In April, 2003 we sat down with Mayan Ajq’ij Carlos Barrios in New Mexico for a question and answer session. The questions come from you, the Saq’ Be’ audience. This videotaped session was trasncribed with the help of Juliet Calabi and is very elucidating in the way Carlos helps to explain many aspects of the Mayan tradition and prophecies for this time.

In Steve McFadden’s article you are quoted as saying “a possible war in Iraq between November 2002 and March 2003 would be bad, but war between April and November of 2003 would be catastrophic.” The question is what factor in the timing difference would cause bad to turn to catastrophic?

That is because the elders made projections in the spiral of space and time, and they saw that if the war began before March of this year, the possibilities of something more catastrophic happening were not that great because the energies were really down. It wasn’t an aggressive time and there wasn?t alot of energy and not a lot of opposition. The work in that moment could be done more quickly and peacefully and not many people would die. If it started at a later time it would last longer and more people would die, and the people would become more conscious about what is really happening in the world. The importance of this is that the energy after April is an energy of confrontation, of violence. In March/April it is dangerous, but this is not as important as what could come in the months between 16th of August to 15th of December, 2003. This is a real moment of possible disaster, of catastrophe. War happening during this period would have serious repercussions for humanity.

We need to know that Mayan people, Mayan elders do not conceive of time and space as separate entities. We call it najt– one word meaning space and time. It’s like a spiral and we can check, we can make a projection in this spiral because history repeats itself in a period of time. In these times, humanity is in real danger. It’s not just the war. It’s epidemics, it’s mother earth who is going to make disasters, like hurricanes, earthquakes. For all the Mayans, for the elders, this is a moment for reflection. It’s a moment to say to humanity that we need to change the consciousness of the people, because the people who are in the dark side are clear about what they need to do. The people who work for the light are not together. For the elders the message for this moment is to call everybody to unity. All the people must work not just for peace, but to create a consciousness, in harmony, first with themselves, then with others, and of course with mother earth, mother nature, because we are destroying mother earth and nobody gives importance to this destruction.

What?s going to happen on this famous date of the 21st of December 2012 is not the end of humanity. It is the beginning of the Fifth Sun and that means also the fifth element. It’s going to happen that there is a fusion of polarities. The people of darkness are not interested in losing the power that they have at this time, and they would prefer to destroy humanity or even the entire planet like a being. They prefer to destroy this than go to the fusion created by ether, the new element arriving to this reality. The change won?t happen exactly on this day because it’s not changed like a flash of light. It will take years, but this is the awareness, this is the moment of peace, of real understanding, of comprehension, and tolerance, and all humanity can live really in harmony. That’s what the elders are saying, especially to the people who are at the forefront of the different religions and traditions or all these new age people who are working. They call to all these people to go into the real traditions, the deeper traditions, the oldest tradition which has not just a part of the knowledge, but all the knowledge to transform into wisdom.

Is there a relevance in the fact that we are moving into 20:13 cycle in 2013 the Mayan numbers, and do the Mayan teachers see a return to the 13 month cycle following the moon? And the third part is I would like to hear how the Mayan calendar can be used as a tool for personal transformation and development of the resurrection soul.

The sacred Mayan calendar is a cycle of 260 days and this calendar comes from the elders. Thousands of years ago they saw into the najt that this reality is the convergence of twenty different energies. Ten come from the cosmos and ten come from the telluric energy of the mother earth. This convergence makes this thing we call najt, space and time. What we call reality exists in the najt. The cycles of 20 and 13 are about this time. Of course we don’t pretend all of humanity uses this kind of calendar. This is a calendar we need to learn, because it’s a calendar which is in relationship with our energy. Each day of these 20 different energies has a special charge -positive and negative- which has an essential meaning. For example, there is a day for the law, a day for art, there is a day for the development of our consciousness, of our mind. All the relationships of the 260 days have a specialty, and it’s important to us to know what we are- what is our destiny, what is our purpose of life, and what we can move in ourselves with the different energies of each day. This is the purpose of the sacred Mayan calendar that we call Tzolkin or Cholq’ij. Of course, when the time arrives, at the end of this cycle of 5,200 years (which ends on this date of 21st of December 2012) it’s the beginning of the change, and of course all humanity is going to use the energies. They are going to learn to move themselves to work with their own energy in relation to the cosmic and telluric energy, and this relationship is what the elders are trying to share with humanity. We just need to say that this is important The elders are interested in the people going into the traditional calendars in the right way because there are now people making their own calendars with other influences from Chinese astrology or other things. And this is not the tradition of this special calendar of the energies.

