Main Temple view, Yaxhá, Petén province, Guatemala (Photo: JJM – 2015)

**

*For background on the Mayan Fifth World and the Fifth Element, please see: The Maya World Tree

Introduction

The first five years of the new Great Cycle, the Mayan Fifth World, turned out much less apocalyptic than initially forecasted, considering the dire predictions for 2012 and notwithstanding considerable upheaval between 2012 and 2017.

In the years leading up to 2012, many people in the Mayanism movement threw bits and pieces of a broad selection of prophecies – from a range of indigenous peoples from Mesoamerica, North America, and sometimes even Asia – all together and then projected them onto one day, i.e. December 21, 2012. By doing so, all contexts and time frames were lost and since then the majority of self-proclaimed experts have disappeared into the proverbial ether.

When doing a more in-depth analysis of the original Mayan prophecies, it becomes apparent that it’s early days yet. Energetically speaking, the most volatile times of the great shift of the ages are still ahead of us. Very significant events can be expected to occur during the next 35 years, and they will have to do with metaphysical – as well as physical – energy shifts, transitions and configurations.

The Original Mayan Prophecies

The original Mayan prophecies began from within various aspects of this ancient civilization’s rich history and culture, a culture that has spanned over more than 12,000 years by Mayan estimations [1]. Today, many of their prophecies are still accessible and can be found in various places such as in the Mayan Codices that had survived the Spanish conquest; in ancient Mayan mythologies, for example, in the Mayan creation story and on various stone stellae at archeological sites in Mesoamerica; on murals in excavated Mayan pyramid inner rooms; on preserved ceramics displayed or found in museums and private collections; and in several of the ancient Mayan calendar systems that have prophecies naturally embedded within them by design [2].

Serious modern-day scholars and archaeologists would usually refer to some or several of the above-mentioned sources. There are also prophecies that had been passed down from generation to generation through folklore and by word of mouth, but they would usually be unknown to those outside the Mayan culture.

This article and others will selectively focus on accessible Mayan prophecies from authentic sources that are specifically relevant to our discussion. The objective is to consider the prophecies that can be correlated with real events – past and present – and to look into some of the symbolism which would relate to future events.

Time, Space and Energy

In order to have a general understanding of how the Mayans perceived and measured time, a few time-related concepts need to be taken into account. The Mayan perception of time encompasses energy and space. Everything contains, and therefore is, energy. The energies measured and mapped emanate from the earth, from the four directions and from the cosmos – and everyone is affected by them.

For the Mayans, time is circular and cyclical, depending on which aspects of it are being measured; however, there is an overall linear progression in the long run. Time is measured and counted for different reasons and with different objectives. The calendars interact with each other to form cycles (and circles) within cycles. Some Mayan calendars measure agricultural cycles, while others measure human cycles and yet others are used for ceremony or prophecy. There are as many as twenty Mayan calendars in existence, but several of them have fallen out of use for various reasons.

In contemporary terms, few people would normally be conscious of these energies, but all people would be subconsciously aware of them. For example, sometimes these energies can be felt or sensed. Days, weeks and even years “feel” different from others. However, outside of Western astrology, the idea that time periods could have different energetic patterns – which actually could have practical, literal or physical effects – is usually not taken very seriously.

Archetypes and Symbolism

Mayan archetypes, deities or gods were assigned to express, depict and present the characteristics of these energies. Thereby, time and energy were given “shape”, so to speak. The traits and characteristics of these archetypes, deities and gods would then “embody” the natures of the ages, in order to understand and “see” them better. This gave time dimensional qualities that go far beyond the concept of time simply being measured as an arbitrary linear process.

Epochs, millennia, decades, days and events were mapped symbolically by this method which was also integrated within the Mayan hieroglyphic writing system. In this way, the Mayans were always conscious of their position in time. It was almost like living in a cyclical story. They knew where they were on each day, they knew where they came from, and they knew where they were heading to, all within an energetic and symbolic context while having had practical implications within their community context as well.

This is the gift that the classic Mayan civilization has left for the world, and it is especially relevant during these times that we live in.  Simply put, since people in the modern world do not generally sense or appreciate the subtle energies that influence their lives on a daily basis, systems such as the Mesoamerican calendars can be of immense value to them in providing a map of the unknown. Furthermore, it could enable them to anticipate the general characteristics of future time frames within particular time periods, as the Mayans did.

Circles, Cycles and Linearity

The circles and cycles that come around again are never absolutely the same every time. They have similar characteristics, but it is worth remembering that there are smaller cycles (and circles) within larger ones, with the very large ones stretching many thousands of years into the past and future. As all these cycles turn and interact, almost like cogs in a grand energetic mechanism (or rather in a grand energetic organism), not all of the larger wheels would be at the same place every time a cycle recurs. There are various layers, with the smaller cycles turning faster than the larger ones.

