Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably have heard of the Mayan Calendar and the media hype about it coming to an end in 2012. Interest in the Mayan calendar and its so-called prophecies has increased at a phenomenal pace due to over-the-top catastrophe movies like 2012 and television series like The History Channel's Decoding the Past: Doomsday 2012. Our collective fear of an apocalypse has projected an ending to a calendar that according to most Mayan scholars actually tracks cycles of time and the evolution of consciousness. There is a lot of misinformation and wild interpretations concerning the meaning of the Mayan calendar. 
Although I am by no means a Mayan Calendar scholar, I have been fascinated by the Maya since childhood. In 1976 my dear Aunt Phyllis (Tata) offered to take me any where in the world that I wished to go to celebrate my 13th birthday. I knew immediately where I wanted to go: to Mexico to see the Mayan ruins. I chose a Smithsonian tour of the Aztec city of Teotihuacan and Mayan cities of Palenque, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula. No doubt I was influenced by articles on the exciting archaeological discoveries described in National Geographic and Smithsonian magazines which stirred curiosity in my young receptive mind. 
In particular, I was fascinated with the sudden and mysterious "disappearance" of the Maya, as well as with their undecipherable glyphs described in the literature of the day, such as Michael Coe's classic The Maya (1966) and T. Patrick Culbert's Lost Civilization: Story of the Classic Maya (1974). And the Dresden Codex had just been published in a color catalog which I spent hours studying and wondering what the mysterious glyphs and images conveyed. I felt energetically connected to this magical world, and during my tour of the Yucatan I had a mystical experience in which I felt I could fly should I have tried to jump off the edge of a Mayan temple -- many years before I would learn about the psychedelic experiences of Terrence McKenna. Thus began my lifelong fascination with the Maya.
The Dresden Codex is a pre-Columbian book of the eleventh or twelfth century Maya of Chichen Itza. It was written by eight different scribes using both sides of the paper made from Amatl, fig-bark that has been flattened and covered with a lime paste. Each scribe had a unique writing style, glyphs, and subject matter. The codex totals 74 pages in length. Its images were painted with extraordinary clarity and contain astronomical tables of outstanding accuracy. It is most famous for its Venus tables and lunar series that has intervals correlating with eclipses. In addition the codex also seems to show conjunctions of constellations, planets, and the Moon. As a Vedic astrologer I am still amazed at the mathematical accuracy of Mayan astronomical tables for Venus and eclipse patterns. But this astronomical data was not used by the Maya in the same way as we might use it today. The solar cycle was not a reflection of their consciousness as it is in our culture. Instead the Maya used the Tzolkin, a 260 day Sacred Calendar that measured the most basic rhythm of the cosmos that had been given to them by the gods. Unlike other solar or luni-solar calendars, the Tzolkin tracks waves or cycles of growth that are not necessarily linked to the fixed stars of the zodiac. Perhaps this is why some astrologers believe that astrological charts of the Mayan end date do not seem to reveal any big planetary line-ups or astronomical event that might signal the so-called end of an age or shift in the evolution of consciousness. (And what would the "end of time" look like in an astrological chart anyway?) As we shall see there are no mind-blowing alignments like the planetary line up on the 2010 Winter Solstice, but rather symbolic inklings of a potential cosmic shift, and perhaps a gift of immortality released from celestial waters by the gods.
2012 and Galactic Alignment
Part of the confusion around the Mayan Calendar is that there are three different dating systems that were used simultaneously by the Maya: the Long Count, the Tzolkin, and the Haab. The Long Count (360 days) measured long periods of time, the Tzolkin (260 days) measured sacred time, and the Haab (365 days) measured civil time. All three calendars were based on the vigesimal (20)mathematical system and are harmonics of each other that interact like cogs in a great harmonious cosmic clock.
Although the Maya did use a 365-day solar calendar called the Haab for practical and agricultural reasons, the 260-day Tzolkin was preferred for ceremonial and ritualistic purposes. Unlike many other cultures who depended on a luni-solar calendar to schedule ritual, the Maya seemed tuned into another cyclical force. However, the first calendar, called The Long Count was used for looking back in time and for recording events over long cycles or World Ages which does suggest that the Maya did use astronomical observations in development of this calendar. The end date of the Mayan Calendar is the completion of the Fifth World Age of the Long Count that began on August 13, 3113 BC. Each world age is approximately 5,125 years long and adds up to 26,000 years, or the Great Year based on the cycle of precession.
