The Maya civilization is one of the most extraordinary that has existed. They are know as THE LORDS OF TIME with their high technology, deep knowledge of time, mathematics, astronomy, architecture and the advances they made on medicine and all the fields of human knowledge – which still amaze us. For the Maya world the NAJT is the convergence of Space and Time in one unique place, which, when you add movement and speed, gives us the configuration and perception of REALITY.

We are facing transcendent times. On December 21, 2010, two cosmic events converged: the Winter Solstice and a Full Moon Eclipse. This day opened a Cosmic-Telluric portal, which is the preamble for the famous change of Cycle, the end of the 5,200 years and the coming of the JOB AJAW on December 21, 2012.

This event is called “The Opening of the NAJT PORTAL” and it has a greater effect during the cycle between December 21 and February 22, 2010. The energies of the NAJT (space-time) are in constant movement and everything we plan or decide will generate an energy that will make it become real; for which is very important to be clear about the purposes and thoughts we create during this time. This is the perfect moment to give space to the NEW HUMAN BEING and to be in harmony with KAK ALOM, the spirit of MOTHER EARTH.

The WAYEB, a cycle of the Maya Ab’ Calendar, began on Thursday, February 17. The Ab’ Calendar has 18 months of 20 days each and an extra month of 5 days: the WAYEB. This last month, to the traditional world of the Mayan Elders, is a time of introspection and encounter with one’s self, during which you must make an analysis of your life, reviewing your purposes and how you have accomplished them. This is a time for meditation, renovation and to project your real purpose in life. It is the opportunity to create the balance between the material and the spiritual world.

We invite you to do an inner job taking advantage of the energies that rule during this moment… find your inner self… meditate… analyze your life… write everything you think is important… project those things you want to accomplish; remember that this is a personal goal between the GREAT SPIRIT AND YOURSELF.

To culminate this cycle and open the space for the NAJT PORTAL, we will have a traditional Maya Fire Ceremony to celebrate the end of the WAYEB and the beginning of the AB’ MAYA NEW YEAR, on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. 19:20 is the best time of the day to connect with these energies. If you are not near a sacred place, light 20 candles to invoke the energy of the 20 Nawales. You can also light incense and connect with the fire of the candles, while you focus your thoughts and prayers to JUN AB KU heart of the heavens and KAK ALOM heart of Mother Earth.
Carlos Barrios is a Mayan Ajq’ij, who originates from 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 “The Book of Destiny – Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012”, a book on the astrology and prophecies of the Mayan peoples.

Denise Barrios is Carlos’ daughter and author of The Energies of the Day, a day planner based on the count of days of the Sacred Mayan Calendar. Her website is MysticMaya.Net

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. More information can be found at:www.SacredRoad.org, or by email at: saq…@gmail.com.

The following message was delivered by Carlos Barrios and translated by his daughter Denise Barrios. 

The Winter Solstice is the day in which the night is longer than the day. To many of the ancient civilizations this date marked the beginning of the year. The Maya Elders say that during this moment, the Sun is young and it is the perfect time to plan our purposes for this New Year. We must take this opportunity to ask for our personal and common wishes, bearing in mind that what’s most important is to ask for light and harmony, specially for Mother Earth; to pray for peace and spiritual growth.

The importance of this date is the opportunity we will have to connect with thousands of people throughout the planet that will be making their rituals and ceremonies to absorb this energy.

Whatever your faith, we ask you to take ACTION, which should be the spirituality of nowadays. We ask you to participate in a ritual or ceremony, on a prayer, or even just to light a candle and ask for humanity to be again in harmony with Mother Nature, to ask for people to have a communitary purpose instead of selfishness, to ask that the energy opens a channel for people to connect with spirituality.

Carlos Barrios is a Mayan Ajq’ij, who originates from 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 “The Book of Destiny – Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012”, a book on the astrology and prophecies of the Mayan peoples.

Denise Barrios is Carlos Barrios’ daughter and author of The Energies of the Day, a day planner based on the count of days of the Sacred Mayan Calendar. Her website is MysticMaya.Net

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. More information can be found at:www.SacredRoad.org, or by email at: saq…@gmail.com.

by Carlos Barrios

A lot has been said about this time, about the prophecies given by ancient wise visionary men. Some of the prophecies have been kept on secret books, some have been transmitted in a verbal way, others have risen in a series of books, documentaries, articles in magazines, newspapers and especially on the Internet. Some are extremely alarming, others have no basis and many are based on the Prophecies of the Great Traditions. All of them point out the prophetical times, as the Wise Chi Mam Maya, Don Pascual liked to call them.

All this information has wakened the interest of millions of people, but it has also created a lot of confusion and fear, since the date of December 21 of 2012 has been used as the date of the end of the World. However, this date points out the beginning of a new cycle, which is marked in the tradition of the Mayan Elders as a time of harmony and spiritual growing, this cycle is called the FIFTH SUN and each of the previous ones lasted 5,200 years.

