December 21st, 2012, is the end of the Aztec/Mayan calendar. Collisions with comets, conflagration, and cataclysms are predicted. A host of non-doomsday, positive thinkers and artisans to explore the mysteries of 2012.

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December 21st, 2012, is the end of the Aztec/Mayan calendar.  

Collisions with comets, conflagration, and cataclysms are predicted. And that’s just on the History Channel.

Hollywood’s Cecil B. DeMille-scale, end-of-the-world thriller, 2012, will be out in November.

Doomsday prophets warn of floods, pestilence, wars, and diseases.

And, even scarier, there’s a rumor that in 2012, Sarah Palin will be on the Republican ticket.

But is it all doom and gloom?

That’s the question the 2012 Quantum Leap conference asked.

The first in a series of global 2012 Quantum Leap conferences was held in Burbank, CA, March 13-15th, 2009. The conference was offered by Sri Ram Kaa and Kira Raa, founders of the TOSA Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in New Mexico. (www.selfascension.com) Sri is a former psychotherapist, and Kira is a clairvoyant.  

Sri and Kira gathered together a host of non-doomsday, positive thinkers and artisans to explore the mysteries of 2012.  

And they all offered a welcome balance to the Nostradamian negativity that tends to permeate the subject. The 2012 winter solstice may be more like a great cosmic odometer quietly hitting 99,999 miles. Thankfully, the recalibration of the odometer generally doesn’t cause the car to explode.  

As Kira reminded everyone, often the loudest proclamations about the end of the world come from the folks at “BuyMyBunker@Bunker.com.”

Tibetan lama, the Venerable Tulku Karma Gyurme Sonam Rinpoche, was accompanied by his father, a monk who has lived in a cave for the last 24 years. They offered chants and prayers at the opening to bless the conference.

Nagual (master teacher) don Jose Ruiz, the son of the famous “The Four Agreements” author, offered a dose of Toltec wisdom generously spiced with humor. He reminded his audience that the ancient leader of the Aztecs fell because he misinterpreted the prophecy of the return of Quetzalcoatl as an event that would happen OUTSIDE of himself, instead of within, inviting the audience to their personal inner journey of re-membering.

Ruiz also offered a delightful exercise, suggesting recording your own voice when you are happy, chatting into the microphone about uplifting things. Then replay the recording when you are depressed – because what could bring us out of our own depression better than our own happy voice? www.miguelruiz.com

Scientist and author, Brooks A. Agnew, Ph. D., offered insight into sacred geometry, and explained how random numerical cycles ultimately return to the Golden Mean, a mathematical message of hope.  He is the host of X-Squared radio. www.x2-radio.com

A film festival, including the film, 2012: We’re In It, was hosted by Elevate Films (www.elevatefilms.com)

A raw food panel was sponsored by the award-winning superfood company, Transition Nutrition (www.TransitionNutrition.com). The panel was emceed by radio host, Laura Fox. Panelist Chad Ashley Vandenburg noted that he believed that the perception of scarcity that is so pervasive in people’s consciousness springs from a cellular level. Since food in the average diet is so lacking in nutrients, our bodies’ cells fight an inner battle for resources, and this inner war translates into the macrocosms of daily and global life. He and others on the panel all related feeling more relaxed, peaceful, and kind, in addition to experiencing more vibrant health, after switching to a nutrient-rich, raw food diet.

The Chocolate Chakra Shakedown event was a cosmic combo of yoga and dance, energized by delicious Bliss Balls, a pure, vibration-raising superfood that offers instant euphoria with no guilt.

At five bucks a pop (for a ball the size of a small brownie), I was skeptical. But now, I’m a believer!  The raw food Bliss Bar café also offered such delectables as a choco-maca Bliss Shake, and a Neptune Nori roll made of sunflower ginger pate and avocado! www.theblissbar.org

And the Divine Organics Coconut Gelato (a non-dairy "ice cream" - the Chocolate Almond Ecstasy flavor was amazing), the BlissMix (super energizing trail mix with amazing nuts and cacao bits), and out-of-this-world Sacred Cacao Brittle, by Transition Nutrition, were all absolutely to, um, live for!  www.transitionnutrition.com (I considered it my journalistic duty to taste everything.)

Ascended belly dancing performances and a class were offered by effervescent Nicole Whitney (www.BellydanceWithMe.com) and the stunning Emmy-award winner Faith Rivera lit up the room with a rockin’ version of Kumbaya like you’ve never heard before. www.faithrivera.com  

Award-winner, Stewart St. John was the last event on Saturday night, after a long, full day. Those who stayed til the end were rewarded handsomely with the surprise treasure of the weekend: Stewart’s music was a feel good mix; mellow, transcendant, energizing, happy, and centering, inspiring both joyful dancing as well as quietly blissful introspection.  www.stewartstjohnlight.com

Fusionart movement founder, Rassouli, offered images of his uplifting artwork in multimedia presentations, as well as a Fusionart room, where accomplished artists as well as novices romped in creativity together during the weekend. When Stewart St. John’s Cloudwalker CD was played in the room, the artists noticed a delightful change in the feeling of the room, enhancing their creativity. A number of Rassouli’s followers, including Lily Nava and Roy Smith, participated in the Fusionart room and also had artworks on display in the gallery area. www.fusionartinternational.com

The display of the various arts created a nurturing environment of beauty and wellbeing.

At the end of the weekend, Sri offered a delightful and practical bit of advice. He noted that when he was a psychotherapist, occasionally he would go for a ride in his car to alleviate his on-the-job stress.  So he placed a 3 x 5 card with an affirmation on the visor. That way, when he pulled the visor down, he saw his reminder: “I can choose judgment or love.”  And perhaps that is the choice that's becoming clearer as we move toward 2012.

And Kira Raa mused, that perhaps the Aztrec/Mayan calendar is ending because a calendar will no longer be necessary.

After all, do light beings who have learned to live in the “now,” really need a calendar?

RELATED ARTICLE ON OEN:
2012: Armageddon or Quantum Leap? Gregg Braden's Answer-Fractal Time http://www.opednews.com/articles/2012-Armegeddon-or-Quantu-by-Meryl-Ann-Butler-090228-921.html

Raw Food Panel:
Host, Laura Fox www.visionaryculture.com
Sponsor, David Kaplan www.TransitionNutrition.com
Chad Ashley Vandenberg www.noblelifeelements.com
Victoria Boutenko www.rawfamily.com
Keval Khalsa www.theblissbar.org
Compton Rom www.ascendedhealth.com
Janabai Amsden www.euphorialovesrawvolution.com
Lou Corona www.empiricalhealth.org
Matt Monarch www.therawfoodkitchen.com

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.