APRIL 15, 1997
On April 13, I returned from my journey to the Mayalands and the meeting of the Maya Elders that was linked with the Third Annual World Wide Solar Ceremonies For Planetary Awakening. I am so awash in a higher vibration of information/wisdom, love, unity that I don't even know where to begin to share the experience with you. I feel honored and blessed beyond my current capacity to understand the beauty and activation we have experienced. My prior feelings that this Spring Equinox would be very powerful were understatements and what has transpired for us all is far beyond our limiting vision. Here I will share some of the events that took place in the Mayalands.
The first day of the meetings I was blessed to be witness to a historic meeting of Maya Elder, Hunbatz Men and Traditional Algonquin Elder, Grandfather William Commanda. Grandfather William, an 83 year old traditional, spiritual Elder from Ontario, Canada, is the carrier of three sacred wampum belts, from circa 1400 AD, 1600AD and 1700AD. Each of these belts tells a powerful tale of the prophetic events of the past, the present and the future. These prophecies are similar to those of the Hopi, the Maya, the Tibetans etc. Grandfather is also a pipe carrier that was recently blessed by Grandfather Martin of Hotevilla. We were blessed with three Sunrise ceremonies with Grandfather William, where each in the group smoked the pipe and had a tearful hugging circle. Grandfather Commanda (featured in Profiles in Wisdom by Steven McFadden) came to the Yucatan to deliver the message of the LAW OF ONE. He states that 1997 is the year of decision; all humans must decide their own relationship to Mother Earth. This statement is directly linked to the Maya year of 8 Caban we are presently in. Grandfather says, "As Grandfathers Thomas, Martin and Emory of Hopi Land say 'Look to the Earth', as my Tibetan brothers and sisters say, 'Heal the Earth'. I say "Decide for the Earth."
When Hunbatz Men and Grandfather William met, they spoke of the unnatural borders between countries, the importance of natural time, the natural/cosmic calendars, and of the importance of the Sun and the Equinox. The presence of spirit was powerful in the little hotel room and as I watched these two wisdom keepers meet for the first time, it felt like Great Spirit was happy at the continuing fulfillment of a nebulous and profound prophecy. I flashed upon the Inca prophecy of the Condor of the South and the Eagle of the North and when they meet the new world would emerge. I felt this meeting was a part of the fulfillment of this prophecy.
The next morning, March 20, 1997, our group of over 100 powerful and focused lightworkers and healers from around the globe and the representation for many *Global Mystery Schools began the journey to Dzibilchaltun. The group was to participate in a purification ceremony in the jade colored waters of the Dzibilchaltun cenote. In years past we used this sacred water to purify ourselves before we began our work in the sacred sites of the Mayalands.
As we circled the cenote, Hunbatz began to work with eyes closed, making the sound of the wind, calling to Hunab K'u and worked with the aluxes, the nature spirits. Soon magic began to happen, light rain began to gently fall, clearing our bodies and spirits. The bugs began to buzz over the water, the little fish of the cenote began to jump. A bird related to the Morning Dove of North America, began to coo the name of Hunab K'u.... Hunab K'u .....Hunab K'u.... Nature came alive in this moment. I was reminded of past years when I witnessed the subtle magic between Hunbatz Men and nature. I am amazed how the birds sing, the wind blows gently, and the rain falls, seemingly just for him. He has an intimate connection and deep love and appreciation for nature and nature does respond to him. When the ceremony was complete, the wind and the rain stopped, the birds quit singing, the bugs disappeared and we could no longer see the little fish. In amazement, we silently walked away and felt a love and deepening intimate connection with Earth and nature.
We then began to walk a sacred road of light called a sacbe. This road of light leads to a small pyramid called the Temple of the Dolls. The Maya know this sacred place as the Temple of the Sun. On the Spring Equinox, the Sun is housed for a brief moment in this pyramid and humanity is able to receive the message of Father Sun. We created a collective ceremony inside this temple, as each was called to participate in whatever way spirit called. It was a beautiful moment in a timeless place and each received a message. We worked with the four directions and sounded the conch shell horn to help open and reactivate the doorway between Earth and Sky.
At Sunrise on March 21, we returned to Dzibilchaltun to continue our work. We had connected with the site the day before, and felt quite prepared to receive the message from Father Sun as it rose through the doorway. In years past, there were only a hundred or so indigenous people attending this sacred event, and the ceremonies were very powerful. Little did we know that we were in for a big surprise. When our bus arrived, there were nearly a thousand people already there! As the bus made its way to a parking spot, a guard of the site entered our bus and handed a notice to the bus driver. I thought, "This is curious. What could that be about." But I didn't ask, as I was working hard to hold a sacred space amidst the crowds.
