2012

[jcrowfoot]

OMGs I can't wait to use that line on the next apostolic evangelical I run into. "Mercy me, there's been 1000 years of peace. It's a sign of the end times, m' dear!"

[Revolpathon]

ah well, there's a war going on right now, so unless we manage to live for a 1000 years and more we won't see the apocalpyse.

i like the subjects though, make's for nice reading material

[Zei]

the philosopher in me wants to say "What is war?" a definition to really any word is subjective.

It could be argued (not that I'm really arguing it) that the wars going on in the world are one sided and pushed by one side and not the other so therefore those are technically attacks and not wars but really in the world today there's hundreds of wars being fought, civil wars, small wars between 3rd world countries, all kinds of things that may not necisarily apply to this way of setting it up but could fall into another technicality that makes them not wars by some definitions but when you begin to focus on silly mental loop holes you can really create any kind of logic and...

OMG THE WORLD'S ENDING! *grabs a helmet*

[[cherokeewind]]

At this point in time...in order for the Apocalypse to happen or be fulfilled...here is what must happen.

1. Confirmation of the Covenant. The Antichrist is supposed to confirm or validate the agreement with Israel. The Covenant must be declared a fact to the nations of the world.

2. The Jews must rebuild the temple in or near the Temple Mount. For 2,000 years there hasn't been any national Israeli temple like they used to have. The original rituals must also be established again.

3. Three and a half years after the peace agreement with Israel is confirmed, the Battle of Armageddon happens. If the 2008 peace agreement is confirmed this year, it would be as specified in the Apocalypse and set the date about 2012 for the Battle of Armageddon. But what about George Bush, is he the AntiChrist?

4. The nations will learn war no more and beat their swords into pruning hooks (cultivate plants, trees). There will be 1,000 years of peace.

5. After 1,000 years, the Great Satan returns and the nations rise up. If they still have their old nukes, this could be when they push all the buttons...the end.

There is a seven year period, then the peace millennium. Somewhere between the two is the Rapture theories. The raptured saints become like angels to help set up the Kingdom of God on Earth and they are to rule the nations.

[jcrowfoot]

I feel compelled to note that most of those eschatology freaks often site unrest and chaos as signs of the end of the world. At least the ones who knocked on my door to prove their point did. I love it when this happens, since I can use my extensive knowledge of their holy book and show that indeed there are plenty of quotes that stand against their argument, too.

They forget the whole "1000 years of peace" thing. Or maybe they just think that it's 1000 years after PAX ROMANA has been established..regardless of how effective it actually was.

[[cherokeewind]]

The problem is compounded because three different religions want it to work out like they believe. You have Arabs, Jews, Christians awaiting their Messiah. It is a fierce battle of religions going on here.

[jcrowfoot]

Anyone remember the claymation wrestling show on cable? For some reason I have this mental image this with an exposition match: THREE CHAMPIONS MET: ONLY ONE LEAVES THE RING! With Jesus Mohamed and Hillel ("God couldn't make it, he's got Plans") wrestling in a Mexican-style mud bout.

Drat. Now I've caused world-wide riots, just by saying that!


Maybe I'll cause the end of the world!!

[Eretik]

Ragnarok,
Armageddon

and the End-Days

Have They Already Passed?

Ragnar,
Denali Institute
of Northern Traditions

ed. note: In answer to many questions of this kind from students the world over, there is no 'doomsday' connection between the name of Ragnar, the principle Erulian of the Denali Institute, and the term Ragnarok. To the converse, Ragnar in Old Norse means 'warrior from the gods', and the term Ragnarok means the ' final battle of the gods' If anything, the name bearer will find himself courageously fighting on the side of the gods at the mythical end-times. Ragnar is a time-honored Scandinavian given name dating back thousands of years and appears frequently in the ancient sagas of the Norse.


---------------------------------

What if, after all these years of anticipation, we find that the "End-Days" have already come and gone? What if the various forms of Armageddon fears, repeating themselves from the 1st and the 9th centuries, are evidencing once again, and the same "non-event" comes about at the turn of this millennium? Like Linus of Peanuts fame, we will have waited in the pumpkin patch only to find the Great Pumpkin has passed through without our being aware. Both Linus and Charlie Brown would say, "How embarrassing!"

There would be some chagrined and even angered people, for sure. Especially those who have invested their entire belief system into End-time predictions, whether within a church group or by their making presentations to audiences of millions. And yet, that is what may be in store for us all if we look at prophecy with a keen eye to history, with sharp spiritual reasoning, and with accurate knowledge of the Creative Life Force.