There is talk that the Mayan calendar has become out of alignment with the Gregorian calendar and that the end date is actually at the end of 2003. There is also another question that says that there’s been some controversy and some of the dates have been compared to when the great cycle is prophesied to end and that that date is actually moving earlier and earlier. Can you respond to these questions?

Ok, for the answer we need to know something about the different Mayan calendars. There are 20 different Mayan calendars. One of these one is cosmic. Another is galactic. Another has the faces of Venus, but in essence there is a calendar which is called the Long Count. This calendar is for 5,200 years, with 360 days each year. This calendar doesn’t have a mistake because the Mayan people never lost count of the days. What happened is the Gregorian calendar needed to make a lot of corrections, and this happened with the Pope Gregorio in 1200 A.D. something. He understood that it was not correct and it affected agriculture, and he ordered some people to make the corrections. Before this calendar was the Julian calendar. This calendar came from Roman times, and of course, this also had many mistakes. What happened with the Gregorian and Julian is not our problem. We know our dates. We know we are in the exact count and Mayans have the most perfect calendar of all the races, of all the civilizations, because we just need to add one day each 260,000 years. That’s the most amazing and incredible calendar, and we don’t have a mistake. The mistake is in the other calendars. And the story someone told about this time (that the date is incorrect) is because they aren’t using the real Mayan calendar. They are based in the Gregorian and the Julian. For us there is not a problem. We just take the base of the day exactly when the Long Count is finished for these times- the date of 21st of December of 2012- and there is not a mistake for us. The mistake is for the people who relate it to the Gregorian, but we are clear. We never lost our count. Ok?

I would be honored if you could please tell us more about the spirit of the white jaguar and what the Mayan prophesies say of the signs of white jaguar and what they mean in these times.

Ok, to understand the energy of the jaguars that we call Balaneb it’s necessary to know it’s not just one jaguar who is working because there are four human divinities that we call the Balaneb. The first one is in orientation to the east and this is the jaguar of the red race. It’s the jaguar that we call Balam Quitze and it’s the guardian of the fire. The second is in orientation to the west and the name is Balam Aq’ab, and it’s the guardian of the element earth. The third one is Majakutaj Balam. This is the white jaguar, or Balam, and he is the guardian of the white race and the guardian of the element air. The fourth one is Iq’i Balam. This is the guardian of the yellow race and this is the guardian of the element water. The four Balaneb arrived to the earth. They said they came from the Pleiades. They are like humans and they made civilization for the actual humanity. They went to the four corners of the world and they civilized all the people. So the importance of the white jaguar, or Majakutaj Balam, is that he is the one who makes our mind grow and he’s the guardian and the owner of the wind and that’s to make us clean. We can clean our mind, our body and he can make our spirit grow. The importance of this is because people are putting a lot of attention just on knowledge and they don’t transform it into wisdom.

The prophesy says this moment is the time of Iq’i Balam, the jaguar of the water. When they came he didn’t have his own children, but the sons of Balaam Quitze took the place of this divinity. But they say for these times, these prophetical times in the 12 Baktun, 13 Ahau, is the time when the sons of Iq’i Balam are coming to the Mayan world. And they say that their sons come from the four corners of the world. That’s the reason why most of the spiritual people in the humanity are interested now in the Mayan world.

So it’s important, too, to know that the year 2012, December 21st, is announced the arrival of the fifth Balam, who is Rax Balam, and this is the one who comes with the energy of peace, of love, of understanding, and this is the awareness of the fifth element, of the new humanity. They have no race- it’s the union of all the races.

What happened to the culture? We went to Mayan Indian villages and saw Mayan Indians, so why don’t they worship at the old temples any more? What happened?

