Yoga In Guatemala - Mayaland Feb. 13-20, 2010

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala "The most beautiful lake in the world."

-Aldous Huxley

A Yogadventure in one of the most spirited lands of this hemishphere

Co-hosted by BJ Sadtler and Vinnie Hunihan
$1300

7 nights, 3 meals a day, yoga, meditation and Mayan teachings

at

Villa Sumaya

Trip Registration Information

14 people maximum
Basis: Double occupancy in luxurious, bungalow styled rooms for 7 nights plus 3 vegetarian meals yoga and other activities. Solo travelers may be paired, but if special needs require single occupancy, an additional $250 fee will be required.

Complete details (travel tips, activities and registration info can be found at www.breatheinc.com/yogadventures.htm

Need more info? Contact

BJ Sadtler at bjsadtler@breatheinc.com

Deposit: 50% required upon registration by Monday, January 4, 2010
Balance Due: 50% required by Monday, January 25, 2010

Fee does not include airfare, ground or water transportation, gratuities, or other

discretionary expenditures.

REFUNDS WILL ONLY BE MADE IF YOUR SPACE IS FILLED

ANNOUNCING The Shift of the Ages Film Project

Presently, my focus on the Maya and the Mayan Calendars is expanding. For the next several months, I am committed to work on the launch of an unprecedented film about Don Alejandro, an extraordinary man in extraordinary times, the Grand Elder of the Maya. This is the Elder whom I have been quoting. It is his wisdom that I have shared with you in my presentations.

The launch of this film is daunting. This is a low-budget, indie film managed by the Mayan concept of time and a team of talented like-mindeds. I've seen much of the footage. This work will educate, entertain and mobile the masses towards the birth of a new world age. The story and prophecies of Don Alejandro deserve direct transmission with humanity, and Shift of the Ages is the vehicle that promises to assuage the fears and frustrations inherent in modern society.

My efforts with the outreach of this message are open to anyone listening. Now, we need assistance from every spriritual activist we can find. I daresay that you fit the profile. You are the choir!

Click on the image below to learn more about the film and how you can participate in this grassroots movement. This is exciting. More evidence that we are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Lak'ech, I am another you,
bjs

Mayan Calendar Events - Winter, 2010

Discovering Your Soul's Purpose with the Mayan Calendar
Clarus Center, Warrenville, IL
SATURDAY afternoon January 23, 2010, 1:00-3:00 PM
COST: $30 in advance-$35 at the door
register by calling 630.334.7826 or bjsadtler@breatheinc.com

Chicago Daykeeper Community, Anahata Center, Lombard, IL
Vernal Equinox Celebration
Saturday, March 20 details to follow
$10 donation

Healing the Soul with the Mayan Calendars - Article on the New Mayan Calendar Portal Website

The new version of the Mayan Calendar Portal is up and running. As you can see, this site promises to be the most visited of all sites. Have a look. Not only are the graphics incredible, but the content is coming in from some of the most perceptive thinkers in the 2012 discussion.

Check my entry on the MCP blog http://www.maya-portal.net/blog/barbara/healing_the_soul

Your comments are much appreciated.

Mayan Calendar Trainings

Theosophical Society in Wheaton is hosting:

"2012 – Ecstasy? or Catastrophe? "
Thursday, October 8, 2009
7:00-9:00 PM
$10 guests, $5 members
Register by phone 630.668.1571 x 300 or email BJ at bjsadtler@breatheinc.com
Mayan wisdom is making its way into the limelight, spearheaded by a growing awareness of the prophetic Mayan calendar end-date, just three years away. This workshop provides an introduction to contemporary understanding of the sacred Mayan calendars by exploring the teachings from the 13th generation Mayan priest and Grand Elder of the Maya of Guatemala, Don Alejandro, as well as noteworthy research from Westerners. The objective of this module is to enable the participant to engage in worthwhile and well-founded discussion about the meaning of the Mayan calendar.

Mayan Calendar Hands-On Workshop
Saturday, October 10, 2009
1:30-5:50 PM
$50 guests, $40 members
The Mayan Tzolkin calendar, also known as “the sacred count of days” is at the core of Mayan cosmology. Designed to bring humans into alignment with the cosmic energies of the universe, this calendar helps us become present to the archetypal energies of each day so that we may amplify our intentions towards our soul’s purpose. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to become a “Daykeeper” who tracks the sacred energies in order to manifest the greatest good. We will be using authentic Mayan daykeeping tools.

Living the Mayan Calendar, A Sacred Count of Days

I didn't realize that my "itinerary" (using the term loosely, here) matched up with the 13 day cycle of the Mayan calendar called a trecena. As the days passed, each day sign and galactic tone becoming apparent in uncanny ways:

1/wisdom - the first five minutes of my first hike at El Morro National Monument and who do I see, peering down at me from high up on the cliff? None other than Cib (Mayans use a vulture or condor to represent wisdom. They are the smartest birds of the kingdom and perform essential life cycle tasks.)

2/earth - I watched the duality of sun setting and full moon rising from perhaps the biggest view of earth I'd ever seen, 8500' up, 360 degree views, 95 mile horizons (atop Park Point Overlook at Mesa Verde National Park)

3/flint - A high action day was spent hiking the Petroglyph trail, completely without human company until I reached a big red rock wall filled with prehistoric graffiti and ancestral voices. I've decided that Flints may receive the clearest guidance from stones and bones, as that has been my experience.

4/Storm - It was just like that, starting mellow and building into a thunder head of energy which culminated into the only truly awkward moment of my trip (not fit to describe here).

5/Sun - A day of empowerment and enlightenment was spent practicing and teaching my Mayan Daykeeping class at the Telluride Yoga Festival.

6/Crocodile - Another practicing and teaching day, integrating the Mayan and Vedic traditions in my "Yoga and the Year 2012" class.

7/Wind - Communicative, as we said our goodbyes to new and old yogi friends at the Yoga Festival, honored Sri Pattabi Jois (my tears flowed, and he wasn't even my teacher) and downloading my email for the 1st time in a week (ugh); reflective as I drove back out of the breathtaking San Juan Mountains and returned to sun baked high desert sage of New Mexico.

8/Night and 9/Seed – Please read Chaco Canyon Medicine blog to appreciate how these energies manifested.

Finally, 10/Serpent - While I was gifting my unused items to the locals in Albuquerque, someone at the ABQ "Sunport" was stealing my jewelry from my checked baggage. Stay flexible!

Chaco Canyon Medicine

Saturday, 13/Star

I just returned to Chicago from Chaco Canyon the other night. This visit was part of an 11 day pilgrimage through sacred sites in New Mexico with a three day stop in Telluride for the Yoga Festival. The day I returned home I received a newsletter from Aluna Joy "Unveiling Mysteries of Chaco Canyon" http://www.kachina.net/~alunajoy/news07-09.html. I must have missed them by a matter of days. My experience was quite different from hers, the medicine was a different recipe, most likely based upon what we each need to learn for our individual growth and healing. She obtains her guidance from star beings, highly cultivated. This trip helped cultivate my personal trust in my guidance and how it manifests as feelings in my bones and through the stones. You may find it interesting to read both of our accounts because we essentially come to similar conclusions, but our mediums are quite different.

