2012: Where's the Party At?!

Though we are not sure what our party plans are for New Year's Eve, we know that it will be in Maya style.  The prominence of this new year, 2012, recognized among scholars and theorists, and "New Age" followers of the Maya calendar, is expected to draw an estimated 52 million people in Mexican States long the keepers of ancient Maya wisdom. Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Chiapas, and Tabasco are all gearing up for travelers who all have their own idea of the significance of the "end date."


Some believe this to mean we should expect Judgement Day, and all of the calamities world wide are a buildup of apocalyptic proportions. Then, some people believe that due to the strain on mother earth and the sad plight of humanity aggressed upon by the crushing, indifferent wheel of BIG GREED, we will all have to undergo a shift in consciousness that can only be successful when each individual goes deeper into their true identity and stops trying to swim upstream.


In countries far removed from the Maya sphere of influence, or without similar creation myths like the Hopi share, this idea of the "end of time," or the end of keeping time in the form of the perfect long count and short count calendar is startling and a new concept.  Ask a Mayan or Mexican that honors Maya ancestry and you get a very different answer.  December 21, 2012, the Winter Solstice, is the date the Mayans were given by ancient alien visitors who played a big part in our development of grand civilizations, and possibly genetically modified the earliest humans who jumped evolutionary hurdles much faster than nature could have done.  


Sightings of UFOs/OVNIs have been frequent, especially in the last decade, all over the world. Mexico is no exception. You can hardly find a Yucatecan who does not believe that there is a network of extraterrestrials living mostly under the radar here on earth for millenia, and that their ancestors had a close relationship with them which they shared in their sacred codexes.  So, if this is the case, that discloser is what we are waiting for, what is their purpose? Do they care about us and want to help us out of the insane mess of endless war and strife?  Will they exact justice, and if so, will it be violence met with violence? They obviously would have the capability to destroy whoever they wanted by now.  


The earth is already being bombarded by solar flares many times larger than any other solar flares since this technology age has been upon us. If we believe that we are not alone, and it's time for the "men of wisdom" to produce themselves publicly, perhaps they will have a method for preserving all or some of humanity during catastrophe that could prove apocalyptic.  Will our extraterrestrial friends go through the formal channels of communicating with the our leaders, or are they the problem?  These and more questions will be upon anyone who takes the Tzolkin Calendar seriously, and all the speculation up until the moment of truth, one year from today, will either weigh heavily on hearts, or be the beginning of a great adventure. Good luck to us all! Paz y libertad.

http://www.alignment2012.com/fap4.html

How Not To Be A Tourist: Traveling With A Higher Consciousness

Once we arrive in a foreign place we invariably lament the awkward tourists that

seem to mill about in one small area suggested to them in this or that generic travel guide.

Most of them hardly look up from their books and stick together in packs. For instance, out of

all of the many German tourists, I have never seen one take any interest in the large political

messages written on sheets and posted up around La Plaza Grande of Merida. In part, one message is to 

the Mexican and German governments regarding the Dresden Codex, a Maya artifact many

believe originally comes from Chichen Itza, and now sits illegally (popular Yucatecan opinion) in a 

German museum. You would think they would be compelled to get a message addressed to the

country from which they came. Is the problem that they don’t speak Spanish? They should learn just a 

little.  Is the problem that wealthy tourists from old colonialist countries that still think they are the rulers 

of the world and the brown people of exotic lands are somehow less civilized? The latter is perhaps the 

way many Yucatecans feel, especially when they are repeatedly batted away from restaurant tables and 

avoided in the street.  The way the people get treated by some tourists is astonishing.  Our favorite 

restaurant to eat and hang out at La Plaza Grande in Merida is called Nicte Ha.  We are friends with the 

"meseros," servers, and they finally let loose about the Europeans dirty little secret: most don't believe in 

tipping!  The customs and social/labor structure may be different from your own back home, where 

servers are paid a living wage, but here in the Western Hemisphere it's bad karma not to properly tip 

your hard working server. Still, they are glad to have any business.