During the invasion, when the conquerors arrived to America, (America, the continent,) when they arrived to the Mayan world they began to destroy all the temples and they persecuted and they killed the kings, the Mayan priests and what they needed to do was to have a low profile. They went to the church and they used the different saints and they matched them to their own divinities. Of course, it’s the western people who dominated, and they are the owners of everything in the Mayan countries like Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras. So the ones who have the power and have the access of the sacred places, the sacred temples are the governments of these countries as well as the anthropologists? institutes. They are the one who administer the sacred places. In Guatemala it?s easier than in other countries- easy in terms of if the Mayan priests go and ask for permission to make a ceremony, the government doesn’t create many obstacles because when they signed the peace agreement (ending a 36 year civil war in 1996) this is one of the regulations which is in the deal of the peace. But we Mayan people don’t have access to make temples because we don’t have the money. The money is in other hands. But that’s not meaning the tradition doesn’t work because it’s not the temples which were made by the ancient people that are the most important. In reality the most important are the natural altars which are in alignment with the cosmos and the mother earth. And in these altars, of course, there are ceremonies all the time, from thousands and thousands of years ago.

What training does one go through to be considered a Mayan priest?

People use the terminology of “Mayan priest” but this is a comparison because it is easier to understand for western people. In reality, the real name is Ajq’ij , which means the lord or the senor who has the relationship with the Father Sun in the culture of the Father Sun. There are two or three different ways. One is by the tradition of clans which exists as a heritage in families that carry the tradition and give birth to new Ajq’ij who are then prepared for the profession. The other way is when the elders make the symbol, the Mayan chart, for the person and they can see in the chart this person has the power to be an Ajq’ij. Some people have the power but don’t need to develop this power, but there are others who have an obligation. And the third way is when the elders know someone and there are signals. For example, they saw a rainbow or some bird flew around the person or some snake came, or different manifestations with animals of power, or just the elder has a vision that this is a power person or a medicine man or Mayan priest who can go into the tradition. That’s the three ways to know if someone has the power. Of course before going into the tradition the elders present these people to the sacred fire because the fire is the one to receive and accept these people or say no.

You were going to speak about the training also?

When the person is received by the fire, they need to learn about the Mayan calendar. They need to develop this internal power and that means working with the different altars when they visit and they make ceremony for the people who receive the power and they develop this internal power and they need to know how to be noticed. They learn about the sacred pouch of Tzi’te which is the oldest kind of divination of humanity. This is with the use of the famous sacred red beans which we call Tzi’te, and, of course, with the obsidians and the quartz. The story is people are preordained to be our medicine people, to be our healers, to be our diviners -the different professions which are possible to the Mayan Ajq’ij. That takes years for training and preparation. It’s not easy because of what we call the Toj, but in other traditions is called karma. It is to be accelerated and the people learn by themselves. But it’s the elder who sees when the disciple is ready to go out to humanity and that depends on the intention of the person, on the character and the development of their attention. It depends too on the surrender of the people into the mission they have.

Are there prophesies that go beyond 2012?

Yes, the most important prophesies are the prophesies of the cycles of Tiku and the other important prophesies are about the big cycle of the Long Count; the prophesies for this time of Cablicot, which is duality, the polarity which is going to have a fusion in the year 2012, 21 of December. But the prophesies go beyond these years because it is not like you turn on the light and the light is arriving on this day ;it is just the beginning and needs more than 13 years for its accommodation. In reality, it’s 52 years more from 2012- when the time of peace, the time of harmony is coming. But there are a lot more revelations for these times. It?s not only about peace, it?s a proposal to human beings to work together with mother earth, to go to a transition. The prophesy of the Rax Balam – the jaguar of blue-green is arriving in 2012, but that year is the beginning of the change and the new energy which will be working. Some people say this is purple or violet, but the reality is the mixing of the blue, green and baby blue. There are a lot more prophesies: there are prophesies for the cycles from Tiku because the cycles don’t end- it will be in a new dimension and more subtle, but confrontations will still happen in another way, more spiritual confrontations, not with the density of this moment, but there are more confrontations. It’s a storminess that’s unavoidable with the polarities and the coming of the fusion. And there are more, there are a lot of things, so we can talk.