What follows in my version of Chaco:

Before I left for New Mexico, I noticed on the Chaco website that the campsite was closed. Many that I met along the way (I camped at El Torro, Mesa Verde, toured the misnomered Aztec site and spent a few days in Telluride) encouraged me not to include Chaco this trip. Once you leave the desolate highway, you must travel about 20 miles on dirt roads with long stretches of "washboard" bumps. Let there be no mistake, Chaco is very difficult to reach, in the middle of absolute nowhere, plus their visitor center is provisioned with bathrooms and one soft drink machine, period.

Never-the-less, I continued to be drawn to her and finally arrived on Monday,7/13, 8/Akbal, mid-day. I asked at the visitor's center where I could camp and was directed to Blanco Trading Post, which is right on highway 550. I asked again for a "safe" place (I'm a woman travelling/camping alone) and Cactus Hill was suggested, 10 miles up the washboard road. I had driven by it earlier and it did not resonate with me. The gentleman at the counter saw this in my reaction and promptly went into the back room, returning with a lovely Navajo woman who invited me to stay on her land.

Happy that I'd found a good home for a couple of days, I hiked and toured the canyon ruin sites nearby. I learned that the existence of Chaco remains a bit mysterious. There is no evidence that anyone ever really lived there, as I had seen at all the other sites; but it is quite apparent that Chacoaons used the area for archeoastronomy, trade and ceremony. The Fajada Butte, positioned at the head of the canyon and over 2000 meters high, acts like an enormous sundial. Solar daggers cut through the spiral glyphs on the solstices. Macaw bones, copper bells from Mexico (and Mayaland?) as well as sea shells from the Pacific have been found here. Make no mistake that they knew how to travel, as well as wheel and deal.

Luckily the clouds sheltered me from the searing rays of our sun that afternoon. They say that the presence of clouds and rain in the desert is a sign that the Gods are near and listening to your prayers. We were blessed with a rain shower, whose pungency could be smelled well before the raindrops began washing my sweaty face.

About 5:30 pm I followed my new Navajo friend up another dirt road, much less travelled and wash-boarded. After about 20 miles we passed under her welcome gate and drove up to her hogan homestead. The view was astounding. 360 degrees of high desert sage, no trees, few structures and only a low mesa or a butte dotted here and there. She and her small family lived in a hogan there with no electricity or plumbing. A ceremonial hogan stood nearby. Three dogs, a cat and a horse made this feel even more homey. She told me that just over the rise to the south lay Penasco Blanco, the end of Chaco Canyon.

As the sun dropped into the underworld, the sky was illumined with every imaginable color. What I noticed mostly was that there was NO sound. Nada. It was the most quiet I had ever heard in my life. “Primordial” is the word. I lay down to sleep under an infinite canopy of stars, hearing only the beat of my heart.

The sun was bright red and the sky was cloudless the next morning, warning that Chaco would be much hotter than the day before. I headed out to hike the South Mesa, but only made it to the top of a ridge before the shade of an alcove lured me in. It overlooked Casa Rinconada, directly in line with the kiva's N/S axis. There I just sat and watched the canyon come alive. The stones were telling me that you don't do Chaco, it does you, so there was no need to move, just absorb. Someone else had obviously received a similar message, as a small smudge stick with tobacco sprinkled on it was placed in the center of the cave.

View from my Vision Quest spot: Casa Rinconada Kiva with T-shaped doors (same shape as the Mayan glyph for "Wind" (Iq)

I knew that it was shakti that began to animate everything I saw. I was spellbound for a few hours watching and feeling the life force of what was seemily barren. When the sun started to pierce into the shadow of the cave, I decided to go back to the visitor's center to see what the Super Nova pictograph looked like before I would commit to hiking 4-6 hours in the hot sun to Penasco Blanco.

Later I meandered up the same canyon that Aluna talks about, but I only went as far as the glyph trail. Spirit's message resounded, if you "do" in Chaco, you'll miss its essence. Just "be." I found shade and comfort in an ancient “core & veneer” (their type of masonry) wall, strong enough to support my spine. There, I sat back and witnessed the ancient Chacoans come alive. It was a bustling melting pot of cultures and spirits, colors and styles. Times were good, the ancient voices were gay and promising. Eventually, however, the voices trailed off,fading as shared hopes eventually became disappointments. They realized that the life they had created there was not sustainable. It came to a point that they realized they had over-done it and needed to make drastic changes in order to stay alive. They moved.

I still shudder at the lesson that Chaco has for us. As I reflect on the reasons why my Navajo friends choose to live simply and sanctimoniously in their hogan (pictured right) and remember the profound stillness of the land they opened to me, I know that their humility comes from having Chaco Canyon in their back yard, just beyond the rise.

At sundown, a small crowd gathered at the visitor center for the sky watch, which used four powerful telescopes to target deep space objects. Chaco is one of the darkest places in the country, so we were able to see Saturn come into full view, complete with rings and moons, and a nebulous nebula. Tired, with an hour long drive back to my tent, I ditched the rest of the sky watch to return to my Navajo friend's ethereal land and sky. The silence of her place was the magnet for me. A soft night, illumined with stars, punctuated by a warm breeze, was as holy as it gets in our universe. This is, indeed, a potent medicine.

While pulling out my stakes the third morning, I chatted with the husband a bit. I told him that summer nights at home are loud with crickets and locusts. He said, "we have crickets too, they just don't make any noise." His father lives over on the next ridge and his in-laws are over by Cactus Hill. They could financially afford to live another life, but prefer it this way. Their preference is a wise one, and we should all be so blessed to understand their wisdom.

In Lak'ech,

bjs

Mayan Calendar Events - Update

Saturday, May 30, 7:00-9:00 PM
“In Between Two Worlds”
A film by Jose Jaramillo

This film reveals the purpose of the Gregorian calendar (the calendar the world currently uses) and introduces the Mayan calendar as an emergency plan for our planet Earth. The Maya had an exception understanding of time. Learn how the calendars work, what they are timing and why they are important in the modern world.
Watch the trailer: http://www.inbetween2worlds.com / discussion follows

Anahata Center
929 Main St. Lombard
630.495.8988
$5.00 per person

"Yoga and the Year 2012"
a presentation by BJ Sadtler
Tuesday evening, June 2, 7:00-10:00 PM
As the prophetic year 2012 approaches, seekers from all traditions benefit by understanding this special time of transformation in which we are now living. This inspiring workshop promises that participants will become an informed and vital resource in the on-going discussion about the Mayan calendar, the shift to new world age and the role that yoga plays in the evolution of consciousness.
All are welcome. No experience necessary. $20/advance, $25/door
Yoga Now
742 N. La Salle # 201
Chicago, IL 60610
312.280.9642

Mayan Calendar End-Date Debate, Calleman-vs-Jenkins

5/Lamat (star)

Please post, translate and spread!

