The Maya developed a sophisticated calendar. The ritual calendar that developed in Mesoamerica used a count of 260 days. This calendar gave each day a name, much like our days of the week. There were 20 day names, each represented by a unique symbol. The days were numbered from 1 to 13. Since there are 20 day names, after the count of thirteen was reached, the next day was numbered 1 again. The 260-day or sacred count calendar was in use throughout Mesoamerica for centuries, probably before the beginning of writing.
In addition, the Maya used special glyphs to indicate time periods, the kin represented one day. Winals are periods of 20-days which we now call a month. The Tun was a year of 360 days and the K'atun was a time period of 20 years of 360 days each. As we will see later, the K'atun ending was a special time period celebrated by the Maya. It has its parallel in the modern world, the period of time which we call a decade. The Maya also counted 400-year periods called Baktuns. The Maya used these time periods in a special day count which is now called the Long count.
Today, for example, is the 12th baktun, 19 k'atun, 15 tuns, 11 winals and 19 kins. This is traditionally written 12.19.15.11.19 in the present day.
According to the Mayan tradition, 12 November 2008 (12.19.15.16.9) marked the beginning of what Mayan's refer to as "the Sixth Day" -- a time which will mark the shift from chaos to an Enlightened World.
The Fifth Night was a period characterised by chaos, manipulation and delusion -- a time when many people were lulled into a sense of "freedom" and "democracy". According to the Mayan Calendar, following the period of the Fifth Night, which ran from 18 November 2007 until 12 November 2008, large groups of people will begin breaking-away from hierarchical control, guided by their intuition toward healthier and more holistic personal, spiritual, political and emotional paths. It is during this period that the Mayans also predicted that we would begin to see these manipulative hierarchies begin to break down, perhaps in a chaotic and unpredictable fashion.
One must wonder if the Mayans understood something that we have since lost. Their apparent understanding of the energetic impulses, which they metaphorically attribute to the "World Tree", seems to fit much of what we see happening in our world.
Scientists call the increasing number of persons suffering from "burn-out" and depression a result of the increased pace of the workplace and lifestyle in our society. Yet according to the Mayans, during the preceding calendar periods, the illusion of time would begin to speed-up, and those whose attachment to that illusion would find their lives disrupted, as the chaos of trying to justify this "speeding-up" with the Gregorian or astrological calendars took its toll on us.
The Hindu tradition has always viewed time as cyclic, rather than linear as well. Periods of creativity always arise out of chaos. An Enlightened World always emerges from destruction. In fact, according to many followers of Hindu dharma, the Kali Yuga (time of chaos and destruction) is drawing to a close as well. Some agree that it has recently ended.
I find it interesting to consider the potential for the emergence of an Enlightened Collective -- a world, whose state of consciousness is raised as a direct result of the consciousness of this emerging collective of global sojourners. I believe that the dualistic mindset, which has dominated the human consciousness for the past five millennia, is beginning to crumble.
On 21 December 2012 (13.0.0.0.0 in the Long Count), at 11:11 GMT, which closely correlates with the conjunction of the Winter Solstice Sun with the crossing point of the Galactic Equator (Equator of the Milky Way) and the Ecliptic (path of the Sun), with what that ancient Maya recognised as the Sacred Tree, the "New Era" of Enlightened Consciousness is supposed to begin. From that core, global transformation is possible.
While New Agers have interpreted the Mayan Calendar as something of a "doom's day clock", astronomers and scientists recognise the calendar as something more analogous to the odometer on one's car. When the odometer reaches 9,999,999.9, the next tenth of a mile or kilometer will trigger it to turn to 0,000,000.0 -- starting over again.
Similarly, when the Mayan calendar reaches the end, the cycle begins again, much as a spiral continues to cycle, as it reaches upward.
