.0	March 13th, 830 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/830
11.0.0.0.0	June 15th, 1224 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1224
12.0.0.0.0	September 18th, 1618 - September 18 - marks the beginning of the 12th Baktun in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, the final phase of the Great Cycle.
September 19-November 21 - Siege of Plzeň
13.0.0.0.0	December 21st, 2012
14.0.0.0.0	March 26th, 2407
15.0.0.0.0	June 28th, 2801
16.0.0.0.0	October 1st, 3195
17.0.0.0.0	January 3rd, 3590
18.0.0.0.0	April 7th, 3984
19.0.0.0.0	July 11th, 4378

Ok, so what can we shoehorn? http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4262/biggrinth0.gif

That's it. Quote my earlier post and answer my later one.
I used wiki. Have fun

[LostAngeles]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

I basically saw a show on the Discovery Channel about he Mayan Calendar and then went Googling
Okay one can speculate that the Maya knew nothing about cosmic alignment at all. (Not likely given their calander expertise) but still those alignments do occur on a "special" day to them
Again, I find that to be a very odd coincidence. And if it can be shown that other cultures considered the date to be "special" for whatever reason, that would be just plain old weird

It's not really much of a coincidence for the reasons King Merv stated (are you even reading this thread, Tumbleweed?). Like I hinted at before:

Find some other cultures that consider that date to be, "special," for whatever reason.

[Molinaro]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

I basically saw a show on the Discovery Channel about he Mayan Calendar and then went Googling
Okay one can speculate that the Maya knew nothing about cosmic alignment at all. (Not likely given their calander expertise) but still those alignments do occur on a "special" day to them
Again, I find that to be a very odd coincidence. And if it can be shown that other cultures considered the date to be "special" for whatever reason, that would be just plain old weird

Why do you ignore every answer you get in this thread?

[madurobob]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

(Not likely given their calander expertise)

Huh?

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

but still those alignments do occur on a "special" day to them

as pointed out above, not true.

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

And if it can be shown that other cultures considered the date to be "special" for whatever reason, that would be just plain old weird

Yeah, good luck with that. Please post back here what you find about other cultures forecasts for 12/21/2012.

[Wolverine]

Originally Posted by madurobob

Sure. In fact, our current scientists can't even say when this mythical alignment of the earth and the galaxy will occur because they cannot specifically identify the galaxy center. Some suggest this alignment has already occurred (1999).

Ah, and if we're talking about the Sun somehow "lining up" with the galactic equator, it does that twice a year as is (on the winter and summer solstices), and, that's only from an Earth-bound perspective anyway. Do any of the 2012-mongers even provide a specific, quantitative definition of "alignment"? Seems like that's lots of wiggle room for astrology newage.

Just for fun, here are some visual aids comparing this past winter solstice to that of 2012. Hopefully these screenies will help illustrate the inconsequential nature of the "alignment" (whatever that's supposed to mean).

1) 12/22/2007 - A view from Earth, slightly above the ecliptic^WP, looking toward the Sun (I tilted the view upward slightly so the Earth would not obscure the Sun). The red arrow denotes my location:



2) 12/22/2007 - Trailing view of Earth from #1, following its orbit (oriented to the ecliptic); the red arrow's still pointing at moi (at the time of the solstice, the Sun's not even visible from Casa de Wolv):



3) 12/22/2007 - A view toward the Sun from Earth on the 2007 winter solstice, oriented to the ecliptic plane (the green line denotes the ecliptic, the red line denotes the galactic equator; I've disabled the daylight on this and subsequent screens):



4) 12/22/2007 - A view toward the Sun from Earth on the 2007 winter solstice, now oriented to the galactic equator:



Now, compare the above with the winter solstice on 2012...


5) 12/21/2012 - A view from Earth (just like #1), looking toward the Sun. The red arrow again points at my location:



6) 12/21/2012 - A view toward the Sun from Earth on the 2012 winter solstice, oriented toward the galactic equator (like #4):



Now, note how this "alignment" (whatever that's supposed to mean) vanishes when we travel somewhere else.

7) 12/21/2012 - Looking toward the Sun from Venus, it appears 48 degrees below the galactic equator from that perspective:


8) 12/21/2012 - Looking toward the Sun from Mars, it appears some 38 degrees above the galactic equator from that vantage point:


Much ado about nothing. There's no physical significance to any of this.