A discussion forum for this article exists at
http://mayanmajix.com/portal/

The Risks of Believing that the
Mayan Calendar Ends December 21, 2012!

by Carl Johan Calleman

About eight years ago John Major Jenkins and I had a debate about the meaning of the Mayan calendar end date focusing especially on whether the energies of the Long Count ends on October 28, 2011 or December 21, 2012. This still remains the most important question anybody interested in the “2012 phenomenon” is faced with, but while at the time the debate might have seemed theoretical, or even hairsplitting, it is now a question that has very significant and practical consequences as to how we relate to the future. While many would like to sweep the end date question under the rug or sit on the fence, no one can do so with their intellectual integrity intact. Since that debate Jenkins has appeared on a History Channel documentary where December 21 2012 is presented as a predetermined “doomsday” when the world is going to come to an end. I get quite a few letters, sometimes from young people that worry that the world will come to an end at this date since they have seen this documentary posted on YouTube. While most knowledgeable people would probably reject this way of presenting the Mayan calendar it is still important to ask the question who benefits from it. I feel there are indeed many people, also apart from the participants in such documentaries that benefit from the claim that the Mayan calendar ends December 21, 2012. Thus, I do not think that it is an accident that we do not hear of the October 28, 2011 date in public media. To begin with, as far as I know no one who adheres to the end date of October 28, 2011 has ever presented this as a predetermined doomsday and thus unduly associated the Mayan calendar with fear.

Since the abovementioned debate two different intellectual cultures have emerged around the two possible end dates, one based on belief (December 21, 2012) and one based on evidence (October 28, 2011). These two cultures are about as different from one another as any one of them is from that using the Gregorian calendar. The proposal of the December 21, 2012 date is based on the unproven belief that the precessional cycle actually means something for human evolution, and, amazingly, as far as I know no one advocating this end date seems to have even bothered to try to prove this basic assumption. In contrast, the October 28, 2011 date is based on massive scientific evidence that the Nine Underworlds and Thirteen Heavens known from ancient Mayan sources indeed describe cosmic evolution in all of its aspects. Moreover, while there is extensive evidence that the Maya based prophecy and prediction on shifts between baktuns, katuns, tuns etc, not a single ancient Mayan text mentions the 26,000 year precessional cycle. Since those advocating the December 21, 2012 end date do not identify shift points in the Mayan calendar leading up to their end date their hypothesis is however not testable from the predictions made, which is the hallmark of any serious scientific theory. Hence, it must be qualified as belief rather than science. Based on nothing more than belief a culture has subsequently emerged around the December 21, 2012 date, since it serves as an ideal projection screen for fantasies, fears and hopes rather than something that can be proven and understood scientifically based on the patterns of the Mayan calendar.

The October 28, 2011 end date can however be rationally understood. It has also been verified by several predictions, most recently my own that an economic collapse would set in and when it would do so: Regardless of what forms such a [financial] collapse may take it seems that the best bet is for it to occur close to the time that the Fifth NIGHT begins, in November 2007 [strictly speaking the 19th] (The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness, page 233). In accordance with this prediction economists now agree that it began in December of 2007, see Figure 1). This prediction was actually formulated already in my first book in English, Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time: The Mayan Calendar written in 1999 and published in 2001 (page 187). This is really a direct parallel to Edgar Cayce’s famous prediction of the time for the New York stock exchange crash, in this case however made about ten years in advance, and so was made much earlier than any professional economist even considered such an economic meltdown. I however do not claim to have some unusual psychic abilities, and instead this prediction attests to the fact that with the right end date, October 28, 2011 the mystery of the Mayan calendar has been exactly solved. That these predictions were accurate can be verified by anyone, who cares to examine the relevant pages in my books. In contrast no one who claimed that the end date of the Mayan calendar is December 21, 2012 made any similar prediction and can mostly not credit themselves with having made one single accurate prediction based on the Mayan calendar. Already this should be a red flag for anyone looking for a way to understand the evolution of civilization based on the Mayan calendar.

Before going into the more practical consequences of adhering to the evidence-based or a belief-based interpretation of the Mayan calendar I however think that it is necessary to discuss the nature of time and what it is that makes the Mayan calendar special. It is in other words important to know whether we have any reason to concern ourselves with the Mayan calendar in the first place. Why is it that unlike all other calendars the Mayan calendar has an end date? The answer to this is that the Mayan calendar expresses an entirely different kind of time than other calendars. Most calendars, such as the Gregorian, Muslim, Buddhist or Jewish calendars, are based on astronomical cycles and reflect continuous time. They describe measurable mechanic time, the aspect of time that the Greek would call Chronos, which is also the only one that is recognized in the modern world. Since astronomical cycles, whether they are cycles of the moon, the earth or the precessional cycle, will continue over the next billions of years or so there is however no reason that calendars based on them should ever come to an end. Since the Mayan calendar however has an end date this must obviously be based on another type of time than mechanical time and its end date must be discussed against the background of consciousness-based time – what the Greek would call Kairos and so we must ask what could be the origin of this.

If we go back to ancient sources to find out information about the origin of the Mayan Long Count they never say that this would be based on any astronomical cycle1. Instead, the Mayan sources, for instance at the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, explicitly say that the Long Count is based on the World Tree or what other cultures usually refer to as the Tree of Life. As I will be describing in my forthcoming book The Purposeful Universe (Inner Traditions, December 2009) Mayan time is in fact quantized and describes different quantum states of the Cosmic Tree of Life. It is always against the background of such quantum shifts in time, and not continuously flowing astronomical cycles, we may understanding the defining moments of our lives, but also of human civilizations. The Cosmic Tree of Life at the center of our universe behind these quantum shifts was discovered by modern science only in 2003. Yet, the fact that it is real, and not a mere symbol or myth, calls for a revolution in how we view our whole existence. It affects not only science, but also how we understand religious prophecies, which often include references to the Tree of Life. Hence, for instance the Book of Revelation refers to this and it seems to be returning to our awareness in the nick of time. Since the Mayan calendar originates in the Tree of Life not only every day, but also every katun, baktun, pictun etc is associated with a symbol, such as a day-sign and a number, symbolic of its different quantum states. These states are then creating the geological and historical eras of cosmic evolution, which the Maya would refer to as ages. Many people are expecting a quantum shift as the Mayan calendar comes to an end – and rightly so – but a continuous astronomical cycle by definition never gives rise to quantum shifts. The reason the Mayan calendar is able to explain so many quantum jumps in the fossil record and paradigm shifts in the history of mankind (which is far from slow and continuous) is the very fact that unlike other calendars it is quantized.

The understanding of Mayan time as quantized also provides a meaningful way of looking at the so-called end date where it is not even potentially a preset end of the world. (This is why no one embracing the October 28, 2011 date has fallen to claim that it is a preset end of the world). The end date simply reflects the point in time when the Cosmic Tree of Life attains its highest quantum state. This also implies that it is not the beginning of a new cycle and it is only on this basis that it is rationally understandable that this state would serve to create a millennium of peace in the “New Jerusalem” as the new world is called in the Book of Revelation. To instead use a Hindu metaphor it becomes logical that the attainment of this highest state means liberation from the wheels (cycles) of Karma. As the student of the evidence-based Mayan calendar will know almost all conflicts and warfare in the history of mankind actually originate in quantum shifts between cosmic energies and only as those come to an end is there any serious reason to hope for the emergence of a world in harmony. Hence, in this interpretation of the Mayan calendar there is absolutely no reason to think that the end date means the end of life or a “doomsday” when the world is predetermined to come to an end.