Human Nature in Prophecy

As we explore this interesting possibility, we should preface our remarks with the way human nature influences the content of End-time prophecy.

First, an audience remembers little of pleasant prophecies, but pays great attention (and money) to doomsday predictions. Thus, the prophet is more receptive to intuitive impressions of disaster and terrible events than pleasurable happenings. Second, most audiences forget about the overwhelming percentages of prophecies that do not come true, and will build thin, fragile assumptions of logic to justify the claim of the few that do come close to being fulfilled. Third, the prophet is a victim of his or her own inevitable prediction. He or she must assume that the anticipated disaster is predestined to come about. Consequently, the prophet becomes a fatalist rather than an inspired agent of change.

Ragnarok

We should become familiar with the Song of the Sybil (Voluspá), as the Seeress foretells of Ragnarok, the last great battle in which all creation, including the Gods and Goddess will perish. Rune Master students are provided this poem in the first quarter's supplemental material. She says that the doom will be preceded by anarchy, war and crime among mankind, and by the wolf Fenris swallowing the sun, causing a three year long winter.

Amid earthquakes and falling stars, the monsters chained in the deep escape. The serpent of Midgard leaves the sea and waters pour over the earth. On the flood comes the ship Naglfar, made from dead men's nails and crewed by the Frost Giants from Nifelheim with Loki at the helm. The fire giant Surt and his army from Muspelheim join the war against the Gods, enroute shattering the rainbow bridge Bifrost.

Summoned by the horn blast of Heimdal, the guardian of Bifrost, the Aesir and Vanir ride out behind Odin and his host of 432,000 Einherjar (the fallen warriors) to slay and be slain by their mortal foe: Odin by Fenris; Thor by the Midgard serpent; Tyr by Garm, Heimdal by Loki. All die but Surt, who torches earth after the battle. The blazing earth sinks under the raging sea.

All is done, yet a new heaven and a new earth emerges. A new sun shines down. New gods appear to renew the world. Balder, the Aesir God of light and love, is resurrected to take the place of Odin as the father of the gods. Two human beings Lif and Liftrhasir also survive the tempest. They hid themselves in the wood of Yggdrasil, the Cosmic World Tree, where they lived by feeding on the morning dew.

In this new world, the few surviving Gods and Goddesses return to their old haunts on the plain of Ivedale to linger over old and happy associations. As they turn mournfully to the place where their halls once stood, they see that Gimlé, the highest heavenly abode in Asgard had not been consumed in the battle. It rises glittering before them, its gold roof outshining the sun. Hastening to Gimlé, they find that it has become the place of refuge for all the virtuous.

Some are quick to judge that the end to this myth is but a rendering of the Judeo-Christian Last Judgement. Yet scholars point out that the weight of evidence from parallels in other myth and folklore does not support this ending having been added by medieval clergy.

The Voluspá stands on its own as a wisdom writing complete within the Northern spiritual tradition. It is loaded with mythological insights into the great transition of Ages on earth that we are now experiencing and passing through!

A Major Difference

As we study the end days, it is appropriate to point out a major difference between the Northern Ragnarok and the Judeo-Christian Armageddon cited in the Book of Revelations. It has to do with the qualifications of human survivors at end-time. In the Book of Revelations, salvation is promised exclusively and only to those who believe in the spiritual teachings of the Bible, at one point listed as "the 144,000".

But in the Northern Ragnarok myth (Snorri's Prose Edda), man and woman (Lif and Liftrhasir) survive Ragnarok. They do so not because of passing a test of faith, but rather because it is the nature of Cosmic evolution that the human race survive the turning of an Age from one level of consciousness to another.

I believe Lif and Lifthraser are mythological representatives of humankind, not just two individual people, male and female. You could say the same applies to the 144,000 in the Christian New Testament but their survival is still contingent upon their degree of faith (by whose judgement?)

We Survive

With that preface, I would now like to substantiate why I believe we have already passed the time of Ragnarok and Armageddon. In order to understand this admittedly bold claim, I would ask you to accommodate two perspectives, at least for the duration of this discussion.

The first agreement is that prophecy is narrowly focused. Through the mechanics of collapsed time, synchronicity or heightened intuition, the prophet receives momentary glimpses of potential events taking place centuries in the future. His or her interpretation of the event, including its scope and impact, is taken solely from those tiny vignettes.

The second agreement is that participants in contemporary events must view prophecy in the context of decades or even half-centuries to gain the true warp and weave of any prophecy.

WHAT IF…

Now, picture yourself as a wise thinker looking back upon this century from a vantage point of the year 2200 CE. You would probably wonder how humankind survived the numerous holocausts in the 20th century. The history of the first half of this century shows tens upon tens of millions were victims of genocide, political purgings and world wars.