[KingMerv00]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

I basically saw a show on the Discovery Channel about he Mayan Calendar and then went Googling
Okay one can speculate that the Maya knew nothing about cosmic alignment at all. (Not likely given their calander expertise) but still those alignments do occur on a "special" day to them
Again, I find that to be a very odd coincidence.

Not if I am right.

If the alignment happens twice a year then there is a 1 in 183 chance of the the end of the Mayan calendar landing on that day. At first blush, that seems weird but there are all kinds of strange galactic alignments and important calendar days scattered throughout the year. If the Eygptian new year (or whatever) had occurred on the day venus is in conjuction with Vega, we'd be sitting marveling at THAT coincidence instead.

What you don't realize is that chance alone will generate apparent miracles. Statistics demands it.

[thoth108]

This link can explain a bit about the alignments and dates:

http://www.levity.com/eschaton/Why2012.html

This is an astrology link, but the guy has done his research. It will answer a lot of questions that newbies might have about the 2012 date, and gives diagrams and explanations of the alignments occurring.

Spriritually speaking, the date is just another rollover from one calendar to another. It's not an "end" date... necessarily. The Theosophical community, among others, believes that these dates mark the end of an epoch, where the entire human race collectively graduates from their current level of understanding to a new, higher level that was previously inconceivable to them. The alignment with the galactic center is seen as a momentary alignment with the Creator, the center of our galaxy.

The precession of the equinoxes is used, in some woo-religions, to determine the "God" that is ruling over a particular age. What I mean by "God" is not the usual defintion of a sentient, all powerful being who decides our fate; "The God that rules over us" is actually the general philosophy of the collective consciousness of all mankind (Archetype). We are now in the age of reason, and in 2012 we will graduate from this age into a new one, where we go beyond using just reason to decide our actions and fate.

It is interesting to note that the alignment of the Sun with the galactic equator and ecliptic (which occurs on Dec 21st, 2012) has not always occurred on this solar date in it's previous happenings. December 21st is the Winter Solstice; which is an important holiday to us woos when we send holiday cards to one another, and celebrate the rebirth of the Solar God(Please see, "Death & Rebirth Deities" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life-death-rebirth_deity Sorry for the Wiki link, but it's a good place to start if your're interested). For the alignment of the Sun to the galactic equator to occur on such an auspiscious day as the "birth day" of the Sun God is a religious implication to this that shouldn't be ignored. In my opinion, it is the single biggest reason why this 2012 is so important in the Mayan Calendar. Notice that Quetzlcoatl is a Solar God. December 21st is an OLD pagan sabbot which predates Christianity by thousands of years, and is reason why we celebrate Christ's B-day on Dec 25th and not the actual date of his birth (converting the Pagans to Christianity by confusing their holidays with the new deities - Jesus and friends).

If you've read anything by Carlos Castaneda, (I'm sticking my neck in the guillotine for sure with this!) then the date of 2012 is when our assemblage point will shift permanently to a new position, thus allowing us to percieve reality through a different bundle of energy centers. In other words, we will all be forced into a new persepective on life; a world-wide consciousness shift. The "age of reason" will come to an end. Another way of saying this is: we will gain a new sense to go along with our 5 existing senses. Many people believe we will all become psychic by this point, and will collectively behave more like a "hive" than as disconnected individuals.

I think this is a great topic for this site.

[Huh-What?]

Could it be that the Mayan in charge of producing the calendar got to 12/21/2012 and said, "my arm hurts. I'm not carving any further."

[madurobob]

Originally Posted by thoth108

Many people believe we will all become psychic by this point, and will collectively behave more like a "hive" than as disconnected individuals.

So, you're saying bigfoot is involved in all of this?

[LostAngeles]

Originally Posted by Huh-What?

Could it be that the Mayan in charge of producing the calendar got to 12/21/2012 and said, "my arm hurts. I'm not carving any further."

That was my first thought when I heard it. Alas, it just so happens that it's the end of a cycle in the Mayan system.

I mean, you would think that they'd say, "Ok, well we're up to about 5000 years from now. That's good. We can finish this later."

[Complexity]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

Hey, I'm no astrology buff. I haven't the faintest idea of what is aligning with what. Google it if you want those answers.

Why do you persist in repeating such utter nonsense?