Oh, I’m going to talk about the quartz skull prophesy because it?s important. Of course, of the prophesies of this awareness in humanity, one of the most important is the prophesy of the quartz schools. It is necessary that there be the union of no less than 52 quartz skulls which are going to develop all the information that is inside this quartz skull but for humanity it’s better if we can find the 260 by going to a sacred lake which is in the United States. When they are together each one of these has a hologram of information. And altogether it’s going to make possible the technology for rebuilding the mother earth and for realigning human beings. There are more prophesies because there will be a time when men and women, the male and female energy, are going to have a fusion and we will come back to be hermaphrodites but this will be in thousands and thousands more years?so there are a lot of prophesies.

Why have the Mayan people and elders decided to begin sharing their knowledge at this time?

This is the time of the prophesies. This is the time people need to know what is the purpose of their own lives. This is a dangerous time because we can go to the next step, to the transition, to the fusion of the polarities or it is a time when we can be destroyed. This materialistic way of life, all this business about economic and social position in the world, it needs to change and the people need to go inside themselves in order to know what they are and to find harmony with the mother earth, with human beings, with their brothers, with the animals, with the plants. It’s an important time because we are in the moment of the prophesies and humanity can be destroyed or we can be saved, all together. Of course, it’s the ancient traditions like the Mayan, like the Tibetan, like the Hindu, and the other traditions who preserved for thousands of years the real purpose, the real power, the real knowledge, not just the Mayan traditions are open in this moment. Many the ancient traditions are open and they are calling to humanity, to the unity, to come to learn because the elders need to share, because they know that this is a special moment we are living. We need more people to come to the side of the light to create a balance because the other side they are too strong and we need to create a balance because if not, we are going to be destroyed. And of course, this is an important moment for each one by himself to develop his internal power and the Mayan tradition has it’s own technology, like the other ones. Some people have a certain vibration and they like to go to the saints, to go the Tibetan people, or Hindus, but some people like to go into the Mayan tradition because it’s in harmony with the mother earth and with all the energies. The Mayans are something old, but it’s something new- it is an awareness- and the people are really interested. The elders are ready to open and they are teaching around the world and they are expecting many people, because the sons of Iq?i Balam who are all of humanity are arriving into my country and they are beginning to learn about the real Mayan tradition.

Carlos Barrios is a Mayan Ajq’ij, who originates from and resides in Guatemala. Carlos has been given the mission by his elders to begin sharing the prophecies and teachings of the Mayan peoples with the rest of the world. Carlos travels internationally to share these teachings and to generate awareness and support for the rescue and preservation of the ancient Mayan tradition in his homeland. Carlos is also the author of Kam Wuj: El Libro del Destino, and out of print book on the astrology and prophecies of the Mayan peoples. Carlos is presently working on a revised edition which is to be translated to English.

Saq’ Be’: Organization for Mayan and Indigenous Spiritual Studies is a non profit organization based in New Mexico, US. Saq’ Be’ works to bring people, especially young adults, together with ancient traditions for the purpose of cultural and spiritual preservation and to open the doors of opportunity for those traditions to share their teachings with the rest of the world. Preservation programs include Radio broadcast capacity for the Native community in Chichicastenango, Guatemala and support for filmed documentation efforts of elders and guides of the Mayan tradition. Meetings programs include trips to Native communities in Guatemala (next trip is for the Mayan New Year, June, 2004) and arranging for travel and teachings for the keepers of this ancient wisdom to the US and abroad. More information can be found at: http://sacredroad.org, or by email at: saqbe[at]sacredroad[dot]org.

 

Messages from the Mayan Milieu:

Steven McFadden ©2002 http://www.chiron-communications.com/

In early Autumn 2002, Carlos Barrios journeyed North from his home in Guatemala to the Eastern edge of the Four Corners. In Santa Fe, NM, at the tail of the Rocky Mountains, Mr. Barrios spoke in a knowledgeable manner about the Mayan tradition and the fabled Mayan calendars.