What the end date does mean however is that on October 28, 2011 the shifts between energies will come to an end and it is thus no wonder that many intuitively sense that the year that follow upon this, 2012, is very special. The processes that have been driving cosmic evolution until now will no longer be operating and after some time for things to settle the human beings will be left to create evolution themselves. What this means is in my view that the end date is not just another shift. Instead it constitutes the end of the shifts that have been caused by alternations in the quantum states of the Tree of Life up until that point, exemplified by the abovementioned quantum shift that led to the decline of the economy as the fifth night began. Such a vision of a new Garden of Eden (albeit on a higher level) obviously lacks any rational basis among those advocating that we look upon the Mayan calendar as based on mechanical astronomical cycles, where a new cycle will then begin. To understand the liberation of mankind and a future return to the Garden of Eden however simply mandates quantized time. This illustrates an important principle, namely that even if the evidence-based Mayan calendar is not difficult to understand, it is not trivial. It is not something that you can thoughtlessly put in your old box of thinking. The Mayan calendar is fundamentally different from all other calendar and how and why that is is something that needs to be deeply honored and respected.

From this perspective, where we are approaching the end of cyclical changes and the highest quantum state of the universe, it is also logical that the economic meltdown that we are now in is not merely a “recession” or a “depression”, such as we know to have been precipitated in the past by nights in the calendar. The decline is instead the beginning of the end to the cycles of the economy. Yet, since we know from the study of the Mayan calendar that the time periods when the economy shrinks are the nights we can make some predictions as to how this end of the economic cycles is going to play out. The first pulse of bringing the growth economy down thus came with the fifth night and led to a rapid decrease in growth, a fall in stock values, and increases of lay-offs and foreclosures. We are currently in a period in between such nights, the sixth day (see Figure 2), when the same processes are continuing more slowly and may even temporarily be slightly reversed. Around the time that the Sixth night begins on November 8, 2009 we may however expect that the meltdown intensifies and the US dollar collapses and with it the established monetary system in the world. Many things may trigger such an event, but it is important to understand that whatever triggers it, and this may be some kind of political event, it is the energy of this night that will bring it about. This incidentally, is also why it is so important what will be made of the rebirth energy of the second half of the sixth day.
We can only imagine what such a collapse will mean, but I feel it is clear to everyone that the consequences for our every day lives will be very far-reaching. Because of the hardships many may come to lose faith in this Creation or think that we are being punished. I look upon it differently: The consciousness of the Galactic Underworld is already preplanned to set in a protective mechanism for the planet by first stopping the growth, which is what any cancer doctor would do before any healing could take place.2 As the reader may now realize we have come to a point where the discussion of the end date of the Mayan calendar is a critical issue since how we relate to the future will directly depend on it. This is neither academic hairsplitting nor irresponsible New Age fantasies. Those that advocate the evidence-based Mayan end date of October 28, 2011 may in fact advice people to prepare themselves for this further economic meltdown beforehand in the sixth night. Those that talk about December 21, 2012 are however, consistently with their logic, likely to continue to make projections on this fantasy screen in the future. What these people in effect are saying to people is “Do not prepare yourself for the New World now! Wait until the shift comes December 21, 2012!” since they do not recognize any quantum shifts before this point in time. To know the exact end date is then a matter of paramount importance to people, because it is their only way of knowing what quantum shift they are experiencing in the present moment. While many people advocating the December 21, 2012 date are simply jumping on a bandwagon to create some visibility for themselves (and sell various products) I feel it is time that they consider what kind of responsibility this implies also for other people. It is probably not an accident that the first major Hollywood movie, surely planned to confuse people about the Mayan calendar and tout the December 21, 2012 date is scheduled to be released in November of 2009 as the sixth night begins. The ruling media will then use the December 21 2012 date to manipulate the truth and of course there are always some that are willing to play along. It is quite easy to see in whose interest it is that the Mayan calendar in this way is projected to a time in the future when all alignment with it will be too late.

As the established international monetary system collapses in the sixth night things can go essentially in either of two directions. It will go either in the direction of a grass roots organization of a new economy without banks, interests or growth serving to create a world without dominance. A collapse of the international monetary system, especially if it is linked to a moratorium of all debts, holds the potential of paving the way to a world that is truly egalitarian, based on willful cooperation and where greed will not destroy the world. This of course precludes the existence of a banking and monetary system organized in the interest of a minority and driven by the craving for abstract values rather than human needs.

I think however that it would be naïve to think that such an implementation of a New World according to the cosmic plan would happen without resistance. Some want to hold onto power over others. To many more the downfall of the established order of dominance would be shocking because it would ruin their experience of security in a world that they have become accustomed to. The bankers, governments, medias and ruling establishments world wide will then naturally seek to set up a new single global currency and remain in control, which they are very well prepared for. This especially the case if people are unaware of the evidence-based Mayan calendar and are able to see this difficult period as part of a process designed to lead to a new world. I am however convinced that the upcoming Universal Underworld will bring a new unity consciousness carrying a bliss of just being and love and compassion for all things just the way they are. Thus, things may not become “better” in the sense they were spoken of in the old economy, but life will be more enjoyable because of a new level of consciousness in which things are perceived in another way. Thus, in the years ahead we are in for a confusing mixture of seemingly conflicting developments. A critical aspect of preparation for this is the knowledge that the evidence-based Mayan calendar ends October 28, 2011, which at least gives people a benchmark for the rhythms with which things will evolve even though it will take a certain time for things to settle also after this.

The vision that is emerging for the time ahead is thus neither that “the world is going to an end,” nor that “we will all be happily flying” at a certain preset date in the future. Instead, we see a fairly complex scenario based on the best evidence that we have for an understanding of the future. It has much in common with the difficult birth scenario for the “New Jerusalem” as this is presented in the Book of Revelation. As this book points out this is however not a world for everyone and it is a scenario that almost certainly will require spiritual strength and integrity to endure. I do not want to add any religious overtones to this discussion, but it seems clear that everyone who is aspiring to enter this new world must sincerely seek the truth and avoid simplistic explanations.

