Later this year, as the Maya Long Count Calendar comes to a close, we will be completing a huge cosmic cycle and entering a new era. We have been dealing with change for years and now even more change is on its way. We all know change is a constant; it runs through our lives day after day, year after year. You would think we would be used to it by now, but it still seems to bring up immense fear for many of us.

Maybe it is time to get over that, to welcome change, to befriend it, to learn from it. It definitely feels like it is time to stop fighting it.

I think the Ancient Maya had a very different perspective on change. They not only accepted change, they initiated it. They welcomed the wisdom and knowledge of the universe, grounded it in Mother Earth, and created something beautiful and lasting. They finished what they came here to do and left it for us to discover when we were ready. As you walk through the majestic sites of Uxmal, Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tikal, you know the architects of these structures and the teachers in these temples changed the world around them. Did they not have to deal with the fear that we seem to attach to change?

Of course, if they lived in a more balanced world, one where the material was balanced with the spiritual, that would make a difference. Today our world is so out of balance and so focused on the material world. When we look at change from the material side only, we see change as loss. I hear people talking about losing their youth, losing their jobs, losing their parents, their friends, and on and on. Maybe it is time to reframe our views of change and change the way we look at change. Maybe we can start looking at completing things, rather than losing them.

I completed my youth and became an adult. I enjoyed being young but I also enjoy being an adult. I want to work at being a better adult and I don’t believe that hanging on to my youth will help me do that. As much as I thought I knew everything when I was 20, the truth is that I did not. That part of my life is complete and although I can remember it, visit it, learn from my experiences during it, and honor it, I cannot be young forever.

Accepting the passage of my youth is not easy to accept in a world that equates youth with beauty, health, passion, and all the good things in life. Fortunately, I have a beautiful, healthy, and passionate mother who will be 95 this year and who, by example, helps me keep all of this in prospective. She is currently teaching a 93-year-old woman how to paint with watercolors. Somewhere along the way my mother got over the fear of being “old”. I remember her at her 80th birthday party telling me that somewhere inside she still feels 30. She didn’t lose her youth; it is still a part of who she is. She just didn’t buy into the myth that is it the ONLY worthwhile part of her.

Relationships are another way we are tested and taught how to deal with our fear of change. There is an element of completion there too. My marriage ended when the relationship with my husband was completed. We had shared and learned what we came together to learn and then we parted. I am not saying it was easy. But now I can see that it was complete. There was no longer a reason to be together.

One of my biggest lessons about change came when Erik, my best friend and teacher, died. His death felt like a huge loss. This was not a change that I welcomed or accepted easily. But I never lost him or our relationship. Yes, things changed. Our relationship in the material world was complete. We had completed all we needed to or could do in this dimension. But our connection was not lost. Ours changed into a spiritual relationship which is at least as satisfying, if not more so, than the old one. My current relationship with Erik is exciting and I have so much more to learn from him. Erik is still actively working as my teacher. The transition was not an easy one to make, and not something I would choose to do again, but I still have Erik in my life. And, thankfully, I no longer see his passing as an unbearable loss.

This has taught me to see the gifts that come with change. When a job ends, it is because I have done all I can there, learned all I need to and am ready for greater things. When something of mine gets stolen or lost, I realize I no longer need that thing and am ready for something greater. The same is true with friendships. I am beginning to see that change does not equal loss.

At some point we will all face our last major change: our death. Maybe instead of losing our life, we can complete it. I think our time on Earth is up when we either have completed our purpose or have given up on it. Given a choice, I think completion is the way to go. I am here in the Yucatan, Heart of the Ancient Maya World, for a reason. I intend to keep following my path, learn what I can from all the change in my life, work on my purpose, and do my best. When this life is over, I hope to be able to say I did what I came here to do, and to accept that my life isn’t just over, it is complete.

It was the Full Moon last night and some friends came over to join me in a Full Moon Ceremony honoring the Maya Goddess Ix’Cheel.

Ten years ago, before moving to Mérida, there were few ceremonies in my life… weddings, graduations, but that was about it. And I don’t recall a lot of “ceremony” in those. Today, ceremony plays a big a part in my life. I don’t know how I survived all those years without it.

We do ceremony with all the groups that come on our journey. We often do a ceremony every day that they are here. For many, it is a new experience and I always find it interesting to see how they handle it.

Calling Ix’Cheel For the First Time

Myself, I loved it from the very first time. Being in the circle felt safe. I was able to relax and enjoy it. Somehow, it felt familiar, like coming home. Then one morning we were with a group at Pedro’s, on the way to Uxmal, and stopped to do a sunrise ceremony. Everything was going along as usual: Miguel Angel called in the East, the West, the North, and the South. Then, for the first time, he turned to me and asked me to call in Mother Ix’Cheel. I froze, thinking I couldn’t do it. I kept saying “I can’t do it” and he kept saying “Yes, you can” until I finally did it. Why was it so difficult for me?

