End of the world...?
REFECTIONS OVER A COMMOM QUESTION OFTEN RECEIVED IN MY COLUMN
I have read in magazines that many people say the world will end in 1999, and that even Nostradamus gave no further predictions after the year 2000. Is this what you have seen in your research as well? Also, what is your opinion of what will happen in 1999? ...................................................Magdalena, Szczecin - Libra
Actually, predictions that the world will end at a certain date have been going on since ancient times, so it seems people have been waiting for the end of the world for virtually thousands of years - especially each millennium.
The end of the world is typically described as some sort of apocalyptic battle between Good and Evil. Good, represented by a divine or messianic leader, who of course triumphs over Satan, Evil, the anti-Christ - or whoever - depending upon what religion you are examining. The triumph over evil then paves the way for a 'new world order' or era, which is infinitely more perfect and pure than the previously contaminated age of moral corruption.....
Sound familiar? It should. Millennialism is a fundamental, driving force in the Judeao- Christian-Islamic faiths. All three of these major religions have threads to a millennialist philosophy since they stem from the same sources, and worship the same grumpy desert god, originally called Yahweh. Interestingly many other religions such as Vishnu, Tara, and Zoroastrian have ties to this same millennialist philosophy as well. Why does humanity become overwhelmed every 1,000 years?
What's a Thousand years...?
As we approach the end of the current century and millennium, we feel the steady rising of a certain world-wide anxiety. The year 2000, which for many older generations once symbolized the far off future, is now suddenly only about 3 years away. Historically when humanity has approached a year whose number is a mathematical round figure, there is a psychological tendency to see it as time of atoning completion for the human condition as well. (Only 100 years ago, many of the papers in 1899 were speculating the "doom" of entering 1900!)
This 'completion cycle complex' seems to be proportional to the number of zeros that follow the year - the more zeros, the higher the anxiety! Now that the year 2,000 looms large on our immediate horizon, we are beginning to see increased cases of eschatophobia - a fear of the ending of all things - and feel the need to somehow escape this imagined inevitable destruction.
This time around however, the collective anxiety is being fueled not only by a 'seer' being quoted in a newspaper, but by fundamental evangelists, real or imagined "space brother" messengers, tabloid psychics, documentary TV shows showing all the doom predictions past, so-called channelers with messianic complexes, and even a few astrologers have joined the apocalyptic parade.
This, however, is one parade I will not march to, and simply looking at history will give you, too, all the reasons why NOT to fear the coming of the year 2,000. A good example is the LAST 1,000 year cycle. In 1,000 AD, nearly all of Christian Europe was thrown into a panic by religious doomsday preachers who predicted the end of the world was imminent (by the same floods, fire, earthquakes, and such we are hearing about now).
As a result, homes were abandoned, crops were left unharvested, and great mobs of the devout took refuge in the churches (which increased attendance), or fled on pilgrimages to the Holy Land to atone for their sins in the land of God. It really wasn't until 1033 that the general view was held that humanity had somehow 'passed off' Judgment Day. (Thirty years is a long time to heave a sigh of relief over whether or not the world will end, but such stress has been held in the general public recently from 1945 to the 1990's concerning a war between the east and west).
Nostradamus says...
It is unfortunate that many people today believe the famed 16th century French seer was a forecaster of doom and gloom. This is mainly due to the fact that a majority of books, articles, and television specials primarily focus on his more dire prophecies. The truth is, Nostradamus also gave a number of very positive predictions about the year 2000 and beyond.
When you study the original French verses, you may see that there are several potential meanings to his prophecies, which can lead to several directions. Basically, what Nostradamus did in his prophetic messages was to set a mirror before us, showing which of the potential paths we can take that already exist within us. Which of his prophecies we choose remains up to us. Let us take a look at some of his verses leading up to the year 2,000:
I, 16
"Saturn moving from Sagittarius through Aquarius (1988 to 1994): Will be at the high point of its exaltation (a time when choices need to be made), After that comes epidemics, famine, death by war, When the century and millennium will find their renewal."
X, 72
"The year 1999, July, Through the sky will travel a great King of terror, He will be the King of the Mongols (Genghis Khan) returned. Against everyone, he will inflict Mars (war) to his advantage."