Even if the Mayan calendar thus is universal and fundamentally connected to the Book of Revelation it is nonetheless important to know how the contemporary Maya see their end date. Naturally, some of them are happy that their calendar has received worldwide attention and may just believe what the archeologists have been telling them, which is December 21, 2012 (The actual Long Count upon which this date is based went out of use among the Maya a long time ago and so this date has been forwarded to them by modern archeologists). But more authoritative sources such as Don Alejandro Oxlaj of the Council of Elders are not just jumping on the bandwagon. As anyone who has seen the interview I made with him two years ago (available on DVD from Mayan Majix) he rejects the December 21, 2012 date as a miscalculation (Something that at the time was actually a surprise to me). He also carries the prophecy of the Thirteen Baktuns and 13 Ahau, consistent with the October 28, 2011 date (which is 13 Ahau). Unlike myself he however does not specify an end date, even though we do agree that the last katun shift (beginning of the last 7200 day prophetic period) took place in 1992. Around this katun shift at February 10, 1992 we can also very clearly see that major events, a quantum shift, shaping the whole world took place: The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union (December 25, 1991), the institution of the European Union, (February 7, 1992) and the launching of the World Wide Web (August 1991). By the time of the katun shift advocated by the December 21, 2012 people (John Jenkins says April 1993 in the “Doomsday” documentary on History Channel) the new world was thus already established. Also in the future the people embracing this end date will thus always be in the backwater of what is really happening in the world. This demonstrates the utmost importance of the end date and that those who want to be consciously part of the coming quantum shifts ahead and surf on the waves of creation that these generate will miss that opportunity if they reject the evidence based Mayan calendar with its end date of October 28, 2011. If you ignore the evidence and listen to the December 21, 2012 “alignment”3 prophets this is likely to have very serious direct consequences for your own life and how you approach the future. With the acceleration of time in the Galactic Underworld the difference of 420 days between the two end dates is literally as big as that between day and night.

Seattle, May 15, 2009 (1 Kan)



1No ancient Mayan text talks about the meaning of the end date of the Long Count. The beginning of the Long Count is however discussed in different places and a good source for this is Freidel, Schele and Parker, Maya Cosmos, pages 59-122, The Hearth and the Tree. A very good source for understanding how the political life of the ancient Maya was dominated by non-astronomical time cycles is Prudence Rice, Maya Political Science. Those interested in how their prophecies were based on non-astronomical cycles may study the katun-prophecies in the Books of Chilam Balam.

2Personally I do not believe that there is a God who intervenes in Creation to change its course (This would imply that creation would not be perfect to begin with). The way it works is that the Galactic Underworld favors the right brain half to the detriment of the left brain half that is mediating abstract values and it is thus that we now see a collapse of abstract values such as digits in bank computers and paper bills. In an interview with Larry King a few months ago Bill Clinton stated that a third of the wealth of the world had been wiped out in the past year. This is an excellent example of thinking in terms of abstract values. In reality no real value had been wiped out. What had been wiped out were a third of the figures in the bank computers. This collapse of abstract values has still far from bottomed out.

3This so called alignment actually happened in 1998, but this is very rarely presented since it would be of no interest to the media now selling the “2012 phenomenon”.





Carl Johan Calleman has a Ph.D.in Physical Biology from the University of Stockholm and is cited around 1500 times in the scientific literature proper. He has been a Senior Researcher of Environmental Health at the University of Washington in Seattle and served as a cancer expert for the WHO. With his Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time: The Mayan Calendar (Garev 2001) he initiated the evidence-based study of the Mayan calendar, which was followed by The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness (Bear and Co, 2004) and the forthcoming The Purposeful Universe (Bear and Co, December 2009). The forthcoming book for the first time describes the physical reality of the Tree of Life and presents the first complete alternative to Darwinism in 150 years. His web page is www.calleman.com.

Mayan 6th Day Celebration and other Daykeeper Activities

Location: Anahata Center, 929 Main St. Lombard

Cost: all events $5

Saturday, May 9, 4:00-6:00 PM

Midpoint of the 6th Day Celebration Teachings/Discussing/Meditation/Drumming/Community

We will join in with hundreds/thousands of people around the world to celebrate this auspicious time by :
-reconnecting with the meaning of the Mayan calendars by screening Part I of “The Eagle Flies North”, presented by infamous teacher and content creator of your Mayan Sacred Calendar Daily Guide. This information is perfect for anyone interested in learning and/or deepening their understanding of the Mayan calendar.
-reconnecting into the worldwide, guided meditation which usher in and honor the “high noon” of the 6th Day of the Galactic cycle
Immeditately following 6:30-9:00 PM Drum/Dance/Chant
All are welcome to stay and participate in Pamela Myers and Karen Trusty’s drum/dance/chant circle, which includes Native ceremony and followed by snacks, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM (bring a snack to share) donation requested
No previous experience with the Mayan calendar or drumming is necessary.

Saturday, May 30 “In Between 2 Worlds” 7:00-9:00 PM

Reintroducing the Mayan calendar may be an emergency plan for the people of planet earth because the Maya had an exceptional understanding of time. Watch the trailer: http://www.inbetween2worlds.com / discussion follows

Return of the Ancestors - Reflections

Reflections on the Gathering

The midwest was hot green when I returned, everything is abloom. You can actually smell and feel the life-giving chlorophyll. This is such a contrast to the northern Arizona desert, yet I still love the colors of both the stark and living deserts of the American southwest. An old friend from college (Arizona State University is my alma mater) noticed that I have yet to shake the desert sand from my shoes.

Have had a little time to reflect on my journey across America. I've been seeking insight on how the indigenous cultures of the Americas may assist our healing during the end of this world age. This is a time of intense purification for us known as The Great Healing and I am personally in the thick of it like everyone else. My thoughts sometime jell into conclusions and then they fade back into process, but I'll share what I can in this moment.

Hopi Sands
In the two weeks that I travelled across Native nations, every single day brought positive interactions with Native Americans. Whether at the grocery stores, gas stops, Super8 motels (the ones we stayed in were filled with Native people), tourist attractions or in ceremony, I was treated with compassion and respect as a foreigner on their turf. Their warmth and humor was genuine and delightful. They were not afraid to poke fun at me (“you actually fell for that promise for the white people to see the Hopi tablets for the first time ever?”) I will cherish my experiences with these people for the rest of my life.

Though they are still “the forgotten people” Native Americans are gaining ground financially, educationally and artistically. The Hopi, for example, are farmers first. Secondly, they are amazing visual and performing artists and that is how many make ends meet. The Navajo, for example, have taken their Godforsaken land and turned it into an economic engine unsurpassed in the Native North American world. The Native Way is, deservedly so, one of pride.

Reading Native-friendly history en route helped me gain much needed perspective. For example, it was quite common in the French and Spanish territories to intermarry with Native people. The Puritan-based Anglos did not. Their rabid hatred for the “savages” was over-the-top by all standards, in ways that didn’t happen North or South of US borders. This is a distinction that I hadn’t realized before and one that, as an Anglo with settler's blood in my veins, is being healed.

In Due Time, the Eagle and the Condor
Though no one actually told me, I surmise that the longstanding rift between the Hopi, Navajo, other tribes and the whites was the main factor that prevented the gathering on Hopi to happen. It doesn't feel to me that the Eagle (North America) and the Condor (South America) prophecy will ever be brokered by the whites, and will come together organically, not through financial means, as was the intent with this gathering. Attaching money to this process was forcing what can not be forced. The vision of the new currency, love-based exchange, became easier to fathom as I observed the old paradigm crash into the new. It is my hope that all who participated and promoted this event learned some valuable lessons. We must be sensitive to the reality that, as attuned as the Natives are to Earth, Spirit and all of their relations, oneness consciousness has eluded them as much as the rest of humanity. We're all in this together.