That was seven or eight years ago and I still remember the fear of calling in Ix’Cheel, the Mother, the Sacred Feminine, for the first time. The fear I felt took away my voice. I didn’t understand what was going on, or why I couldn’t speak. The words just wouldn’t come and I felt awful. I felt I was letting down the group, my teacher Miguel Angel, and the Goddess Ix’Cheel. I was behind a wall of fear and couldn’t find my way through it. It finally dissolved enough for me to get my prayer out and we were able to move on with the ceremony. I honestly expected Miguel Angel to give up on me at that point, but instead he has called on me from that time on to evoke the Sacred Feminine in all the ceremonies.

Time to Raise the Sacred Feminine

I know there was a time when working openly with the Sacred Feminine could brand you as a witch and even cost you your life. For many of us who have memories of that time, doing this work today can bring those fears to the surface. They were very real at the time and many of our experiences from those times were very traumatic. But times have changed. Those past days were not the time for the Sacred Feminine to rise, but these days, the time has come. The fears are surfacing so we can let them go. Releasing them is important if we are going to do what we are came here to do in this lifetime. We need to have our voices!

I have been fortunate to have a teacher like Miguel Angel and to be able to work with Maya Goddesses Ix’Cheel and Ix’Mukane in ceremony after ceremony. It has taken time and a lot of practice but I noticed last night in the Full Moon ceremony the words were coming effortlessly, and that felt good.

Ceremony has given me a safe place to allow the Sacred Feminine fully back into my life. It has been an incredible gift and one I want to share with everyone. From that painful morning years ago when I couldn’t find the words to invoke the Mother, to last night when I led a Full Moon ceremony on my own, has been a fascinating journey. I have come to truly appreciate ceremony for many things, not the least of which is what I have learned from participating.

We have many groups coming this year which means we will be doing many ceremonies. I look forward to each and every one of them.

I’ve been thinking about getting my astrological birth chart done. At a certain age, life is no longer all about where you are going, but more about where you are at this moment. I recently had a birthday (turned 65) and I want to look at where I am and see where I fit into the big picture at this time in my life.

The ancient Maya understood exactly where they were in relationship to the Universe. You can see it in the precise placement of their temples and pyramids which mark the equinoxes and solstices each year. Maybe it was this relationship with the cosmos that allowed them to manifest great things here on Earth.Maybe belonging to the Universe in this way put them in contact with resources, beings, and information that we can’t access if we insist on being so Earth-bound.

For many years we have been taking groups to visit Maya elders and shamans. They smiled at us and gave us cleansings and blessings, often speaking only in Maya. It was good and the people enjoyed it.

This year when we visit the Maya elders and priests it is different. Now they want to talk to us, to tell us their stories, to share their teachings, answer questions, and they want to ask questions too. Something has changed. In the last few months I have even heard them talk openly about their personal connection with the Universe.

Recently one Maya priest was talking to a group of us about being visited by tall beings from the stars. He told us it was on more than one occasion and sometimes he would travel with them to their home planet. He spoke about it in a down-to-earth manner, as if he were talking about a trip to the market.

Shortly after that I heard almost the same story from another Maya elder who also talked about visits from tall beings from the stars. The ancient books and oral traditions of the Maya talk about this but hearing it discussed by a living Maya priest really made me think about it. The idea of accessing the intelligence of the Universe in this way intrigues me and whatever it is, and however it works, I want to know more.

I spend a lot of my time at the Maya sacred sites with people from all over the world. Some of them can name all the constellations and others have trouble knowing which way is east. However, I notice they all sit and listen to the Maya priest as he talks about his experiences in the Universe. Many are even nodding their heads like they know what he was talking about. But they don’t mention it on the way back to the hotel. There is no conversation about the star people. I think we instinctively know the truth when we hear it even if we are not ready to talk about it.

I don’t know if I am ready for a visit from the star people just yet, but it is 2012 and I think it is time to broaden my horizons. So, I no longer just live in Mérida, Mexico, Planet Earth. I now live in the Universe, and I want to know more about my neighborhood. Fortunately my work can help me with this. I was at the Maya sites for the equinox last month and I’ll be visiting them again in May for the alignment with the Pleiades, the Venus Transit in June, and the Solstice later in June. I work with Maya Goddess Ix’Cheel in the New Moon and Full Moon ceremonies so I have probably been building a personal relationship with the Universe for some time.

Now I am ready to start doing it a little more consciously. I’ll get my chart done and have a good look at where I am and what I am doing here. I am ready to stake claim to my place in the universe.