Simply irresponsible.

Get a good book and learn something real.

[Tumbleweed]

1. 12 21 2012 is the final day of the Mayan Great cycle.
2. According to astronomers NOT ASTROLOGERS an event that only occurs once every twenty one thousnad years will happen on that day in our galaxy.
I find that to be a very odd coincidence and not one person has yet offered an explanation except to say that a once in 21000 year event is no big deal, and to nit pick about whatever alignment means. You will have to talk to those astonomers, not me, if you want to know what the hell alignment means and report back to me, because whatever explanation I happen to offer is certain to be wrong
For example someone is sure to point out that alignment is relative to your viewing perch, utterly ignoring the fact that we are talking specifically about the Mayan's view perch and not some alien 5000 light years away

[madurobob]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

1. 12 21 2012 is the final day of the Mayan Great cycle.
2. According to astronomers NOT ASTROLOGERS an event that only occurs once every twenty one thousnad years will happen on that day in our galaxy.
I find that to be a very odd coincidence and not one person has yet offered an explanation except to say that a once in 21000 year event is no big deal, and to nit pick about whatever alignment means. You will have to talk to those astonomers, not me, if you want to know what the hell alignment means and report back to me, because whatever explanation I happen to offer is certain to be wrong
For example someone is sure to point out that alignment is relative to your viewing perch, utterly ignoring the fact that we are talking specifically about the Mayan's view perch and not some alien 5000 light years away

Bull****. Please provide evidence of these "astronomers" statements about this event occurring once every 20K years and in 2012. You've been pointed to all the evidence you need to fully realize that this whole 2012 thing is hogwash, but you refuse to avail yourself of the information.

YOU are making the claim, YOU provide the evidence. You cannot.

[sophia8]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

1. 12 21 2012 is the final day of the Mayan Great cycle.
2. According to astronomers NOT ASTROLOGERS an event that only occurs once every twenty one thousnad years will happen on that day in our galaxy.

If you mean the alignment to the Galactic Centre, that won't happen in just one day - it happens over a period of years, for the simple reason that the Galactic Centre is rather bigger than our Sun.
It's happening right now, and has been for some time.

[TShaitanaku]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

1. 12 21 2012 is the final day of the Mayan Great cycle.
2. According to astronomers NOT ASTROLOGERS an event that only occurs once every twenty one thousnad years will happen on that day in our galaxy.
I find that to be a very odd coincidence and not one person has yet offered an explanation except to say that a once in 21000 year event is no big deal, and to nit pick about whatever alignment means. You will have to talk to those astonomers, not me, if you want to know what the hell alignment means and report back to me, because whatever explanation I happen to offer is certain to be wrong
For example someone is sure to point out that alignment is relative to your viewing perch, utterly ignoring the fact that we are talking specifically about the Mayan's view perch and not some alien 5000 light years away

The point you seem to be missing, is that the "alignment" most likely occurred back in 1998, not 2012. 2012 only bears any significance in that you need to replace your calendar wheel on that day (if you are still using the old Mayan calendar).

[KingMerv00]

Originally Posted by Tumbleweed

1. 12 21 2012 is the final day of the Mayan Great cycle.
2. According to astronomers NOT ASTROLOGERS an event that only occurs once every twenty one thousnad years will happen on that day in our galaxy.
I find that to be a very odd coincidence and not one person has yet offered an explanation except to say that a once in 21000 year event is no big deal, and to nit pick about whatever alignment means. You will have to talk to those astonomers, not me, if you want to know what the hell alignment means and report back to me, because whatever explanation I happen to offer is certain to be wrong
For example someone is sure to point out that alignment is relative to your viewing perch, utterly ignoring the fact that we are talking specifically about the Mayan's view perch and not some alien 5000 light years away

So you didn't read what I posted?

[Tumbleweed]

My conclusion is that since the Maya had such great powers of observance when it came to celestial objects, that one became a Newton before his time who came up with equations to predict their paths. During the discovery of these equations they became aware of celestial cycles not yet complete, and were able to calculate both the beginning and the end of that ongoing pattern and came up with 12/21/ 2012
In other words, they were far better mathematicians than we give them credit for

[Tumbleweed]

[quote=KingMerv00;3370868]So you didn't read what I posted?[/quote

Yes I read what you posted,. In a word, you attributed it to chance