People are the Key
The people I met will be as memorable as any other aspect of this journey, from both positive and disconcerting points of view. At first I was humored by the notion that just about every pilgrim I met had had ecstatic visions of White Buffalo Calf Woman and was called to do this and that, running around in attempting to manifest their visions (delivering beads, adopting buffalos, etc.) Many pilgrims fasted for the entire 10 days. In conversations, it was apparent that many in this crowd do not believe in free will and that Spirit is 100% in charge. Many believe that the 2012 thing is going to happen in the blink of an eye. In all honesty, very few of the pilgrims felt grounded to me and, towards the end of the journey, I had to wonder if anyone was taking responsibility for their decisions at any level. This flightiness was juxtaposed by the Native groundedness. Some thoughts:

1. Our destiny is determined both by the Divine Plan and personal choices. That is what karma is all about. To think that life is mutually exclusive of one or the other is naive, impractical and very likely a cop-out.
   
2. The transformation of consciousness has been going on for a very, very long time. Yes, this is the time of the quickening, but I doubt the old consciousnesses are not going to disappear anytime soon. Have any truly disappeared? New consciousness transcends and includes the others, and this has been shown to be a natural law. Cellular, familial, tribal, regional and planetary, etc. consciousness will continue to exist, though they may not dominate. There are many aspects of earlier bodies of consciousness that are valuable to our newly evolved way of being. It may take some time for enlightening humans to deal with other levels of consciousness appropriately and compassionately. We need to move away from thinking of consciousness as a "fixed state" with levels. In my mind, these represent a machismo model. Rather, streams of consciousness are constantly on the move, like energy, and we will be pulling in the meritous threads from previous levels as we co-create a new consciousness.
3. Heart opening and simple living, these are the keys. Figuring out how to outsmart, survive and protect yourself from Earth changes is irrelevant and a waste of time that may be better spent clearing your personal and ancestral negativity.

Thank you, Angels

Though you will find reference to these characters in previous posts, I’d like to give honorable mention to those who touched my heart and taught me just what I needed when I needed it. Many thanks and blessings to:

Larry Running Turtle who did a healing for me on the first day of the event. Combined with the sweat that evening, it freed me of some physical pain so that I could stay energized and enjoy this journey.

Kathy Marshall and Mary Dwyer from Chicago who encouraged me to sweat. Whenever in Sedona contact Mary for healing walks.

Sulee, Don Alejandro's daughter and successor, who is sure to do well with her duties. She is an amazing speaker and has a smile that exudes wisdom and caring.

Esmeralda, (mentioned in previous post) s/him photographer from San Francisco who meditated with me on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the heart of the Earth.

The Brit and Bosnian who live in Amsterdam and challenged my ideas about Obama for two hours at the Taco Bell in Tuba. While I defended the anti-conspiracy political position, they showed me what chem-trails look like and posited brand new ideas for my feeble American mind. Best of luck with your newly adopted white buffalo.

Marlinda Kooyaquaptewa, tour guide extradordinaire. You can find her at the Hopi Cultural Center or http://www.blogger.com/mar_cornmaiden@yahoo.com She will take you sacred places and tell you all she can without snuffing you out later.

The crystal skull carriers Marza and Shara, though they wouldn’t take the skulls out of the trunk for fear of contamination at the gathering, shared their knowledge and wit with me as we explored the magic of the Hopi. Shara dubbed the Hopi gathering drama as "The Shit of the Ages." You're both awesome.

Teresa Rousseau of Earth Dance Circle in Sonoma, CA, celebrated her birthday at Hopi. What a gift! She is a trusted vision quest guide, soul retrieval specialist, hearty travel companion and conscientious pot shard picker-upper.

David Odell and friend Lee who shared his work in integrative astrology. A fervent student of all schools of astrology, Mayan, Vedic, Egyptian, he is weaving them together so that we can notice the patterns. Keep checking his site http://www.artstrology.com/ for amazing content.

Miriam Delicado author of Blue Star, an autobiographical tale of her experiences as an alien abductee. She was actively involved in the negotiations between the Elder's Gathering producers and the Hopi and offered insight on the disconnect. She also talked to the cops who appeared at Prophecy Rock while we were in an impromptu circle ceremony. Thank you for smoothing ruffled energies and opening your heart to me.

Ideal, Harmony of http://www.divineharmony.org, Eric, Chad of http://www.evolvethe.com/ and the especially the Discovery Channel photographer (name escapes me) from LA for breaking bread, reminding me to stay in my heart and forget about figuring stuff out.

Alph Secakuku, owner of Hopi Fine Arts in Second Mesa, chanteur of music from the Fourth World and author of Hopi Kachina Tradition, Following the Sun and Moon for educating us on the Hopi creation story, ceremonial cycle, kachinas and the making of silver overlay jewelry. The first question he asked us was "What do you think of the Hopi not welcoming the Gathering?" He made it quite clear that, even though he is a long-standing member of the Hopi council, the leadership there now is corrupt (giving land rights to Peabody Coal, etc.). He was personally embarrassed with their decision not to let us gather en masse on their land.

Two of the 60 Basque pilgrims, Irene and Arantza, who, together with their two children, made the trip down from Hopi to Sedona an easy, fun ride. They invite us to join them at Amalurra, their hotel/restaurant/spiritual community in norther Spain.

Matty, Ian Lungold’s partner, for embodying how to be, open, not contracting, and being present to love in every moment, regardless of the cost or the loss.

Steve Copeland and David for sharing the scenes from “The Shift of the Ages” film in the making. This film will be a block and system buster that will finally reveal to the world the essence of the Maya and their calendars. The rough footage we watched in Matty's kitchen brought tears to our eyes, bumps to our skin and shivvers up our spines. Steve et al are capturng what no one else has on film. Stay tuned for its release, it's bound to boost the shift like no other body of work.

In Lak'ech,

bjs

Return of the Ancestors and the Hopi Drama

Is this Burning Man?

Winds of up to 70 mph kicked up the Navajo red sand, shading and shaping the Return of the Ancestors gathering into something akin to the annual Burning Man fest in Nevada, except that none of us were equipped with goggles, etc. As we drove from the Grand Canyon to Tuba City (home of Native public radio station KGHR with the most awesome playlists, ever), the sand swirled across the highway and quickly created dunes next to anything vertical, fence posts, road signs, big rocks or your legs. These winds didn’t let up, but did not dampen our spirits.

After finding the Tuba City venue, the sacred site of “The Forgotten People” we were informed that the Natives regard the winds as a positive force because they bring rain and clear away the garbage, literally and figuratively.

If you read the previous post, you’ll note my mention of events in the Gathering program not happening as planned. Most of us stayed in the flow as there was plenty of other stuff to do, but when I learned that the visit to Hopi was at risk I realized I needed to reconsider my options. The Elders were spending increasing amounts of time in council as they sorted through the drama of the Hopi not allowing the gathering to take place on Hopi land, time that they were ostensibly to spend with the pilgrims.

