ARTIST: Susanna Isabella

TITLE: Stargate 111

MEDIUM: Acrylic on canvas

CONTACT: www.susannaisabella.com.au

 

FEATURE ARTICLE

Everyone is talking about the Mayan Prophecies of 2012 – but who is listening to the Maya?

The Mayan prophecies of 2012 have generated a huge international industry of books, films and conferences, but contemporary Mayans are angry about the way in which their culture is being hijacked and sold without their permission and often without even acknowledging their existence. I became aware of just how much the 2012 prophecies had been hijacked by Westerners whilst working in Mayan communities in southern Mexico. The deep connection between spirituality and social justice is embodied in the contemporary Mayan culture with its struggle for environmental and social justice and spirituality based in love and respect for Mother Earth. The legacy of colonialism has meant that the indigenous voice has been not only ignored, but brutally silenced, and the fact that there is often no reference to contemporary Mayans in the now vast array of ‘2012’ literature, media and conferences is yet another example of how the West steals from indigenous spirituality whilst giving no respect or benefit to the cultures from which it comes. Most Mayans that I spoke to are very upset and angry about this but lack the resources to make their own media. It became increasingly apparent to me that as someone with a background in filmmaking I could assist in sharing the Mayan perspective on the prophecies of their ancestors.

The making of the film entailed a year’s journey through Mayan territory in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador: from the ancient pyramids of the Yucatán, to the steamy jungles of Chiapas, down through the mystical highlands of Central America. Whilst on the road filming we had to navigate our way through torrential rain, landslides, a hurricane and floods – symptoms of climate change that are destroying the lives of many Mayans. ‘It can be the end of the world if that is what humanity wants. But if we want to make real positive change, the hope for 2012 is that the whole world wakes up.’ Juana Baztibal Tujal, National Mayan Coordination and Convergence Waqib’Kej, Guatemala.

Obviously, many contemporary Mayans have been divorced from their spiritual heritage by the Christian church; most of their ancient scriptures were burnt and in some places the practice of their ancient ceremonies is still condemned as Satanism. However, despite centuries of persecution some have managed to maintain their traditions and several of the people whom I interviewed told me that their beliefs on the prophecies came from their grandparents. Some of the interviewees also made it clear that it is in the vested interests of governments and mainstream archeology to deny or play down the connection between the living Maya and their ancestors who built the pyramids, thus legitimising the expropriation of their sacred sites and the profits from tourism. In the words of Silvia Cimé Mex from Chichen Itza, ‘Neo-liberalism wants us to disappear… They want our culture to remain but without us.’

On the eve of 2012, Mayans are being assassinated and evicted from their lands by governments and multinational corporations in the name of ‘development’. ‘Today it is the big development projects that are recommitting genocide.’ Juana Baztibal Tujal, National Mayan Coordination and Convergence Waqib’Kej, Guatemala. Their lands are being contaminated and stolen, and their national governments would rather they are working in slave-like conditions in factories and plantations, dependent on the consumer system, than autonomous and self-sufficient. In 1994 the Zapatistas, Mayans of southern Mexico, staged an uprising in which they took back some of the big plantations and set up their own autonomous communities. I was deeply inspired by the humbleness of the people I interviewed and their commitment to fight for what they believe in, despite the brutal repression they are facing. ‘Fighting for the life of Mother Earth will be a fight until the end!’ Sebastiana Pol Suy, Chilam Balam Centre for Mayan Medicine and Spirituality, Guatemala. 

My film, 2012 The Mayan Word, brings us the voice of the Mayan people as they share their perspectives on the prophecies of their ancestors and is an extraordinary journey into the heart of the Mayan struggle and spirituality. What is the relationship between the ancient prophecies and their struggle to defend Mother Earth and save their culture from destruction?

2012 The Mayan Word is both a message of hope and a call to action. Including footage from capital cities to rural communities, popular protests to traditional ceremonies, it also features the testimonies of contemporary Mayans, including spiritual guides, activists, community leaders, farmers, artists, teachers and children.

The Mayans strongly believe that their sacred knowledge is not for sale. The film 2012 The Mayan Word is therefore available free on YouTube and has been screened on a non-profit basis in communities and festivals across the world. If you would like to copy the film to distribute free to a wider audience or organise a screening, you are very welcome to do so. We are very grateful for donations, and these will be used to continue the work of bringing 2012 The Mayan Word to as many people as possible. Thank you.

Melissa Gunasena. Director, 2012 The Mayan Word.  For more information, to view the film or to download a version suitable for screening please visit our website www.2012mayanword.org

 

REGULAR FEATURE

December Astrology

So here we are – between the Solar Eclipse and December 2012 Solstice. The eclipse, of course, brought with it a great sense of celebration, unity and optimistic passion. The Solstice puts it all out there into the greater community.

Looking at the eclipse astro-chart and the Solstice chart – both calculated for the Cairns region – they are a near-perfect fit! Astounding.

Imagine two halves of, say, the Yin-Yang symbol meeting and interlocking: Yin meets Yang; self meets other; inner meets outer etc.

Jupiter in Gemini was the focal point for the eclipse chart and is again concentrating tremendous energy in the Solstice chart: an arrow-head pointing straight at the royal star Aldabran with Venus as the driving force and Saturn and Pluto as the guidance system. Nothing less than a huge expansion of understanding and, indeed, consciousness driven by a love of adventure and guided by a very powerful set of principles.

The red eye of Taurus, the Bull, (Aldabran) symbolises integrity, ethics and focus. With Jupiter bearing straight towards Aldabran with the Goddess Venus as the archer, this Solstice launches us into a new dimension of consciousness and a much expanded ‘other’.

Much has been said about the 2012 December Solstice. It marks the completion of some very long Earth and Solar cycles, and aligns us with both galactic centre and the galactic equator; a vast ocean of time-space will pass before we come again to this point. And the ‘other’ that merges with ‘self’ at this time expands into the multi-dimensional galaxy we inhabit.

Mars has made its conjunction with Pluto (27th November to be exact) and its square to Uranus (23rd November) so the major explosions and upheavals have subsided for now, and the main job would seem to be dissolving, with compassionate awareness, the barriers that appear to separate ‘self’ from ‘other’. This is subtle work but it is the prevailing current flowing from the cosmos at this time. Not that we become ‘one’, rather that we recognise the truth that we, indeed, are the whole.

So, what does the 21st December Solstice chart promise for the next long cycle? Excitement, adventure, dash and daring, beautiful souls coming into incarnation, and a vast expansion of consciousness: telepathy; gatherings for the fun of it; a green earth with patient compassionate guidance. Much to look forward to…

Happy Solstice, Rob Hart. Rob is the resident Astrologer and Tarot Reader at the Heritage Markets in Kuranda. He can be contacted on 4093 0218