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CARLOS BARRIOS was born into a Spanish family
on El Altiplano, the highlands of Guatemala. His home was in
Huehuetenango, also thedwelling place of the Maya Mam tribe. With
other Maya and otherindigenous 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 Ajqīij, 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 steles and
inscriptions and make up stories about the
Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. Itīs 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 Mayan Calendars 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 Tzolkīin or Cholqīij.
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
daykeepers who study the calendars identified an important day in
the year One Reed, Ce Acatal, as it was called by the Mexicans. 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 Daykeepers 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 worldīs
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 Ahead : From 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 donīt pay attention. If the banks crash
... 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 Fusion : As 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 groupīs understandings, are
the key. Thereīs 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. Itīs 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 History Mr. Barrios told his
audiences in Santa Fe that we are at a critical moment of world
history. "We are disturbed," he said. "We canīt 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.
Itīs 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 have 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. Barriosī reading of the Mayan calendar, if war
happens in November 2002 or after, then itīs 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 Do : According 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. Itīs not complex or elaborate. The real
knowledge is free. Itīs 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." |