Statistics

While the Nazi Holocaust looms large in everyone's mind with its death toll of 6 million Jewish people, we tend to forget that Stalin purged (that means killed) 7 million 'enemies of the state' in Russia and sent another 12 million to Russian Gulags to die. In China, Mao's cultural revolution was responsible for the death of at least several million private landowners, if not more during his purges. Total military causalities (deaths) in WWI and WWII amounted to 28.2 million, not including civilians (Encylopedia Brittanica). Furthermore, during the period after WWII from 1945 to 1980, more than twice as many people have died from genocide than by outright war!

What would an ancient prophet presume from an intuitive vision of this century's pain and trauma ? What would he or she conclude if they extended their consciousness into the astral world of the early 1900's and felt the shock of its receiving millions upon millions of souls whose life was cut short by war or genocide? Would they not declare the world coming to an end at the turn of this millennium? Yet, here it is 1996 and humanity has not only survived this century's severe trauma but is overpopulating the world with new regeneration! A most recent example of too tight prophetic focus is Jeanne Dixon's 1960 prediction that a 'Great War' will break out in the 1980's. She probably received an intuitive impression of the Gulf War of 1990-1991. Surely a traumatic event, but still contained to a specific region and within limited parameters.

The Alaska Earthquake

We were participants in the Great Alaska Earthquake (1964), an experience which gave us a unique perspective of the threat of predicted End-day 'earth changes'. The Alaska quake registered 8.7 on the Richter scale and lasted a full five minutes! It was a catastrophic event to be sure, with mountains and valleys sinking +5' and 40' tidal waves sweeping through coastal towns. There were over one hundred deaths, thankfully low due to sparsely populated areas and the late hour of the day (5 PM).

The point is this: the Alaska earthquake unleashed the same forces predicted for the End-days. Yet, humanity survived, the cracks in the earth did not 'eat up' entire city blocks, the affected communities rebuilt and the economy rebounded. After this profound personal experience, we subsequently view End-day prophecies with an ounce of reason and common sense.

When you review Ragnarok from this perspective, it appears that many of the salient points of the Sybil's prophecy have already been reached and passed through. Yes, the old Gods and Goddesses died at the time of Ragnarok. That means they 'died' to old perceptions. No longer seen as flesh and blood deities who will appear to us in the physical, they are now perceived as archetypal mediating images. They serve modern culture as models of consciousness teaching humanity how to deal with inner drives and desires, both good and bad. This does not take away their potency, it means we now understand them in their rightful dimension as vitalistic imagery within our Inner World.

Even more importantly, the prophecy of the Sybil points to the emergence of a new world, purged of all evil, new, clean and ready to begin again. With the turning of the Cosmic Wheel in this new Age, the cycle of the Love Force has come upon the Earth. This cycle is portended in the Voluspá by the survival of Balder, the Sun-God who would have evolved into the same savior archetype as Jesus of Hebrew tradition had Northern tradition evolved without interruption.

The Great Work is to help bring the Northern spiritual tradition into the form it would have become had the evolutionary curve not been interrupted by suppression for some 10 centuries. The evolution of Balder, as the Christus archetype of the North is significant to this activity. Quite possibly, it is Balder who represents the integration of the Cosmic Love Force into the realms of Yggdrasil, and especially Midgard. Also, the rune Mannaz contains the mysteries of the archetypal Perfected Human that all world saviors and spiritual adepts have been pointing humanity towards over the past several millennium.

Odin as Wish-Fulfiller

Not that the presence of a kindly, loving Father image is missing from the lore of the North. In the Eddas, the High One, Odin, was given an alternate name of Oski. This name means Wish-Fulfiller (wunsch in Old German) as he fulfilled the role of a loving Father giving sustenance to his created children (see Grimm's excellent scholarly research on this matter in his Teutonic Mythology). The mystery teachings regarding this Father presence is contained in the rune Wunjo. Such teachings of a benevolent Father could very well have been the foundation stones for integrating the evolving Love Force into the Northern European culture 1000 years ago, similar to the Judeo-Christian model in the Middle East. Had this kindly Father image of Odin not been suppressed by the early Church fathers, the Northern tradition may well have sustained itself as a carrier of the Cosmic Love Force into the Northern folk.

For almost two thousand years, humanity has wrestled with this new Cosmic Love Force being activated in earth, and the assimilation is not without turmoil. Most moderns mistakenly characterize the Love Force only in its attributes of gentleness, compassion, peacefulness, etc. While this is true, we remind readers that this same Love Force brings the stress of initiation and purification as a part of individualization.