Many negative impacts of tourism affect native peoples and their environment. Of course there are a 

large number of people who understand that tourism brings cash, something hard to get

unless you make the hard sell. Most of the items sold in the street to the tired tourists fresh off the boat or 

bus are not high quality and generally a rip off.  This aspect of connecting to the people in foreign 

countries could turn anyone off, especially when the people seem unscrupulous. Even these sales people 

don’t cheat tourists out of more than a few dollars. But, the indigenous sales people who are trying to 

earn money are honest crafts-people, selling beautiful items you can’t get anywhere else. You can tell 

them from others by their strikingly different attire and the babies in “papusas” on their backs. As far as 

the indigenous people of Yucatan, all specialty crafts like their famous hammocks, belts, purses, and 

scarves are made collectively and all the money goes back to their respective pueblos. What most tourist 

don’t realize while in Yucatan is that it is important to get away from the shark tank aspect of the

plaza where a few hustlers come to “help” you, as well as the tour groups that give you tunnel vision 

jumping from one pyramid after another, not getting to spend any reflective time in these unique places. 

You won’t make any friends or have many lasting impressions.

In the highlands of Guatemala the Quiche Maya have experienced an onslaught of tourists armed with 

their cameras, carelessly snapping photos of the natives and their sacred places. Now, this is the land of 

the Popol Vuh. The descendants of the ancient Quiche Maya have been through a lot to say the least. 

They have lived for decades in a fascist dictatorship propped up by an army of trained assassins that 

were trained in Fort Benning, Georgia, The School of the Americas/WHINSEC. The Quiche are a very 

dignified people with their own system of justice, and they feel disrespected when strangers come into 

their community and take exploitative photos without permission. It is a violation of their privacy and 

they will throw tourists out of churches and buildings with impunity. If tourists come humbly into their 

lands they are treated as friends. If you are lucky, perhaps long lost friends.

This is also true in Hopi Land. Once you arrive in Kykotsmovi, AZ, on the first mesa there are large 

signs warning that not only are you not allowed to take pictures inside peoples homes or

of random natives, you may take no pictures of anything at all. Not even the rocks (which are beautiful 

by the way). Why? Because people from far and wide came to trample all over their

sacred land with cameras fixed around their necks. It became a nuisance and objectified the Hopi. If you 

want to take any pictures you must ask the permission of the tribal council, and I imagine they would like 

a good reason to say yes. Still, I found the people incredibly friendly and glad to meet outsiders, perhaps 

because they don’t see as many tourists these days. But, we try to be quiet as visitors and we always 

appear to be approachable. An elder asked us for a ride up to the spectacular mesa where he lived. While 

all in the car we began talk. Once comfortable we asked him if there were any medicine men living near 

there. His initial answer was automatic. “No, not anymore. Those are the old ways,” he told us. It didn’t 

take him more than a couple of minutes to offer a more affirmative answer, names and all. He introduced 

us to some family members who run an incredible gallery of Hopi art, jewelry, hand made drums, and

clothing. They were delighted to speak with us about our experiences with the Maya people and they 

were taken back when we talked about a book we read there about the theory of the Hopi

being from Maya Land. Only just before we got to Hopi Land, there had been a white man “running 

around” the reservation, talking about the same thing. It was the first they had heard such a

thing and they were very interested.

After numerous treatments from our shaman he started to show us his most prized possessions. We got to 

touch an ancient Maya statuette and book of chants. We were invited to a feast of hand made

tortillas and chicken the likes of which most Americans will never have. Senora and Don Antonio did 

not sit down with us to eat. Senora wanted to serve us and watch us enjoy ourselves. Only

after forming a bond did we ever think it was proper to ask if we could take their pictures, and the 

answer was yes. When someone rudely brought a woman from New York into Don Antonio’s house

during a session he tried to be gracious, but anyone could tell he was not pleased. This woman was the 

best example of how not to behave. Taking pictures without permission and loud talking

over everyone else forced Don Antonio to ban any more Americans/tourists from ever coming into his 

casa again. For us, we are not only welcome in his home, he performed our authentic Maya wedding at

our home which was a challenge to get to. So when you think of traveling in the third world, think of 

how you reach those who’s homeland you are visiting. Think of the laws of karma and

how you appear to others of a different culture. If you are adventurous enough to be in a city or town 

that is not the most visited tourist destinations like Puerto Vallarta or Cancun, you can find yourself and 

your purpose in lands of enchantment. Most of the people that live in these lands will never have the 

opportunity to make the journey to where you live, but if they did they would probably show restraint 

and respect.

