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S OUR WORLD GETS SMALLER AND LIV-ability issues intensify, indigenous wis-dom is making its way into the limelight,spearheaded by a growing awareness ofthe end date of the Mayan calendar in

the year 2012. Ancient Mayan prophecies foretold atime when foreigners would be hungry to learn from theMaya. For more than a decade, Don Alejandro CiriloPerez Oxlaj, also known as Wakatel Utiw or WanderingWolf, an esteemed thirteenth-generation elder fromGuatemala, has stepped into that teaching role, orallytransmitting Mayan prophecies across the globe. Heexplains that his destiny is to be the messenger and oursis to trust him enough to listen. He talks about our plan-etary predicament and what we need to do to live moreconsciously. These teachings, the Maya say, are what wehave unwittingly been waiting for.

Ironically, today average Mayans pay little attentionto the year 2012. Much of their reality is shaped byabject poverty and requires them to focus on day-to-daysurvival. Their potentially bleak situation, however,is transformed into something magical by the eloquentlanguages that they use, the colorful customs the com-munities support, and the pervasiveness of the Mayancosmic vision. It is Westerners who have brought theirinterpretation of 2012 to the Maya. Having spent timeamong the Maya and studying with Grandfather CiriloPerez Oxlaj, his wife Elizabeth, and other indigenousshamans and elders, I suspect that if we Westerners ven-ture too far out of context in interpreting their calen-dars, we may miss the point entirely. The true value ofthe Mayan calendars is found in synthesizing their wis-dom into our hearts and living it moment to moment.What follows is my understanding of the Mayan per-spective of time cycles and calendars, embellished withpertinent teachings from Grandfather Cirilo, all of whichI hope will add discernment to the 2012 discussion.

The ancient Maya possessed an extraordinary apti-tude for creating intricate and intermeshing time cycles.Time was a way of being to them, and they revered eachday as a gift from the heavens. The Maya were arguably

the most sophisticated timekeepers in human history,and to this day Mayans assign special “daykeepers” totrack time in order to assure abundance, direction, andsecurity.

Depending upon which scientific discipline is report-ing, the Maya had from three to seventeen calendars.According to Grandfather Cirilo, the Maya kept twentycalendars for various purposes, but many were destroyedduring the Spanish conquest in the sixteenth century.Because the Mayans base all of their calendars on a viges-imal system (i.e., multiples of twenty) and frequentlyrefer to the sacred significance of the numbers twentyand thirteen (they say there are twenty digits and thir-teen joints in the human body), it would make mostsense to say that the Maya used twenty different butinterrelated calendars.

Archaeologists commonly refer to a calendar that wasshared by all Mesoamerican cultures, the haab calendar,used primarily for bookkeeping and agrarian purposes.This is a solar year system of 360 days divided into aneighteen-month, twenty-day cycle. Because the solar yearis longer than 360 days, five days have been insertedbetween the end of one 360-day cycle and the begin-ning of another. This period, called the wayeb, has beensynchronized with the celebrations of the Catholic HolyWeek. This time also marks the change from the dryseason to the rainy season. Although the wayeb is con-sidered unlucky or hellish by some Maya, it is also aperiod of renewal, celebration, chaos, rituals of sacrifice,and ornate, lengthy processions that stream through the streets of Guatemalan towns and villages. By end of the wayeb on resurrection Sunday, a typical Mayan isdepleted from all the celebrations, with energy remain-ing only for reflection and gratitude that this intensitywill not happen for another year.

The Maya also use a sacred daily calendar, commonlycalled the tzolkin calendar, to deepen their connectionto the divine nature of the universe and assist them withthe inherent challenges of life. The tzolkin is a 260-daydivinatory calendar that is based on the cycles of thePleiades, the “heart of the heavens,” as described in

ing your intention for being in this lifetime and yoursoul’s purpose. It is your sacred watermark of creation.

The key to using the tzolkin is to know the Mayandeities. Our chief sources for this pantheon are codiceswritten in the Mayan hieroglyphic script. Althoughmany of these texts were destroyed by the Spaniards, afew survive today. All Mayan deities personify someaspect of the natural world, such as childbirth, prey andpredator, climate changes, elements, seasons, and timesegments. These deities may be called upon to “inhabit”the body and soul at times of pivotal life experience, including rites of passage, traveling, and giving advice.Even ordinary activities such as weaving at the loom orworking in the fields are believed to have greater poten-tial when blessings from the right deity are requested.