I am going to Chichen Itzá in a couple of weeks. I have probably been there close to a hundred times. Even so, I am really looking forward to this visit because we are going to be making a special connection with the Pleiades Constellation.

But frankly, I look forward to each visit, even when nothing extraordinary is planned. I always leave the site feeling satisfied and at peace. I know many of my friends don’t understand this, and maybe think I am a little weird, but what I don’t understand is someone saying, “Chichen Itzá, oh yeah, I’ve been there.” Like a three or four hour visit is enough? They’re probably the same people that can eat half a chocolate bar and put the rest in the fridge, one more thing I’ll never understand.

Chichen Itzá is huge and even after many visits, I know I have not seen all of it. When I go with our groups we often visit the same areas over and over again. And each time it is different. Each time I see something new, or understand something in a new way.

Each group we take there is so different and I get to see it fresh through their eyes. Last month we were there with a group of 30 people from Taiwan and China. Other times it has been with people from Australia, Singapore, Europe, Turkey, and even Peru. And when the group is mostly Canadians and Americans there is always such a variety of viewpoints I can’t help but still find it incredibly interesting. I have been there with eighteen-year-olds and eighty-year-olds and everything in between. Each one of them has contributed to my understanding and enjoyment of the magic of Chichen Itzá.

Last month I was walking through the site with the Chinese group and was fascinated all over again by the Pyramid of K’uKuulKaan. I could not get enough of it! I took dozens of pictures and spent a lot of time just standing in front of it in awe. It was alive and calling me. Amazing! Other times I can walk right by it without much more than a glance. Sometimes it is the Ball Court, or the Cenotes, or the Observatory that calls me, and other times it is the hidden out-of-the-way temples that speak to me. Often it’s just being there that makes me happy.

For me, going to Chichen Itzá is like re-reading a favorite book. I read all the Jane Austin novels over and over again. I used to find comfort in knowing how they were going to end;  I could just relax and enjoy the words. That is what Chichen Itzá is to me… comforting, dependable, welcoming. This last visit, I decided to stop analyzing it and enjoy the fact that it nurtures me in a way no other place can.

In order to be renewed and energized some people may return over and over again to Paris, or their home town, or to the sea. Me, I go to Chichen Itzá. I’ll be there in a couple of weeks and I am really looking forward to it.

What is the Maya Prophecy of 2012?

It is about a time of hope, humility, forgiveness, love … a time of prayer, of plenty … a time to go to our roots, to the very depths of our being … a time to share who we are and what we have with all humankind who are in need at this moment … this moment, this great eternal moment in the Universe …

There are no dates … because time does not really exist … Do you still remember when you were a child? Remember your feelings, your emotions, your memories?  Nothing has changed in your spirit …only the body, which is the cocoon, will show in the skin the fibers of experience built from every moment… moments of peace and serenity… these make a life worthwhile…a beautiful life, a full life, the scent of a rose reaching deep through our divine breath…anything can happen in a day…because everything is dynamic change, me, you, us, a tree, a stone, a cloud, and a flower…poems that make you feel in your soul the deep beauty and perfection of a magical moment that encapsulates all life and all the energy contained in an atom, all life both large and small…

The prophecy of 2012 will only be the reflection of our state of consciousness, seen through the great mirror which is life, the strong sense of belonging to the Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky… this eternal moment is worth everything … everything you are … everything you feel … everything that lives … everything that breathes … Is it you?

Look into the depths of the cosmos from the earth and you will find all the answers you need …

Look inside yourself, see who you really are! And put the best of your heart into everything you do! Treat humankind like you want it to treat you!

There is only one path … the one of the true heart! This is the Maya Prophecy of 2012.

Miguel Ángel Vergara

In Spanish:

¿Qué es la Profecía Maya del 2012?

Es una fecha de esperanza, de fe, de humildad, de perdón, de amor … de oración – plena … de ir a nuestras raíces, hasta lo mas profundo de nuestro ser … es compartir lo que somos y tenemos con toda la humanidad que nos necesita en este momento … este momento es un gran instante eterno en el universo …

No hay fechas … porque el tiempo en realidad no existe … ¿Aun recuerdas cuando eras un niño o niña, tus sentimientos, tus emociones, tus recuerdos?  Nada ha cambiado en tu espirito … solo el cuerpo que es el capullo que va mostrando en la piel las fibras de la experiencia construida a cada instante … instantes de paz y serenidad … estos valen una vida … vida hermosa, vida plena, aroma de una rosa, que llega profundo a través de nuestro aliento-divino … todo puede suceder en un día … porque todo es dinámico cambia, yo, tu, nosotros, el árbol, la piedra, la nube y la flor … poemas que hacen sentir al alma, la bellaza profundo y perfecta de un momento mágico que encierra toda la vida y toda la energía que contiene el átomo, la vida en pequeño y grande …

La profecía 2012, solo será el reflejo de nuestro estado de conciencia, visto en el gran espejo que es la vida, el intenso sentido de pertenecer al corazón de la tierra y emocionarnos con el Corazón del Cielo … ese instante eterno la vale todo … todo lo que eres … todo lo que sientes … todo lo que vives … todo lo que respiras …¿Eres?

