2012 review (book and event)

Just read a book called "2012: Something or Other" by Daniel Pinchbeck; I came across his name 'cos he'd written an article about eating iboga for The Guardian and then, lo and behold, saw a book by him in the library a week or so later. Promised to be an account of his personal journey into shamanism and an investigation into 2012. Turned out more, however, to be some weird attempt to link together every crazy bit of apocalypse-theory and ancient mythology ever written (eg, picking bits out of Revelation rather than the sensible option of just dismissing the whole thing as some madman's ravings and then trying to match it up with crop circles, stone circles, 9/11, Quetzlcoatl, The Book of Hopi, Egypt, etc, etc). A more unreadable book I don't think I've ever come across: it was as though someone had dropped the contents of a New Age dictionary into a bag and let it fall out in any old order, sort of the way Bowie used to write his songs, but madder. And though not quite as insane as David Icke, neither was it, if you can believe this, even half as coherent. Still, the personal bits - few and far between and mostly about taking mindbending substances - were interesting and held my attention, reinforcing once more that actual experience is where the substance lies, whereas the melding of philosophies and theories is kind of empty. Oh well, Pinchbeck, at least you tried.

Back when I was a prophet I used to get asked all the time about 2012: you know how New Agers are convinced something's going to happen, much as barmpot Christians have been expecting the apocalypse - whatever that is - something like every few decades for the past two thousand years. Weird, isn't it, how the wacked-out ideas of a handful of guys can plant such a powerful thought into the minds of so many people? But as far as I can see the world ain't gonna end until the sun explodes, and all thoughts of 2012 are about as relevant and substantial as all the worries people had about Y2K. They wrote books about that too, and tied it in with ancient prophecies. But you know what? We've got a calendar on our wall at home and that ends on December 31st 2011. Mean anything? Spooky? I shouldn't think so. Some of us like to think right now's a special time because it makes us feel special - and because we know so little about the past - but life goes on much the same as it ever did. You live. You learn. You grow. Same now, same a thousand years ago, and same in 2013 and all the years that will follow. I mean, don't get me wrong, nobody wants an apocalypse and all the associated global upheaval and chaos more than I do - but just because a bunch of befeathered jungle cannibals carved something in stone - or a drugged up early Christian had visions of seven-headed winged-lions - or some ancient East Indian dreamed up a far-out idea of an impossibly long system of eras and people 36 feet tall who lived for a hundred thousand years it don't make it so.

Roll on 2013, that's what I says.

And: I wonder what the date for the next nutjob apocalypse will be?