The Mayan calendars are an object of intense interest for many thousands of people right now, because they focus upon the watershed date of Dec. 21, 2012. Everything changes by then, it is said.

With a cultural heritage including thousands of pyramids and temples, and a calendar that has proven itself to be astronomically accurate over millions of years, the Maya tradition is widely considered to be a mystic key to the soul of Turtle Island (North America).

In public talks and in a private interview, Mr. Barrios laid out his account of the history and future of the Americas, and the larger world, based on his understanding of the Mayan tradition as both an anthropologist and an initiate. He spoke also about the path he sees ahead from now until the Winter Solstice of 2012.

The range of teachings and insights offered by Mr. Barrios must be considered in the context of the realpolitik of his American homeland. The Maya of Guatemala, their pyramids, and their calendar have endured not in a new-age Shambhala of love and light, but in a milieu of treachery, beatings, torture, rape, and mass murder.

Decades of DarknessFor 30 long years right-wing Guatemalan governments supported both overtly and covertly by the US government waged a terrorist war against the people of the land, murdering over 200,000 citizens, many of them indigenous Mayan people.

When the war finally wound down in the 1990s, the United Nations Truth Commission conducted an 18-month investigation.* The UN found massive violations of human rights by the government of Guatemala with the complicity of the US government. The UN report stated that acts of “aggressive, racist and extremely cruel” violence descended to the level of genocide directed against the country’s indigenous Mayan population.

When Amnesty International studied the Guatemalan situation in recent years, they came to an arresting conclusion. They wrote that real peace could come only through confronting Guatemala’s “Corporate Mafia State.”* They described this corporate Mafia state as an “unholy alliance” of certain national and international economic actors, who work alongside sectors of the police and military and common criminals to control black� industries such as drugs, arms trafficking, money laundering, car theft rings, illegal adoptions, and kidnapping for ransom.”

About the great dark shadow that has hung over the south-most part of Turtle Island, Mr. Barrios observes: “These injustices began five hundred years ago and continue to this very day in all the Americas. The Indian Wars have never ended…I think the power holders in the developed world see it as necessary to destroy the indigenous peoples, or at least to destroy their culture, because they are not consumers.� The American Dream is built on the back of the Third World…But that is a false distinction for there is no Third World. There is only one world. We are all part of that one world, and we are all due respect.”

While Guatemala has ostensibly been at peace for the last eight years, it is a disturbed peace. The war continues to have a residual impact on the people. Human rights violations still occur regularly, and even international human-rights monitors have been under threat.

Still, in the view of Mr. Barrios who came of age during the war, there have been improvements. “There are no armed guerrillas, and the police and army are more decent, more respectful,” he observed. “Because there is more human respect now, we can try to find a new life.”

One eventual consequence of Guatemala�s long-enduring climate of terrorism, has been mistrust and criticism. From this few are immune. Accusations are often aimed at people who purport to speak of the Mayan traditions. Mr. Barrios is enmeshed in this matrix of uncertainty. He criticizes others, and he is criticized himself.

The World will Not EndCarlos Barrios was born into a Spanish family on El Altiplano, the highlands of Guatemala. His home was in Huehuetenango, also the dwelling place of the Maya Mam tribe. With other Maya and other indigenous tradition keepers, the Mam carry part of the old ways on Turtle Island (North America). They are keepers of time, authorities on remarkable calendars that are ancient, elegant and relevant.

Mr. Barrios is a historian, an anthropologist and investigator. After studying with traditional elders for 25 years since the age of 19, he has also became a Mayan Ajq’ij, a ceremonial priest and spiritual guide, Eagle Clan.

Years ago, along with his brother, Gerardo, Carlos initiated an investigation into the different Mayan calendars. He studied with many teachers. He says his brother Gerardo interviewed nearly 600 traditional Mayan elders to widen their scope of knowledge.

“Anthropologists visit the temple sites,” Mr. Barrios says, “and read the stelas and inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It�s just their imagination…Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed. The indigenous have the calendars, and know how to accurately interpret it, not others.”

The CalendarsMayan comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years.