Laughter of The Gods-Maya Sense of Humor

Humor is universal. Light-heartedness and laughter bring people closer together and help us understand one another. Humor can transcend language and it can make illness shrink away. Most people delight in making others chuckle or belt out side-splitting, eye-watering laughter. If done correctly, as in not at the expense of other’s dignity, comedy can also be a measure of wit.

The time we have been fortunate enough to spend with people of Maya descent has been enlightening in many ways, but I was especially impressed with their sense of humor. Mexico in general has some interesting examples of humor in television. A man dressed as a bee complaining of stomach pain was not pulled out of thin air for The Simpson’s. I saw where the original idea came from as a guest in a Mixtec home in Oaxaca. The people watching loved it and wanted to know how I was enjoying it. Very interesting, I thought. I told them I was delighted.

The traveling clowns of Mexico are a dichotomy. Rural busses loaded with passengers taking their goods to market are entertained by these infamous clowns in exchange for a few pesos if the clowns are lucky. Most people seem to have a soft spot for them as their migratory lives depend on the laughter and enjoyment of others. Their routines are done with much frequency and their timing is impeccable. Behind the face paint and props their faces hint to you that they’re not always jovial. They often have a slight down-and-out look has they offer their hat for donations.

The mythologies and philosophies of Mesoamerica, specifically the Olmecs, Aztecs, and Maya do not translate all that well with the Western world, which brings me to my next topic: obsidian. In the pantheon of Maya gods duality prevails. No gods make this more true than Kukulcan, god of wind, light, water, and thunder, and his counterpart, Tezcatlipoca, who could be described in simpler terms as the devil. Now, this devious fellow shares some traits in common with the Judeo-Christian deceiver/challenger known as Satan in that he is cunning, a sexual tempter, supporter of blind drunkenness, bringer of pestilence and sorrow, and a black magician. Tezcatlipoca’s curious description shows that he has one obsidian mirror placed at the back of his head, and one replacing a foot. Obsidian knives were a part of Aztec and Maya rituals and normally associated with this dark character. So when the people were invaded by Spanish conquistadores and clergy, they found that the greedy and ignorant Spanish priests rather liked the obsidian knives for themselves, and brought them into their churches. Little did they know how ironic this theft was, as they celebrated the tool of Tezcatlipoca, a demon. This made for an uproarious joke not soon forgotten by Maya people for generations. The irony!

The last treatment before returning back to the United States our yerbatero/shaman, Don Antonio, was adamant that the cleansing, psychedelic herbs he prescribed as part of therapy was extremely important, and that if we had to leave Mexico, bringing the medicine back with us through customs would be “seguro,” safe. On the flight we had to fill out our government customs card. Had we been on a farm or rural lands? Yes! Were we bringing back any soil, plant material, fungus? Yes! After we got off the plane we had to stand in a special line for inspection. A police officer asks, “What’s in the bag?”

“It’s medicine from my shaman. Smell it. It’s fresh!” Philip held the open bag up to the officer's nose, eagerly waiting to hear a reply. Now, the truth is that the medicine smelled earthy, maybe even a little rank to the average nose. Powerful indeed! The officer inhales and answers almost hypnotically, “Yes! Very fresh!” Philip walks over to a table and points to some official yellow tape. “Can I have some to wrap around my special bag?” The officer got the tape for him with haste and we were on our way. Retelling the story to Don Antonio after we returned to him was the first time we ever saw him laugh, and oh did he laugh. When Philip told him that he heard Don Antonio in his mind directing him in what to say, he slightly closed his eyes, smiled, and nodded knowingly.

The graceful Quiche Maya of Guatemala spend much of their life working hard on their famous textiles used in clothing, purses, etc. They do most of their traveling on foot and often carry large loads perched atop their head, keeping balance all the while. Philip, having lived there while running a bar in Panajachel, made his way up the same paths frequently. One day while walking he trips, yet catches himself, giving other pedestrians a good laugh. Why? They are probably strangers to this common occurrence, common in societies living imbalanced lives. So, let’s all remember to have a good therapeutic laugh from time to time. It’s a key to longevity and happiness.