John Major Jenkins is a pioneering voice in the evolving 2012 discussion with over twenty years of experience defining and debating the issues. Informed by innovative field work at key archaeological sites and inspired by living and working among the Highland Maya, Jenkins’ comprehensive work covers media misconceptions, assessments of 2012 theories, consciousness studies, Maya shamanism, archaeoastronomical research, Perennial Philosophy, academic misconceptions, and the crisis of sustainability faced in the modern world. His own unprecedented “galactic alignment theory” is now receiving new support from recent discoveries in the Maya inscriptions. While integrating the scientific and spiritual viewpoints, Jenkins honors contemporary Maya calendar tradition and the ancient Maya vision of a unified cosmos.
- Advisory director and founding member of The Maya Conservancy, a non-profit foundation dedicated to education and preservation of ancient Maya sites
- National Fellow member of The Explorer’s Club
- Director of The Center for 2012 Studies
- Manager of Update2012.com and Alignment2012.com
- Member of The Society for American Archaeology and The Institute of Maya Studies
His work has been featured since 1998 in media produced by ABC Nightline, the U.S. News and World Report, the New York Times, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, The History Channel, and NBC’s SyFy Channel. He has taught at numerous institutes and universities nationally and abroad, including the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Antigua Guatemala, the Esalen Institute, Kingsley Hall in London, the Society of Henry XIII in Belgium, the University of Southern Oregon, the New England Antiquities Research Association, the Institute of Maya Studies in Miami, the Society for American Archaeology, and Naropa University. He is also a regular at popular venues such as the Conscious Life Expo, Megalithomania, and the Mind Body Spirit Expo.
Since the 1980s John’s articles have appeared in many magazines, newspapers, websites, journals, and book anthologies, including: The Mystery of 2012 (2007, Sounds True), Forbidden History (2008), You Are Still Being Lied To (2009, Disinformation Company), Towards 2012 (2008, Penguin). His major works include Maya Cosmogenesis 2012 (1998), Galactic Alignment (2002), Unlocking the Secrets of 2012, (3-CD audio program 2007), The 2012 Story (2009), Lord Jaguar’s 2012 Inscriptions (2011), and Reconstructing ancient Maya Astronomy (2012). His books have been translated into twelve languages. His work appeared in a feature profile in The New York Times Sunday Magazine, July 2007.
Since 1995 John has maintained websites dedicated to sharing research and information, mainly about Maya calendrics and cosmology, and the 2012 enigma. The sites have each had a different focus:
http://Alignment2012.com
This is the primary masthead website, its original appearance configuration – still preserved in the archives – going back to 1995. The trap door into archival levels of the site can be accessed through the “News and Updates” tab.
http://Update2012.com
By 2009 it was clear that a dedicated site was necessary, to address the misleading media reports on 2012 and john’s work. Much of this emanated from academic critics, where one would expect intelligent and informed discourse to be possible, but unfortunately professional Maya scholars were largely blinded by an irrational desire to mitigate everything related to 2012 – including my 20 years of research. Here, on Update2012.com, I provide fact-based responses to critics and clarify distorted media reports.
http://The2012Story.com
This is the dedicated website for my 2009 book with Tarcher/Penguin, The 2012 Story: The Myths, Fallacies, and Truth Behind the Most Intriguing Date in History. It includes a video interview with my Penguin editor, Mitch Horowitz, endorsements, upcoming events, and a piece I wrote for the media called “Your guide to 2012.”
http://thecenterfor2012studies.com
In 2009 I decided to launch a research think-tank to share the ongoing research notes and essays on the emerging evidence for how the ancient Maya thought about 2012. Much of this revolved around the “2012″ text on Tortuguero Monument 6 and the academic reaction to my presentation at the 75th Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. I had a growing file of treatments of various Maya inscriptions and decided to simply share the ongoing findings. By the end of 2012 there were over two dozen essays.
Sub Domains:
These relate to my ongoing work with letterpress printing and the traditional book arts:
The Traditional Book Arts Museum and Printing Office
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A more expanded “about JMJ” is found in the bio-bibliography booklet called A Bio-Bibliography of the Writings of John Major Jenkins: 1971 to 2012.
A more personal retrospective bio: http://Alignment2012.com/About-JMJ.pdf