Happy 2012! (the end of the world, or a new beginning?)
Twenty-five years ago, in August 1987, an astronomical event occurred in which our sun, moon and six planets in our solar system formed an exceptional alignment. Dubbed the Harmonic Convergence, this event was said to herald a positive shift in the global ethos and begin the countdown to the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar, and some say the world, on December 21, 2012.
As this apocryphal year approached, speculation and predictions proliferated about what, if anything, really will happen. Some, citing Biblical references for current global conditions, say Armageddon is upon us. Others pooh-pooh the entire notion that an ancient civilization could predict what would occur thousands of years in advance and view it as just another Y2K hoax. Then there’s Paul Callens, former La Manzanilla resident currently living at Lakeside, who has correlated ancient myth with modern science to describe the most likely scenario.
The information, presented in a series of humorous, easy-to-grasp video shorts, can be viewed at www.youtube.com/user/2012GlobalBlackout/videos. The difference between Callens and other recent doomsday-sayers is that he backs up his information with scientific data already reported by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Federal agencies such as NASA, NOAA, FEMA, and other government and private agencies and institutions.
During the past 18 months, these organizations have published hundreds of reports, in the news and available to any who care to read them, about increasing solar flare eruptions, expected to peak between December 2012 and January 2013, and their effect on the society and economy of Planet Earth. (I got over 1.7 million responses when I Googled “nasa reports solar flares.”) When asked why so few people still seem aware of these impending phenomena, Callens shrugged and suggested it was because ‘nobody reads the news anymore.’ “Mainstream American media outlets have either ignored or downplayed the reports, or presented them in such a way that they’re not taken seriously,” he added.
What do solar flares, the Mayan calendar, and the end of the world have to do with each other? “First of all,” Callens said, “nowhere is it written that the last date on the calendar has anything to do with Earth’s last day. According to legend, it signifies a ‘shift in the global consciousness’ to ending all our negative behavior toward the Earth and each other.” The end of the world as we know it.
“In the center of the Mayan calendar,” Callens explained, “signifying the end of this particular 5000+-year cycle, is a figure of the Sun sticking out his tongue. Like a lick of flame. Then we have NASA predicting a super-cycle of solar flares around the same time, with the potential to wash over the planet in a series of solar tsunamis. Such a flood of geomagnetic activity would collapse electrical grids all over the world.”
A NASA report as far back as January 2009 says a geomagnetic storm of the intensity predicted would cause extensive social and economic upheaval. Power outages would cause radio blackouts and satellite malfunctions, as well. Telecommunications, GPS navigation, banking and finance, and transportation would all be affected. Some damages could take months or even years to repair, with a total economic impact to the United States alone of 2 trillion dollars in the first year.
“So let’s bring this home to a personal level,” Callens continued. “No power, water or fuel; communication, transportation, manufacturing and farming at a standstill; no Direct Deposit of our pension checks … the enormity of even a temporary disturbance to our lives without access to the electricity we’ve come to rely on so heavily will, indeed, be the end of the world as we know it.” The world will still be here, and hopefully we’ll all still be on it, but we’ll have to seriously alter our lifestyles and our collective consciousness to survive. We’ll be forced to pull together as a global population to create a new beginning.
Callens’ purpose in providing this information to the public is to give people a concise, realistic, and somewhat entertaining picture of what could happen on or about December 21, in this year of 2012. He and Sir Francis Bacon believe knowledge is power. If people know what to expect, they can plan and act accordingly, and not panic.
¨Putting it in perspective,” Callens reminded, “our grandparents lived without electricity.” He suggests that, while it may be inconvenient, it won’t be impossible to slip back a couple of generations, temporarily. FEMA recommends having an emergency backpack ready to go filled with whatever you’ll need for at least a week. Use candles, oil lamps, and have a hand pump for your water system. Get to know your neighbors. And, most important, chill! It’s not the end of the world, after all.
What is Callens doing to prepare? He hopes to begin construction next month on his solar-radiation resistant geodesic sphere home on a hill overlooking the north end of Lake Chapala. Patterned somewhat after the Earthship residences dotting the American Southwest, the building will be one of an anticipated co-op community of eight individual family homes on the two-hectare (5-acre) site.
Callens envisions the cooperative, called Comunidad Ark Sphere, as a completely self-sufficient and self-sustaining neighborhood of people living in unity with nature and with each other. Harnessing natural energy sources, such as solar and wind, and natural wells for water will allow Ark Sphere residents to live “off the grid.” A limited number of memberships are still available, and interested parties can contact Callens through the Web site, www.arkspheres.com.
In 1969, the 5th Dimension sang about the “dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Forty-three years later, many believe that Age is upon us in 2012, and Paul Callens is preparing to welcome it with open arms.