The first cycle was of a feminine energy and fire was the element that ruled it.

The second cycle was of a masculine energy and earth was the element that ruled it.

The third cycle was of a feminine energy and air was the element that ruled it.

The fourth cycle was of a masculine energy and water was the element that ruled it.

The fifth cycle is of harmony between the masculine and feminine energy and the element that will rule it will be ether.

Each of these cycles last 5,200 years and they have been affected by the polarity of the masculine or feminine energy and of course they have also been affected by the elements. Today we are at the door of the end of the fourth cycle, which ends on December 20th of 2012, six years from now. During these six years we will be witnesses to the confrontation of the Negative and Positive forces, the eternal fight amongst polarity, the fight between the Eternal Fire and the Eternal Ice, as the Great Masters have named it, rough and magical times, prophetic times, as the Master, Don Pascual, would have said.

We do not have to close our eyes to be able to see who is dominating at this time, unlike of the Beings of Light, on the other side there is no doubt of who the boss is and no one argues about the grades of power, they work with an effectiveness, so effective that some of them even manage to appear as Warriors of Light.

The opposite happens with the Warriors of Light, because unfortunately most of them are spellbound with their Ego, convinced that they are the best and the carriers of the Truth, but they are only interested on their fight for power, fame and their excessive fondness for economical wealth.

Someone has to raise the Torch of Light and create consciousness; these leaders have to come back to their path. They have to find their path once again and assume the responsibility that was given to them at the time they received their grade of guide and the magical power that accompanies them, this is the calling of the Ancient Mayan Elders, of which the doors to build up our destiny are open… The Wise Elders are tired of waiting, they have sent this message previously and today, knowing the delicacy of this year, the violence, insanity, the tiredness of our Mother Earth, that regardless of the advise she has sent us (hurricanes, floods, droughts, The Tsunami, etc.) we are still impassive, destroying 10,000 acres of forest each day, letting 100,000 people, most of them children, die of starvation, and to us, this is just another news which does not affect us directly. A year ago the Tsunami stunned us, fear and panic grew, today this is just a vague memory. However, we have to be blind not to see we have to give a stop to this destruction, today we are alarmed with the cruel winter, with the torrential rains that are coming out of season, we also witnessed a tropical storm that was almost to become a hurricane, this without even speaking of the earthquakes in all the continents.

This was already predicted by the Prophets and visionary Mayans, as well as the attack to Iraq (with a precise date, two years before it happened), and the Terrorist Attacks (the one of the Twin Towers, the ones of France and Spain, and the ones to come).
The Mayan Elders are expecting that in the laps of the next two years there will be a great explosion of magma in the Yellowstone Park, this explosion would have the effect equivalent to the destruction that several atomic bombs would cause, giving as a result a great matter of contamination and pollution.

We are also expecting the imminent attack to Syria and the possibility of an attack to Iran, as well as the trying of overthrowing and putting a stop to the Socialist Democratic Movements that are rising in Latin America, specially the one of President Chavez in Venezuela. The last predictions, we can still put a stop to, but we have to use our powerful weapons, the inner magic in each of us, our fire ceremonies, meditations and any other techniques. It is URGENT to stop the madness of war.

The transcendence of the ending of this fourth cycle lies in the fact that we are once again in the doors of building up our destiny, the history of the actual humanity (the fourth).

The other humanities did not succeed with the purpose of taking our Mother Earth to the age of gold, the age of nobility, love, equality, peace, conscience, the Kingdom of Great Spirituality, in which every being has its space and value and where we can all grow in a simple word HARMONY, which is the premise of the Mayan World.

This marvelous opportunity is linked to Mother Earth, who as a living entity, has once again the chance of acceding to the Fifth Sky, this means to vibrate on a more subtle energy ruled by the element ETHER. This opportunity was wasted by the three previous humanities and it took Mother Earth millions of years to redo the proper conditions again.

The actual humanity, like the previous, has reached an extraordinary technological development, but it has forgotten the spiritual balance and the responsible relationship with Nature, which we are destroying and polluting more and more each time.

This was predicted by the visionary and wise Mayan Aj’Kijab (shamans), every event that is occurring, the plagues, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, thaws, weather changes, wars, uncontrollable viruses, the contamination and damage we are causing Nature, our own Mother, however, we remain passive as spectators, not doing or saying anything, we are accomplices who rather follow the routine that is imposed to us, the fake illusions that make us believe that we are people of success, of that success that is only the vision of a consumer materialist society and we sell our life in order to have this distractions and not confront reality, since we do not have the courage to go into our inner selves and get to know and accept us, the most important thing is to keep an image and the sterile competence of an uncontrollable urge to run, that rush to get nowhere…