The good news is that we can get on with learning more of the nature of the Love Force instead of having to prepare for survival of End-day prophecies! We are in for a great New Millennium, runesters! Enjoy the ride!
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This article is taken from a recent issue of the True North journal, a monthly publication of general interest and analysis of current events from a Northern tradition perspective. True North is published by the Denali Institute of Northern traditions and is available by subscription. Students who enroll in the Rune Master course of the Denali Institute receive this journal along with their progressive monthly lesson in rune skills and Northern lore.

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A Northern perspective which summates my beliefs on this better than I could write myself.

[jcrowfoot]

I stand inspired. Thank you for sharing!

[[cherokeewind]]

Here is a news story about messianic cult

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

"BAGHDAD - Violence left nearly 50 people dead in two major southern cities Friday when members of a shadowy, messianic cult attacked police and fellow Shiite worshippers — a year after a similar plot was foiled during Shiite Islam's most important holiday."

"The assaults were launched as hundreds of thousands of Shiites observed the Ashoura holiday by marching, singing and beating their chests to honor the martyrdom of their most beloved saint. Followers of the cult — the Soldiers of Heaven — seek to speed the return of another Shiite figure known as a "Hidden Imam," who believers say will bring justice to the world."

So their messiah will arrive on the scene ASAP!

[jcrowfoot]

Great. Just what we need. "Violence=Good". Terrific.

[[cherokeewind]]

Ok, good point....I reduced the smaller violent parts to tiny small and for those who have good eyesight made the worst parts of tiny small a color hard to see. Now all we have is what their religious beliefs are like.

[Colubra]

I haven't been here a while, but I saw this topic and decided to post a paper I wrote on it in 2004...before it became THIS popular. Hopefully it will shed some light...sorry about formatting. I'm not sure how the thoughts have changed from 2004 to now though, so just keep that in mind.