Today there are several English versions of thetzolkin that provide easy-to-use descriptions and meth-ods for determining your day sign. Some of these com-bine the tzolkin with the Gregorian calendar, enablingWesterners to consult the tzolkin on a daily basis. A rit-ual of morning reflection on the significance of theday’s energy and setting an intention for the day’s eventscreates an enlivened sense of purpose not found in aGregorian Day-Timer. Use of the tzolkin brings a sacredelement to each day, enabling the individual to stay pre-sent and feel gratitude for the cosmic forces that guide

daily life. Many Westerners report anuncanny sense of alignment with cos-mic energies and have experiencedincreased synchronicities and greatercenteredness by using this sacred tool.

Understanding and honoring thearchetypal energy intrinsic to each daycan be accomplished through study,shamanic guidance, and daily medita-tions. Because the Mayan pantheonis both extensive and overlapping, it is important to learn what the energiesare and how to correlate them toevents each day. With patience, pat-terns emerge. Alignment with forcesthat foster one’s greatest good becomesmore tangible with practice. A day-keeper’s goal is to align every activitywith nature’s rhythm and managewhatever comes. With practice, con-nection with the energies may enableone to remain in a reverent attune-ment with the cosmic flow.

Daykeeping becomes even morefulfilling by knowing one’s sacred Mayan cross, la cruzMaya. This comprehensive system is calculated from

their creation story, the Popol Vuh, and in generations ofelders’ storytelling. In the Popol Vuh the people pledgeto honor each day because each day is a deity. This iswhy the tzolkin calendar has been in continual use overthe millennia. It does not exist in a written form, buthas been passed down through generations in the oraltradition.

A tzolkin consists of a cycle involving twenty daysigns and thirteen numbers, each of which represents a sacred, archetypal energy. Each day is signified by aglyph that represents the lord (deity) of the day in theform of plant, animal, ancestor, or force of nature. Num-bers are created using a place rotation system, whichcombines only three symbols—eggs, dots, and lines—to represent the numerical form of the most importantgods and goddesses. These are the sacred “numberbeings” that influence the twenty “lords of the day.”Together each glyph and number creates a frequencythat harmonizes with the universe. Working togetherlike two cogged gears, the twenty day signs intermeshwith the thirteen numbers, presenting a new combina-tion each day (see figure 1).

Since every individual is born on one of these days,the glyph and number combination of your day of birthbecomes your “day sign” (also known as “sacred sunsign”). This is the energy you carry in your heart, reflect-

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Figure 1. A representation of the Mayan sacred tzolkin.Note the interlocking “gears” of the two calendars. Source: www.mayanmajix.com.

the tzolkin and provides five additional dimensionsto the heart-based day sign. The top position of thecross is the day sign on the date of your conception.The left position is energy that influences your chal-lenges; the right, your gifts; and the bottom positionreflects the energy influencing your destiny. Addition-ally, a year bearer day sign, brought in from the haab cal-endar, is included. These five glyph names, along withthe name of the day sign, may be repeated together as a personal mantra. The number of spirit guides in yourauric field is determined by the sum of the galactic tones(numbers) in the cross configuration. La cruz Mayamay provide worthy assistance to one on a path of self-realization.

The tzolkin calendar is the focus of Mayan spiritual-ity. Each day is auspicious for connecting with the lordof that day and asking for particular types of assistance.In fire ceremonies, shamans call upon the deities of eachof the twenty days, one by one. They will do this all daylong, especially on “offering” days. This elegant oratoryassists in the healing of the participants, their lovedones, and the village.

The most widely known Mayan calendar, however, is known as the Long Count, and it is the source of the 2012 date. Most of the pyramids and stelae foundthroughout Maya country contain dates inscribed accord-ing to this calendar. The Long Count consists of thir-teen baktuns, each baktun equaling 144,000 days—acycle of 5,126 years. In the twentieth century, Britishanthropologist Sir J. Eric S. Thompson, in conjunctionwith John T. Goodman and Juan H. Martinez-Hernandez,correlated the Mayan Long Count with the Gregoriancalendar. Their work, widely accepted by Westernresearchers, dates the beginning of the Long Count toAugust 11, 3114 BC. There is less agreement amongWestern researchers about the end date. Many peg it toDecember 21, 2012, but Swedish microbiologist and author Carl Johan Calleman, author of The MayanCalendar and the Transformation of Consciousness cal-culates that this cycle will end on October 28, 2011.Grandfather Cirilo and other indigenous elders do notnecessarily agree with these specific dates, but do believethat we are currently in the end stages of a time cyclelasting approximately 5000 years.