We have the responsibility and possibility to change the destiny, we have our weapons, and what is most important WE ARE MORE… And we are not talking violence; our weapons are meditation, sacred ceremonies, the thought of millions of people, the amazing power of mind, creating the harmony of love, respect and spreading conscience. We can create conscience in others, we can speak, write and demonstrate that it is necessary to stop the destruction, the contamination, that we have to stop being accomplices and that our voice should be heard, that we should write to the media, to the people that run the governments, for we should remember that they are public servants and not owners of the countries, and if they receive millions of letters and e-mails, they will have to give us their attention, but lets just remember that violence is not the answer, do not look for the answer on the intellect and the strength, the answer is in the power of your heart…

We think we own the earth… Will you own it 200 years form now? Elders say the earth owns us, as a mother that nurtures us. Lets be consequent to her, lets not let the shadows fall again on her…

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 “Ch’umalil Wuj: El Libro del Destino”, a book on the astrology and prophecies of the Mayan peoples.

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. More information can be found at: www.SacredRoad.org, or by email at: saqbe[at]sacredroad[dot]org.

Through the ancient techniques of divination and tools of prophecy, the Mayan elders are calling forth to humanity at THIS TIME to pay closer attention to the messages being sent forth by the mother earth and to immediately take the actions they have been calling for, to unite in an effort to bring balance again upon our planet. The recent destruction that manifested in Indonesia is predicted to now occur rapidly upon five continents of the earth. This message is not meant to induce fear, to the contrary, it is a call for bravery and for action. The elders are concerned about what has been presented in their recent divinations and they call to all humanity to warn their leaders and to work very hard at a spiritual level to prevent the impending destruction. This message, verified and brought forth by various Mayan elders in Guatemala, is for all of humanity. The hurricanes in the US and the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia have been warnings and we must now pay attention or the possibilities of floods in Europe, Los Angeles, earthquakes and other efforts of the mother earth to awaken us will manifest quickly.

There is a specific call for people around the world to join in prayer, meditation or whatever method of spirituality one engages in to unite on January 18th at the time of their local sunset (approx 6:00PM). This date is B’elejeb(9) Keme according to the sacred Mayan Cholq’ij calendar and has the potential for protecting humanity from disaster.

There will be many major ceremonies in the Mayan communities for this purpose. An open invitation is extended to humanity that wish to join the Mayan people for the Waxa’qib B’atz’ ceremonies on February 12th in Guatemala.
Again, this is a strong message, not meant to drive us to react in fear, for this will only negatively impact the level of destruction and our own circumstance. This is the opportunity for humanity to rise to the occasion and come together along the strong lines that unite us and overcome the obstacles that divide us. Please distribute this message widely.

Message issued by Mayan elders in Guatemala and delivered via:
Carlos Barrios, Mayan Ajq’ij, Antigua, Guatemala
Adam Rubel, Co-Director, Saq’ Be’: Organization for Mayan and Indigenous Spiritual Studies

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, support for the community of Sarayacu in Ecuador in their struggle against petrol interests, and support for filmed documentation efforts of elders and guides of the Mayan tradition. More information can be found at: www.SacredRoad.org, or by email at: saqbe[at]sacredroad[dot]org.

By Saq’ Be’
For so many of those reading this, the lands of Latin America may seem like a distant place and the Amazon basin like a remote exotic location that bears little relevance to our everyday lives. The reality is this region holds great relevance to all of our lives, on both the physical level as well as a symbolic and spiritual one. The Kichwa community of Sarayacu, located in the central Amazon Basin in Ecuador, find themselves on the front lines in the struggle for preserving a natural and traditional way of life in the face of the continued drive to conquer Nature in the name of profit and greed. Sarayacu is a strong community, and one that survives to this day in part because of the citizens of the world who recognize they share an intricate connection with the people and have raised their voices to holdup the actions of petrol companies that would see the forest leveled and the people destroyed in the name of oil. Yet, unless the eyes of the world continue to carefully watch the unfolding of events in this region, and the stream of letters, emails and phone calls continue to flow to let governments and companies know who is watching, this place of life and magic can cease to exist.

Sarayacu is a territory spanning some 135,000 hectares and is the ancestral land of its roughly 1,200 Kichwa inhabitants. There is a centralized region consisting of five villages where the majority of the community resides. The people travel out to the further regions for activities such as hunting, gathering medicinal plants and even vacations. It is a region without electricity, without plumbing. The pristine nature allows the people to drink the water from the rivers, to eat the fish and live sustainably off the land. Gardens, cultivated over many years, called chacras yield amongst other things staples such as plantains and yucca. Cooking is done over fires using ceramic pots made by the women of the village. Chicha, a beverage made from fermented Yucca, is also a mainstay of social and ceremonial life. It is served and produced in special ceramics with intricate designs produced by women. There are different classes of Chicha, some with more potency for celebrations, others for work or for meetings.