We found a space for our group at the end of the sacbe to observe the Sunrise. Grandfather William carefully unwrapped the *Seven Fires Wampum Belt. The 7 represents not only 7 sacred prophesies, but also our connection to the Pleiades, and our 7 chakras. Grandfather William and his assistant and guardian, Peter Decontie, held up the belt to receive the first light of Father Sun. I was standing right next to Grandfather and the beautiful energy and timeless deja vu was overwhelming. (later on in the journey we were blessed by a second ceremony on March 25 with all 3 wampum belts.)
As the Father Sun began to show his beautiful face through the doorway of The Temple of the Sun, our group began to sing the name of the Sun; Kin... Kin... Kin... Kin... 7 times for the Pleiades and 7 times for our chakras. As we chanted, a guard shoved a piece of paper in my face screaming, "No ceremony, no ceremony!" I realized this was the notice the bus driver had received. I ignored the guard and continued to chant Kin. Hunbatz Men said to the group "Mas Kins, Mas Kins," (More Kins - More Kins). I opened my eyes and the guard was gone, not to be seen again. We completed our ceremony, and I wondered if the guard was ever there.
As the Sun rose, the usual impulse is to walk the Sacbe into the Sun, but this year they had the Sacbe roped off, so we could not walk the sacred road of light. But up at the front of the crowd was a group on young people. With a burst the youths broke through the barrier and with leaps and bounds and RAN full force to greet the rising Sun. It was a beautiful site. The control structure that was trying to keep us in a limited state had failed. The image of their silhouetted bodies and their hands flying through the air still fill my heart with happiness.
The challenges to performing ceremony did not stop at Dzibilchaltun. That afternoon I got a real taste of how it feels to be a Native American, whose rights of religious freedom have been crushed. As our group entered Chichen Itza, each person was searched. No sacred objects were allowed inside. No copal, conch shell horns, flutes, drums, feathers, etc. I was in line behind several Maya Elders that were being denied entrance. I had my conch shell horn. I put up a veil of protection around me so the guards could not see it. My plan was working. I had made it through most of the line and let my guard down. In the gauntlet of guards searching the groups, I had not seen one of them, and my conch shell was discovered. A very imposing, gun caring, guard escorted me off saying I was not allowed to enter. The warrior spirit arose within me and I stood face to face with this official and told him this was a big mistake. I began to name off countries that were represented by the members of our group and that anything he did would be revealed in the media. I showed him my official group leader badge and demanded to make a few calls. After a lot of scurrying around, I was allowed to go inside, minus my conch shell horn. Just behind me was one of the Guatemala Elders who was also being denied his right to express his spirituality in Chichhan Itza, a sacred ceremonial center of his ancestors.
Once inside Chicchan Itza, I was completely caught up in the drama of the blatant denial of religious freedom and how dare they mess with me, a US citizen! In 1995, our group with over 500 people marched into Chicchan Itza and did brazen sacred ceremony surrounding the great pyramid of Kukulkan. We had not been searched when we entered, and no guards stopped the ceremony. I had assumed we were allowed to do this work because we were tourists with tourist dollars. But this year it was obvious it did not matter if you were indigenous or not. NO CEREMONY ALLOWED! Inside, several TV stations from various countries were filming and asking pointed questions about the sacredness of Chichan Itza and the Equinox. I was interviewed by a German TV station, so now at least some of Germany knows of the control of spirituality in Mayan sacred sites.
In spite of the guards' control over ceremony, they could neither take our hands nor our voices. The energy of this day was surprisingly different from previous years which had felt more like the 4th of July than a sacred event. The 45-50,000 people who attended this year's Spring Equinox celebration had a deeper sense of sacredness than I had ever felt. As the shadow of the serpent became complete, the group became quieter and many thousands raised their hands to receive the energy of the descending serpent into their bodies. A few smuggled conch shell horns blasted vibratory waves throughout the site. Forbidding sacred objects inside the sites did not stop the beautiful energy that was emanating from the crowd. It is obvious. The awakening of humanity cannot be stopped.
Due to the strong presence of the guards and a deep concern of having the Maya Elders thrown out of the site, Hunbatz Men wisely decided to hold a ceremonial circle discretely under some trees at the north side of the pyramid of Kukulkan. Quietly, we gathered, holding the Maya Elders inside the circle. We introduced ourselves and listened to brief messages from each elder and from other elders who had sent messages to read at this time. I noticed some guards taking notice of our gathering and I held space that they would leave us alone. Several times they came near us and left. The guards finally came to break up our gathering, but we had just finished our brief sharing.
During the meeting, many of the Maya Elders shared their appreciation for our support in their work. But on the subject of the Maya calendars, it soon became obvious that the work in resolving the discrepancies of the Mayan calendars was a long complex process involving many complicated issues.
