There are a few different angles one can taking in answering this question:

• You could argue that all authors on all topics are just after an easy living, for despite all the torment that one might get from “writer’s block”, in the greater scheme of things, writing is easier than most jobs out there.
• Given that writing could be seen a cushy occupation, and that the old adage “write what you know about” holds true, then I suppose being a writer is one thing, but the chosen topic is typically heartfelt.
• Writing books pays off if you are J K Rowling, or even Graham Hancock, but most readers would be surprised at how little most seemingly successful authors earn. If you wish to look for writers seeking to prosper from the 2012 meme, look at their extra-curricular activities, and how often they repackage the same ideas over and over again.
• More than for money, many 2012 authors are probably, if they were to be psycho-analyzed, more keen on being famous, being appreciated, or basically being loved. That’s not so bad, we all seek this in our own individual manner.
• Even when 2012 authors conspicuously profit from their endeavours, perhaps spreading the word was the instigator, and seeking an income (something we all need…) came later.
• Although I am not representative of the typical 2012 researcher, if you want an example of someone not having profit as the motivation for writing about 2012 – I will always earn considerably more from my day job, and I put that income in jeopardy by spending so much time on 2012. And I need my day job if I am ever able to afford to build a bunker.

Given how often one comes across the phrase “Mayan Prophecy” (including the titles of books and documentaries) you’d expect to discover that the Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012.

Although most of the ancient Mayan literature has been lost forever (the Spaniards burnt all except 3 or 4 of their books), there are still many monuments and murals that have been deciphered, and only one has been discovered, so far, that makes a prediction for 2012. It reads:

…(long ago) it happened, the day Eight Chuwen, the ninth of Mak
when the Becoming-Ripe-House was constructed(?).
It was the ‘underground house’ (shrine) of (the god) Ahkal K’uk’.
It was two and nine-score days, three years, eight-score years and 3 x 400 years
(before) the Thirteenth Bak’tun will end
on Four Ajaw, the third of Uniiw,
when ..?.. it will occur,
the descent..?.. of B’olon Yookte’ at ..?..

The few translations of this inscription from Tortuguero Monument 6 are all very similar. Where it says “it will occur” is translated from the Mayan verb utom,  which can also be translated as “it will happen” – and is a strong indicator of a prophecy being spoken of. The god B’olon Yookte’ has various meanings. Unfortunately half of the inscription is missing, so we might never know the full story. I came across this inscription years after deciding that most pyramids are bunkers, and therefore I conclude the above is discussing the building of a bunker (underground house) to be occupied in 2012 (the descent) by the god (Mysterous Elder – not a Mayan).

However, in many places we have found the Mayan “myths” of what took place at the end of the previous ages, and each involved humans being totally wiped out, so the gods could recreate us from scratch.

Otherwise, Mayan prophecies tended to be rather mundane, such as “137 years hence, it will be a Tuesday, the 200th anniversary of our king’s birthday.”

Is there an Alignment in 2012?

Thanks to the early books of John Major Jenkins, a lot of people believe there will be a unique “Galactic Alignment” on Dec 21, 2012, and that it will have a profound effect on human consciousness, or the gravitational effect will cause a cataclysm on Earth…

The alignment is between Earth, the Sun and the Galactic Plane/Equator. They are never truly in exact alignment, but this is the closest they get in each 25,000 year cycle known as precession.

These days JMJ describes the alignment as being “in the era of 2012”. This is because the closest we came to alignment was in 1998. Because of this, we can quite safely state that the alignment had no immediate effect on humans or Earth. All that really leaves is a long-term effect, and you’d be best describing that as astrology.

So, if you are into astrology, there may be something in it. Otherwise, it cannot cause anything to happen to us or our planet.

Note 1: There is nothing special about the alignment of our planets in 2012. There was a significant alignment on 5/5/2000, but as many experts predicted, nothing happened.

Note 2: It could be argued that the Mayans made their best prediction of when the alignment would occur, and they used that date (2012) to end their Long Count calendar. If this is the case, although they were 14 years out, this was significantly better than our scientists could have managed a few decades ago. The end of the Mayan Long Count calendar could be nothing more than when the Mayans predicted a galactic alignment that they considered to be ominous.