Sarayacu is a community in balance, intricately tied to the jungle environment that survives them – not out of luxury, but out of necessity. There is a rhythm of life that mirrors the rhythm of the jungle. People wake at sunrise and sleep shortly after sunset. The pace is steady, not fast for the heat in the jungle forbids that, but not slow and lazy because survival demands otherwise. It is a rhythm that is so natural, after only a few days of living at such a pace the beat of our modern world appears to be so out of sync with what is natural, what is healthy that it seems absurd. One is left to wonder, on a global level, as the pace of modern society quickens to a deafening rhythm, what impact does the steady pulse of life in the jungle have upon tempering this hectic beat? This natural rhythm helps to produce a certain vibrancy that is evident upon meeting the people of Sarayacu. Only in ignorance would one dare call these a primitive or backwards people. On the whole, they are very intelligent – in both the traditional ways of life as well as having been educated in the western world. There is an honesty and directness that is permitted to shine through their eyes, because they are content in their way of balance and do not seek to undermine or fear being undermined in the name of material gain.

All the members of the community are skilled, and the skill sets are broken down by gender. The women all know how to make ceramics, chicha, how to paint faces, prepare foods amongst their many abilities. “Women have spiritual power. In each household there is usually at least one woman who has the spiritual power to clean bad air (mal aire), to use tobacco, to help things grow. It is a power that is passed down to the younger girls according to their capacity,” explains Marcia Gualinga, who serves as president of the Women’s Association in Sarayacu. The men all know how to fish and hunt and are responsible for all the heavy labor in the community. Decisions are made based on a community consensus. Meetings are held where representatives of different parts of the community gather and hand down their decisions. There are representatives for the women, the elders, the youth, the five villages and others. One president is elected every three years to represent the community and follow the will of the council. Shamanism, including the use of Ayahuasca, has an important role in treating the imbalances within society as they arise. There is a wealth of medicinal plants that are used to treat all of the traditional ailments, including snake and insect bites, stomach illnesses and plants that can be used to camouflage one’s smell and give energy for travel through the jungle. “Our ancestors have been here for thousands of years. There is a relationship between earth, man and time and we need to respect this,” explains Marlon Santi, president of Sarayacu. This is a community of peaceful people living in a harmonious way that imposes upon no one. Yet, it is a community that is willing to fight, to the end if necessary, to defend their home and way of life.

History
Beneath the feet of these people, below the territory of nature in its most pristine form, may lie that which has arguably been the cause of more destruction of man and nature in the last 100 years: oil. A consortium, led by Argentinean petrol company CGC, wants to find out if there is oil in the territory and has no qualms about removing whatever “obstacles” lie in their path of discovery and extraction. Sarayacu’s struggle with petrol interest goes back many years. In 1989 the community successfully repelled an attempt by the ARCO company to complete petrol exploration within their territory. According to the official Sarayacu website,www.sarayacu.com, “The conflict with CGC started in 1996 when CGC and the government of Ecuador signed a contract for petrol exploration in the “Block 23″, comprising 200,000 hectares, most of which is Sarayacu territory. Sarayacu was not consulted and opposed the petrol exploration all from the beginning. Because Sarayacu is the community that has the largest number of inhabitants and most of the territory within the block 23, CGC first approached Sarayacu, trying to deceive the people offering money and development works. They managed to bribe Telmo Gualinga, president of Sarayacu 1997 – 1999, giving him a personal contract for construction of a system of running water in his own neighborhood. The company was so sure that it would convince us that it publicly assured that they would not start any exploration work until they had 100% support from the communities within the block. Nevertheless, the people of Sarayacu did not accept the petrol activities, and the later presidents did not accept bribes. Therefore, from the year 2000 up until now, CGC has maintained a real war of calumnies against Sarayacu, in order to destroy the confidence between the community and its own elected leaders.” The present effort to conduct petrol exploration is being conducted by a consortium of companies including Burlington Resources (US), CGC (Argentina) and Perenco (UK/France). Sarayacu is among the most organized communities in the Amazon basin and was the first in the region to reject the advances of the petrol industry. According to Gerardo Gualinga, a guide and resident of Sarayacu, “the elders have a prophecy that say Sarayacu is like the marker of the mid-day. We are the front line for the remaining communities in the region. If we fall, it will not be long before the others follow. But if we can turn back the companies, this will greatly strengthen the other territories.” Sarayacu has received the attention of international bodies. In May, 2004 the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights ordered precautionary measures to be applied in favor of Sarayacu. According to Amazon Watch (www.amazonwatch.com), these measures “…included as principle points that the physical integrity of Sarayacu’s community members and its leaders be respected, that an investigation of the incidents which occurred in January of 2003 should take place, and that special protection be given to the relationship that Sarayaku people have with their territory.” These measures were extended in December, 2003 since the measures were not complied with by the Ecuadorian government and the situation had worsened. In February, 2004, the government of Ecuador declared its support for the oil conglomerate, prompting Sarayacu’s leaders to declare a state of emergency, fearing the companies would be entering the territory by force with the backing of the Ecuadorian military.

