Is it the beginning of a New Age form of ascension or a Doomsday Armageddon end? Heralded by some as the coming of a rebirth of a new consciousness and by others as the harbinger of chaos and death. Is it prophesy or hype?

Which is it? As the year 2012 approaches, the media will surely blow the trumpets of alarm. I remember the trumpets blaring with the coming of the year 2000, the turn of the century into a new millennium. Do you remember the Y2K frenzy?

The potential for a complete breakdown of civilization hung on our ability to reprogram all the computers of the world to accept four simple digits - 2000. Well, we did it. Is this new threat of the same kind? Can we fix it?

As you can guess this is different. Different because it is of no human man-made substance or hold in your hands data. It is the product of prophecy and of interpretation. It is different because it threatens not only our lifestyle, but also life itself.

If it is the coming of new consciousness, then it may only threaten our style of life, our daily comings and goings, our relationships with our families and neighbors. It may threaten our political behavior and our international behavior. I say threaten because a new consciousness implies a new way of thinking, an ascension of sorts. It implies change from the way we are now. Change is always a threat to us.

If it is doomsday that we face, then surely it threatens life itself. Those that see this future event as catastrophic, see it as a global event. They see it as an event that will shake the world, one that will affect all of humanity. That is certainly change. Could it be an event of annihilation, one that wipes out humanity? Some find such a prediction to be an insult to the Divine. Nevertheless, believers of many faiths and non-believers, as well, hold that somber belief in Armageddon.

The specific date that is the focus of this prophecy is December 21, 2012, the winter solstice. That year will be a leap year. In the United States, it is a presidential election year. There will be a summer Olympics in London. In that year, American military presence in the Republic of Korea will end.

Focus on December 21 stems from the interpretation of the Mayan calendar. On that day, the Mayan calendar records the end of what the Mayans call the long cycle. It is the 13th long cycle since the beginning of creation according to Mayan history.

Before we dismiss, these predictions of a new consciousness or total devastation we should take note that there are notable and respected scientists that are doing serious research and study of the Mayan predictions. Some scientists note that it is in the year 2012 that the Sun will emit intense solar activity that could have cataclysmic consequences for the earth.

Could it be that indeed both a new consciousness and catastrophic event will be the legacy of 2012? I would think that a worldwide catastrophic event would indeed elevate humanity's consciousness. Mankind would be forced to ignore the mundane and pray for the divine.

Perhaps it is just another Y2 media phenomenon, but then again maybe not. Shouldn't we learn what we can and prepare for the possibilities? Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?