The Mayas and the Significance of 2012

Why We Care About the Mayan Predictions

As we approach 2012, we care about the Mayas because 1) they predicted that the sunrise of the solstice sun on December 21, 2012 marks the end of a cycle of precession at which time an alignment of the Sun and the center of the Milky Way occurs; this happens only every 26,000 years, and 2) their Long Count calendar ends on that same date, which some people interpret as the end of the world; the Mayas, however, did not predict such an ending.

Precession and the Long Count

Precession is the movement of the earth that occurs because the earth wobbles as it turns daily on its axis. This wobble slowly shifts the apparent position of the sun relative to the backdrop of stars. This means that the stars are seen from a slowly and steadily changing point of view. If a constellation, or a particular star or planet, is viewed from one point on earth at a certain time, 26,000 years pass before that same constellation, star or planet completes its cycle and returns to the original position. From astronomers, we know precession takes 26,000 years.

Based on the rate of precession, the Maya were able to calculate forward to determine when the sun would conjunct with the center of the Milky Way. They established their Long Count calendar to coordinate with this galactic synchronization of our sun and our galaxy’s center. This is an astronomical event that the Maya predicted would occur on December 12, 2012; there is no scientific agreement on that date.

Prophecies

Despite the legend that the Mayas mysteriously disappeared, there are six million Mayas living today. There is much we don’t know about this early American civilization. We do know that Europeans burned and destroyed most of their early recordings. There is no evidence how they acquired the advanced knowledge necessary for their math and astronomy, but we do know that many of the Mayan sites were laid out to mirror the stellar constellations above them, using doorways and windows as astronomical sightings, especially of Venus. They had knowledge for which we can’t find the origins or a reasonable explanation of how they could have acquired such information.

The few writings of the Mayas available today are still difficult to translate. Most of their prophecies that survive are from the Chilam Balam, nine manuscripts authored by so-called “jaguar priests” who received prophecies while in a trance, and Pacal the Great, the best known Mayan ruler, who ruled from 615 – 683 CE.

Energy Shifts

Barrios, a contemporary Mayan elder, claims that the use of energy is the most significant concept from the Mayas. He wants us to live in harmony with the earth and each other. He believes that our disconnect from the natural flow of energy in the world causes our disconnect from the spiritual. The Mayas message may lie in the natural cycles of the sun and stars.

The Mayas predicted a time of earthquakes, volcanoes, huge winds and storms. While there will be no sudden end of the world, there will be local, natural catastrophes. Of course, we are already seeing such disasters, which began in 2010 and are continuing in 2011 in many parts of the world. The Mayas understood that a change in energy doesn’t happen all at once. It begins well before the expected date and lasts after that date. The effects of this energy shift are being felt now and will continue after December, 2012.

Time/Cycles

Accepting nonlinear, cyclic history opens us to another view of our lives and civilization. There is not one straight line but a series of beginnings and endings, just as there is a natural beginning and ending in nature as seen in night and day, and in the death and rebirth of the seasons. Many ancient cultures understood this cyclical, not linear time. The Mayas are aware of the patterns of the past. As discussed in the Popul Vuh, the Mayan creation story, however, they knew that the past did not repeat itself exactly; changes occur.

The fifth World Age is coming to an end in 2012, according to the Mayas. Other groups, such as the Hopis and the Hindus, discuss similar four or five different worlds, each one a new phase starting after the completion of the previous one. This is not an end of the world, but an end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one.

I believe the Mayas, with their Calendars and end date of 2012, are reminding us of these larger trends, these cycles that continually occur, even if they are bigger than we normally experience in our lifetimes. Whether the Mayas were accurate on the date, and many believe the shift is sooner while others cite later dates, we are reminded that cycles continue. We know the Mayas, and others, were able to calculate these, even if we don’t know how they were able to do so. The exact date is unimportant since we know that they believed the energy preceded and followed any event. Anyone attuned to the earth’s energy knows changes are taking place now.

What Does This Mean For You?

Most of you reading this already know about sensing the energy around you. Trust and further develop those feelings. As the Mayas did, we can sense when the energy shifts and it is time to move on, either in thought and/or in space. Understand when it is time to change an internal attitude instead of an external place. Listen to your body. Listen to the earth. Everything is connected. Wars, violence and discontent affect you, as do love, sharing and caring. Choose the better emotions and actions in your life. Make the changes that you can. Begin within yourself and your immediate environment.