Tactics
The methods used by the oil company and their supporters may lend insight into what would lie ahead for the community and region should they get their way. A campaign of intimidation, coercion and torture has been leveled against Sarayacu for the last several years. CGC has found an alliance in the Ecuadorian Government and its military that has set the stage for documented human rights violations. According to Marlon Santi, “the leaders (of Sarayacu) can never be tranquil. We are constantly receiving threats, and perhaps these threats are connected with the government.” Indeed, these threats have not always turned out to be hollow ones. In late February, 2004, Mr. Santi was preparing to travel to Washington, D.C., to present the case of Sarayacu before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. As he was in Quito preparing to make the journey, he was assaulted at gunpoint by an individual who claimed “You Sarayacu people will die like dogs.” Mr. Santi was pistol whipped and his travel documents as well as documents for the hearing were taken. Detention and the accosting of villagers happen illegally with an alarming frequency by the petrol company. There are two ways in and out of Sarayacu: by airplane and along the Bobonaza River, which has been the common route for inhabitants of the villages. CGC has established an illegal checkpoint on that river and often turns away villagers that have made the two day journey, preventing the community from raising its voice at national councils and in protests. In December, 2003 violence once again erupted as members of Sarayacu, including women and youths were assaulted at the checkpoint by drunken individuals with ties to CGC as they attempted to make their way to a March for Life and Peace in the city of Puyo. The actual situation was documented on video by one of the members of the community. The media in Ecuador and elsewhere has been used in a systematic campaign to discredit the community at every turn. The community has been labeled as “devils of the jungle”, as being irresponsible with the management of their own natural resources (the jungle itself), and even as “terrorists”, all assertions without any factual basis. This misinformation has been distributed to local, national and international media as well as directly to those who have expressed support for Sarayacu, organizationally or individually. Perhaps the most frightening unveiling of to what ends the petrol company, government and military are willing to go to lies in the recent military buildup surrounding Sarayacu and the discovery of a massive tract of explosives within Sarayacu territory. There are now several military bases on the perimeter of Sarayacu and military personal have been caught entering the territory while performing tactical maneuvers. We were told that recently, a large tract of explosives were discovered within the territory. Once a munitions expert was brought in, it was determined that there was enough TNT to level Ecuador’s capitol city of Quito. It was presumed these were brought in to clear tracts of land following a potential oil vein. This is just a small sampling of the devious tactics being used to undermine Sarayacu’s efforts of self preservation. With such a demonstration of disregard for either environmental concerns or human rights, what will become of the village should the petrol companies have their way?

Impact -The Effect on the peoples of Sarayacu and other Territories

The struggle to resist the destruction of their territory has taken its toll on the members of Sarayacu on different levels. “The women are intermediaries in the situation [with the oil companies],” explains Marcia Gualinga. “The situation comes first and the women are being strong by going out [of the village] with the men. The children and old people are not calm. We are being affected emotionally and morally. We are always worried, always maintaining contact with those that leave the community.” Felix Ramon Santi Santi explains, “Everything is here: school, university. We don’t have to pay for our way of life. The young people don’t even consider abandoning Sarayacu.” Felix explained the different ways that the situation is affecting young people: “Psychologically it is hard because we have to focus on going into the jungle to fight to defend our lands so we are being forced to leave our studies behind. Our morale is low because it is hard to leave our studies and fight in the jungle. Physically, we have become more susceptible to illness.” Marlon Santi spoke about how the situation is affecting the community on a spiritual level. “There is a relationship between earth, man and time and we need to respect this on a spiritual level. Cutting away the rainforest would gravely affect us as well as those inhabiting the forest spiritually. There are spirits in the rivers, the mountains; these are the places the shamans go. The explosives are scaring these spirits away. The destruction of our environment makes the cosmos run away from the beings.” Sarayacu is well aware of the impact petrol companies have had on the surrounding territories. On a more physical level, the entrance of the petrol companies into surrounding territories is creating other problems for Sarayacu. “They are coming into Sarayacu territory to hunt, because their territories have been contaminated and there is no longer enough wildlife for the other communities to hunt.” This is taxing the wildlife populations within Sarayacu and is placing a further burden upon inhabitants to keep their neighboring peoples from poaching.

Sarayacu Community is opposed to this activity taking place as it involves clear cutting, dynamiting and drilling in their pristine virgin rainforest home. During exploration and extraction, hundreds of hectares of pristine forest are deforested, decimated, and contaminated and consequently the indigenous people suffer grave impacts. “We have already seen this occur in the Northern provinces where oil extraction has already occurred,” states Mario Santi. The communities suffer serious socio-cultural and psychological impacts. The oil company activities and ensuing toxic contamination bring grave diseases such as high incidences of cancer, strange diseases and other health epidemics. The oil company also builds roads that open up the communities to further onslaught of mostly the negative aspects of western civilization and colonists who settle along the road further encroaching on indigenous lands. Following the oil company workers is the side businesses of alcohol, prostitution and consequent diseases. The way of life as the communities know it becomes destroyed. The overall destruction and impact is massive.