The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk’in or Cholq’ij. Devised ages ago and based on the cycle of the Pleiades, it is still held as sacred

With the indigenous calendars, native people have kept track of important turning points in history. For example, the day-keepers who study the calendars identified an important day in the year One Reed, Ce Acatal, as it was called by the Mexica. That was the day when an important ancestor was prophesied to return, “coming like a butterfly.”

In the western calendar, the One Reed date correlates to Easter Sunday, April 21, 1519 the day that Hernando Cortez and his fleet of 11 Spanish galleons arrived from the East at what is today called Vera Cruz, Mexico. When the Spanish ships came toward shore, native people were waiting and watching to see how it would go. The billowing sails of the ships did indeed remind the scouts of butterflies skimming the ocean surface.

In this manner was a new era initiated, an era they had anticipated through their calendars. The Maya termed the new era the Nine Bolomtikus, or Nine Hells of 52 years each. As the nine cycles unfolded, land and freedom were taken from the native people. Disease and disrespect dominated.

What began with the arrival of Cortez, lasted until August 16, 1987 a date many people recall as Harmonic Convergence. Millions of people took advantage of that date to make ceremony in sacred sites, praying for a smooth transition to a new era, the World of the Fifth Sun.

From that 1987 date until now, Mr. Barrios says, we have been in a time when the right arm of the materialistic world is disappearing, slowly but inexorably. We are at the cusp of the era when peace begins, and people live in harmony with Mother Earth. We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition.

As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes. All this, Mr. Barrios says, was foreseen via the simple, spiral mathematics of the Mayan calendars.

“It will change,” Mr. Barrios observes. “Everything will change.” He said Mayan Day-keepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator, and the earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy.

At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, The Tree of Life a tree remembered in all the world�s spiritual traditions.

Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration. This process has already begun, Mr. Barrios suggested. “Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate.”

If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, Mr. Barrios said, we will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way.

A Picture of the Road AheadFrom his understanding of the Mayan tradition and the calendars, Mr. Barrios offered a picture of where we are at and what may lie on the road ahead:

The date specified in the calendar Winter Solstice in the year 2012 does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with keeping the tradition.

“Humanity will continue,” he contends, “but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human.”

We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendars and prophecies. All the prophecies of the world, all the traditions, are converging now. There is no time for games. The spiritual ideal of this era is action.

Many powerful souls have reincarnated in this era, with a lot of power. This is true on both sides, the light and the dark. High magic is at work on both sides.

Things will change, but it is up to the people how difficult or easy it is for the changes to come about.

The economy now is a fiction. The first five-year stretch of transition from August 1987 to August 1992 was the beginning of the destruction of the material world. We have progressed ten years deeper into the transition phase by now, and many of the so-called sources of financial stability are in fact hollow.

The banks are weak. This is a delicate moment for them. They could crash globally if we don�t pay attention. One critical period is October and November 2002. If the banks crash in these months then we will be forced to rely on the land and our skills. The monetary systems will be in chaos, and we must then rely on our direct relationship with the Earth for our food and shelter.

The North and South Poles are both breaking up. The level of the water in the oceans is going to rise. But at the same time land in the ocean, especially near Cuba, is also going to rise.

A Call for FusionAs he met with audiences in Santa Fe, Mr. Barrios told a story about the most recent Mayan New Year ceremonies in Guatemala. He said that one respected Mam elder, who lives all year in a solitary mountain cave, journeyed to Chichicastenango to speak with the people at the ceremony.

The elder delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light. Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way.

Reflecting on this, Mr. Barrios explained: “We live in a world of polarity: day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance. Just now the dark side is very strong, and very clear about what they want. They have their vision and their priorities clearly held, and also their hierarchy. They are working in many ways so that we will be unable to connect with the spiral Fifth World in 2012.”

“On the light side everyone thinks they are the most important, that their own understandings, or their group�s understandings, are the key. There�s a diversity of cultures and opinions, so there is competition, diffusion, and no single focus.”