Now contrast these predictions with the events foretold in the next two verses, for the exact same time frame:
II, 10
"All things shall be set into a new order of the ages, The new century and Millennium (2001) will see an opening to a new way. Those who have hidden behind the masks of lofty power will be utterly changed, Few will be found who shall remain in leadership."
VI, 24
"Mars and Jupiter conjoined, In Cancer (next occurrence, June 2002), an end to all forms of warfare will be realized, A new King will be anointed (enlightened or born), One who will bring Peace to the Earth for a very long time".
Scattered throughout other verses we get a picture of this third anti-Christ (the first being Napoleon and then Hitler), whose actions will probably been seen soon. Nostradamus gave his birth data as Feb. 4, 1962 in Jerusalem. The enigmatic name given is "Mabus", who is not a Jew and will be raised by an uncle. He will first become known to the world in 1995. Your guess is as good as mine as to who this might be...
It seems the French prophet is giving us a choice as to who will help us enter the millennium, or it may be that both figures will play a part on the world stage in the coming years. Is the next Christ already walking amongst us? Have we already seen the "Mabus" in the background of a Middle East news conference on CNN? The next few years will tell us.....
As I write this, a Chicago commodities broker Maury Kravitz has announced he believes he has found the location of Genghis Khan's lost tomb, and is preparing a multimillion dollar expedition to Outer Mongolia for unburying the remains of the 13th century warrior. This too could be considered a possibility for the "return" of Genghis Khan, if it somehow affects world events.
According to the French seer, the year 2000 will not see the end of the world, but instead will exemplify a time of trouble, or transformation, depending on us. The bombing at the Atlanta Olympics recently is a good example of this choice: do we close down one of the greatest events in humanity - letting the terrorist and evil win - or do we let the spirit of the games go on and stand up to such actions? It seems thus far the spirit of decency is fairly strong entering the next millennia.
Nostradamus prophetic visions actually go well beyond the year 2,000 - and has actually forecasts for the 21st, 23rd, 32nd, 54th, and 86th centuries. So, it appears humanity will be around for some time to come (that is, if we don't merge to much with technology and become 'machines' or mix too much with aliens wanting "space babies").
Eastern Millennialism
In the eastern religions, a 1,000 years are but a segment of the vast cycle of ages for the world, which the Hindu-Buddhist teachings call kalpas and yugas. We are currently in the final yuga, which is the most decayed and wicked era of them all. At the end of this period - the Kali (darkness) Yuga - we can expect the Grand Finale of the Cosmos, called the Mahapralaya, which is basically a "Big Bang" when all time, space, and existence goes up in smoke.
Following this dramatic event comes an very long period of vacant inactivity, then the entire life process reactivates itself into a new enormous cosmic cycle. While most Hindu teachers believe we are in the Kali Yuga, WHERE we are IN this period is a big debate. In Hindu literature, the Great Cycle, or Maha, lasts over 4 million years, with each yuga lasting for several hundred thousand years (the Kali Yuga currently in progress, for example, lasts 432,000 years).
Some of the Hindu sages have correlated the beginning of the Kali Yuga itself with the beginning of the Hindu calendar system, which started in 3,102 BC. Even if this were a correct calculation, we still would have 427,000 more years until the 'end of the world' by eastern religious standards.
Mayan "end date" - Dec. 21, 2012 AD
The Maya civilization was one of very advanced skywachers and forecasters. Their classic period is thought to have lasted from 200 AD to 900 AD, but recent archeological findings are pushing the 'start date' back to a probable 400 BC.
An important creation myth from the Mayan culture is the "Sacred Tree" concept, which is actually a physical place in the heavens (located at the intersection of the ecliptic and the Milky Way - which contain most of the stars in our galaxy).
The Mayan and Hopis (of North America) do not prophesze that everything will come to an end at this time. The message says this is the transition date from one World Age into another. The theme is the same as with forecasts of other cultures: cataclysmic changes followed by gradual peace and then tranquillity.
For those of you interested in astrology, the Mayan 'end date' is one of great significance. For on December 21, 2012 the Sun (at a winter solstice) is not only in the "sacred tree", but also is in EXACT conjunction with the galactic center as well...!