The Mayan End-Date and the Changing World
On the side of the visitor’s building at the Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona, there is a mosaic mural of Mayan civilization. The text of the mural says, “The Mayan calendar is more accurate and precise than the calendar we use today” (Arguelles). The accuracy of this ancient time-keeping system has been causing many people to question why it is that the calendar does not include any dates after December 21, 2012. This date is what is known as the Mayan End-Date. Contrary to what it appears to mean, this date does not signify an impending apocalypse. Instead, this date heralds the beginning of a new World Age and a time of great spiritual enlightenment. However, this enlightening change will not come easily unless one has an open mind and an open heart.
To understand the significance of December 21, 2012, it is necessary to understand how and why the Mayans chose their End-Date. The early Maya adopted two different time-keeping systems that were tracked alongside each other. These two systems are called the Short Count and the Long Count (Jenkins). The Long Count is the system that contains the mysterious End-Date. The Long Count is calculated in five different increments: 1 day is one kin, 20 days is one uinal, 360 days is one tun, 7,200 days is one katun, and 144,000 days is one baktun (Jenkins). The Mayan Long Count calendar is read starting with the baktun place value with each increment separated by dots. This means that the starting date of the Mayan calendar would be 0.0.0.0.0. The Long Count is a 13-baktun cycle, so it lasts for 1,872,000 days. This is equivalent to 5,125.36 years (Jenkins). According to John Major Jenkins, J. Eric S. Thompson calculated that the Mayan starting date of 0.0.0.0.0 is equal to the Gregorian date of August 11, 3114 B.C.E. From this information, it was calculated that the ending date 13 baktuns later (13.0.0.0.0) is equivalent to the Gregorian date of December 21, 2012.
So why did the Mayans choose that particular day? The answer lies in astronomy. Jim Papp states that it is precisely on December 21, 2012 that the sun will conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic, which is the track the sun, moon, planets, and stars appear to travel in the sky. The Mayans knew this by tracking a phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes (Jenkins). According to Jim Papp, “The Mayans noticed the relative slippage of the position of the stars in the night sky over long periods of observation, indicative of precession, and foretold this great coming attraction.” Papp explains that the precession of the equinoxes is caused by the Earth’s wobble, which can be compared to a spinning top. The process of precession is extremely slow. One full precession cycle takes 26,000 years to complete. The end of one such 26,000-year cycle is to culminate on December 21, 2012. Astrology is also a component in the precession cycle. “Over a year’s time, the sun transits through the twelve houses of the zodiac…Upping the scale to the Platonic Year—the 26,000 year cycle—we are shifting astrologically from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius” (Papp). Knowledge of the astrological shift that is to occur on December 21, 2012 was also found inscribed on the Narmer Plate of Ancient Egypt (Fletcher).
A great amount of myth and symbolism surrounds the End-Date as well. For one thing, the Mayans placed a great emphasis on what is known as the Sacred Tree. John Major Jenkins states that Linda Schele’s research on the Sacred Tree confirmed that the Sacred Tree represents none other than the crossing point of the ecliptic with the band of the Milky Way. Jenkins also states that the crossing point of the Milky Way and the ecliptic is a symbol of the doorway to the Underworld and represents the sacred source and origin, noting that “The Sacred Tree is, in fact, at the center of the entire corpus of Mayan Creation Myths.” When one looks specifically at the astronomical conjunction that will occur on December 21, 2012, the symbolism can be taken even further. The “dark-rift” that the crossing point of the Milky Way and the ecliptic creates is considered a symbol of the birth canal of the Great Cosmic Mother. December 21 also happens to be the day of the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice sun corresponds to the Mayan deity Hunahpu. In this way, the event of the conjunction can be looked at as either the union of Sun God and Mother Goddess or the birth of the Sun God from the Mother Goddess (“2012”). The day of the Winter Solstice is, in fact, also a traditional day of beginnings and renewal for many cultures and religions around the world.
It is easy to see why December 21, 2012 is so important astronomically, astrologically, and symbolically, but what do all of these factors mean for humanity? According to “The Living Prophecy” web page, “Earth and her inhabitants are currently traveling the 13th baktun cycle—the final period of 1618-2012 A.D…The Maya predicted this final baktun would be a time of great forgetting in which we drift very far from our sense of oneness with nature and experience a kind of collective amnesia.” Steven McFadden states that this is a time of transition: “As we pass through transition, there is a colossal global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes.” The future—that is, December 21, 2012 and beyond—seems to be quite a bit more promising than the transitional period. McFadden notes that “Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the Earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.” “Bringing the return of universal telepathy, heightened sense capacity, and self-reflective consciousness, this is a return to our sacred domain of our inner technology,” concludes “The Living Prophecy” web page.
An important factor that must be taken into account is that this change, like any change, could be easy or difficult to adjust to for an individual depending upon the mindset that he or she has and the actions that he or she takes. Steven McFadden accumulated some advice from Carlos Barrios, who is knowledgeable on the 2012 prophecy, for nurturing this great change. Barrios says to be introspective, to develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart while respecting the differences of others, to learn to sense subtle energies, and to form a close relationship with the Earth. Unity is key. According to “The Living Prophecy” web page, “It is foretold that the completion of precession brings regeneration of Earth, offering awakening to all open willing hearts.”
December 21, 2012 will be a day unlike any other. The conjunction that is to occur on this day is an extremely rare event. The Mayans are not the only culture who recognize this upcoming occasion. Others include the Hopi, the Egyptians, the Kabbalists, the Essenes, the Qero elders of Peru, the Navajo, the Cherokee, the Apache, the Iroquois confederacy, the Dogon Tribe, and the Aborigines (“The Living Prophecy”). This is a time of spiritual action. It is a time for individuals to delve into the mysteries of themselves, the Earth, and the entire universe. The possibilities of the future are limitless. Individuals simply need to open their minds and their hearts to the amazing wonders of the universe that humanity often takes for granted.

Works Cited
“2012.” Sonoran Sunsets. 01 Nov. 2004 <http>.
Arguelles, Jose. Speech. Ashland Methodist Church, Oregon. 11 Nov. 2004
<http>.
Fletcher, Audrey. The Narmer Plate and the Twelve Ages of the Zodiac. 10 Nov. 2004
<http>.
Jenkins, John Major. “The How and Why of the Mayan End-Date in 2012 A.D.”
Mountain Astrologer 8 (1994). 01 Nov. 2004 <http>.
McFadden, Steven. “Steep Uphill Climb to 2012: Messages from the Mayan Milieu.”
Chiron Communique. 11 Nov. 2004 <http>.
Papp, Jim. Planet Papp. 08 Dec. 1998. 01 Nov. 2004
<http>.
“The Living Prophecy.” 13moon. 10 Nov. 2004
<http>.

[stormer89]

wow intresting topic. i head about this first from one of my friends over the summer and hadn't heard much on it since.
i just hope that when the world ends i'll be with those i care about most.
until then, live, let live, and party! i dunno.
blessed be

[Gaia]

Actually, I saw an episode of the possible ending of the world in 2012 on the History Channel, and now i'm a little uneasy. It seems like everything is pointing to that date, but i'm trying to be skeptical. What are the odds (knock on wood)?