The Hopi Drama
The prophetic meeting of the Maya with the Hopi was, for many, the main attraction and the key reason why they travelled so far and spent so much money to attend the gathering. Rumors about how and why this was not happening flew like wildfire and caused significant distraction away from the purpose of the gathering. Whether it was finger pointing, disappointment, anger or ambivalence, all of these reactions probably sent the Ancestors running. After all, who would want to return and hang around for this sort of egotistic nonsense?
(Just kidding. I spoke to several people that had connected to ancestors for the first time ever, so that’s a good sign that the intention did make it through.)

As it turned out, the Hopi did not host the gathering as the Institute for Cultural Awareness advertised. The list of reasons for this non-event is much more complicated than worthy of further discussion. Suffice it to say that we have these gatherings for a reason: they shine the light on what needs purification and healing.

Instead, the Navajo hosted for two days as the winds blew dust that caused the Elders and pilgrims to grit their teeth. Some of us went to Hopi anyway.

Prophecy Rock
The wind was blowing wildly up at Hopi as well, but the sand is a different color, beige. Several of us hooked up at the Hopi cultural center and went on a tour with Marlinda, a delightful Tewa woman of the Corn Clan, mother and grandmother who was quick to tell us how matriarchal their culture is. She has lived her whole life in the Tewa section of Second Mesa, which towers above the desert below and feels like the rooftop of the world. Our first stop was Prophecy Rock, which she explained to us as follows:

The human figure at the bottom is Maza, the original Hopi who created this prophecy and provided the values for living a good life that the Hopi live by today. The Hopi way is to live simply and on the land. Survival, religion and culture all intermingle.

The two parallel lines show the two different paths humans can take. The upper line is the materialistic path, which is eventually demised, and the lower line is the spiritual. On the rock you can see four circles on the lower line, which represent the four world ages, the last of which we are living in now. The prophecy is clear, etched in stone.
No photography is allowed anywhere at Hopi. They believe that photographing disperses the sacred energy of the object and I honored that, but obviously someone on the internet did not.

About 20 feet away is a glyph on another stone that looks like a machine or space ship. We were thinking it was a location marker for an ET pick-up when the end of the fourth age occurs. So, be aware, when the time comes, come hither for ascension! The challenge is that Westerners can’t get to this glyph without a guide.

Hopi Petroglyphs
Marlinda took us to an expansive walls of glyphs that stretched the length for at least two city blocks. These rocks were loaded with clear, deeply carved glyphs, many of which you’ve probably seen in Hopi silver jewelry and other objects of art. People were saying that this collection of glyphs was bigger and more detailed than anything seen at other Hopi sites such as Canyon de Chelly or Chaco Canyon. Watch this youtube video of the Hopi petroglyphs for an excellent detailed view of the glyphs. For a detailed analysis, see The Book of the Hopi by Frank Waters.

Return of the Ancestors-Sunrise Ceremony at the Grand Canyon, the Heart of the Earth

Grand Canyon Speaks
The Natives consider the Grand Canyon the heart of the Earth and, as such, her energy is deep, vast and magnetizing when you sit on the rim to meditate with her. She draws you in to her core and stays with you for days, forever.

She is also recognized as the place of the Hopi emergence from the underworld at the beginning of the fourth (current) world age. The way the light plays on the stratified rock, which delves deeper into the Earth than any other place in the world, makes the experience of sunset and sunrise a must for one’s “life list.” Many of the peaks, points and canyons are appropriately named after the world's spiritual traditions: there's the Hindu and Ottoman ampitheaters, Zorastian canyon, temples of Ram, Shiva, Brahma, Isis, Orisis, Thor, Confucius, Buddha, Sheba, Solomon, Apollo, and the Krishna shrine.

Sunrise Ceremony
We arrived about 5 AM, but the Elder’s had been there for hours preparing for the revelry that would ramp up for a 5:47 AM debut of Father Sun. Don Alejandro led the preparation prayers for the energy of 6/Night (Akblal). Below are some videos of various ways the indigenous celebrated the coming of that day. Many tribes represented and yes, the Tibetan llamas were there too.

Let the Dawn Come


Navajo Elders

Roseanne, Hopi

Yavapi Mother and Son, in morning ritual, sprinkling corn meal four directionally, praying for all of her relations, face painting her boy

After the sunrise ceremony, adopted Hopi Roy Littlesun suggested to some that we go to a peaceful spot for pipe ceremony. He lit the pipe, ground and then sprinkeled white corn into the deep canyon while the Spanish contingent (19 Agentianians, 60 Spaniards, and who knows how many others) sang many songs, acapella with soft percussion, while the sun rose higher in the sky.

Roy Littlesun

I had been noticing the strength of the voice of the gentleman sitting in front of me. After several group songs, he could no longer contain himself. He burst into solo and inspired us at even deeper levels. Tears flowed, hearts opened with the help of song and the heart of the Earth.

Remembering Our Ancestors

One of the wonderful people I met is Esmeralda, an absolute darling photographer from San Francisco, who donned a blonde wig and tourquoise blue skirt. S/he was one of many who fasted the entire 10 days. We were able to meditate together on the rim later in the morning. S/he explained to me that s/he meditates daily with her ancestors. S/he told me that all you have to do is bring either your mother or father into consciousness and ask who else is with them. The whole lineage may show up, showering you with love and affection, as you are their only expression on the Earth plane. For those of us who never never experienced this type of unconditional love, the experience is a great healing and reminder of the importance of connection with all of our relations.

Caravan to Tuba City

Though the announcement went out to hundreds of people, there were two cars ready to leave the designated spot at the designated time, so I followed two men from Amsterdam, a Brit and a Bosnian. We stopped at Desert View and shared the Grand Canyon watchtower which, even though commissioned by Fred Harvey, was a beautiful rendition of high Hopi art.

Drunvalo waves hello!

Return of the Ancestors Gathering-the Kumbh Mela of the Indigenous

Return of the Ancestors

The Kumbh Mela of the Indigenous

My first day at the Return of the Ancestor’s gathering in beautiful, vortextual Sedona,AZ, was beyond expectations and filled with healing for the Earth and all who attended. The only issue I had was that photographing the ceremony was allowed for the indigenous but not for us white folk. How's that for old paradigm? Words will have to do. Actually, it was kind of nice not having cameras popping every milli-second.
The day began with music from many traditions, all impromptu. Spiritual reggae, hula sung and danced by the Japanese contingent, and a raconteur from El Salvador warmed up the crowd until the Master of Ceremonies, Mayan Elder Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj from Guatemala, arrived. I’ve nick named him the "Barack Obama of the indigenous" because he catalyzes change and much needed healing among the very badly wounded Native peoples across the world. Dressed in white pants, traditional Mayan woven shirt and white Panama hat, he quickly brought out his hand-carved staff from an ornately embroidered cloth case. Cradling it in his arm and he spoke as eloquently as ever. Standing about 4 1/2 feet tall, he and his wife Elizabeth, are both larger than life characters.