Author John Major Jenkins is credited with being the first independent Mayan researcher to suggest that the Mayan Calendar marks an astronomical alignment of the Winter solstice Sun with the great rift in the Galactic Center. This alignment occurs every 26,000 years result of the precession of the equinoxes. Drawing from his own groundbreaking research and more than two decades of extensive study of Mayan culture, Jenkins suggests that the Maya based their calendar on observations of the Great Rift, a band of dark dust clouds in the Milky Way, which the Maya called the Xibalba or Black Road.
In Galactic Alignment Jenkins describes how the symbolism and iconography embedded in the temples and monuments at Izapa, the site where the Mayan Long Count Calendar was created, depict creation stories that prove the Maya were aware of where the ecliptic intersected the Black Road and gave this position in the sky a special significance in their cosmology. According to Jenkin's hypothesis, the Sun precisely aligns with this intersection point at the winter solstice of 2012, which he believes the classical Mayans anticipated as the end-of-a-World Age signal that heralds a spiritual transition for mankind.
When Jenkins compared the Mayan calendar with other ancient traditions that were aware of the precession cycle, including Hindu, Egyptian,and Persian astrological sources, he began to understand what all the seers of ancient cultures knew: that during this galactic alignment humanity aligns itself with the higher frequencies of the galaxy and thereby moves humanity into a higher octave, or dimension, or way of being. Just as the ancient seers of the Vedic culture saw the astronomical alignments with the galactic center, or Vishnunabhi, as marking the ascending and descending yuga cycles, so did the Maya perceive an energetic alignment with Xibalba or Hunab Ku. To the Mayans Hunab Ku was the "one" supreme God and ultimate Creator whose essence was located in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Other Mayan researchers such as Jose Arquelles describe Hunab Ku as a gateway (perhaps a black hole) to other galaxies beyond our Sun, as well as all of the consciousness that has ever existed in this, our own galaxy.
If the Mayan calendar is a marker for an astronomical alignment that precipitates a shift in consciousness or opening of a gateway, then we might expect to find some astrological indicators for this grand cosmic event. So I think it might be a useful exercise to explore the astrological implications of certain key dates of the Mayan Calendar to see what themes arise that may help us understand the nature of this shift. Although comparing the Mayan Calendar with Vedic Astrology is like comparing apples and oranges, we still may be able to squeeze out some juicy insights from examining the event charts for the end date of the Mayan Calendar December 21, 2012.
December 21, 2012 11:11 UT (in London for location with 11:11 UT)
Strangely the Winter Solstice of 2012 occurs at 11:11 universal time. 11:11 has been a number associated with synchronicity, gateways, and ascension. It is believed that these master numbers trigger an unconscious knowledge of a coming shift of consciousness. Whether the Mayan truly knew the exact time of this particular Winter solstice is doubtful, but they may have understood it in terms of cycles and alignments of the Milky Way with the Sun. The Vedic chart for December 21, 2012 at 11:11 UT continues the numerological synchroncity with the 11th sign of Aquarius is rising on the horizon at 8 degrees in the nakshatra Shatabhisha. 
(On a personal note, it is an intriguing synchronicity that I write this post under the influence of a new moon in Shatabhisha conjunct Mercury and Mars, all of which are transiting my Shatabhisha ascendant.)
The fixed sign of Aquarius is represented by the Water-Bearer, or "physician of the gods," pouring the sacred pot of soma, the divine nectar of immortality upon humanity. The nakshatra Shatabhisha literally means "the one hundred healers" and its gift of bheshaja shakti, the power of healing, is generated by Varuna, the god of rain and cosmic waters. The acupuncture point Baihui means one hundred points and is used to open the crown chakra, which has a thousand petals. This chakra is associated with divine wisdom, our Unity with the Universe and all that is. Its blossoming is a sign of awakening and enlightenment. What a marvelous rising sign for an event chart of prophesized Awakening and Ascension.
Varuna is an ancient Hindu deity who governs over the change of seasons, divine law, and healing. Varuna means "he who covers" and probably refers to his rulership of the skies and cosmic weather. From this elevated position of observation it was natural for a deity like Varuna to become the great observer of deeds; and his role was to punish those whose transgressions were of not merely the Law, but Rta, Cosmic Order. How appropriate for a shift in consciousness to be nourished by the celestial waters and facilitated by the keeper of seasonal change and governor of divine order, Varuna.
