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How My Work About the Maya Calendar
Is Different and Why You Might Like It

An Essay by Thomas Razzeto
© Copyright 2012 by Thomas Razzeto

 

Introduction

What if the Maya calendar is not about doom and gloom or even world peace? What if it is about something much deeper than the conditions of our world at this time? Now, don't get me wrong. It's always a good time to work for world peace, right? We sure could use it! And just because I don't think that the Long Count calendar was create 2,000 years ago as a way of predicting world peace in our time does not mean that we cannot create a beautiful world now. Your desire for world peace arises from your strong feelings of compassion and love and yet we should be honest and acknowledge that we do not have the power to make someone else happy; we do not have the power to make someone else be at peace. That is up to them and to them alone.

Yet perhaps your attitude and action will inspire others to create deep peace and lasting joy within themselves. In this way, we all can work towards a more peaceful world. Your inspiration and offer of a helping hand to build a better world together can reach out in ways whose limits are unknown. So never give up hope and always do your best to transform both yourself and the world around you into yet an even more beautiful reflection of the divine love that comes to us all from the Source of everything.

But again, what if the calendar is not about doom and gloom or world peace? What then? Certainly there might be another reason it was created! Well, after four years of being fully immersed in the study of the calendar, I think I have something to offer. Now, it seems to me that some people already have their minds firmly made up about the calendar. If this is you, that's fine with me. After all, I am only offering an opinion, and the opinions of other people might also be interesting. And I am very clear that my work is certainly not for everyone. (Ha! That's for sure!) You see, my work is very different from all the other 2012 books and movies in a number of important ways. Please let me go through them quickly right now. But don't forget, in the end, I am not simply letting go of some of the common 2012 ideas, I am adding something that you just might find very interesting. So let's see what's up.

Here's the list of the main differences:

1) Did extraterrestrials create the Maya calendar? Probably not.
2) When it comes to the astronomy, the galactic alignment is not it.
3) The message of 2012 is about the fundamental nature of reality, not the conditions of the world at this time. This is the real prize of 2012.

So let's get started by digging into the first point.

 

1) Did extraterrestrials create the Maya calendar? Probably not.

Most people that have looked into the calendar assume that the precision that was required to make it hook up with the astronomy of 2012 is remarkable. And it is! Did you know that if the Maya intentionally created the calendar to restart on the winter solstice of 2012 from over 2,000 years ago, they would have needed to know the length of the year to within 45 seconds? This is absolutely stunning! But I show that very smart people in Mesoamerica acquired the precise astronomical understanding required to create the calendar and they did so without telescopes, computers or clocks.

But please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that I have proved that ancient aliens did not exist. I am not addressing that question in the broad sense. All I am saying is that ETs were not required to create the Maya calendar.

For those of you who just want the executive summary, the key to understanding this extremely challenging astronomical problem is this: people in Mesoamerica started to track the effects of the wobble of the earth about 3,000 years ago. This information comes from the work of archaeologist Marion Hatch. Since the calendar was put into use about 2,000 years ago, this means that they had the benefit of an observational period of about 1,000 years. This was just enough to allow them to predict certain astronomical events 2,000 years into the future, twice the time span that they had observed.

If you want more information, you can read my essay here:

Did Extraterrestrials Create the Maya Calendar?

Some people might think that that essay is a bit long but it has lots of pictures. Don't be afraid that you won't understand the astronomy. This is more like art than astronomy! That's why there are so many pictures. You can do this!

Oh, by the way, before we move on, I'd like to quickly mention something that I hope you picked up on. Of course I understand that my position on ETs and the calendar hurts the popularity of my work. Yet I have to call it like I see it, no matter what it will cost me in popularity. Maybe you will enjoy that aspect of my work. Anyway, let's move on to the second reason my work is so different.

 

2) When it comes to the astronomy, the galactic alignment is not it.

Hey, don't get me wrong. John Major Jenkins is a great guy. Very bright. Hard worker. Nice guy. Not an egomaniac. Generous with his time. And he is the guy who first saw a link between the calendar and the wobble of the earth. But I simply did not find his “galactic alignment” to be a very satisfying reason that the calendar restarts when it does. I cover all the details here:

2012: Why the Galactic Alignment Is Not It

The executive summary goes like this. John created the phrase “the galactic alignment” and he describes the astronomy accurately. John is not wrong in any way; he is just emphasizing different aspects of the astronomy than I am. Please note that the galactic alignment is not an event that most astronomers would be familiar with and they certainly would not use that term to describe it yet a professional astronomer confirmed that this event did indeed peak in 1998. Yet John noticed that it repeats itself almost exactly for about 36 years, centered around 1998, so John calls that time period “era 2012.” In this way, the galactic alignment, which is not something that you can see with your eyes, leads you to a range of years that includes 2012.