Setting the Tone
The first issue that Mayan daykeepers always address is what day it is on the sacred calendar, which sets the tone for the consciousness of the day. It was:

4/ imox (crocodile), the day of the hypnotist, therapist, the midwife, the scientist, the doctors, and all men and women who can see and feel a connection beyond the stars. He says that everyone gathered this day has this connection, otherwise they wouldn’t be here. Because of this, we are united, nourished by one sun which shines on us equally. Then, he offers one of his (and mine) favorite prophecies, “We are the ones of yesterday, the ones of today and the ones of tomorrow” which speaks to the eternal nature of our souls.

Seguing to the Long Count calendar, he reminds us that we are living in the last of the 13 katuns on the Mayan era-based calendar. We are finalizing this 5,2000 year cycle of the 5th sun. He says we must pray to nourish the authorities so that they have the heart and strength to think of their children and grandchildren as they make their decisions.

Mayan Fire Ceremony Spontaneously Shifts to Multi-cultural
I was flabbergasted when Mayan shaman Don Juan, who led a sunrise ceremony and divination for us at our Yogadventure in Guatemala last year (photo left), stepped into the sacred circle. Dressed in the traditional garb of the men of Santiago Atitlan, he orchestrated the many Maya who were fixing the ingredients for the ceremonial recipe. Candles of all shapes and sizes and incense from every continent were neatly taken out of the sacred bundles and arranged for strategic and efficient use.

Meanwhile, Don Alejandro had stepped away from the microphone so that he could make eye contact with the Elders seated in the front rows. They were from many nations and decked-out in full regalia according to their traditional styles. The 500+ onlookers, also from all four corners of the Earth were spellbound (and pretty colorful characters also).

Don Alejandro asked specific Elders to step into the four cardinal direction of the circle as follows:
white spiritual leader, North
red Apache from Texas, East
yellow Shinto priest from Japan, South
black man and woman from Ghana, West
Note that these colors are also the colors of corn. One of the indigenous prophecies is that when all these colors blend together, a new world age will come to pass.

Each person offers prayers and a few words about their culture, the common threads being duly noted by the audience. The African contingent asked us to remember those who died in slavery, the trail of tears and the great wars. You could have heard a pin drop when the white man of the North says there is a change in the atmosphere from the previous commission. He said that white people have not done a good job and with help from the ancestors, we can do a better job in the future. We need to find our way back to our ancestors, our roots, and remember them so we can all heal. Someone in the back of the crowd interrupted him, saying that we whites should ask, here and now, for forgiveness. Don Alejandro responded by stating that all people make mistakes and it is a part of our cultural programming. We moved on and the point was well-taken.

Soaring Eagles
At the peak of the ceremony, lots of whooping and hollering was going on as we were all invited to be nourished by the fire, walk around it and make our offerings. We looked up to see three bald eagles soaring above, which, you may imagine, is very good feedback from the animal kingdom and the deities. Don Alejandro emphasized the eagle's importance, as there is one day on the Tzolkin of this energy.

Ancestral Healing

I have not been dry-eyed for days now as I confront the atrocities of my own ancestry and know that this is a huge piece that I need to heal. (see en route to AZ posts) My Mother's people were settlers, and I've read letters about their land deals, fights with the Natives and, even though they were ignorant victims of their version of cultural programming, their collective self-righteous energy still needs to be healed. Aluna Joy calls this the great healing. I just know that I have had such difficulty choking down these white supremist attitudes lately and they need to clear. Learn more about ancestral healing...

In the middle of the afternoon, Larry Running Turtle, the Apache from Texas, came over to me for a chat. I told him about my journey across the US and how hard it has been to acknowledge and make peace with the wrath we whites have wrought, especially in my own family. I teared up again and he pulled out his rattle, a precious tool adorned with feathers and a turtle shell at the end. He touched me with it on my shoulders, arms, knees and head. He took a tear from my eye and kissed it. He said that this is what these gatherings are all about and it is good that we do them. What grace, power and forgiveness he offered me.

The ceremony lasted at least three hours, with no dull moments.

Mixed Marriage
A wedding between a Native woman and white man took place after siesta. Don Alejandro presided, taking 30 minutes to list out all the possible challenges that a married couple could (and would) face. His humor is so low-key, yet entirely infectious. Grandmother Margarita Numez Garcia offered the couple a sacred pipe, explaining it as an instrument of merged duality.
And then, the dance. Inca flutes, Zapoteca guitars and African love song carried us until sun down.

Sweating It Out
By the end of the day, there were two sweat lodges going, one for men and one for women, but things were operating pretty loosely that day, and we ended up with a full lodge with mostly women and several men. The white woman that poured for us had learned the Lakota Sioux tradition, spending time sun dancing and sweating at Pine Ridge, SD. A young Lakota also from Pine Ridge (they didn’t know eachother) assisted her and adorned her work with Lakota language mixed with English.
After three rounds, she asked that we go around the circle and each say what we are thankful for, which, of course, turned into full-blown life-story stuff. Many had been on the "red road" for years with 200-300 sweats under their belt. For me (pita dosha, you know), it was getting ferociously hot (is it cheating to use yogic sitali breath to cool down in a sweat?) and the last person speaker was very pressured to get it over and out. It felt great when the flap opened, we crawled out and met the cool air and a sky full of stars.We sealed the experience outside the lodge with a smoke. Ahau. And how!

Post Script: Mysteriously, I found out in passing just before I left that the program for the next day had been cancelled. Stay tuned for the next installment. I'll send it from the res. if they have wi-fi in Tuba City.

Wailing Wall at Little Big Horn

2/storm
Know the Power that is Peace -Black Elk

Native American Wailing Wall Memorial at the Little Big Horn Battleground

The microclimate of the Badlands and Black Hills became quite obvious as the wide blue sky throughout Wyoming and the great state of Montana opened before us. Black Elk's reference to "greasy grass" at the site of Custer's last stand was puzzling to me and I'm still unsure if this is the same as buffalo grass or sweet grass (as in smudge). I heard this Indian phrase used as a a colloquialism when a trucker cautioned us to drive safely on the greasy roads in SD, definitely a new term for a midwesterner.

Just north of the Wyoming/Montana state line, off I 90 to the right you can see the stretch of land that witnessed this famous battle where 221 troops of General Custer were defeated by the Sioux, the Crow, Cheyanne, even Arapahoe tribes who had banded together to stop this nonsense once and for all. Accounts say the expanse of greasy grass was darkened by all the people and horses that fought there. On the grounds now is a US military war memorial cemetary, (most of Custer's people were buried back East) and an architecturally stunning circle-shaped memorial that honors the four cardinal directions and the Native Americans who died defending their land and culture. (pictured above and below)

Evidently George H. Bush was the President who sanctified this memorial back in 1991 when officially the federal government starting softening their approach under pressure from more conscious citizens. Disturbingly, at the top of the hill, over-looking everything, is the mass horse grave, as Custer and his men circled their horses and shot them, using them as protection from the on-rush of Indians. The contrast in how the Indians and the whites each used the circle and their horses in battle speaks to their vastly different levels of consciousness and why they were destined to conflict.