The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [15]
Centering the World
Maya-view does not separate natural and supernatural realms. As with Christianity, they believe in three realms: the underworld, the realm we live in, and the heavens or celestial realms. However, these are not separate domains; they are interconnected, as expressed in the Chilam Balam.
Each realm has different levels, which are ruled by different deities:
◆ The underworld is called Xibalba and has nine levels and nine ruling deities, called the Bolontik’u gods. (Unlike the Christian view, the underworlds are not necessarily bad. They are where the dead live before being reborn. The Maya believed in reincarnation into the earth realm.)
◆ The Earth realm that we live in. This realm has only one level, the one we are in.
◆ The heavens have thirteen levels and thirteen ruling deities, called the Oxalhuntik’u gods.
Tree of Life
The realms are interconnected through the Tree of Life, the Yaxche tree in Maya. The Tree of Life is one of the most sacred concepts of Mesoamerica. It’s represented by a vertical line that goes through all three realms. Imagine the realms to be spinning like a top; the vertical line is the axis they spin around. The roots are in the underworld, the trunk is in the earth realm, and the branches are in the heavens, supporting the sky. The axis is called the navel of the world.
Codex Cues
The tree of life is a sacred symbol in many cultures including, to name a few, the Celtic Tree of Life, the Hebrew Tree of Life, and the yogi Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life symbolism acknowledges that all levels of the universe are important. The underworld provides the nourishment for the roots of the tree. The trunk provides life for the middle realm, which developed from the underworld. The branches support the sky. Without all three, the universe would collapse. The Tree of Life is represented in the cosmos as the Milky Way.
Depicting the Earth
The earth is described as a flat land between the two invisible realms. It was often portrayed as the back of a crocodile or turtle. The tree of life separates the realms in the center, anchoring on the North Star. The corners of the world are held up by the gods of the four directions.
Many scholars believe this symbolism means the ancient Maya thought the earth was flat. Remember the problem of the biased eye! Scholars often missed the richness of the symbolism. The Maya, who understood advanced astronomy, most certainly knew the earth was a sphere.
The Bacabs
The Bacabs are the gods that hold up the corners of the world in the four directions. Each direction represents a quality of spiritual inspiration expressed by its Bacab and is associated with a specific color. When the wind blows, it carries the quality of the Bacab from that direction.
Different time periods are also governed by the Bacabs; some time periods will be red times, some white times, and so on. Each period of time will reflect the spiritual quality of its overseeing deity.
◆ East is the direction of sun being reborn each morning and its color is red. It is ruled by the Bacab Kan.
◆ West is the dying sun falling into Xibalba and its color is black. It is ruled by the Bacab Ix.
◆ North points to the zenith, the direction of the sun at noon, and its color is white. It represents the fullness of life in the sky, and the ruling Bacab is Mulac.
◆ South points to the nadir, the direction of the dead sun that battles the underworld to be reborn each day, and its color is yellow. Its ruling Bacab is Cauac.
There are actually five directions: north, south, east, west, which are the corners of the world, and the fifth direction, the center symbolized by the Tree of Life, or the axis of the earth. Green is the color of the center.
The Tree of Life is not a specific axis through the earth. It doesn’t correspond to the magnetic axis or