Note – this article refers to the Original Mayan Prophecies listed in Part 1 (updated)
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Paradigm Shifts in the Age of Polarity
Mild Paradigm Shifts
An example of a mild paradigm shift happened for many people during and after the unexpected global financial crisis of 2008. That crisis had been forecasted by lone voices for quite some time before it happened. Those voices were independent financial analysts who had been paying close attention to real unfolding non-mainstream events, but few people paid heed to their warnings. Virtually until the last moment, mainstream economic analysts painted a rosy picture and ignored the evident-enough signs.
Although often unexpected, financial crises do happen. They are not obscure or unknown events. In fact, we expect them to roll around every once in a while. In the case of the financial crash in 2008, many people could still remember the Dot Com crash of 2001 which was still etched on the minds of those who had worked in the IT sector back then.
An Instant Paradigm Shift
Many ideas were floated about what could or would happen on or around December 21, 2012 – some of them bordering on the fantastic: duality would disappear, the magnetic poles would switch positions or shift, instant telepathy would ensue, volcanoes would pop, earthquakes would shake and tectonic plates would shift.
Nothing of the sort happened on that day, and the result was an epic let-down for many people who had expected an instant paradigm shift [1]. Thus, most people lost further interest and got on with their lives.
A Real Material Paradigm Shift
An example of a real paradigm shift would be if we had to revert from our present-day, modern, industrial-age lifestyles to pre-industrial, traditional, agriculture-oriented lifestyles in a relatively short period of time, say, within a decade or two. That would constitute a real paradigm shift. However, having to live with limited access to electricity, for example, or without machinery or automation would, perhaps, be just too far-fetched an idea to contemplate.
Going back in time in practice would be completely counter-intuitive to what we would normally conceive of as going forward, which would be to use more-advanced technologies. In modern times, paradigm shifts are often thought of as being linear events, like all jobs being taken over by robots – a shift that would require using more electricity, not less. While holding that thought, let’s consider the concept of paradigm shifts a bit further.
The Shifts of the Short Ages
In the context of the Maya calendars, a shift happening from one short age (which consists of approximately 20 years) to the next would constitute a mild paradigm shift. Such a transition would happen within a short-enough time frame for most people to become aware that many things seem to be changing at the same time, which would make it seem as if time is speeding up; yet, actual changes would be happening slowly enough to not cause a shock to people’s systems. At first, there may be some resistance to some of the changes, but most people would eventually adapt to the new paradigm.
Individuals who are somewhat traditional or more consciously autonomous would usually assess social and cultural changes according to their own personal values, principles and ethics – which they had already clearly defined – and would then make conscious decisions about going along with certain new trends or not. They may eventually settle somewhere in the middle, retaining some of their old ways and adopting some of the new ones depending on what suits them best.
Energies at Play
Trends happening in post-modern societies these days are generally perceived within the context of moving forward, i.e. “progressing”. Whether negative or positive, they are considered as progress nonetheless – and when changes produce negative results they are perceived as being the price that we have to pay for progress. That is because post-modern Western culture is not values-, principles- or ethics-based (anymore), but trends-driven. Society, therefore, tends to go along with whatever new is taken up by society in general – and that is usually commercially driven.
Nevertheless, few people are aware that there are also energetic movements at play in the universe which can influence real events and trends. On a higher level, metaphysical energy influences the Spirit of the Age (collective consciousness), and when that shifts it causes behavioral changes in people’s ways of thinking which are reflected in their attitudes. These changes are usually most clearly reflected in group attitudes.
By having done away with traditional internal structures in the form of human value systems (which would usually regulate external conduct), group consciousness is today much more prone to being affected by the negative aspects of the Spirit of the Age than before. Today, technology – in the form of personal devices – provides a broadcasting channel for the boundary-less (and anonymous) expression and projection of the negative as much as for the positive elements of the Spirit of the Age.
Decadeology vs. Katunology
When we consult extensive online discussions about cultural changes over the decades – a practice known as ‘decadeology’ – we find that there is consensus in forums dedicated to the subject of when major cultural shifts took place (see appendix).