A key artifact of the Long Count calendar was dis-covered in Cobá, Mexico, in the 1940s. Stele 1 (figure2) is carbon-dated to be approximately 1300 years oldand has been deciphered to reveal dates trillions of yearsback in time. It is theorized that the Mayan Long Countcalendar depicts the hierarchical nature of creationcycles, with each cycle being a multiple of 13 x 20n.This indicates that the Maya had names for time peri-

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Figure 2. Cobá Stele 1. The Mayan Long Count Calendar.

ods dating back 16.4 million years, as well as fourteenearlier unnamed cycles. Some experts believe that thenamed periods, appearing in the center of the stele, co-incide with the evolutionary cycles described by West-ern science, meaning that the ancient Maya may havebeen aware of these cycles well before modern science.

Some contemporary research suggests that the LongCount was created by the Maya to time the evolution ofconsciousness. If this is true, the idea is not unique, asthe Vedic yuga system has been linking time cycles with

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day the numbering will be reset to 0.0.0.0.0, and, it isbelieved, the shift of the ages will begin.

The indigenous peoples of the Americas say theseshifts have happened before. Their traditions teach theexistence of previous, prehistoric civilizations on ourplanet. As described in the Popol Vuh, the QuichéMayan bible, the gods tried several times to create sen-tient beings with higher capacities. Previous peopleswere made from other materials such as mud and wood,but because they did not possess or develop the capacityto worship the creator, those cycles perished. Contem-porary humans, made from corn, are the most advancedversion of the species to date because they know how tospeak, pray, make offerings, and perform ceremonies forthe gods. Each of these ages was ruled by a god of anelement, such as wind, fire, or water, and was destroyedby its opposite: the world of fire, for example, wasdestroyed by water. Some hold that we are in the fourthworld now, moving to the fifth; others state that we areentering the sixth. This may seem like mythology toWesterners, but Dennis Tedlock, an anthropologist andtranslator of the Popol Vuh, thinks it is more accurate touse the term “mythistory” because these beliefs are inti-mately woven into the reality of the Maya.

Grandfather Cirilo speaks of an extended period ofdarkness that will come at the end of this “sun” or worldage. The prophecies foretell that the earth’s second sunwill pass in front of our existing sun, causing a period

levels of collective consciousness for centuries. In theWest, 2012-based theory is growing and encompasses a wide range of ideas relating to consciousness andscience: philosopher Jean Gebser’s complexificationtheory; Ken Wilber’s integral theory of consciousness;microbiologist Carl Calleman’s acceleration of time/cre-ation; John Major Jenkins’ precession of the equinoxes;physicist Nassim Haramein’s unified field interpreta-tions; and Gregg Braden’s fractal time, to name a few.

For the Maya, the end date notation on the true LongCount calendar is 13.0.0.0.0. This dating method makesuse of five different measures of time: the day (known asa kin); the twenty-day period (known as a uinal); a 360-day period (a tun); a 7200-day period, roughly equiva-lent to 19.7 years (a katun), and a period of 144,000days, roughly equivalent to 394 years (a baktun.). Thedate 13.0.0.0.0 indicates thirteen baktuns, zero katuns,zero tuns, zero uinals, and zero kins since the beginningof the Long Count in 3114 BC. Grandfather Cirilostates that the next to last phase of this cycle, called theVale of the Nine Hells, began about 500 years ago, withthe arrival of the conquistador Hernando Cortés inMexico in 1521 and lasted until 1987, which markedthe beginning of the “Time of Warning.” This was pub-licized worldwide as the Harmonic Convergence, intro-ducing the Mayan end date of 2012 into Western con-sciousness. The Time of Warning will be upon us untilthe Mayan Long Count reaches 13.0.0.0.0. The next

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Guénon remains unknown to the larger culture (BillMoyers’s 1996 PBS documentary on Huston Smithmade no reference to Guénon’s influence on Smith),and yet his presence has been remarkably pervasive inthe modern world he so despised. Today we must, I think,approach Guénon with the same clarity and discrim-ination that we must apply to any esoteric teaching—including Theosophy. He is a figure of uncommon bril-liance, but contrary to his own self-portrayal, he doesnot come across as a figure of Olympian remoteness andserenity. He had a grudge against the world aroundhim—one that was no doubt as much personal and psy-chological as it was spiritual—and following him toofar in this direction will most likely lead to confusionand distress. ■

References

Blavatsky, H. P. The Letters of H. P. Blavatsky: Vol. 1, 1861–79.John Algeo, ed. Wheaton: Quest, 2003.

———. The Secret Doctrine. Two volumes. Wheaton: Quest,1993 [1888].

The Dalai Lama XIV. The Opening of the Wisdom-Eye. 2nd ed.Wheaton: Quest, 1991.