As Mr. Barrios sees it, the dark side works to block fusion through denial and materialism. It also works to destroy those who are working with the light to get the Earth to a higher level. They like the energy of the old, declining Fourth World, the materialism. They do not want it to change. They do not want fusion. They want to stay at this level, and are afraid of the next level.

The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It�s too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. This is what leads to fusion, a key concept for the World of the Fifth Sun.

Mr. Barrios said the emerging era of the Fifth Sun will call attention to a much-overlooked element. Whereas the four traditional elements of earth, air, fire and water have dominated various epochs in the past, there will be a fifth element to reckon with in the time of the Fifth Sun: ether.

The dictionary defines ether as the rarefied element of the Heavens. Ether is a medium. It permeates all space and transmits waves of energy in a wide range of frequencies, from cell phones to human auras. What is “ethereal” is related to the regions beyond earth: the heavens.

Ether the element of the Fifth Sun is celestial and lacking in material substance, but is no less real than wood, stone or flesh.

“Within the context of ether there can be a fusion of the polarities,” Mr. Barrios said. “No more darkness or light in the people, but an uplifted fusion. But right now the realm of darkness is not interested in this. They are organized to block it. They seek to unbalance the Earth and its environment so we will be unready for the alignment in 2012. We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and fusion now, to confront the other side and preserve life.”

To be Ready for this Moment in HistoryMr. Barrios told his audiences in Santa Fe that we are at a critical moment of world history. “We are disturbed,” he said. “We can�t play anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action.”

“Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard, but a special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history.”

Mr. Barrios offered a number of suggestions to help people walk in balance through the years ahead. “The prophesied changes are going to happen,” he said, “but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are.”

We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the earth. Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action.

It�s very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth.

Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity.

Eat wisely. A lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what you are taking into your body.

Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy.

Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have mastery of your breath.

Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots.

We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything: people, plants, animals. This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun, for it is associated with the element ether the realm where energy lives and weaves.

Go to the sacred places of the earth to pray for peace, and respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work.

According to Mr. Barrios� reading of the Mayan calendar, if war happens in November 2002 or after, then it�s bad, but not catastrophic. But if it happens between April and November 2003, it will be catastrophic. Really bad. It could eventually result in the death of two-thirds of humanity. “So stay active,” he said. “If we are active, we can transform the planet. The elders watch to see what happens.”

Many Mayan elders and knowledge keepers may be eliminated in the next few years. For the first half of the current Katun (20-year period) the dark side has a lot of power. But that will pass 3 to 4 years from now. The tide can turn. Amazing things are going to happen.

One simple but effective prayer technique is to light a white or baby-blue colored candle. Think a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace.

We Have Work to DoAccording to Mr. Barrios this is a crucially important moment for humanity, and for earth. Each person is important. If you have incarnated into this era, you have spiritual work to do balancing the planet.

He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems. “They know,” he said, “that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world.”

“The greatest wisdom is in simplicity,” Mr. Barrios advised before leaving Santa Fe. “Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It’s not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It’s encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way.”

 

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Carlos Barrios is the author of the Spanish book, Kam Wuj: El Libro Del Destino. Carlos is in the process of having the book translated and published in English. Carlos can be contacted via Saq’ Be’: Organization for Mayan and Indigenous Spiritual Studies at: saqbe[at]sacredroad[dot]org, 505.466.4044; P.O. Box 31111, Santa Fe, NM 87594. Saq’ Be’ is a US based non-profit organization operated by young adults to bring young adults and others together with ancient traditions for cultural preservation and to foster a deeper spiritual, ecological and communal awareness so as to plant the seeds for a more harmonious future; www.SacredRoad.org.

*For background see these reports:

UN Truth Commission Report on Guatemala http://www.icomm.ca/carecen/page36.html

Guatemala: Twenty Years Crying for Justice http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/AMR340182002?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIESGUATEMALA

Guatemala’s Lethal Legacy: Past Impunity and Renewed Human Rights Violations http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/recent/AMR340012002

General resource for information on the Mayan calendar http://www.world-mysteries.com/sar_3.htm#top

General resources for information on 2012 http://www.diagnosis2012.co.uk 
http://www.greatdreams.com/2012.htm