Beyond 2012
Wisdom from the Origins
The Mayan Calendar and the Future of Humanity Story by Glenn Aparicio Parry • Photos by Seth Roffman
D
ecember 21st, 2012 is the end of time—the end of the world! But then again, it may only be the beginning of the next world—or the next cycle. Which is correct? Are we in the end times as prophesized by certain religious beliefs—or are we at the precipice of a new age—a golden age of peace and harmony? One thing is for certain: with a rash of weather events such as hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, the tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia, and political turmoil all over the world, something is shifting—even if we don’t know what it is. Seeking clarity, The SEED Institute think tank sponsored a large conference this past September called: Wisdom from the Origins: The Mayan Calendar and Other Prophecies on the Future of Humanity. SEED’s board and conference organizing committee convened a group of more than 35 pre- Woman Stands Shining (Dine) and grandmothers (l-r) Mona Polacca, Agnes Baker Pilgrim and Flordemayo senters, including six members of the International Council including Barbara Marx Hubbard. “We are part of the Noosphere, or thinking of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, Don Alejandro Cerilo Oxlaj Pérez (head of the layer of Earth,” she told us, and she herself was grateful for “having lived long Maya Council of Elders of Guatemaenough to see the noosphere almost ready to get its collective eyes.” Continuing, la), Mayan seer Ac Tah, Maori wisdom she urged us to “imagine for a moment that a critical mass of humans are conkeeper Dr. Rangimarie Turuki Rose nected to consciousness, in spirit, in love of each other and of Mother Earth” … Pere, Western visionaries Gregg Braden, and that “the birth of consciousness of all humanity, of all life on Earth, is conBarbara Marx Hubbard, Marianne Wilnected in consciousness.” liamson, James O’Dea and others, joined by 400 attendees at the Marriott PyraThe conference was expected to introduce a great variety of approaches—hence the mid in Albuquerque. This momentous name Wisdom from the Origins (plural)—but at the same time, the Mayan calgathering offered many pearls of wisdom endar was selected as a central theme. With all the brouhaha and misinformation and insights, as this story will attest. But surrounding the Mayan calendar, it was incumbent upon the conference organizers it did not offer final answers, for the rest to formulate a clear intent. We asked all presenters to serve the people in two ways: of the story may depend upon us, the human family—on how we think, act • by helping them prepare to be in a state of readiness for the future and relate with all who share this Earth • by helping them remember how to live in rhythm with the Earth during this critical time. The last point is crucial, because it underlies how we see time. And how we The so-called end of the Mayan calendar see time is implicated in shifting paradigms of what it means to be human, and all that may entail was a principal prophecies on the future of humanity, paradigms of consciousness, nature and so theme, and Don Alejandro and Ac Tah forth. Our perception of time is an important key to understanding the Mayan addressed this, as did other Mayan repcontinued on page 6 resentatives, Grandmother Flordemayo, Tata Pedro Cruz, José Jaramillo, and Don Gaspar Xiu, the latter a legitimate heir of Mayan kings. As it turned out, Mayan seer Ac Tah the Mayans collectively refuted the idea st that the world might end this Dec. 21 , but they did offer guiding principles for living in tune with the energies of the day and all our relations according to their calendar. The conference went far beyond the Mayan calendar, ultimately, featuring a wide variety of cultural views of the future of humanity, specific cultural prophecies on future events, and new paradigms of consciousness from both the presenters and attendees. In truth, the event was not only a conference, but also “an activation of consciousness,” as Sharry Shipe, one of the key volunteers, opined. Her sentiment was quickly echoed by Sequoyah Trueblood, who spoke early on about “the knowledge that was in him for a long time before he realized it was there”—clearly implying that those who were listening had the same opportunity to awaken to what he succinctly named “Great Thanks, Great Peace, Great Love.” Many others spoke about the unique opportunity that exists at this time in human history,
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Futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard
December 2012 • GreenFireTimes
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