Ve en lo profundo del cosmos, de la tierra y encontraras todas las respuestas que necesitas …

¡Mira haci adentro de ti, vé lo que tu erres! Y da a todos lo mejor de tu corazón!  ¡Sirve a la humanidad, como quisieras que te sirvieron a ti!

Solo hay on camino … ¡El del corazón-sincero! Esto en cierra la profecía Maya, 2012 …

Miguel Ángel Vergara

Standing in a circle on a pyramid in Izamal I am listening to and participating in the chanting of Maya sacred mantras led by Miguel Angel Vergara. I am not thinking about anything, just being present in the moment.  Slowly and gently I become aware that Itzamna, ancient Maya Wisdom Teacher, is standing right in front of me. He is big, maybe twice the size of a normal person, and although incredibly strong not the least bit threatening. I feel myself step forward and say, “I am at your service, show me what I need to do”. This feels perfectly normal. There is no clash of thunder and bolt of lightening. I just feel infused by light and a special knowing. I still hear the chanting and as Miguel Angel brings it to a close and continues with the ceremony, the “knowing” stays with me. Ten days later it is still with me. I experienced a very deep shift in my being and have been given an incredible gift. A veil has been lifted and my spiritual purpose is becoming clear.

Our Path to 2012 journey continued for about another week and I was not the only one having life-changing experiences. Before we even finished the tour two of the people had signed up for the next program in January. Others are planning to join us again on the Maya Sacred Path to 2012 which will be in Guatemala in November / December 2011. Still others are planning to join us on our Crystal Skull Conference and Pilgrimage in March 2011. In between these programs there will be a number of workshops and intensives based on the Maya Sacred Wisdom. Some of them are filling up even before I can get them on the website.  I am looking forward to all of them.

As 2012 approaches I see many of the Maya “experts” from outside bringing groups here and I am sure many of them will include good information and provide enjoyable journeys. However, if you feel ready for a deep, life-changing experience, I suggest you consider joining us for one of our programs. Miguel Angel Vergara lives and works here in the Yucatan. He has dedicated his life to the study of the Maya Sacred Wisdom and truly knows what he is doing. My experience was not exceptional, or even unusual. It is what happens when you work with a Master Teacher.

My teacher Miguel Angel Vergara told me the other day that for the first time in over 5,000 years, the ancient Maya teachers are opening their hearts to share their wisdom with world during this exciting time of transformation of consciousness. I know from personal experience that just being here in the Yucatan… walking through the ancient sites, climbing the pyramids, meditating in the sacred temples, swimming in the cenotes, and exploring the caves, connects me to this wisdom. One of the most powerful tools to draw in and help focus these profound ancient teachings is the Crystal Skulls.

Crystals are formed deep in the heart of Mother Earth. When carved into the shape of our skulls they become mirrors to help us awaken to the knowledge and gifts within and all around us. They help us tune into the vibration of the Crystal Heart of Mother Earth. The transformation of consciousness starts with our Mother Earth. It is our planet who is evolving to a higher level, and we as humans living on this planet need to raise our vibration to stay in tune with her and to assist her during this process. The Crystal Skulls are amazing tools to help us do this.

Star Johnsen-Moser, who has been working with both ancient and modern Crystal Skulls for many years, is truly gifted at bringing the light in through her Crystal Skulls and Stargates. She is connecting the Heart of the Sky through the Crystal Skulls to the Heart of the Earth, and allowing us access to this light to raise our own vibration. When she brings in the light at the ancient Maya sites she of course attracts all the ancient teachers to join us and share their knowledge.

Star will be one of the Crystal Skull caretakers joining us on our Maya Crystal Skull Conference and Pilgrimage in March 2011. Miguel Angel Vergara, with his Crystal Skull and vast knowledge of the ancient Maya wisdom, will be leading us as we visit three powerful Maya sites: Chichen Itza (during the Spring Equinox), Palenque (site of the mystery of the 13 Crystal Skulls), and Tikal (where we connect with the Crystal Heart of Mother Earth). As anyone who traveled with us last year on our Crystal Skull adventure will tell you, it is going to be an incredible experience with all kinds of surprises.

2011 is going to be an important year for the evolution of our Planet and Humankind. Visiting the Maya sites with the Crystal Skulls and learning from the ancient Maya teachers could be a good way to prepare for all the changes to come in 2012.