Editor’s Note: Minyanville is a collection of human capital that prides itself on the soul and spirit of our community. With our annual Festivus to benefit children’s education 2 weeks away, we wanted to share a note from Minyan E-Maj, who has been a fixture at Minyan events through the years.

Having returned from a sabbatical, he weighed in with newfound perspective and positive energy. This article has little to do with finance but alas, some of the best things in life never do.

Dear Toddo,

I found your mention of 2012 today interesting. As you know, I am a full-time trader. What you may not know is that I am also an energy healer, I used to own a consciousness bookstore and I moderate a consciousness class at a local college. We've been talking a lot about 2012.

Over the past couple of years, I've spoken with Mayan chiefs, performed ceremonies with Peruvian shamans, and broken bread with many indigenous peoples. All are concerned about the world's path and whether or not we (as a human race) are going to make it. They pray every day for all of us and are opening up their formerly guarded wisdom circles to help us make this transition and bridge the old with the new.

I felt compelled to write because, as we approach 2012, the number will be entering our collective stream of consciousness more and more. And it therefore needs to be on our radar. There are those that suggest it will be another Y2K.

I will save my more subjective, speculative, and esoteric views for our next campfire chat, as we did in Vail at MIM3.

Practically speaking, what I will say is, if it seems like life is going fast and things are speeding up, it’s because it is and they are. Changes are occurring rapidly, in the world and in ourselves. According to the Mayan calendar, we are now experiencing a full cycle every 360 days. I believe this helps make some sense of the massively volatile moves we’re seeing in the market.

News cycles are happening at an accelerated rate. We have to shift our idea of what time and space really are. Think of a cycle as a generation. The term "generation gap" once represented a period of approximately 20-25 years, and defined the cultural differences between generations. In tribal times, a "generation," or an evolutionary leap, would take thousands of years to play out.

In 4 short years, this same "cycle" will happen over the course of a mere 20 days. Talk about a lot of death and rebirth! Do things seem fast now? They’re only going to get faster. It's not so hard to fathom when one considers the evolution of computing power, technology and Moore's law.

It's been my experience that humans sometimes fear change, and also fear uncertainty (though life itself is hardly certain). It's also true we’re living in a time of unprecedented velocity of change, and unprecedented uncertainty. Thus, we’re experiencing unprecedented levels of fear.

So what is one to do? People ask me this often, and are surprised when I offer some Pollyanna words in response to the current Cassandra environment.

You already nail it in your consistent message of mindfulness: "The purpose of the journey is the journey itself," living your truth, keeping your word, etc. Thank you for that, Toddo - you are a true light, and I am grateful to know you and to be sharing this journey with you.