Understand the patterns in your life. Look at the cycles. See your repeated patterns, both positive and negative, in personal and professional relationships and in your actions. Accept that these cycles define you and will continue. Change them for the better. You know what needs to be done without relying on others to tell you. You are feeling the energy shifting. Do what you know. Remember the caution we learned from the Mayas and others: Changes do not occur immediately. They happen over time. Change your thoughts and actions, and the right things will take place in the right time.

The world will not end in December 2012; a new cycle will begin, however. Be ready for that.

Selected Bibliography
Barrios, Carlos. The Book of Destiny: Unlocking the Secret of the Ancient Mayas and the Prophecies of 2012. NY: Harper One, 2009.
Benedict, Gerald. The Maya: 2012 The End of the World or the Dawn of Enlightenment. London: Watkins Publishing, 2010.
Benedict, Gerald. The Mayan Prophecies: 2012 The Message and The Vision. London: Watkins Publishing, 2010.
Braden, Greg. Fractal Time: The Secrets of 2012 and A New World Age. CA: Hay House, 2009.
Chatfield, Cheryl A. Do It Yourself Guide to Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps. CT: The Nottingham Institute, 2011.
Clow, Barbara Hand. The Mayan Code: Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind. Santa Fe: Bear & Company, 2007.
Clow, Barbara Hand. The Pleiadian Agenda: A New Cosmology for the Age of Light. Santa Fe: Bear & Company, 1995.
Coe, Michael D. The Maya. 7th Ed. NY: Thames & Hudson, 2005.
Hancock, Graham. Fingerprints of the Gods. NY: Three Rivers Press, 1995. And??
Imbornoni, Anne-Marie and Elisa Haney. “The Rite of Spring.” http://www.infoplease.com/spot/riteofspring 1.html
Knight, Christopher and Robert Lomas. Uriels’s Machine: Uncovering The Secrets of Stonehenge, Noah’s Flood, and The Dawn of Civilization. MA: Fair Winds Press, 1999.
Tedlock, Dennis, translator. Popul Vuh: The Definition Edition of the Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life and the Glories of Gods and Kings. NY: A Touchstone Book, 1985.
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/recession.html

Ambiguity and The Need to Know

There is an ambiguity in life that surprises me. I thought I would know. I thought I was being given information that would explain my life and the future. I thought all would be more clear with each passing day.

I was right but not in the way expected. The knowing, the information and the clarity were revealed to be uncertainty.

All that I felt correct up to now is right but also wrong. All that I though was a clear message becomes more complicated. All that I felt was clear is no longer.

I am left with a calm, however, about the ambiguity. I am left with a thirst to allow this lack of clarity to flow over me and become a substitute for being a slave to the need to know and figure everything out. I’m leery of the success of this new venture, but I sense it is the only answer left. All else is wasted energy fed to a soul caught in a 3-dimensional world.

Releasing that limitation of the” need to know” may just be the freedom I’ve been seeking.

Releasing that limitation may be the answer I’ve been searching.

Releasing that limitation opens my soul to a possible union with the spirit world, which I long to have.

When Do We Stop Seeking Answers?

The most important step in our spiritual evolution is when we agree to “give up the seeking process forever.” This sounds extreme, but consider the reason. Once “we are convinced of the reality of Spirit, at a soul level, we are no longer seekers.” These quotations came from an article, “Seek Until You Find,” by Andrew Cohen, the editor of EnlightenNext magazine (Issue 47, 2011). Once we are done seeking, we begin the responsibility of accepting Spirit and eliminating the demand for proof or the doubt before we act. We will, of course, continue to evolve and be the enlightened person who works to achieve our highest potential through our own development.

No longer, though, can we just intellectualize our spirituality and be content in our continual quest. Soon we must come to terms with our own Truth, what we know we must do, and then just do it. Sacred study and spiritual practice can continue, as long they are combined with an equal amount of sacred action.

With that realization, all is clear. Cohen says “Seek until you Find.” Once that happens, stop seeking and begin “being. How many of us continue to search, continually asking the same questions without moving to another level of action?

Others Mirror our Flaws

I was recently reminded of the advice given in The RA Material: An Ancient Astronaut Speaks by D Elkins, C Rueckert and JA McCarty, a book I have reviewed in previous blogs. The best way for us to learn our lessons is by dealing with other people. When we only spend time pondering our own thoughts, we lose the ability to see ourselves reflected in others.

We need friends to mirror our flaws. This is such a positive view of growth. We grow and, from our interactions, others do too. That is what life is all about.

We are also reminded that we cannot truly help another to evolve. We can only be role models in our spiritual growth and interactions. We can be catalysts but not saviors.