Conscious Convergence & Mayan Fire Ceremony in Retrospect
Elements of a Mayan American Fire Ceremony
Each fire ceremony is it's own animal, and ours was no exception. Every detail flowed to create this Divine event: the people, the fire pit, the drumming, the offerings, the format, the weather, the feast that followed and the lack of mosquitoes. The seed for our idea occurred 4 months before it actually happened. During that time, we had "marching orders" and the guidance was crystal clear. What few obstacles we did encounter required complete surrender, giving us more practice with ever-more-important conscious co-creation skills. Click here to read more about this aspect of the odyssey, posted on the Mayan Calendar Portal.We are happy and proud of what was created. For the sake of cross-cultural appreciation, what follows is the step-by-step process of the ceremony itself.
The Fire Pit
The event took place on a 13.Road/Path (E - pronounced "aay) day on the Mayan calendar so Shuni, our Mayan Daykeeper, directed us to draw the shape of this day sign out of sugar at the base of the pit. Pictured to the right, this glyph depicts the Path, the stones along the Path and the human ear which pays heed to the Path. Note the beautiful stones that surround the pit: geodes, Nebraska field stones, granite, even obsidian, all which came from afar and asked to be here.The Ingredients
Next in the pit went four big logs, aligned with the 4 cardinal directions. Around them we placed different types of incense, (their careful corn husk packaging is what is next to the fire pit on the left-hand photo). There were big balls of pine sap called rax-pon, both large and small balls of copal, cacao beans, cigars, herbs and some smaller kindling called ocote. Had we not been successful bringing all these things in from Guatemala, we would have used local ingredients such as pine cones, rice and beans etc. It's the thought that counts.
Eventually we placed big color-coded candles all around: beige for the ancestors, yellow for peace, red for love, green for the Earth, white for purity, baby blue for little boys and pink for littler girls, royal blue for the sky and black for the offering. Once everything was in place, Shuni sprinkled corn meal and Florida water on everything, like icing on the cake.
The Ceremony
Everyone present knew their Mayan day sign (also called Nawal, Day Lord or spirit of the day) so Shuni and the helpers ensured that each person had at least one small candle, pictured right, the color of their Nawal. As the rays of the sun became longer and the light more sublime, Shuni began the Sacred Count of Days beginning with the spirit of the Road. After describing its attributes, we would count in unison to the number 13 (in Spanish) before she offered the 13 nuggets of copal into the flame. One by one, for the full count of 20 Nawales, each person stepped into the sacred circle when their personal Nawal was being called. Whether they realized it or not, they were stepping into their power (see photo below). This is no shy matter to the Maya. Our intentions were fueled into the candles as well as the small bits of copal that we also offered.
A little stash of black candles were dedicated to the Nawal for " Offering" (T'oj) which is emphasized in such a ceremony. When "Bird" (Tz'ikin) was called we offered sesame seeds which sizzled and popped in the fire. Shuni invited us to make bird calls, some of which were quite amazing. The Nawal for Ancestors (Kame) also received special attention. Once everything has been offered to the fire, we offered sacred myrrh and personal items. It was getting dark and the licks of the flames were now dancing with the Nawales summoned through the sacred Count. It was time for silence and awe.
The Closing
Next in the pit went four big logs, aligned with the 4 cardinal directions. Around them we placed different types of incense, (their careful corn husk packaging is what is next to the fire pit on the left-hand photo). There were big balls of pine sap called rax-pon, both large and small balls of copal, cacao beans, cigars, herbs and some smaller kindling called ocote. Had we not been successful bringing all these things in from Guatemala, we would have used local ingredients such as pine cones, rice and beans etc. It's the thought that counts.
Eventually we placed big color-coded candles all around: beige for the ancestors, yellow for peace, red for love, green for the Earth, white for purity, baby blue for little boys and pink for littler girls, royal blue for the sky and black for the offering. Once everything was in place, Shuni sprinkled corn meal and Florida water on everything, like icing on the cake.
The Ceremony
Everyone present knew their Mayan day sign (also called Nawal, Day Lord or spirit of the day) so Shuni and the helpers ensured that each person had at least one small candle, pictured right, the color of their Nawal. As the rays of the sun became longer and the light more sublime, Shuni began the Sacred Count of Days beginning with the spirit of the Road. After describing its attributes, we would count in unison to the number 13 (in Spanish) before she offered the 13 nuggets of copal into the flame. One by one, for the full count of 20 Nawales, each person stepped into the sacred circle when their personal Nawal was being called. Whether they realized it or not, they were stepping into their power (see photo below). This is no shy matter to the Maya. Our intentions were fueled into the candles as well as the small bits of copal that we also offered.
A little stash of black candles were dedicated to the Nawal for " Offering" (T'oj) which is emphasized in such a ceremony. When "Bird" (Tz'ikin) was called we offered sesame seeds which sizzled and popped in the fire. Shuni invited us to make bird calls, some of which were quite amazing. The Nawal for Ancestors (Kame) also received special attention. Once everything has been offered to the fire, we offered sacred myrrh and personal items. It was getting dark and the licks of the flames were now dancing with the Nawales summoned through the sacred Count. It was time for silence and awe.
The ClosingIn all reverence, none of the materials get thrown away and no one leaves until the fire is out. We let our eyes and our hearts become the flame and then offered more prayers in unison. We all took 4 big breaths and then honored the Heart of the Heavens, the Heart of the Earth, the Heart of the Water and the Heart of the Wind whose presence, along with the Nawales, was palpable this night. Marimba music began wafting through the crowd and we lightened our steps, dancing around the fire. In closing, we connected to those others around our planet in Oneness consciousness. That served to boost our frequencies significantly. Later, we feasted, drank the sacred tea made from the Guatemalan nut called Ramon (also known as liquid gold) and shared more love and laughter.
Many thanks to Shuni, all of the helpers, those seen and unseen, who made this possible. May their force be with us as we heal ourselves and our world.
In Lak'ech,
bjs
Many thanks to Shuni, all of the helpers, those seen and unseen, who made this possible. May their force be with us as we heal ourselves and our world.
In Lak'ech,
bjs
Labels: Conscious Convergence
posted by Barbara (BJ) Sadtler @ 2:09 PM
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