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So, What Exactly Is Going to Happen in 2012? (Or, What Did the Mayans Know, and How Did They Know It?)

By Rich Fisher

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwgs/local-kwgs-867329.mp3

Tulsa, Oklahoma – Wikipedia has defined "the 2012 phenomenon" as "a range of beliefs and proposals positing that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur in the year 2012." But where did this phenomenon come from, and why did it come about? On today's show, we chat with John Major Jenkins, whose new book is "The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies and Truth behind the Most Intriguing Date in History." Jenkins is seen as a pioneer of the 2012 movement. He's written nine previous books on the subject, and has taught classes at the Institute of Maya Studies in Miami, the Maya Calendar Congress in Mexico, the Esalen Institute, Naropa University, and other venues. In his new book, we read the following: "On December 21, 2012, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, a 5,125- year cycle calendar system pioneered by the Maya, will come to an end. At the same time, the earth, the sun, and the center of the galaxy will come together in an extremely rare cosmic alignment. More and more people believe that the world as we know it will experience a transformation in 2012, but few are aware of the complete history or significance of the date." We look into that history, and discuss that significance, on this edition of StudioTulsa --- and in particular, we revisit the remarkably sophisticated civilization that the Mayans achieved in their ancient prime of 1,000 years ago (or so).