Once the oil well starts operating, both routine contamination as well as accidental occurs. Contamination occurs when the formation water (a by-product of the refining process rich in salts and toxic elements) is separated and the associated gas is flared. This affects mainly water sources, thus all aquatic life and the fish people depend on as an important food source. “If we eat sick fish and sick animals, then we will get sick,” explains Corina Montalvo, “and oil development would also affect the planting and gardens, where we grow food staples.” Trees will die, and the animals that live in that area will die and become scarce. During oil and exploratory perforation and extraction hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of toxic waste are thrown into the environment without any treatment and then the soil will not produce anything. In the northern provinces, where oil extraction has already occurred there are elements such as cadmium, nickel, lead, benzene and hydrocarbons present in toxic quantities. According to reports, some in quantities 40,000 times higher than what is allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States. An elder woman in Sarayacu stated, “We live from the land, we grow yucca, plantain and if the oil companies destroy the land…then how will our children grow, what are we going to feed our children?”

Oil company representatives have promised the people that they will provide food such as rice and canned tuna, but several times we have already seen in the northern provinces that these are only temporary tactics to get to the oil. Once the oil companies get what they want, they soon forget the promises of food, funding schools and other such promises (signed or not signed) and leave the people of the communities to fend for themselves in an environment that can no longer support them.

How to Help

The following link has models of protest letters:
http://www.sarayacu.com/oil/#protest

You can help by writing protest letters to the following addresses. Your letters will have a greater impact if you print them and put them in a stamped envelope or fax them. Please CC a copy to: copia@sarayacu.com and if you receive a reply to your letter, please provide also send a copy to Sarayacu.

Sr. Lucio Gutierrez
Presidente de la Rep�blica
Palacio del Gobierno
Calle Garcia Moreno y Espejo
Quito – Ecuador
Fax: 593-2-2580-751
Fax: 593-2-2580-748
monica.iza@presidencia.gov.ec

Mr. Diego Garz�n Duarte, CEO
Compa�ia General de Combustibles (CGC)
Av 12 de Octubre, Torre 1492 N� 2697 y Lincoln
Oficinas 602 y 603
Quito – Ecuador
diego_garzon@cgc.com.ar

Mr. Bobby S. Shackouls
Corporate Headquarters
Burlington Resources Inc.
5051 Westheimer, Suite 1400
Houston, TX 77056
USA
jbartlett@br-inc.com

Mr. Miguel Caro
PERENCO
23-25 rue Dumont d’Urville
75116 Paris FRANCE
Tel : +33 (0)1 53 57 66 00
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 20 38 43
mcaro@fr.perenco.com

Sr. Norberto Morita, Gerente General
Southern Cross Capital Mngt.
Cerrito 1294 – 8�
(1010) Capital Federal
Argentina
Fax/Tel: 54 11 4816 5054
Or 54 11 4816 2469
horacio@southerncross.com.ar

You can also support and visit Sarayacu Community through its sustainable Community Eco-tourism Program. You can arrange visits by contacting SARAYACUINFO@YAHOO.COM

You can also send funds through Saq’ Be’. 100% of the funds will be passed on to the community. Donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. Funds can be sent to: Saq’ Be’; PO Box 31111; Santa Fe, NM 87594 or visit www.sacredroad.org for other ways to donate. Please make a clear note that funds are for the community of Sarayacu.

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, support for the community os Sarayacu in Ecuador in their struggle against petrol interests, and support for filmed documentation efforts of elders and guides of the Mayan tradition. More information can be found at: http://sacredroad.org, or by email at: saqbe[at]sacredroad[dot]org.

The following are notes from a conversation with Mayan Ajq’ij Carlos Barrios on August 10, 2004 regarding the latest messages and warnings from the Mayan elders in preparation for an interview on earthchangestv.com.
The elders are saying that we need to work hard, that there is not much time left. They expressed that they are angry, because although they have delivered their messages and warnings, they are not being heeded and people are not taking them seriously. They say that we need to create consciousness and to teach this to other people. Of primary concern and emphasis is the environment. Humanity has the ability to take responsibility and to limit the contamination of the environment. They say that we can do things like write letters to our representatives, take action, whatever we can to stop this contamination. They gave warnings of floods, another heat wave in Europe, and bad things fro agriculture, especially in Africa. There will also be many other disasters. They warn that the Scandinavian countries can become frozen over, a process that will not happen over night but can take 5-7 years. They say that people working for the negativity are killing spiritual leaders. This happened to Don Antonio Esquinas in Santiago Attitlan, Guatemala as well as to elders in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. They are calling for unity of spiritual people and would like to see a gathering of spiritual leaders in the four corners region of the United States. We must pay attention to the prophecy of the serpent, whereby the energies must move to the south Andes. They are presently blocked in the four corners region. People need to develop their internal powers, now is the time. 2006 is a time where the energies for war and destruction are very strong, but we can stop this. The transit of Venus began the energies for a period ot destruction and confrontation. Orion is affecting the planet causing even greater destabilization. Since June 8th, the dark side has begun to show its face completely and we have begun to see more of the darkness. We will also be facing economic problems as oil is destabilizing countries. The elders are calling for a return to alternative, more natural ways of producing energy. We should continue to light candles at sunset, focusing on creating balance. We can use red, white and green candles for the environment. The elders have given all their prophecies, now the people need to take action.