Two things about the galactic alignment that I find dissatisfying is that it does not point precisely to 2012 and that it is not visible to the eye. Yet the astronomy that I focus on is visible - without a telescope - before dawn and after sunset on the precise day of the winter solstice of 2012. I think that this is extremely important, especially when you look at the connection between the astronomy and the metaphorical message of the ancient Maya. If you have seen my work, you have certainly seen this picture:

Izapa at 12:08 PM Dec 21, 2012
The sun will be in front of the dark rift - the Maya birth canal - on the winter solstice of 2012.
The sacred tree will be above the Maya with the sun virtually exactly between Mars and Venus.

This astronomy provides the foundation of the Maya's rebirth metaphor since the sun will be metaphorically reborn three times on this exact day. For more about this, please see the following essay:

Why the Maya Picked 2012

But what is the core meaning of this rebirth metaphor? This takes us to the next big difference in my work.

 

3) The message of 2012 is about the fundamental nature of reality.

After four years of research, I think that the only thing predicted by the Maya calendar is the astronomy and nothing else. What? Nothing's gonna happen? Why would anyone care about this point of view?!? Obviously, this opinion is not very popular at all. But again, I have to call it like I see it. It seems that most “2012ers” believe that the calendar is about something in our world at this time, either good or bad. These people look into the conditions of our world today and selectively pull out the things that support their view. I am not so sure that this is the best way to solve the puzzle of 2012. I think it is better to go into the ancient Maya culture and look for clues about what they were thinking. This approach leads us to Izapa, Mexico, the birthplace of the Long Count calendar. In the sacred ceremonial site of Izapa, we find the message of 2012 carved in stone.

Now let me underline something. My curiousity is about what the ancient Maya shamans were thinking and by this I mean the people who actually created the calendar and designed the sacred site of Izapa. While I do value the opinion of modern Maya shamans, that is not my focus. I feel the same way about the books and predictions of Chilam Balam, some of which date back to the time of the conquest. I am much more interested in the views of the shamans that lived 2,000 years ago. Remember, the Long Count was dropped about 1,000 years ago. Did the Maya also lose the core meaning of message of 2012 at that time?

While I certainly feel that the message of the modern shaman is important, it seems to me that there is even more to the message of 2012. None of the modern Maya shamans that I have talked to knew about the astronomy that I point to, even though it occurs on the exact day that their calendar restarts. And none of them mentioned the Bufo toad, the source of the psychedelic chemical that the shamans used for their trips into “the underworld.” I think that people that overlook the psychedelic shamans are overlooking the most important clue of all! Yes, I want to “get into the head” of the person that created this stela:

Stela 6 in Izapa showing the toad and the shaman
Stela 6 in Izapa - A shaman in a canoe journeys into the underworld with the help of the
5-MeO-DMT from the Bufo toad. Photo: Garth Norman, Brigham Young University.

In my opinion, the Bufo toad is what turns “2012” into “mystical 2012“ and I have several essays that go into this important subject, so if you are inspired, here's a link to one of them:

2012 and the Psychedelic Shamans - Why Their Experiences Are the Key to Understanding the Message of 2012

By the way, the psychedelic path is not the only path to the awakening that I point to and I recommend meditation rather than psychedelics for a number of reasons. Yet this was the path that the ancienct Maya shamans took so this is the path that I put on the table for us to consider. While it is true that not everyone who participates in these ceremonies immediately comes to the same understanding, it seems to me that the spiritual realization that come from this experience is the core of the message of 2012.

 

What Is Not in the Sacred Site of Izapa, Mexico?

And one more thing. Do you know what is not in the sacred ceremonial site? Well, even though the general area is the birthplace of the Long Count calendar, there are no Long Count calendar dates carved in stone in the ceremonial site of Izapa! So the ancient Maya themselves were not focused on the time of 2012. Instead, I think that they wanted us to focus on the message of transformation and rebirth. This is what was important to them. The timeless nature of this message is why it was so important to them all those years ago.

The message that I point to is very deep. It applies to everyone, everywhere, throughout all of time. It is as relevant now as it will be in 2,000 years. And the same message has been offered to us from other cultures all around the world and it is sometimes referred to as the perennial philosophy. It makes sense to me that if different groups of people honestly dig deeply into the question of reality, they would all end up offering a similar viewpoint. This is what I think the Maya have been offering us all along!

Well, I hope that you found this essay interesting.

Oh, by the way, here's a link to the wiki about the perennial philosophy:

The Perennial Philosophy

The End
Written: March 15, 2012

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If you find these comments intriguing, perhaps you will enjoy my book, Mystical 2012: Did the Maya Shamans Discover a Mystical View of Reality? You can buy it at Amazon.com. If you like my material, please spread the word! I would rather have many people enjoy my work for free than just a few who decide to purchase it.

You can also read my other 2012 essays at:
2012essays.com

Well, thanks for reading my essay! Have a great day!

Thomas Razzeto

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this essay, then you might like some of my other work:

  • Infinitely Mystical, my main website, is here: infinitelymystical.com

  • My completely free ESP board game for 2 or more people of all ages is here:
     ESP Mind Power!