The History Channel cried when 'wolf' when it aired its show, NOSTRADAMUS: 2012, on January 4, 2009. The show began on a very dire note with implications that Nostradamus and ancient messages predicted the 'end of the world' in 2012. Images of devastation, floods, disease, wars, environmental disasters and social chaos inundated the screen. If you only watched the first 90 minutes, my guess is you may have been convinced that the "End Times" are upon us and that there is little hope for the survival of the species.

The basic problem with the presentation is that much was taken out of context and most interpretations were 'exoteric' in scope. The pieces on Nostradamus dealt with only a few of the images in the "LOST BOOK" and thereby lost context. It is like the religious practice of quoting several chapters and verse in order to support dogma and ignoring any text to the contrary. But, even more fundamental, is the fact the interpretations of the images were too superficial. They focused on the obvious (exoteric) and not the hidden (esoteric) aspects of the pictographs.

One such example is the plate that shows an arm holding a sword; a primitive club on a tree; a scorpion; an eight spoke wheel; a lamb; various twisted pieces of ribbon; and, a golden rectangle. Regarding this image it was said that it was representative of the signs of the zodiac and the destruction of the tree of life by the club. The twisted ribbons were said to represent the spiral nature of the galaxy. This is very superficial. Without going into excessive detail, let's take another quick look at this image. The central piece is the arm (man) holding the sword (fire, life force) and wrapped with a spiral ribbon (Kundalini energy and DNA). The club (dogma) is not hitting the 'tree of life,' but is rather contrasted with the tree (dogma vs. wisdom).

The other twisted ribbons are like waves or vibrations which is the true nature of the Universe; a sea of vibrating energy. The scorpion is all that is hidden as revealed by the lamb (inner Christ). The golden rectangle, the golden mean and the golden ratio (1:1.618) are indicative that a fundamental change and awakening is possible in the changing sea of vibration in which we live and breathe and have our being. The wheel (Wheel of Ezekiel) deals with the quadrature of the circle, the tetragram, the four basic elements, the single source from which all things radiate and the perpetual motion and vibration of the Universe. It is in this light that we begin to reach the esoteric meaning of symbols. Those like Nostradamus, DaVinci and Newton were all mystics with affiliations to 'secret societies.' And, it is through the use of symbols that their knowledge has been transmitted to future generations through tools like the Tarot Code.

One more example should suffice. A great deal of attention was paid to the glyph that contained a man with an empty book of life; a wheel without spokes; two females, a stag and more twisted ribbon. Just for context, if one examines all of the plates of Nostradamus it should be quite evident that almost every picture has some form of spiral, twisted ribbon, coiling snakes or other image that speaks to vibrating energy which is often moving upward. These are often accompanied by images of the sun and moon representing male and female energies, fire and water, conscious and unconscious thought and not just zodiacal signs. There was great concern in the show that the book was empty and the wheel had no spokes. This, according to some commentary, was a sign that the world was coming to a point of major disaster. Rather, the focus should be upon the idea that the spokeless wheel is a symbol of the unity of all matter, energy and thought which is contained in the Sacred Rota, the wheel and the ending of a great cycle. The empty book of wisdom indicates that the knowledge from that book has been absorbed into the human consciousness.

The stag symbolizes the sacred God/Goddess, the creative powers (male/female) in the universe and spiritual power. Its change in color as seen in other plates to white indicate the emergence of the Christ consciousness. The two females in red dress and white head garments represent duality; the old crone and the new maiden; the passing on of wisdom (Sophia); the Chakras that go from red to white and then gold; and the union of the male and female energies. Taken together, we see the Law of the Triangle, the law of manifestation. At the top of the plate is a semi-circle bisected by the vibrating ribbon and the empty wheel contains a star. There are several levels here. One is that even the divinity that is achievable by humanity is still dwarfed for the infinite wisdom and magnitude of the universe. The other is that within the human DNA lies a seed that will transform as the earth energies change. This is actually happening as scientist tell us that the earth's 'hum' has risen from 7hz to close to 11hz. It is quite possible that mitochondrial DNA in each cell may undergo a rapid evolution that will alter forever the physical nature of man.

The last 30 minutes of the show was different but, the question is; was anyone listening? It was only here that a more accurate depiction of the Mayan, Nostradamus, Hopi and Egyptian prophecies attained a greater degree of accuracy. Keep in mind that all of the ancient cultures, mystics, seers, avatars, secret societies and codes 'did not' revolve around a hidden prophesy that the world would end on December 21, 2012. As indicated in the show, what is more accurate is that humanity is approaching a moment in time where he can consciously choose his next evolutionary step. We are warned that a great vibratory train is headed straight for us and that we must choose to either stay in its way or to get off of the track. If there is disaster, it will be because we stayed on the track. As with Nostradamus, the Book of Revelations and other prophecies, we are given the tools, in the form of a largely pictorial code, to raise our awareness, our vibration and our very nature above the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.' It is time to look deeply into the tools and images that been offered as a gift to our time and learn the true revelation of their inner meanings.

The History Channel has cried wolf, but is the public to jaded to listen? From doomsday, UFO, religious and fundamentalists cults to the cries of Y2K, many dismiss such programs as scary entertainment that raises a chill but which lacks and truth. Notions of a 'second coming' and Armageddon has simple been shouted too often. However, it must be clear to all that fundamental change is occurring on the planet. Every aspect of our lives is being shaken to their very core. So in the immortal words of Pink Floyd; "just nod if you can hear me."

Mr. Harris was born in Massachusetts. He attended The American University in Washington, D.C. and received his degree in Political Science. His graduate work was done at the University of Northern Colorado and Howard University. He spent several years working for local and regional and state government agencies. He worked on a White House Task Force and served as Rural Policy Coordinator at the FRCouncil of New England.