We were also told that Carlos’ books would be available soon in English. One is on Mayan prophecy and the other on Mayan astrology.

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.

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 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.

For the Mayan world the planet Venus has been one of the most predominant Celestial phenomena as well as one which entire centuries of observation have been dedicated to. It can almost be said that the ancestral Mayan Wise men had an obsession with Venus. The earliest written accounts on this subject are found in the first pages of the sacred book of the Maya-Quiche nation, the POPOL WUJ, it describes how Wukub Kaquix (one of the original names for Venus) tried to take over the place of the Father Sun. This happened in a previous humanity, and relates cataclysms and destruction caused by Wukub Kaquix as by his sons Cabracan and Zipacna. This destruction included the predominant incarnation of humanity of that time, the “Men of Wood”.

In the same way the oral tradition of the Elders describes to us: “millions of years ago Venus suffered the crash of another celestial body that provoked the destruction of the latter (perhaps an asteroid?), at the same time taking Venus out of its orbit. This provoked a series of cataclysms and readjustments in the planetary system, on the way to its current orbit and due to its proximity to the terrestrial orbit. It changed the rectitude of the Mother Earth (the terrestrial axis?). It also tried to take over the Sun’s position, since it seemed bigger than any other celestial body in the skies and it outshone the Sun and the Moon. Furthermore they where no longer visible, and its pride and vanity grew to a point that it demanded the humanity of that time to worship it and pay tribute to its children, who could raise the mountains in one night (Zipacna) and destroy them on the next day (Cabracan) . This is how this humanity, that of the Men of Wood, lived mistakenly in their end, until the Great HUN AB KU intervened and set it on its place. This way the Great Father Sun got its power back and the Moon appeared at night. Now when Venus is seen it is only announcing that the Father Sun is coming and its power had been reduced to being the first star to be seen at night”. In few words, this is the story of Venus told in the year 1987 by Don Pascual , who was one of the highest Wise men of the Eagle Clan of the MAM nation, the most ancient next to Qanjobal in the great Mayan civilization.

Aside from predictions based on the Sacred calendar (TZOLKIN or CHOLKIJ), the MAYAN CODEX ,the KUMATZIN WUJ JUN (better known as the Dresden codex) contains descriptions of the rituals for some of the Mayan Deities, as well as calculations for a few thousand years for Solar and Lunar eclipses. The codex especially contains the charts for the calculations of the cycles of Venus, its transit over its apparent path over the face of the Father Sun. This codex is proof of the amazing astronomical knowledge, mathematics as well as Mayan writing.

The fascination of scientists and mystics has been limited, because few of them know the real meaning of the context of this extraordinary document. Regarding the sinodic phases, cycles and transit of Venus, they only confirm the close attention (almost obsessive) that the Mayan world has had over this planet.The apparent Path of Venus over the face of the Father Sun (an ecliptic transit in relation to the Sun) has announced drastic changes in the Earth, from cataclysms, wars, destruction (lack of food, plagues, etc.) to historical changes regarding the evolutionary development of both human beings and the Mother Earth (a destiny that is connected although not intertwined).

Now that we are at the gates of a New Path of Venus over the Face of the Sun on June 7-8 2004, the least we can do is expect a new change in the outcome of humanity. Death is knocking at our doors. The drums of war can be heard. Intransigence, the destruction of our Mother Earth, pollution, new diseases, the resurging of old plagues, global warming, the fear of world conflict, intolerance and fundamentalism in any of its manifestations, negligence, apathy, the confusion or worst still the extreme estrangement of drug abuse. All of this is a reaction to the fear caused by the thought that the world as we know it can be destroyed, and to the poor answers that materialism gives, having reached its limit and offering no other direction, because it is based in distractions, in momentary satisfactions. While reason and logic tell us that we have to stop all this madness, we are living in the age of prophecies, and the responsibility of balancing things is ours. There is no more time to play; it is know time to act.