For example, 19.7-year time frames are known as Katuns, with particular characteristics coming around every 256 years (the length of the entire cycle of 13 Katuns). However, a 19.7-year Katun happening during the beginning stages of a Great Cycle of 5,125 years would not be exactly the same as the same Katun happening somewhere in the middle of a Great Cycle. That is because the entire cycle of 256 years would fit into 5,125 years several times over (20 times to be exact), and the Great Cycle would be at an energetic peak in its middle (about 2,500 years into it) while it would be at an energetic low at its beginning and end. Therefore, at the Great Cycle’s high point, the 19.7-year Katun would be affected by the peak energy of the 5,125-year Great Cycle, whereas that same Katun would be affected by the low energy of the Great Cycle at the start of the Great Cycle.

Prophecies can, therefore, only ever be a guideline as to how things may turn out.  Nevertheless, the accuracy and power of the prophetic Mayan calendars should not be underestimated. That is if we can manage to read them, considering their complexity. Throughout the rest of this article and its follow-up installments, a humble attempt will be made towards doing so.

The Ending of Cycles

Let us now take a brief look at the endings of several significant cycles, which automatically indicate that they would be followed by the beginning of new cycles. A brief summary of the characteristics or prophetic relevance of each cycle will also follow. Later on (in future chapters), some of the deeper symbolism of the prophecies relevant to the ending of some of these cycles will be delved into.

  • The 468-year Bolom Tiku Cycle ended in 1987. This was the end of a dark age (and the beginning of an age of light, called ‘Oxlajuj Tiku’, that will last 676 years [1]). In the immediate years after the Bolom Tiku Cycle ended, major events unfolded in the world during the start of Oxlajuj Tiku such as the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989), the end of the Soviet Union (1991), the end of apartheid in South Africa (1991-94), and the beginning of the Northern Ireland Peace Process (1994).
  • The 5,125-year 4th Great Cycle, also known as the ‘Mayan Fourth World’, ended on 21 December, 2012. This was the end of a very long cycle ruled by masculine energy and the element of water [3]. It was also the beginning of the Mayan Fifth World which is meant to be ruled by both masculine and feminine energies and would have the combined four elements of the previous four cycles – namely, Fire, Air, Earth and Water, plus an additional element, Ether [1][3]. (We were five years into this new Great Cycle at the time of writing in 2017.)  
  • The 19.7-year Katun cycle named ‘4 Ahau’ that started on 6 April, 1993 ended on the 21 December, 2012. Throughout the ages, this Katun has had strong spiritual qualities and, while it contained some upheaval, too, it would appear to be one of the most balanced Katuns overall. During the most recent Katun 4 Ahau, there was a powerful revival of Eastern spirituality and philosophy within the Western world – and the New Age movement grew in leaps and bounds.
  • The 19.7-year Katun cycle named ‘2 Ahau’ started on December 22, 2012 and will end on 7 September, 2032. This was the beginning of a 19.7-year period that symbolically and energetically has strong qualities related to polarization and upheaval, while there are also some positive aspects to this cycle, too. (At the time of writing in 2017, we were five years into this Katun.)
  • The 19.7-year Katun named ‘13 Ahau’ will start on 8 September, 2032 and will end on May 25, 2052. This is a 19.7-year time period that has been observed by the Mayans to be a Katun that is symbolically dark and has proven to be one of the most unstable of all the Katuns, with the world usually being ‘turned upside down’, symbolically and literally (the world being the Mayan lands in Central America at the time.) However, some of the symbolism attached to the energy of the number (known as a tone) 13 has high spiritual qualities in the Mayan calendars.
  • The entire prophetic Katuns’ cycle of 256 years that started in 1796 and will end in 2052.

The last couple of Katuns in the 256-year cycle are always considered to be unstable, and they usually include the collapse of systems and structures. According to prophecy, the beginning of a brand new 256-year prophetic cycle would subsequently usher in a new dawn and a complete rejuvenation of the world. Symbolically, Katuns 2 and 13 Ahau (2012 – 2052) constitute the winding down and final collapse of the Old World, before the New World rises from the ashes.

Why are these cycles important?

The first three cycles mentioned above provide immediate reference points for events that have already taken place. They will be evaluated in a future installment to determine whether they, indeed, signified any real changes in terms of real-world events. If they did, for example, in the case of the changeover from one Katun to the next, it would illustrate how each Katun embodies a ‘Spirit of the Age’ (in Western terms also known as a ‘zeitgeist’).