Pre-Vedic legend describes Varuna as one of the Adityas, the children of the Earth mother Aditi. These solar deities reside in the heavens and personify various natural phenomenon. Varuna is lord of the oceans and water element in nature. Some neo-Vedic astrologers equate Varuna with the Grego-Roman god Neptune, who in modern astrology rules Pisces and the planet of divine inspiration and psychic sensitivity, Neptune. Synchronistically Neptune will also be rising on the horizon in Shatabhisha during the 2012 Winter solstice. Like his ancient Roman counterpart, Varuna is depicted as a fair complexioned god riding a sea monster while holding a pot that contains soma, the magical elixir of the gods that gives rejuvenation, intoxication, and immortality.
As the god of rain, Varuna presides over the oceans and the skies. He is associated with the dark half of the sky as he carries the sun deep below the waves over night. In addition to fearful predictions of world wide flooding with the earth changes associated with the Mayan Calendar and 2012, other prophecies by the Hopi Indians foretell that the Sun will darken and night will last for three days: there will be three days of emptiness and darkness. Will Varuna hold the Sun below the waves for three days in 2012?
Another interesting theme related to catastrophic flooding is that Varuna is also a god of the dead and keeper of drowned souls, who grants immortality to those in live in accordance with divine law by sharing the precious elixir of immortality called soma. The connection to immortality is depicted in the symbol for Shatabhisha, an empty circle. The significance of the circle refers to cycles of all kinds: the cycle of life and death, the cycle of day and night, or a trip around the zodiac. When you look these cyclic pattern of energy, you realize that there is no death, only eternal cycles. Perhaps this is the secret to immortality? Or perhaps we awaken and remember that we are eternal at the end of a Great Year?
Saturn is the ruling planet for an Aquarius ascendant, and it will be transiting its sign of exaltation, Libra in the nakshatra of Swati on the Winter Solstice of 2012. Although Saturn is traditionally viewed as the legendary king of malefics and lord of time, karma and consequences, he is a benefic for an Aquarius ascendant, especially when placed in its sign of exaltation in the 9th house of dharma, law, and spirituality. The 9th house gives grace and good fortune. Might divine law once again be manifest upon the Earth in an act of cosmic grace? How might Saturn, the planet that is a significator of all in life that is bound with the chains of time, come to destroy time itself? According to David Frawley:
Our great fear of Saturn has measured the degree of our attachment to the material world and our inability to face the ultimate issues of our existence. Saturn shows us the limitation of this realm, which is the necessary but painful lesson we must learn to find our way back into the unlimited. Saturn is death that takes us beyond the limitations of mortal life, which is the gateway to the eternal, though straight and narrow as the razor's edge.
Saturn will be transiting the nakshatra Swati which translates as: "self-going", "good goer", "self-blowing", "tender", "sword" or "priest". These terms seem to encompass all the qualities that this asterism evokes. Its symbol is a single plant shoot blown by the wind. Swati is ruled by Vayu, the demigod of air and wind. In Hinduism he is also known as Vata (air), Pavana (purifier), or Prana (breath). Astrologically air and wind symbolism reveals the quality that confers its restless nature. This nakshatra gives the power to "scatter like the wind," pradhvamsa shakti. Thus it seems Saturn may bring change through the element of wind, perhaps combined with the cosmic waters of Shatabhisha.
Both Shatabhisha and Swati are ruled by Rahu, the north node of the moon, that has a vata, literally "blown", or airy, nature. Rahu is a manifesting force that can build like a gentle breeze, or wreak havoc and blow like a category five hurricane. Moreover Rahu is legendary for inspiring fear as its shadow is powerful enough to consume the luminaries during an eclipse. Rahu's mythic quest for immortality goes back to the Samudra manthan, the churning of the oceans at the beginning of time. In many ways Rahu is also connected to the manifestation of soma and promises an artificial immortality on earth, usually through fame and infamy, but perhaps in this case it is indicating more?
Rahu's placement in an astrological chart defines the area where new growth will take place in life -- our destiny. On the Winter Solstice of 2012 Rahu will be placed in Scorpio in the 10th house of karma at the transitional degree of 0 in the 16th nakshatra Vishakha, the "star of purpose." This is a very powerful place for the North Node. The nakshatra Vishakha spreads across the two constellations of Libra and Scorpio and is thus called 'two branched' or 'forked.' Thus is often depicted as a large tree with forked and sprawling branches that provide protection and produces fruit as it ripens with age. This celestial Tree of Life represents the process of reaching and attaining one's goals. The ancient Maya also believed in a Tree of Life that was connected to Hunab Ku, the creative center of the Universe in Mayan cosmology.
