Apocalypse Not: Everything You Know About 2012, Nostradamus and the Rapture Is Wrong

By John Michael Greer

For almost 3,000 years apocalypse prophecies have convinced people all over the world that the future is about to give them the world they want instead of the world they’ve got. All the end time prophecies splashed across the media in every age have had something else in common: every one of them has been wrong. Apocalypse Not is a lively and engaging survey of predictions about the end of the world, along with the failed dreams and nightmares that have clustered around them. Among the stories highlighted in Apocalypse Not are: the birth of the apocalypse meme out of archaic star myths in the ancient Middle East; the failed end time prophecies of Nostradamus, Mother Shipton, and other famous prophets; the long and murky road from the Great Pyramid to today’s Rapture beliefs; and the real origins of the belief in apocalypse in 2012 (hint: it’s not originally Mayan at all).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Sep 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781936740055

John Michael Greer

John Michael Greer has published 10 books about occult traditions and the unexplained. Recent books include ‘Monsters: An Investigator's Guide to Magical Beings’ (Llewellyn, 2001), which was picked up by One Spirit Book Club and has appeared in Spanish and Hungarian editions, and ‘The New Encyclopedia of the Occult’ (Llewellyn, 2003).

Reviews for Apocalypse Not

[ritaer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The end of the world is such a prevelent meme in our culture that it even has a visual shorthand--the cartoon panal with a hirsite, white robed man pacing the sidewalk with a sign proclaiming "the end is near". But, prevalent as it is, the meme is not universal, for most cultures see the cycles of nature as endlessly repeating. Greer traces the origins of the apocalyptic vision to Zarathustra, whose Zorastrian religion influenced Judiaism and hence Christianity. The final battle between good and evil, with the end of all earthly problems continues to capture the imaginations of many. Greer explains why the current incarnation of the idea--the supposed predictions in the Mayan calender, are incorrect, and comments on the ways in which apocalyptic expectations stand in the way of taking postive action to solve our problems.Recommended for those interested in the history of religion, the history of ideas, and those who just wonder "what's up with this Mayan stuff?"