The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [20]
In general the gods expressed themselves invisibly, directing the movements of the universe, charting the course of the celestial bodies through the sky. When they chose, they could express themselves in material form as well. They usually appeared in animal form. Some animals, the jaguar and snake for example, had sacred status to the Maya and were common forms for the gods to take. The gods could also show up in dreams with messages, warnings, and inspiration.
There were hundreds of individual Mayan deities. Here are a few of the key ones you will see represented in the calendars and texts:
◆ Hunab K’u is the creator of the universe, the supreme god and creator of the Maya. This is the head honcho of the gods. He’s responsible for rebuilding the world after the previous three ages.
◆ Kukulkan (also called Quetzalcoatl in Aztec) is known as the feathered serpent or plumed god. In some myths he is credited with developing the Mayan culture, bringing maize, and teaching the people to write and heal. In Quiche tradition, he is one of the three gods, including Hunab K’u, who created the world. He is master in many realms and governs the wind and rain.
◆ Voltan was born a man, a hero who was deified by the gods. He is known as the “heart of the cities” and is the patron god of the drum.
◆ The Bacabs are a group of four protective deities, giants who hold up the earth at the four cardinal directions. They are Kan (east, red); Ix (west, black); Mulac (north, white); and Cauac (south, yellow).
Changing of the Ages: The Significance of 2012
In the Mayan creation stories, three previous worlds, or ages, have been destroyed. According to current interpretations of the Mayan calendars, 2012 is the end of the present age. The calendars say this age will be destroyed by fire. However, the end of each age is the birth of the next age, and there is never complete destruction of the old. The parts of the old that don’t work are destroyed, and the rest becomes the seeds of the new age. This makes the ending of the old age a time of purification, not destruction of the earth, and the beginning of the next age is a time of transformation.
Many people are focusing on the end of this age and losing sight of the transformation to come. Some Mayan elders are concerned 2012 is becoming a magnet for our fears. After all, this is an insecure time. You may be worried about your finances, about the degradation of the environment, about the state of social affairs, or terrorism. It’s easy to start thinking that only bad things will happen as this date approaches.
Of course, we don’t want to make this a self-fulfilling prophecy by creating what we’re thinking about. Our minds and focus are powerful forces. They affect the flow of energy along the grid lines and they affect the circumstances of our lives. In Maya-view, this is the time to use ceremony to terminate the old and consecrate the building of the new. Ceremony can help smooth the shifting of the flow of k’ul and help everyone see the right path to take through the changes we face. 2012 is not the destruction of the earth; it’s the destruction by fire of old ways that don’t work.
To face the future with confidence, each of us must become a confident person. What do you need to become more confident? Now is the time to get what you need. Now is the time to embrace the possibilities of what the future can hold. This is the significance of the time leading toward 2012: that what we focus on becomes what is. Do you want to focus on destruction of the old or focus on creating the new cycle to come?
The Least You Need to Know
◆ K’ul is the life force that flows through and connects all things in the universe. It travels along planetary grids and collects in sacred sites.