The 2012 Story

the Maya voice. The Antigua conference itself, however, was designed as a free event; no profits were made and, in addition to my presentation on Izapa and one by Georgeann Johnson on the participatory function of the Maya ballgame, three delegations of Maya spiritual guides were hosted at the nearby Concepcion guesthouse and presented their views to the audience of close to a thousand attendees at the conference. It was, overall, a great success. Thirteen people showed up for Don Rigoberto’s fire ritual, and as with all rituals of renewal the theme was about sacrificing or letting go of negative thoughts, feelings, and energy. This was an enactment of the fire transformation of cycle endings—throw the illusion into the fire!²⁶

Maya voices include political leaders, spiritual guides, as well as more philosophical writers in Maya traditions. Robert Sitler is currently translating the work of Gaspar Pedro Gonzalez, who emphasizes that an important voice for the modern Maya is the ancient book The Popol Vuh. In his book El 13 B’aktun,²⁷ he emphasizes the same reading that I have made of The Popol Vuh, piercing into the archetypal level of meaning: At the end of the cycle, self-serving egoism (Seven Macaw and the Lords of Darkness) must be transformed into a new being of light and consciousness (One Hunahpu as unitary mind). Gonzalez writes:

From the perspective of contemporary Maya, 2012 constitutes a very important point in the history of humanity since time is a variable that greatly influences the life of the planet and everything that exists on it. Human beings do not exist by coincidence or by a work of chance. They are part of a plan to carry out a mission in this part of the universe. The world is still not totally finished in its creation and perfection; this human creature has a role to play in the world and its preservation. One could say that the life of the planet depends on human beings and what they do in their existence.²⁸

Gonzalez publishes from within the Maya context and his life experiences that began in Xibalba, the archetypal Maya underworld, alongside the Ajtxum, the spiritual guides, who preserve authentic Maya identity. I see him as a Maya philosopher who offers both well-reasoned research and insights into Maya teachings presented in the genre of allegorical fiction. Often it is the latter medium that is more effective than nonfiction research in conveying profound truths.

It must be said that, not surprisingly, there are other alleged Maya leaders who are more showmen than shamans. The fact is that you are going to get this anywhere. All statements and work must be assessed with discernment. We often expect prophecy to be about time-stamped visions of specific events that “will happen.” This is the cartoon version of prophecy. I believe that prophecy is best understood as an evocation, an ecstatic calling into being, of the highest possible outcome. This is the role of a true prophet. Of course, there are “dark prophets” (as there are also “dark shamans” or “black magicians”) who will try to call into being with their apocalyptic nihilism the darkest possible future. It is good to be aware of possible worst-case scenarios, but we should not pour our energy into envisioning them and projecting them into manifestation with our fears.

THE MAYA RENAISSANCE WRIT LARGE

A great undercurrent is at work in the Maya renaissance that 2012 is shining a light on: We are still trying to work out the integration of Western and Indian modes of being. This is not really Occidental versus Oriental, as two exclusive opposites on equal footing. Ideally, that makes for a nice symmetry, but it isn’t really the way it works. The fact is that the Western mind comes from the more shortsighted and limited perspective of self-interest. It sees the foreground, the details, and can manipulate things with great advantage. Said bluntly, it is stuck in a narcissistic and adolescent phase of psychological development. The Indian mind, or indigenous mind, perceives the entire underlying gestalt, the big picture, and is oriented more toward the good of the whole and maintaining balance with a sustainable value system. As you can see, these two minds are not on equal footing. This isn’t about an “East-meets-West” dialectic. It’s more of a lower mind (irrationalist/ego-based) versus higher mind (transrational original mind, Dreamtime mind, heart-mind, whole- consciousness mind). Again, it’s Seven Macaw versus One Hunahpu.

This is not meant to denigrate the Western mind, although I tend to emphasize its failings precisely because it is so oblivious to taking responsibility for the ecological, political, and economic crises of the modern world that it has spawned. Lost in consumerism and the pursuit of personal gain, the Western life philosophy is acutely developed in the United States of America. Hollywood and the cult of personality are egregious expressions of this state of affairs. In this, something has gone terribly wrong, because the high ideals upon which the United States was founded did not have this scenario in mind. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” were meant to empower the individual for Self-actualization (capital S in the Jungian sense, in contrast to the lowercase s used when “self” is synonymous with the ego). The spiritual component of this was not hidden behind a mandate requiring the separation of church and state, but was encouraged by that separation! The church was not to meddle in the worship of ethical freethinkers. Today, America is dealing with many of the same problems that the founding fathers struggled with. They are all issues resulting from the ego’s desire to control—to control people (slavery), resources (global capitalism), and nature for personal gain.

It’s fascinating that a forgotten esoteric code can be read in the monuments of our nation’s capital. New information has been uncovered by William Henry, who visited Washington, D.C., many times and was able to view art, rooms, and sculptures normally closed to the public.²⁹ George Washington, after his death, was apparently conflated in the public imagination with Jesus Christ. His representations in the art commissioned through several presidencies repeatedly implies he was mythologized as the American liberator or Savior. He opened the way for the realization of the highest ideal of America, a place where human beings could live fully actualized lives. William Henry observes that a French painter by the name of Constantino Bru midi was hired in the 1860s by the White House and completed many striking murals in the style of Renaissance painter Raphael. One discreetly depicts the famous Aztec Sunstone, with Montezuma and Cortez standing in front of it in poses of happy welcoming, greeting each other as long-lost brothers. This is history rewritten as it should have been, expressing the ideal underlying template that history, so far, has failed to fulfill.

The traditional Kogi Indians of Colombia preserve ancient lore about their long-lost brother who fled from the pure homeland. He got lost in the world, in his own pursuits and ambitions, and forgot the true world. The Kogi elders believe that the white European colonists represent the descendants of that long-lost brother. But the reconciliation is difficult because of an inversion of values and an inability of the lost brother to recognize the preservers of the true world.³⁰

Hermann Hesse’s novel about the lives of two friends, Narcissus and Goldmund, paints a beautiful story of the two ways, or paths, that a person can follow. One leads into life’s experiences of excitement, love, grief, and loss. The other renounces the world and seeks the quiet places of contemplation, keeping the soul pure and undisturbed by life’s travails (and joys). In their occasional meetings throughout their lives, each comes to lament his own chosen way and wish for what the other has. But it is too late to turn back time, and each experiences a kind of epiphany in their very different deaths, dying as they had lived life and reaping the rewards and grieving the losses of their chosen paths.

If we make the analogy to our Western-versus-Indian discussion, Hesse’s story suggests that the Western and Indian mind-sets are each missing something the other has. A gesture of reconciliation is necessary. I hesitate to state, in tangible terms, what this might be. I don’t think it is a tangible thing. Perhaps it is simply “peace.” Neither side has it, and it can only be found with and through the other. That said, it is blatantly apparent that the Western mind could have learned a lot from the Indigenous mind in regard to having a healthy and sustainable relationship with nature. Respect and reverence for nature is a hallmark of indigenous societies; for Western civilization, not so much.

What does the West bring to 2012? What do the Maya bring to 2012? Western science’s access to the tools of archaeology and information can offer a reconstruction of the true original 2012 paradigm, which was lost and forgotten by the descendants of its creators, as well as a framing of that as a perennial wisdom. My own mind, as a Western-educated mind, sees value in this. The Maya bring to the 2012 table a ceremonial rite of sacrifice, the skills required to facilitate the needed transformation and renewal. Together, a long-overdue fusion can be possible. We need a shared ceremony, a mystery play to enact, in which both sides sacrifice themselves and rebirth each other.