Review

Is Earth approaching cosmogenesis, and does ancient Maya science and religion hold messages to aid us in this era of transformation? Author John Major Jenkins believes that indeed the precession of the equinoxes, as it was understood by the Maya, will be the formative influence of evolving life on Earth: "Being the culmination of an ages-long quest for understanding the nature of time, Maya cosmological insights are reminding us that the Zero Time is upon us."

Jenkins beings his thorough and comprehensible account of Maya cosmology by delving back 13,000 years into human history to the origins of Mesoamerican civilization. Logically he progresses through this Mesoamerican timeline to reach Maya civilization at its height of power and wisdom.

Interpreting the 2012 end-date of the Maya calendar proved to be an irresistible challenge for John Major Jenkins. It is apparent that his journey toward enlightenment was undertaken with pleasure and an enthusiasm which communicates itself to the reader.

This is an authoritative and at the same time exciting voyage of discovery into the past, a return to an ancient understanding of the cosmos that gives meaning to our place in the chain of creation. -- Library Booknotes, July 1998

Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 belongs to the growing corpus of end-of-millennium books. Jenkins explores why the Maya calendar ends on 13.0.0.0.0 (December 21, 2012), and notes that this enddate marks a rare alignment of our solar system with the Galactic Center. This date marks the end of the "long count" of the Maya calendar, which will then revert back to zero, as Mayan time is cyclical rather than linear. The author then switches to an Aztec myth, writing that this enddate will open the way for celestial demons to pour out of the sky to devour mankind. While he feels this myth can be interpreted either metaphorically or literally, in either case a new world age will begin. One manifestation of this new world age will be that "our basic assumptions and foundational values will be exposed, and we will have the opportunity to embrace values long since driven under the surface of our collective consciousness." Interesting as an end-of-millennium narrative, the text follows a formulaic pattern: the author, a North American male leaves the US to travel on a personal quest to "remote" and "dangerous" spots; listens "carefully to the wind whisper messages of a far off time"; understands the ways of exotic Others because he is "unfettered by the limitations of scholardom." Difficult to follow, backed by dubious scholarship, it is easy to dismiss Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. The author takes information from Hawaiian, Hopi, and contemporary Siberian ethnography to explain Mayan culture 2,000 years past. Too much jargon and a confusing outline make this work a frustrating read. However, the appendices are more coherent and accessible. -- From Independent Publisher

Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 is an involving well-research and in-depth perspective on the evolution of the Mesoamerican calendar. According to the Mayan peoples, we are now living in "end time." Decoding the mythological explanation of their long-known "astronomical facts," Jenkins explains how the Galactic center at the central bulge of the Milky Way was understood by the ancients as the pregnant point in the heavens that gave birth to the world. This point coincides with what is just now being discovered by today's scientists to be a black hole. An impending alignment of the sun at that very point, according to Mayan calculations, culminates at the winter solstice, December 21, 2012. The Mayan interpretation of this as an "end point' of our time is said to signify "a World Age shift" indicating a cataclysmic transformation seen as a "prelude for global renewal." The ever-spiritual perspectives of the Toltecs and Mayans on this upcoming cosmic alignment reflect a belief in "the cyclic renewal of the earth and the spiritual unfoldment of humanity." A fascinating and engaging read, Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 offers us a solidly researched invitation to "recognize our place in the great chain of creation." -- Spirit of Change,November-December 1998

Why did the Maya choose the date of 21 December 2012 to mark the end-time of their long-count calendar? And why mark the (northern) winter solstice?

Studying the star charts, independent scholar/author John Major Jenkins noted that a very rare alignment in the precessional cycle will occur on the December solstice in 2012, when the sun conjuncts the centre of our Milky Way galaxy. Seasonal alignments occur once every 6,450 years, but this December solstice of 2012 occurs once every 25,800 years! Jenkins surmised that the Maya, like many other ancient cultures, were aware of precessional cycles, but it was no coincidence that they marked this date. Indeed, as he discovered, it was central to their cosmology, mythology and calendrics, as was the idea of galactic centre as the source of life. The Maya even had a glyph to present the black hole at galactic centre--the existence of which has only recently been confirmed by astronomers.

In his expansive new book, Maya Cosmogenesis 2012, Jenkins explains how the Maya revered the end-time as a zero point, entered through galactic centre and involving an energy field-effect reversal and rebirth into a new World Age. In explaining his thesis, he takes us on a heady trip through Maya shamanic rites, the origin and development of the long-count calendar at the sacred site of Izapan, the galactic geometry and symbolism of the ball court, and much more. Jenkins' finds not only extend our understanding of Maya cosmology; they have great significance for humanity at the evolutionary crossroads. -- Nexus Magazine, October-November 1998