The Phoenix Cycle
From classical sources we discover that the Greeks recognized what was called the Phoenix Cycle, derived from Egyptian legends of the Bennu bird that rose from its own ashes every 500 years. (This cycle can be associated with the 247 year orbit of Pluto, doubled).
The Phoenix Cycle was considered to be so important that in the 1st century AD, early Egyptian Christian mystics under Saint Mark combined forces with the Alexandrine Greeks to develop a calendar system that would be coordinated with the Phoenix Cycle's rhythm - past and future. It was not fully accepted into Europe until one cycle later in 525 AD, when it was introduced by the Roman theologian and mathematician Dionysius Exiguus, who "christianized" the Cycle and was the first to apply to it the term anno Domini.
According to the Pythagorean/Neo-Platonic Greeks and Egyptians, with each Phoenix cycle, and for a hundred years on either side of it, it was prophesied that an influx of special souls would be incarnated - variously called masters, teachers, messiahs and avatars by different traditions in each culture - whose chosen work was to raise overall planetary consciousness.
Looking at the historical records for past Phoenix Cycles - for example the last one from 1400 to 1600, the Renaissance - we find that in several centers of the world each cycle did indeed define an era of enlightenment, which was initiated by men and women who contributed significantly to the transformation of human thought.
The new Phoenix cycle - from 1900 to 2100 - has already seen a vast influx of minds who have assisted humanity, such as Madame Curie, Albert Einstein, Mother Theresa, Anwar Sadat, and Nelson Mandela to name a few - and these numbers are continuing to grow as more answer the call to world enlightenment.
What may be even more interesting to note is that so many cultures have predictd the COMING of an important figure to arrive during THIS Phoenix Cycle. As we approach the year 2,000 - the peak of this cycle - those prophesied still to arrive (or return) are:
With so many important people predicted to appear during the near future, it doesn't sound like the end of the world is coming, but rather a new beginning.
It's the end of the world.....as we know it Many religions frequently teach spiritual truths through symbols and metaphors, and perhaps this would be a good way to look at the millennium. When millennialism is NOT taken literally, and is examined symbolically - as a transition period - it begins to make more sense than saying the world will end simply because a certain year has a lot of zero's in it. Therefore, understand the millennium as a metaphoric description for the process of transition: when one cycle is completed and a new one begins.
Astrologers observe that the world is full of transitions - comprised of multiple, complex, and interactive cycles. In nature, this transition is displayed very appropriately by the Moon's cycle: there are three nights of total darkness just before and after the new moon. In any cycle (be a monthly one, or one lasting a thousand years), a transition period is necessary for it separates the old from the new. Without transition, the old would continue and nothing new could ever develop.
Actually the coming of EACH DAY brings the end of the world - the world as we know it. One hundred years ago the invention of the automobile changed the face of the world, and all those who knew the world with the horse and carriage had their world end. The fall of the Berlin Wall ended the world for those preaching that communism was the superior economic and political system. The evolution of people working at home on their computers will end the world, for those who sit for hours in traffic jams trying to drive to work.
Summery
History has shown us the completion of ANY vast time cycle usually brings a forecast for the 'end of the world'. There are even some astrologers who are giving May 5, 2000 as a possible "doom date", simply because 7 planets will be in the same sign (Taurus) on this day. Actually this same basic line up occurred on Feb. 5, 1962 (excluding Saturn) and not too much happened during this time in the way of world destruction. (Interestingly enough, many astrological and other tabloid magazines just prior to Feb. 1962 were full of 'doom' forecasts, such as earthquakes, floods, and nuclear war - which of course didn't materialize).
One psychological study suggested that many are fascinated by the idea of the world coming to an end, simply because focusing on THAT thought makes any personal problem seem very small. Whatever your reasons for thinking about all the talk connected to this millennium being the 'end of the world', realize it is just that: talk. For every end there is a new beginning, and a beginning always offers new possibilities. Rather than entering the new millennium with worry and fear, realize instead hope would be a more appropriate emotion - for how you begin a new cycle (physically, mentally, emotionally) sets the pace for a lot of it.
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