The winter equinox--December 21-22, 2012--marks the end of the famous Mayan Long Count Calendar. It concludes the 5,000-year "Fourth Age" and heralds a cataclysmic change; either the end of the world as we know it or the dawn of a new golden age. Gerald Benedict has thoroughly studied the Mayan prophecies that focus on this significant date and discovered that they can only be understood in the context of the special relationship that existed between Mayan religion, cosmology, astronomy, mathematics, and spirituality. Benedict brings this deep knowledge to his enlightening and beautiful gift book, which translates each prophecy poetically, explains its message, and elucidates its meaning to bring Mayan wisdom to life again. Above all, he reveals how this ancient civilization and its prophecies remain relevant for us today.