The objective of decadeology is to identify the distinctive cultural Spirit of the Age of each decade, for example, how 80’s culture differed from 90’s culture. However, ‘decadeologists’ seem to accept that decadeology is not an exact science because cultural shifts never seem to happen exactly at the beginning or ending of Gregorian calendar decades.
A Maya Katun measures 19.7 years, and a half-Katun measures 9.85 years. The midpoint of a Katun indicates a peak. The two sides (halves) of a Katun are slightly different in character from each other, due to ascending and descending energy. Lengthwise, half-Katuns are almost equivalent to decades but are almost never exactly synchronized with the start or end dates of decades.
When decades are compared with half-Katuns, it can be observed that cultural shifts tend to take place around dates closely matching Katun and half-Katun shift points.
Maya “Katunology” could, therefore, be considered more accurate than Gregorian decadeology, because Katunology is based on finely calculated energy shifts corroborated by centuries of observation, is recorded in mythology and is also embedded in the symbolism of the archetypes and numbers (known as Tones) that are used in the Maya calendars. The Gregorian calendar, however, does not imply any energy shifting, and it does not contain any symbolism.
We can conclude then that the cultural shifts observed and recorded by decadeologists are (unbeknownst to them) more than likely Katun energy shifts observed and placed within the context of decades.
Transition Time Frames
When considering some of the actual cultural shifts of past decades by using discussions in the decadeology community as a source, we can get a feeling for the time frame that cultural shifts took to occur. This may give us a sense of the impact that shifting energy can have on group psychology and group consciousness. On average, energy shifts appear to take between two and four years to complete, due to overlap each way.
The famous Maya calendar symbolic shift point of December 21, 2012 signified both an actual Katun shift point as well as a shift point between Great Cycles (which last 5,125 years each). However, the energy of the new Katun took until around mid-2014 or, perhaps, a bit later to really show itself.
In comparison, the Great Cycle shift from the Maya Fourth to Fifth World will take around 200 more years to reach completion when factoring in its combined transition, gestation and maturation stages. The transition period alone is likely to take around 40 years (as discussed in Part 2).
Instant paradigm shifts are, therefore, very rare occurrences, because even shifts between short 19.7-year Katun ages can take as long as three to four years to complete.
From a Jungian perspective, periodic expectations for instant paradigm shifts more than likely stem from archetypical impulses within our consciousness. Certain archetypes within our psyches (on an individual and on a group level) subconsciously recognize or pick up on imminent energy shifts, but the archetypes are unable to interpret the duration of time that shifts would take to complete or when changes would manifest in practice.
These instinctual archetypical early-warning impulses are – most probably – subconscious markers and indicators that have the purpose of prompting us into action. However, working out how we should act in preparation for change is something that has to be done consciously on an intellectual level, and it has then to be applied on a practical level. Few people follow through on this part of the process, as most people tend to remain in “the sky-is-falling” phase (see: The Inside Story).
An Age of Polarity
Today, in 2017, the polarity of Katun 2 Ahau (2012-2032) is clear to see, but the arrival of such strong polarity with polarization as a result has been counter-intuitive to the expectations that many people had for a post-2012 world, i.e. a linear progression towards harmony. One of the reasons for expectations of natural continuity was that the previous Katun, Katun 4 Ahau (1993-2012), was relatively well balanced in nature.
However, evolution is not linear; it is cyclical. The fact that our Western civilization makes use of a modern, non-cyclical (Gregorian) calendar means that most people have been out of the energy loop. If more attention were paid to Katun shifts as opposed to mainly the Great Cycle shift, and if it were not approached solely from a linear perspective, we might have been more prepared for the very high levels of polarity that we can observe almost everywhere right now.
Having said that, even non-linearity has energetic continuity by design; energetically speaking, Katun 4 Ahau had the natural purpose of preparing us for Katun 2 Ahau. During the highly spiritual Katun 4 Ahau, we were being prepared for the volatile dualism of Katun 2 Ahau.
Spiritually speaking, this could also be viewed from the perspective of human souls being in training. The personal development that had been achieved on an individual level during Katun 4 Ahau is now being tested on a group level in Katun 2 Ahau. For example, do we allow ourselves to be swept up in identity politics (which is a form of group-think), or are we able to remain individually autonomous enough to act only in accordance with our personal value systems?