Scientifically accepted records of sunspot activity do seem to be heading for a climax in the near future. Since 2006, experts have been predicting the next/current sun cycle to be the worst in 50 years. The first two sunspot's of 2006 were seen moving in reverse direction from the previous sunspots.
"We've been waiting for this," says David Hathaway, a solar physicist at the Marshall Space Flight in Huntsville, Alabama. "A backward sunspot is a sign that the next solar cycle is beginning." Solar activity rises and falls in 11-year cycles, swinging back and forth between times of quiet and storminess.
Now the reason I mention this phenomenon today is because this time of year corresponds with the observance by those who subscribe to the midrashic stories of the Christian Bible as being historically true, as the commemoration of the birth of Rav Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus the Nazarene).
Of course, I have long pointed out the blatantly obvious and historically proven fact that the biblical narrative is nothing more than the retelling of a 5,000 year-old series of legends, sacred myths and folklore, about the Sun-God, plagiarised and superimposed over the life of the historic dharma teacher, Jesus. I have also believed that throughout the narrative, the various authors weaved some of the actual historic details of Jesus' life and teachings; but that these details, which were handed down by oral tradition for almost a century, before being written down, likely drifted from the realm of historically accurate.
Here's where I think it becomes interesting...
The Christian mythos dominated the world at the time of the development of the present calendar. It was decided that the alleged year of Jesus' birth would become year one -- 1 Anno Domini (literally, "the year of the Lord", or A.D.) From that point forward, time afterward was reckoned in successive numbers, and time prior to that was reckoned as "B.C." or "Before Christ". (N.B. - I do not use those designations, and prefer the non-sectarian C.E., for Common Era, and BCE, for Before the Common Era)
But the powers that were apparently sucked at math and history! They got the dates all wrong!
The historical Jesus could not have been born after 4 BCE. The scholarly consensus, based on Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews is that Herod died at the end of March, or early April of 4 BCE. Josephus states that Herod Philip I's death took place, after a thirty-seven year reign, in the twentieth year of Tiberius, which would imply that he took over on Herod's death in 4 BCE. Therefore, this would place the birth of Jesus earlier than 4 BCE, based on the account in the Matthew Gospel.
If we consider the fact that Jesus could not of been born after 4 BCE, and also that there was not a year 0, since the calendar went from 1 BCE directly to 1 A.D. (1 CE), that means Jesus would have been born in the year 5 BCE.
That would mean that our calendar today is "off" by 5 years... so instead of being 2008, it's 2013.
If we look at the Mayan Prophesies, 2012 was supposed to be the "end point" in their calendar, with the new calendar cycle beginning thereafter. And I believe science proves that theory to be correct.
Last winter, we saw an event that could be as rare as once every 101,000 years, as multiple conjunctions forming a "cross" aligned Pluto with the Galactic Centre. On December 23 2007 — Mars, Earth, Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, Galactic Centre aligned; and it becomes even more remarkable in that it was accompanied by the Full Moon (conjunct Mars) at about 2 AM on December 24, when a simultaneous Venus square Neptune occurred. Still even more remarkable, the Pluto/Sun conjunction appeared exactly on the Winter Solstice, just past conjunction with the Galactic Centre.
Wonder when the last time was that such an event occurred? Well, it's been recorded in the sacred mythos of more than 25 different religious traditions, for the past 5,000 years.
Take a moment now, if you haven't already done so, and watch this interesting documentary for what may be a surprising answer: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-594683847743189197
Namasté!
Internationally respected, life coach and teacher, Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, O.C., M.Sc.) is a Buddhist and Franciscan contemplative, and author of the popular book, "The Dharma of Compassion - One Monk's Reflections on the Teachings of the Enlightened and Anointed Ones". He is best known for his on-going contributions to helping people unlock the power of their own minds -- teaching them how to apply that power to create strong, loving relationships, make more money, and live more meaningful, prosperous, health and satisfying lives.
You can join his primary social network and interact with him directly by visiting:
http://www.betternetworker.com/referral/7777cb42
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