This should provide evidence that the shifting or changing of the Spirit of the Age can happen relatively fast from one short age to the next, compared to the time that it takes from a very long cycle to the following one due to the transition, gestation and maturation stages being longer. For example, many people were surprised that nothing happened at the end of 2012, but we are, in fact, still accelerating deeper into the ‘birth canal’ of the transition phase between two Great Cycles, and multiple changes will be experienced along the way.

The rest of Katun 2 Ahau and the entire Katun 13 Ahau will happen during the next 35 years, between 2017 (at the time of writing) and 2052. The entire Katuns’ cycle of 256 years will end in 2052, which would probably be the most significant ending of all the cycles in the context of the overall discussion. If we are lucky, humanity should exit the first and most volatile stage of the transition ‘birth canal’ around that time.

Importantly, the next 35 years could potentially be experienced (lived through) by the majority of people alive today under the age of fifty. Those of us who are going to be around will have to deal with the upcoming changes. The younger the person, the more likely it is that they would experience most or all of it, depending on location, circumstances and events. How it all plays out on a local level would have a lot to do with people’s attitudes towards the whole process.

In the next installments, a deeper analysis of the prophecies related to the cycles listed in this article will be undertaken. The purpose of some of these energies will also be explored from a human development point view.

Continue to Chapter 2 >>

By J.J. Montagnier

This article has been written for general consumption, and some concepts have been simplified. The views and opinions are those of the author. 

[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/

References:

  1. The Book of Destiny – Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012, by Carlos Barrios (published in 2009)
  2. Wayeb Notes No. 30. http://www.wayeb.org/notes/wayeb_notes0030.pdf
  3. Carlos Barrios, Mayan elder: http://goldenspearshealing.com/articles/carlos-barrios-mayan-elder/
  4. The Mayan Prophecies – The Renewal of the World 2012 – 2072, by Kenneth Johnson (published in 2012)

Bibliography:

  1. The Book of Destiny – Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012, by Carlos Barrios (published in 2009) [1] [2] 
  2. The Mayan Prophecies – The Renewal of the World 2012 – 2072, by Kenneth Johnson (published in 2012)
  3. The Maya Katun Prophecies, by Bruce Scofield (Article: Alternate Perceptions, 1996)
  4. The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel, by Ralph Roys (published in 1933)
  5. The Long and Short of the Mayan Calendar (Published in The Mountain Astrologer, Dec. 2004 / Jan. 2005) by Bruce Scofield
COPYRIGHT © 2017 · ALL RIGHTS RESERVED · GYPSY CAFÉ
Author

Explorer, Philosopher, Photographer

6 Comments

  1. Fascinating read, as always. I admit, during the lead up to December 21, 2012 I didn’t pay much attention to talk of Mayan calendars: I figured it was all Hollywood hype. But your discussions of Mayan prophecies seem much more credible. I hope I get to learn more about some of these concepts when I’m in Belize, learning about Mayan culture.

    • Hello Josh. Thank you for your input. I had a strong feeling that there was much more to the Mayan prophecies than how they were presented in the lead up to 2012, but due to the complexity and relative obscurity of some of it, it is only now that I have pieced enough information together to come to the conclusions that I have in these articles.

      There are Maya elders and priests who have attempted to make the true information of their calendars and prophecies more accessible to the public, but their works were swamped by the commercial frenzy and hype at the time. It’s amazing how interest has dwindled since then.

      I can recommend Carlos Barrios’s book: The Book of Destiny for a great overview of Mayan spirituality, history, the prophecies and their calendars. While you are in Belze I think you would have the perfect opportunity to learn more and I hope you meet someone there who would be able to fill you in more – and I look forward to reading about it! I found the people in Belize to be quite talkative and friendly.

      • Thanks for the book recommendation, Jacques. I’d love to learn more about real Mayan spirituality and calendars, besides just the commercial hype. It is remarkable how few people are talking about Mayan calendars now that the world didn’t end in 2012.

        • Your’e welcome, Josh! Yes, I think a lot of people think that the Mayan calendar was wrong (due it having been misrepresented), so they have lost interest, which is a real shame. Perhaps as time progresses people will return to the real purpose and benefits of the calendars (specifically the sacred *Tzolkin calendar) when they start to seek out solutions for living in harmony with their inner selves and their environment.

          The *Tzolkin – “What’s Your Mayan Sun Sign?”
          http://www.mayanmajix.com/TZOLKIN/index.php

  2. Great article Jacques – Thanks for weaving together all those resources. This is such a clear presentation… plenty for the ‘reasoning mind’ to grab onto. Very well done.
    Debra

  3. Your feedback is appreciated, Debra – I wrote this having the uninitiated and the layperson in mind, so if it comes through clear, then Ive reached my objective. Also, there are a lot of people who would not normally pay any attention to anything “metaphysical”, so the reasoning and rational part is for them.
    Thanks again.
    Jacques

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