Younger people who have not experienced Katun 4 Ahau can still benefit from both Katuns as they have the advantage of learning directly from the volatile energies of the present Katun age – while they can also benefit from the Spirit of the Age of the previous Katun by selectively accessing the positive elements of that age through some of its cultural artifacts which can be found in some of its television series, books, cinema and art.
Metaphysical Paradigm Shifts
In the meantime, it is important to keep in mind that there are important underlying Great Cycle factors that have already come online, even if the overall Great Cycle transition will take a long time to complete. These are more-subtle, growing energies and, due to some of them being completely new and unknown to us, their characteristics hold the potential for generating unexpected paradigm shifts.
Exploring Mild Paradigm Shifts
Shift Point 1993: Katun 6 Ahau (1973-1993) shifts to Katun 4 Ahau (1993-2012)
Let us now return to what mild paradigm shifts may look like, and let’s imagine the example of someone who had become stranded on an isolated island with no communications from mid-1991 to mid-1995 – a time period of around four years which consists of the shift point in 1993 with an energy overlap of more or less two years each way. On being rescued and on returning to society in 1995, this person would have been under the impression that things were more or less similar to when they left.
In the meantime, while they were away, trends – such as music, fashion, technology, and attitudes – had changed significantly, to the extent that by 1995 they fully embodied the general trends of the 1990s as opposed to those of the late ’80s (and very early ’90s). Our returnee might have been surprised to find that things had changed so much after they left. Nevertheless, having to adapt to this new paradigm on their return would not have thrown them off-balance completely – notwithstanding the probable light culture shock that they were experiencing. Things were different but not completely different.
There seems to be a relatively strong consensus amongst decadeologists that the actual cultural shift point between the ’80s and ’90s only happened in 1993, and not in 1990 as one would have expected [2][3][4][6]. The year 1993 just happens to be the exact shift point from Katun 4 Ahau to Katun 2 Ahau in the Maya Short Count calendar.
The Spirit of the Age: Katun 4 Ahau
By 1995, the general atmosphere in the developed world incorporated some or all of the following characteristics: a general positive outlook for the future and a sense that peace was increasing in the world (it was post-Cold War and politically, culturally and socially the world was warming up again); a relatively good level of civility and courtesy amongst people and a live-and-let-live philosophy; strong individuality in the sense of personal autonomy; a relatively good level of trust amongst people; a relatively strong concern for the environment; mostly free-range childhoods; and just the right amount of technology [3][5] so that it did not take over people’s lives completely.
Spirituality seemed to be in revival, and books such as The Alchemist and The Celestine Prophecy were popular. The television series Friends was growing in popularity and would later become one of the most watched television series of all time. The film Groundhog Day was notable for its depiction of the trials and tribulations of personal development in a humorous and entertaining way.
Shift Point 2012: Katun 4 Ahau (1993-2012) shifts to Katun 2 Ahau (2012-2032)
Let’s return to our example of a castaway with no communications, but this time let’s imagine that the person was away from mid-2010 to mid-2014 – also, a time period of four years. The actual shift point was in 2012, but the transition took a couple of years to manifest and there was some overlap each way.
Upon returning in 2014, our ex-castaway would probably have been surprised to see virtually everyone, young and old, walking around with Smartphones. That trend had already started in 2010, but it was much less ubiquitous back then. However, by 2014, social networking had more or less completely taken over all social and non-professional communications.
As for music, art, fashion and creativity, there seems to be a consensus on decadeology forums about the lack of many new or original happenings and that there was a general lack of quality in the early- and mid-2010s [6].
The Spirit of the Age: Katun 2 Ahau
By mid-2014, and especially by the start of 2015, the general atmosphere in the developed world already incorporated some of the following characteristics: a general negative outlook for the future and a growing sense that peace was decreasing in the world (the year 2014 was a record year for world conflicts [8][9]); a much-deteriorated level of civility and courtesy amongst people, especially online; a victimhood mentality with the attitude that the world and other people owed people something; weak individuality in terms of personal autonomy combined with high levels of group conformity and finding personal identity in group identity; rapidly deteriorating levels of trust amongst people; a limited concern for the environment; childhoods featuring parents being overprotective on the one hand and outsourcing their parenting to teachers and personal devices on the other; and personal technologies having generally more or less completely taken over people’s lives [5][6][7].
