I'm by no means, an authority of the Mayan calendar, but from my research, there are no prophecies that state the end date is to be cataclysmic.

Every previous age has ended in cataclysm.

From 13moon.com:
"In the perspective of the living Maya Timekeepers of Guatemala, calendrically speaking, each element has a 5,125 year cycle. They teach that we have been through fire, earth, air and water already. The next cycle (beginning Dec 21, 2012) will be ether - the Fifth Age - the Age of Center. Likewise, the Hopi teach we are closing the Fourth World of Destruction, and preparing to begin the Fifth World of Peace. "

Fire
Earth = EQ's volcanos, pole shift, etc
Air = Hurricanes, etc
Water - Tidal wave, flooding, etc..
Ether, as in ethereal, is our next stage of development.

The actual prophecies are based on the Mayan scriptures, e.g. the Popol Vuh (Mayan Creation Myth), the Chilam Balam and the Dresden codecies. There is no mention of 12/21/2012 being a day of cataclysm.

I agree with Grant's perception of collective consciousness making a positive difference. This is our "ace in the hole". My degrees (BA and MS) are in the science field which relies on empirical data to support any given hypothesis. I can't speak for everyone within this field but I've noticed a growing trend from those within the human sciences field and the medical field to privately and objectively "accept" theories that can't be tangibly proven, measured and validated, such as the Law of Attraction.

Collective consciousness would fall under this assumption.

I interviewed John Major Jenkins for an article on my website. Here are a couple of the questions I asked him:

QUESTION: The Mayan calendar remains somewhat ambiguous in regard to the existence of the beginning of another cycle following December 21, 2012. There are many interpretations of why the Mayans did not continue their calendar past the 2012 end date. Some people believe the cycle will start anew, while others believe we'll transcend beyond actual "time" and will not need a calendar system. What are your interpretations of what will happen to the Mayan calendar cycle after 12/21/2012?

JMJ: There really is no ambiguity; Mayan time philosophy ascribes to a cyclic view of time. The doctrine of World Ages in the Mayan Creation Myth (the Popol Vuh) provides parallel details on how the World Age calendar called the Long Count works. At the end of a cycle, transformation and renewal occur and thus we can expect that the day following 13.0.0.0.0 will be 0.0.0.0.1. This is a straightforward reading of the Mayan doctrine of time. The idea that “the calendar ends” is a modern sound byte that has only a distorted and superficial applicability to Mayan thought.

Question: Can we anticipate any physiological or metaphysical changes leading up to 12/21/2012, when the First Solar Lord (First Father) comes into union with the cosmic womb (Great Mother) of the Milky Way Galaxy?

JMJ: This is a very complex question and I’ve addressed it in my several books and my recent 3-CD program audio program called Unlocking the Secrets of 2012. In brief, it is now known that the precession of the equinoxes is related to ice ages, though not in a straight 26,000-year interval, as the geological and astronomical orientations combine in rather complex ways. The galactic alignment serves nicely as an anchor point for a model of seasonal changes that the earth undergoes, operating over a 26,000-year period. Some kind of relationship between the precessional wobble and cycles of change experienced by life on earth would seem to be likely. Currently unexplored relationships between us, the galactic center, and precession are suggested in the fact that we are roughly 26,000 light years from the galactic center – which I first pointed out in 1996. That there may be more of a metaphysical, or subtle, impact on consciousness is also a consideration and may be related to the diminishment of the magnetic field surrounding the earth – I summarized Oliver Reiser’s work on this in my 2002 book Galactic Alignment. As a mythological construct within an ancient astro-theology of eschatology and spiritual transformation, the alignment of solar father and galactic mother can, of course, inspire initiations into authentic mystical experience for those who choose to avail themselves of the age-old perennial methods.