Venus is for the Mayan world the messenger; it brings its share of events that do not happen from one day to the other, those that are irreversible. It is the announcement of change. The movements that are being organized for this date (ceremonies, meditation, fasting, etc.) are important and are aimed towards a new path for as we know them. We can minimize Pluto’s energy and especially Orion’s energy, both of which provoke violence and destruction, because they move the rest of the planets towards chaos.
The Mayan Cross for this day tells us that this day’s energy is preceded by the hidden magic of the Aj Itz (Black Magicians) to create chaos. The heart manifests power over the mind, and a powerful and psychic energy which carries violence. Destiny shows that great authorities reveal themselves and uncover their sins, and a new authority will come that will change the path of things. However, this can be painful (unless we are prepared and willing). In the material hemisphere, forgiveness and sin surge in their highest expression. A balance in the spiritual hemisphere starts to surge from duality (this is if we are prepared and willing). Conditions to plant a new destiny are created. The Great Ajaw, the Father Sun, goes hunting. This means that in the hope of making a balance between the forces of the positive and the negative, we can count upon that magnificent assistance.

There are payments, but the net is willing to contain the destruction of the manifestation of the material reality. The regent carrier is the one of wisdom. The other part carries an energy with a great deal of strength (violent).

The pyramid of forgiveness and sin that rules the material world; that has ruled for all these years, has the law in its heart, authority of the beginning (hope), its crest (head) has the energy of the number seven (this number gives access the knowledge of magic within the material) and its bases give us the winal the twenty that is the number of purity and at the same time it manifests the human being.

The great guardian brings the energy of a new beginning, the beginning of a new era (it will begin after the change of attitude and the action of the beings of light). Here we can make a relation with the beginning of FIVE AJAW, the FIFTH SUN. This is the cycle of a new humanity: of peace, harmony, balance, knowledge and the kingdom of wisdom, the return to the Original Law, to the basic, to the harmony with Mother Earth, the encounter with ourselves. This cycle begins on December 21 of 2012.

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.

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 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.

Below are the notes from a recent discussion with Mayan Ajq’ij Carlos Barrios in Guatemala in preparation for an interview on earthchangestv.com. The projections were made by Carlos, Carlos Alvorado and Mayan elder Don Julian Aq’ab’al. Further and more detailed projections expanding upon those below will be released in the near future. The projections are broken down by category of effect: Economy, Environment, War, Transit of Venus – June 6th, and Yellowstone

Economy –

We’re going to begin to witness the start of a retraction in the economy. It won’t be drastic, rather a gradual process that will begin in May. It will change slowly, but in a negative manner. The time around November/ December will perhaps be more dangerous. Europe, however, will begin to see some realizations towards economic and social development in a more balanced way, one that expresses greater equality. We may also see a lot of manifestations – social protests during this time.

Environment –
All nations need to put their attention towards the environment. There will be a change in the oceanic currents, in the form that the cold currents will move south. This will affect the weather. It can get very cold, and this will affect agriculture in the United States. This will happen at some point in the next 2 or 3 years, but it can happen at any moment during this time. We need to take an active role in preventing this. We need to work to curtail the pollution and put special attention towards the Amazon. There are energy groups that can destroy up to 30% of the forest in the next year or two, and this will have a great effect on the climate. We need to reach those in the extractive industries – timber companies, oil, etc so that they can elevate their consciousness and become aware of what they are doing. We must also do this for the chemical companies.

War – 
We must encourage the world leaders to promote a dialogue of peace rather than confrontation with other countries. Israel and Palestine need to develop an energy of peace, as well as a conversation with developing nations must begin.

Transit of Venus – June 6th
This is a significant event. It will affect us more on the psychological and emotional levels than physical. We are in a special moment for humanity. Pluto is the force that makes confrontations and this is in complete opposition with Venus. This can create emotional problems for humanity and the problems in the Amazon may be amplified because of this. We need to send our energy, prayers and support to the Amazon. We are pretending on the surface that there is nothing that is going to happen, but in the deeper parts of ourselves we know that there are changes. If we don’t create unity we are in trouble. This is why we are working towards a gathering of spiritual leaders for this purpose, to come together to demonstrate the unity that we share at this time. We need this gathering so these leaders can take the torch of the light to create balance. This may take place in New Mexico, maybe Sweeden (note: this is a project Saq’ Be’ will be working to help coordinate).

Yellowstone – 
This needs to serve as a warning for humanity. Of course there are movements and there is a good chance of explosions. This is the way that mother earth is saying we need to work harder to take care of her. This is the beginning of a warning and similar manifestations could well follow shortly after in other places. May 8th is an important date, as there are special ceremonies happening in the US around the Yellowstone region. This was called for by a Shoshone elder from the Yellowstone area. The Mayan elders are calling for prayers and ceremonies around the world to support this effort and to hopefully stop the destruction that is possible from Yellowstone. Meditation and prayer is the least we can do on that day, and we should focus on being in harmony around the world. In particular, people can light green candles to support this effort. There will be ceremonies in Guatemala at this time.

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.

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 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.