Guénon, René. L’erreur spirite. 2nd ed. Paris: Éditions Tradi-tionelles, 1952.

———. Symbolism of the Cross. Angus McNabb, trans. Lon-don: Luzac, 1958.

———. Theosophy: History of a Pseudo-Religion. Alvin MooreJr. et al., trans. Hillsdale, N.Y.: Sophia Perennis, 2003.

Lemkow, Anna F. The Wholeness Principle: Dynamics of Unitywithin Science, Religion, and Society. 2nd ed. Wheaton:Quest, 1995.

Lopez, Donald S., Jr. Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhismand the West. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999.

Quinn, William W., Jr. The Only Tradition. Albany: State Uni-versity of New York Press, 1997.

Sedgwick, Mark. Against the Modern World: Traditionalismand the Secret Intellectual History of the Twentieth Century.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Tigunait, Pandit Rajmani. Seven Systems of Hindu Philosophy.Honesdale, Pa.: Himalayan Institute, 1983.

Yoganananda, Paramhansa. Autobiography of a Yogi. 6th ed. LosAngeles: Self Realization Fellowship, 1955.

Sadtler (continued from page 17)

of darkness that will last between one and six days.He is ambiguous about the specific date for this occur-rence, but indicates it may happen sometime around theGregorian year 2012.

Clearly one of the most important elements of thisteaching is the existence of a mysterious second sun thatwill eclipse our own and cause several days of darkness.The concept of a twin star can be found in other indige-nous beliefs. The Dogon tribe of west Africa, whobelieve they came from the star cluster Sirius, knew,without the aid of instrumentation, that Sirius possessedtwo smaller stars that are invisible to the naked eye, as Robert Temple described in his celebrated book TheSirius Mystery. The Vedas refer to a similar idea. InAstrology of the Seers, Vedic scholar David Frawley writes:

We have two suns, an object that modern astronomersmay call a Quasar, whose light may be obscured by dust ornebulae in the region of the galactic center. This “dark com-panion” appears to possess a negative magnetic field thatobstructs cosmic light from the galactic center from reach-ing the Earth. Through this, it creates cycles of advance anddecline of civilizations.

I have sought out conversations with astronomers,who agree that this is a feasible scenario given what weknow about our universe. The astronomer’s problemstems from the difficulty of isolating such a star and pre-dicting whether it will eclipse our sun. As powerful asour telescopes have become, there are too many vari-ables to determine with certainty if, how, and when suchan event will occur, although thousands of astronomersworldwide, professional and amateur, are vigorouslyengaged in the hunt.

The elders say that at the end of the Long Count cal-endar a new sun, the sixth sun, is approaching. They donot specify exactly what this means. This new sun mayreplace our old one or continue on another path. Theirlegends say that this has happened before and will happen again. Herein may lay the basis for the Mayanfascination with time. If the second sun does appeararound the year 2012, the Maya will gain a level ofmathematical and astronomical credibility they havenever before experienced, even at the peak of theircivilization 1500 years ago.

Grandfather Cirilo implies that the mechanized world,dissociated from nature and the earth, will be disturbedand destroyed at some level during the hours of dark-ness. This, we should note, already appears to be occur-ring. We may be in the shift, right now, in this moment,and this process may have been taking place over a longperiod of time. The shift of the ages may not be a singlecataclysmic event, but a series of them. In any event, itis sometimes said that the prophesied days of darkness

will be an optimal time for meditation, as collectivelythe meditators may hold the biospheric space while theshift of the ages unfolds, helping to usher in the sixthsun and greater levels of consciousness.

For some, this shift could revive ancient wisdom andlead to peace and harmony on our planet. For others, itmay not be so. Grandfather Cirilo warns that if humansdo not awaken and continue to kill and pollute, a newday will not dawn. He stresses that at this time it is crit-ical to live close to the earth and realize the connec-tions among all of life. He is resolute about the need forunification and cultivation of respect for all humans and for nature. Being privy to these prophecies allowsfor adequate preparation and adjustment to sustainable,simple, and conscious living. In light of the Mayanteachings, there is ample reason to be fascinated withtime, to watch the skies, and to be attentive to indige-nous ways. It may be critical for our survival. ■

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Barbara Sadtler, M.A., R.Y.T., has been studying with the

Maya for several years and walks a parallel path with Tantra

yoga. She teaches workshops and individual sessions to

empower Westerners with the use of Mayan and yogic tools.

She is actively involved in the Shift of the Ages project,

Common Passion, the International Association of Yoga

Therapists, and the Himalayan Institute. You can find her

monthly blogs on <www.maya-portal.net> and

<http://BreatheAsYouRead.blogspot.com>.