Other impacting features were gender relations taking a turn for the worse; race relations deteriorating; sectarian, cultural and religious conflicts and their negative effects dominating the news more than ever; and protests, especially in the developed world, visibly increasing – and becoming ever more violent [7]. While some of these protests seemed to have legitimate causes, others seemed to be for superficial or artificial reasons, and it often came across as if people were protesting “for the sake of it” or simply to be part of recreational group activities.
The Book Fifty Shades of Grey crossed the 100 million sales mark in 2014, whilst, amongst others, television series such as Black Mirror and Game of Thrones were getting huge ratings. On the big screen, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was raking it in at the box office.
The Yin and Yang of the Katuns
Naturally, neither of the above Katun snapshots tells the whole story – all ages have their positives and negatives and, indeed, their ups and downs. However, the atmosphere of Katun 4 Ahau was well balanced in general, while Katun 2 Ahau is rather unbalanced in comparison, to put it mildly.
From a Maya calendar perspective, the Spirit of the Age of each of these two examples conforms on a basic level to the symbolism found in their numbers known as Tones in the Maya calendars: Tone 4 generally results in a balanced and harmonious atmosphere, while Tone 2 can mean a doubling in strength of duality and polarity.
That’s not to say that positive things are not also happening during our volatile times, but the positives are clearly less evident than the negatives in this Spirit of the Age, compared with that of the one before.
Dealing with Duality
On the surface of it then, with having some perspective on how the present Spirit of the Age differs from the one before, it should not be too difficult for us to conclude that there are various things that we can do in order to work with the elevated levels of polarity that are present in this age.
More than anything, a starting point for each individual could be to define their personal values clearly. Continuously shifting energy, a strong feature of Katun 2 Ahau, is likely to test individual integrity and group values on a regular basis by highlighting inconsistencies, double standards and hypocrisy.
With the influence of the Fifth Element assisting in exposing inconsistencies, the ideal energetic circumstances have been created by the universe to prompt the clarifying and refining of personal values and personal beliefs, whether ideological or otherwise.
Learning how to clearly distinguish between right and wrong in reference to one’s own conscience is, after all, one of the very objectives of the presence of duality and polarity within our paradigm here on Earth.
Paradigm Balancers and Pillar Raisers
There are also other things we can do to avoid falling into the natural traps of polarization. We could revert to levels of etiquette and social behavior as practised during Katun 4 Ahau; we could treat people online in the same way as we treat people off-line; we can set boundaries, show respect and insist on mutual respect in return; we can wean ourselves off excessive use of personal technologies and set time aside for personal development; we can assume more personal responsibility in shaping our social culture; and we can foster self-responsibility within our children and promote that in society in general, thereby dissolving the all-pervasive victimhood culture present in the developed world today.
The Tzolkin as a Guidance System
Positive values, traits and characteristics are naturally embedded in the energies of the days in the sacred Maya Tzolkin calendar. By following the Tzolkin on a daily basis and by paying attention to the higher qualities contained in the combined energies of each day, we can acquire, embrace and come to embody natural, organic and consistent universal values that would not only serve our own selves but would also serve our communities and our environment, regardless of which Katun we find ourselves in.
This process would strengthen conscious personal autonomy and individual identity by getting to know our intrinsic archetypical traits on an individual level. Moreover, it would make us more prepared for dealing with some of the real paradigm shifts that we will be encountering during the rest of this Katun and the one that will follow.
J.J. Montagnier
J.J. Montagnier is a futurologist and travelosopher based in South America. He has an interest in anthropology, mythology, psychology and spirituality. His writings on the Mayan calendars are influenced by his knowledge of Jungian psychology and are also intuitively inspired. The author visited Central America in 2015 to do research on the subject.
This article has been written for general consumption and some concepts have been simplified. The views and opinions are those of the author.
