The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [85]
The photon belt is also a good example of how urban legends develop in metaphysics. The photon belt theory began as one article written by two people with no background in astrophysics. It was reprinted in a popular, and usually better researched, international magazine, Nexus. From there it was repeated so many times that it became a fixture in the 2012 literature. If you ask people who follow 2012 whether they have heard of the photon belt, they will not only say yes, they will be sure it’s a scientific fact. They will agree that what will happen when we move through the photon belt may be channeled information, but its existence is considered a fact.
Pole Shift
The theory of a pole shift or pole reversal is another application of bad science. First of all, these are often used as interchangeable terms. They’re not interchangeable. As we discussed in Chapter 10, a pole reversal is the reversal, or flipping, of the magnetic poles so that north pole becomes south and south pole becomes north. This has happened many times in the history of the planet and is recorded in the layers of magnetic rock. Pole reversals seem to be organic to the earth’s process. It’s associated with a weakening of the magnetic field and may be impacted by severe solar sunspot activity. It generally is a slow process, building up over time.
The pole shift is the hypothesis that the axis or rotation of the planet has not always been the same and the physical poles have shifted position. The anomalies of the axis of Uranus, which seems to make Uranus lie on its side, and the counter-rotation of Venus make this a plausible theory. However, shifting the axis of the planet requires a catastrophic event. What could do this? Being hit with a high-velocity asteroid or comet is a possibility. Scientists believe a pole shift may have happened 800 million years ago in the Precambrian era. A pole shift would happen quickly and be devastating in outcome, possibly destroying all life.
The second problem with the science of pole reversal versus pole shift is that people interchange the consequences. A pole shift is much less likely to happen and the consequences would be much more severe. People often use the proof that a pole reversal is coming based on the weakened magnetic field and strong upcoming solar cycle, but use the catastrophic results of a pole shift as the outcome. The truth is we don’t really know what the effects of a reversal might be. They could be benign, they could be severe; but they are not the same as the results of being hit by a high-velocity asteroid.
End Times of the Past
Let’s get some perspective by looking at the many end-time prophecies that have already passed without producing the end of the planet. Some of these predictions have had tragic outcomes, such as the mass suicide associated with the Heaven’s Gate Community and the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet. Others simply come and go and people shift their focus to the next cycle of dates.
Cosmic Caution
Heaven’s Gate was a religious group in the 1990s whose 38 members committed mass suicide when the comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997. The group believed the earth was going to be “recycled” and their only chance to survive was to hitch a ride on the spaceship they believed was hiding behind Hale-Bopp. Be careful what you buy in to!
In truth, the end times have been predicted for centuries. The original disciples of Christ expected to see the end times in their lifetimes. At the end of the first millennium, people also expected to see the return of Christ as they did in the year 2000. The list of end-time predictions that haven’t occurred is long. Here’s a sample:
◆ 500 C.E. Math has frequently been used to predict the end times. In 234 C.E., theologian Hippolytus promoted his belief that the world