The largest problem is the financing to gather the Mayan Elders in the first place. The donations gathered were not nearly enough to provide even modest transportation, housing and food for 40 Maya Elders for 33 days. This is our responsibility, lightworkers! If we want to receive truth and wisdom from these wonderful Elders, we need to help them out, and give generously with our abundance. What most Americans earn in one week is nearly a year's wages for some of these Elders. The worldwide funding campaign raised only $3500. This is a sad statement of our support for indigenous wisdom. It is up to us to provide support for the Elders, so they can unify their wisdom into a cohesive, complete cosmic truth. Because of the lack of funds, many meetings between the Maya Elders took place in their own countries. During the 33 days, a few traveled to meet with one another before the Equinox. About 20 Maya Elders from the Yucatan and Guatemala were able to join us in Chichen Itza and Dzibilchaltun.
Other problems that became painfully obvious was the prejudice, politics, jealousy and competition between the Maya Elders. I know many indigenous peoples in North America have these same issues. I was disheartened when I discovered the Maya have the same ego problems. This is the responsibility of the Maya and all indigenous cultures to awaken to non-judgement, allowance and respect for all perspectives of the truth, and to realize it does not matter who gets the job done, as long as it gets done. It is not the color of our skin that makes us family, but our heart song. Hunbatz Men's grand vision of unity, mutual cooperation and respect and global community was not accepted by all the elders attending and some gave cold handshakes and would not look into our eyes. One Quiche Maya even insulted one of our group because she was from Spain. It is obvious we have a lot of work to do on both sides of the fence. Our group was very blessed by being in the presence of the expanded and unifying vision of Hunbatz Men and Grandfather William. I learned to appreciate them even more.
During the Maya's meetings about the calendars each elder shared their version of the cosmic count. Much of what was shared is being organized and there are plans to share this information with those who attended the conferences, and I will be sharing this information in future articles. In spite of the differences and challenges, all the Maya Elders attending the meetings did agree upon one profound point, that March 21 is Mayan New Year, 0 POP. This is an incredible first step in synchronizing and unifying the cosmic time counts, and it is one step in possibly hundreds. Our western minds would have loved to see all the answers in one neat little package. But we are dealing with the destruction and scattering of the truth by the conquest, many strong personalities, and the passing of several centuries where Mayan Elders were not allowed to travel to meet with each other to maintain the synchronization of the calendars. Each surviving Elder needed to hold firmly to what they knew to be true to insure that the truth would survive. If we want to know the truth of cosmic time, we need to pray for unity between the Elders, give our financial support when the meetings are called, and write the Mexican government to insist that we be allowed to do ceremony. This is what we can do to help.
After our Equinox celebrations at Chichen Itza, Hunbatz Men drove us by the Mayaon Council Community building. Our group financed this building from donations collected in 1995. It was a wonderful sight. A neatly constructed, yet humble building, with a grass roof and clean white plaster. The front door was painted red, the color of the Sun, and was carved with Mayan glyphs. The stone wall in front mirrors the cosmic doorway in the sacred site of Kabah. Those who attended the ceremonies in 1995 can be very proud that we helped this project manifest. They hold meetings at this building each week and are currently working to reconstruct their knowledge of reading and writing the Mayan glyphs. A noteworthy visitor to the community house was Linda Schele, author of many books including, The Forest of Kings. Don Pablo, the Mayaon Maya Council leader, was invited by Linda Schele to the University of Texas in Austin, just prior to the Equinox. The meetings between the Maya Elders and the archeologists are another big step towards oneness and unity within cosmic truth.
Hunbatz Men stated that this first Mayan calendar meeting had to be attended solely by Maya Elders. I know many who are very knowledgeable about this subject would like to have attended. But the Maya, as well as all indigenous cultures, needed to be honored first. They are the roots of truth. Next Spring Equinox celebration is already in the planning stages. I have been asked by Hunbatz Men to organize and invite non-Maya calendar experts to participate in a vision quest and *Time Keepers Conference. In this gathering non-Maya and Maya timekeepers will share cosmic wisdom. Non- Maya will have to hold firm to the vision and show the Traditional Maya that our hearts are sincere, and we too are MAYA in the truest sense of the word.
As the group continued onward in the following days to Uxmal, Edzna and Ake', the unity consciousness, love and deep, sincere sense of family grew beyond anything I had experienced in past groups. The group merged and entered a deep state of ecstasy and joy. I know my heart will be filled for a very long time, with the love we anchored in those few days together. We are evolving into a more perfect example of the law of the ONE. We are the people of the one world and the Sun shines on all of us equally.
(* Contact the author for the list of the Global Mystery Schools, information about next year's Time Keeper Conference, a copy of the Seven Fires Prophecy and address of Mexico's official offices to write letters concerning the rights to ceremony in sacred sites).
BIO - Aluna Joy Yaxk'in is author of Mayan-Pleiadian Cosmology, and The Mayan Time Decoder and is founder of Hauk'in - Center for Solar Initiation. Aluna is the coordinator of the Annual Worldwide Solar Ceremonies For Planetary Awakening. Aluna Joy Yaxk’in PO Box 1351, Mt. Shasta, CA 96067 Ph:916-926-1351 Fax:916-926-1391