The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [57]
It’s clear that the road to better times will not be easy and we may be in for a rough ride. Looking at the traditions and history of the Maya may give some insights into what’s to come. The general Maya tradition believes that cycles of any length end with purification, followed by renewal.
A Period of Purification
You might think of change happening with the start of something new. So naturally you think more about what will happen when 2012 arrives than what is happening now.
In Maya-view, change happens at the end of the old cycle. All cycles end with a period of purification as the old is taken down so the new can be constructed. You’ll remember from Chapter 2 that the end of cycles was marked with termination rituals for the buildings that had been part of the old cycle. Past structures were removed and new ones rebuilt in alignment with the energy of the new cycle. The five-day period at the end of the Haab calendar was for the same purpose: to cleanse the old before welcoming the new.
According to the Chilam Balam, the purification period for the Long Count calendar starts “on the first day of the last Uinal before the end of the 13th Baktun.” In English that means the last 20-year period before the end date, which means we’re already purifying. As you may have noticed, challenges of extreme weather, distrust of our leadership, and economic distress are already here!
Fruits of the Past Age
In Maya-view, matter and spirit are both important aspects of creation. One is not necessarily better than the other; they both work together for the purposes of consciousness. However, it’s easy to get lost in the material world and forget the spiritual. In this past age, we’ve forgotten the sacred essence and have acted as if the material is all there is. The progressive loss of connection to the sacred created a duality. In the duality, we forgot how to work with spirit creatively and have tried to get what we want through the force of our will. In a sense, we have forced our will on nature. Force of any kind is bound for disaster because it suppresses one thing for another. Resonance brings things together; force drives them apart. Once spirit was removed from matter people were justified in treating the creation any way they wanted. The result has been devastating. In the words of author Michelle Small Wright, “The only thing worse than man’s inhumanity to nature has been man’s inhumanity to man.”
Loss of Harmony
The Mayan calendar system kept the Mayans in sync with creation. When the calendar system was destroyed, harmony was, too. Did the Maya help keep the whole world in balance by living with the calendars? Or are they an example for what we need to do in this time of purification?
Purification is the necessary first step in renewal and returning to balance. The process, however, seems destructive. Before the new temple is built, the old is destroyed. During the purification cycle, all imbalances get bigger. They get so big they tear themselves apart; they collapse under their own weight. It’s a time to look in the mirror and face our own shadow, face the consequences of living out of balance. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Social Tension and Suppression
As the energy of purification builds, social divisions increase. Strife between people and groups of people increases. Resources diminish and the competition for necessities increases. Since we have forgotten how to work with spirit to manifest what we need, people and nations try to get it through force.
A big issue in this time is that differences are not tolerated. Suppression of dissenting