Copyright © 2017 · All Rights Reserved · Gypsy Café
[Please note that this series is a work in progress and some edits to the content may occur after publication. Some content initially earmarked for follow-up chapters might eventually only appear in later chapters due to limitatons in scope of each chapter. Final versions with expanded content will later appear in e-book format].
The Energy Shifts series now has a dedicated home at: http://energyshifts.net/
Internet Resources:
[1] http://komonews.com/news/nation-world/thousands-mark-conclusion-of-5125-year-mayan-calendar-cycle-11-20-2015
[2] http://www.city-data.com/forum/history/1729747-did-early-90s-still-feel-like-3.html
[3] http://www.city-data.com/forum/history/1729747-did-early-90s-still-feel-like-5.html
[4] http://www.city-data.com/forum/history/1729747-did-early-90s-still-feel-like-6.html
[5] http://www.city-data.com/forum/history/1729747-did-early-90s-still-feel-like-7.html
[6] http://www.city-data.com/forum/history/1729747-did-early-90s-still-feel-like-8.html
[7]http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=53991.0http://www.inthe00s.com/index.php?topic=53991.60
[8] http://www.ucdp.uu.se/
[9] http://www.un.org/pga/70/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2016/01/Conflict-and-violence-in-the-21st-century-Current-trends-as-observed-in-empirical-research-and-statistics-Mr.-Alexandre-Marc-Chief-Specialist-Fragility-Conflict-and-Violence-World-Bank-Group.pdf
Bibliography:
The Book of Destiny – Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012, by Carlos Barrios (published in 2009)
The Mayan Prophecies – The Renewal of the World 2012-2072, by Kenneth Johnson, (published in 2012)
The Maya Katun Prophecies, by Bruce Scofield (article: Alternate Perceptions, 1996)
The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel, by Ralph Roys (published in 1933)
The Long and Short of the Mayan Calendar (published in The Mountain Astrologer, Dec. 2004 / Jan. 2005), by Bruce Scofield
7 Comments
Thanks for the insight, Jacques! Your desert island analogy really helped to put this in perspective. in lak’ech, Debra
Glad it helped, Debra!
In lak’ech
Jacques
JJ,
While the year of 2012 is significant from a symbolic point of view, I hold that the 9/11 event created an instant paradigm shift from cheerful to fearful, at least in the US. It happened in the middle of the dot.com bust, and Entron’s collapse made headlines the following month. Many of the victim-thinking seeds were sown way before that, but they have grown into weeds since, with the witch-hunt for terrorists, the wars, growing prison population, drug explosion, and the general paranoia–to name a few–all feeding off each other.
I responded to your comment on my blog about the above interview with Yasuhiko Genku Kimura. He seems to link 2012 with the incoming Age of Aquarius (in astrological terms). The age would show itself in things Aquarian, like the brotherhood of man (universal and detached rather than personal love), electronics, communication, including mental telepathy. As “fixed air” it is scientifically minded but inclined to be rigid. Iconoclastic. Co-rulers Saturn and Uranus, suggesting order within chaos, or chaos periodically upsetting order. Saturn castrated his father Uranus and was forever fearful that his own children would do the same to him.
You mention personal growth. In astrology, the energies in themselves are neither good nor bad. The distinction lies in how they are used, such as the ways people use social media.
By the way, in astrology, the moon’s nodes complete a cycle every 19.5 years. The nodes symbolize karma, and the direction a person needs to grow.
Katharine, very good points – yes, that event was indeed a paradigm shift – I’m sure a complete, almost instant paradigm shift in the U.S. Even outside the U.S. the global atmosphere was markedly changed afterwards.
Very interesting points about the Age of Aquarius! Thank you for sharing – your description definitely matches what seems to be happening right now with technology and iconoclasm and the general trends. I will look into this – please let me know if you have any links.
My feeling from reading some of the Mayan forecasts is that later on in the New Age, some of these things may be left behind – for example mass technologies – because most of them have a negative impact on the planet – also, we may experience power problems in terms of energy (electricity generation) in the future, so we are likely to – to a certain extent – have to revert back to traditional living – on a practical level.
Thank you also for the mention of the 19.5 year moon nodes cycle – something new to me too – my knowledge on Western Astrology is rather limited.
I think being able to distinguish between “wrong and right” is necessary in order to develop morality – and to evolve. Morality is necessary as a component of human development: on a spiritual level. (It has its shadow side too however, in the form of puritanism – as we can see a lot today in relation to the application of over-zealous political correctness.)
Here is a very interesting talk on morality by Yasuhiko Genko Kimura – also from the Involution and Evolution point of view – not sure I agree with everything he says, but he certainly makes a good case for why we need morality and how important it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUvcvzvEnrc
JJ,
I watched the video but have a slightly different view about morality, because animals are essentially amoral, from a human perspective, but they seem to have their own standards of right and wrong. I like to claim all animals gather at the watering hole. There is a give-and-take in nature that we humans only dimly understand and appreciate even less.
I’m thinking of writing a blog about astrology, because there are so many misconceptions. Glad you appreciate the tidbits I’ve passed on. There’s not much on the internet about it, at least nothing I would recommend.
About the mass technologies . . . we may leave them behind. Another aspect of the Aquarian Age is the development of mental telepathy and “psychic sciences.”
Finally, you may like the Seth series, by Jane Roberts. Seth is a discarnate “energy essence” channeled by medium Jane Roberts, whose husband took verbatim notes when she went into trance. The first is “Seth Speaks,” but my favorite is “The Nature of Personal Reality.” The books cover a broad range of subjects, but I’ve found over and over that they support what I believe and take the thoughts further.
Katharine, thank you for your comment. There is, as you say, a give and take principle in nature in terms of the ecosystem, but some animals also serve as food for other animals. To use the watering hole analogy: all the non-predators come and drink together, but there are often crocodiles lurking just beneath the surface and lions waiting in the bush, just a few yards or metres away.
(Modern) Humans however, find themselves at the top of the chain in the ecosystem in relation to other animals, and have grown a sense of superiority in terms of “ruling” over all – and it is this sense of superiority that is causing it (the human race) to destroy the planet and its own ecosystem and thereby committing ecocide.
Indigenous peoples used to (and still do) revere animals as sacred and as being equal (but different) beings. Although animals serve humans in terms of food, indigenous peoples show thanks through ritual and ceremony to thank the animals for their sacred sacrifice in this life. That way, they never lose respect for their fellow beings and they have a similar approach to the natural environment. In this regard, modern (Western) people do not need to learn anything profoundly new – they just need to learn from indigenous peoples… which for the moment is considered “going backwards”, because it is counter-intuitive to what progress is in a modern sense.
Humanity – if taken as a single unit – has not managed to tame its ego yet, and it is its own ego that will be the death of it – and of everyone / every other living thing – if it does not manage to tame it. Animals function on instinct. Human instinct is much diminished and the ego has replaced it in terms of a driving force.
Humans are still in development, and we have not reached a stage yet where we can naturally step over our egos – once we reach that stage we will be living from our whole and authentic Self – in the meantime it takes years of hard work and dedication (personal development / spiritual growth) for an individual to reach a stage where he or she can step over (or side-step) ego sufficiently to not be drawn into ego politics that permeates all levels of human interaction as well as interaction with our environment.
This new paradigm that we are slowly going into will demand deep and consistent inner work. Most people are still waiting for instant paradigm shifts to magically transform them in a flash, but that’s not how it works.
Each individual’s Authentic Self can only be reached through deep introspection (and a few hard knocks in life), but there is no culture of introspection in the developed world, which is why so many people [even more than before, since the introduction of mass technologies*] project so much [*because there’s even less space/time for introspection than before]. By projecting upon others, responsibilities are rejected on a consistent basis – and there is not much room for conscience to fully come into play either – for the same reasons.
On telepathy – yes, I think that is a very likely development – and intuitively I’m inclined to think that all the mass technologies that people are now so willingly addicted to, are actually limiting them from tuning into telepathy, which is more likely to be(come) accessible without so much self-imposed electronic interference.
On channelling – I tend to take a Jungian view on it, which is that what is being channelled is most likely from the deep unconscious (sub-conscious) – if I remember well, Jung viewed this as repressed components deep within the psyche (split off parts, coming to the fore), so it is not (in Jung’s opinion) being channelled from outside, but from within. So, I tend to view the concept from that perspective.
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