Mayan researcher Carl Calleman writes: the Mayan calendar provides a description of the rhythms of creative energies emanating from this hypothetical Tree of Life and is testable to what extent the actual rhythms of evolution conform to the time plan that this calendar specifies. Just as the ancient seers of the Vedic culture saw the astronomical alignments with the galactic center, or Vishnunabhi, as marking the ascending and descending yuga cycles, so did the Maya see an energetic alignment with the world tree that brought new life and growth.
There are two other symbols for Vishakha that are also quite intriguing: the triumphal gate adorned with leaves and a potter's wheel. A gate is structure that can be swung or drawn that reveals an opening which may be an entrance or an exit. Could this gate imagery associated with the nakshatra rulers of the lagna and lagna lord of the 2012 chart suggest that an energetic doorway may open on the Winter Solstice for us to triumphantly pass though? According to some interpretations Vishakha's triumphal gate comes not only with a celebration of success, but also with a promise of challenge. It symbolizes an ending in its attainment of a goal and the beginning of a new one. Like the eternal cycles of the Mayan Calendar, each end marks the beginning. Some New Age writers have suggested that the sudden disappearance of the Mayan culture was due to their departure through such a portal or star gate. Could this happen on a grand scale? Will a door open? Will you walk through it?
The third image for Vishakha is a potters wheel which symbolizes creativity and the cycles of time needed to build it. The Bible is full of references to the potter and clay. God created or prepared the earth, the clay, before he formed man, and out of it Man was made:
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7.
We are the clay, and thou are Potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Isaiah 64:8b
As the great cosmic potter spins its wheel, our entire galaxy and universe spin with it. Could creative forces be ready to spin a new type of man, made not out of clay but out of wind and light? Is December 21, 2012 the birthday of homo luminous as many modern writers believe? Alberto Villoldo, PhD is a psychologist and anthropologist who has studied the shamanic healing practices of the Amazon and Inka shamans for over 25 years. In his book The Four Insights he writes:
According to the prophecies of the Maya, the Hopi and the Inka, we're at a turning point in human history, a period of great turmoil and upheaval in which a new species of human will give birth to itself. We're going to take a quantum leap into what we are becoming, moving from Homo sapiens to Homo luminous – that is, beings with the ability to perceive the vibration and light that make up the physical world at a much higher level.
As I was researching this concept of homo luminous for this post, I came across an article by Dr. Villoldo at Reality Sandwich. When I saw the image of this shining doorway, my heart skipped a beat. This synchronistic find assured my intuitive mind that my interpretation of the end date of the Mayan calendar is on the right track.
Could the Mayan Calendar actually be pointing to this evolutionary transformation of man into a being of light? If the end date of December 21, 2012 is correct, the planets, signs and nakshatras all seem to indicate that that a portal or star gate will be opening for us to celebrate a triumphant passage. While we can't know exactly what will happen, one thing is sure: change is coming and I for one, with a Shatabhisha ascendant, am ready to embrace the light.
Part II A Second Glance at the Mayan Calendar: the 2011 End Date
In my last post, An Astrological Glance at the Mayan Calendar, I looked at the event chart for the end date of December 21, 2012 that coincides with the Winter Solstice which strikingly occurs at 11:11 am UT. Although many Mayan researchers have agreed that the Mayan Long Count Calendar ends on this date, Carl Johan Calleman presents a different date to consider: October 28, 2011. The debate between the two end dates comes from two very different perspectives on what the Mayan calendar tracks. Is it tracking the Great Year, astronomical cycles, and its related shifts in consciousness through the Long Count Calendar as proposed by John Major Jenkins; or is it tracking something beyond astronomical cycles through the subtly interconnected calendars of the Long Count, the Tzolkin, and 9 Underworlds and 13 Heavens -- the 16 billion year evolution of consciousness as suggested by Calleman? In his article Why the Creation Cycles Do Not End Calleman explains:
That the end date of the Long Count falls on December 21, 2012 is thus just a necessary logical consequence of the beginning date chosen by the Izapans and not something that the Maya had intentionally targeted. The creation cycles described by the Maya, including the Tzolkin, are fundamentally of a spiritual, non-astronomical, nature. Thus, any theory that implies that the Mayan Long Count would have been designed to reflect astronomical phenomena, be it the precession of the earth or a solar zenith, is a warning signal that its originator is off the mark. It should be obvious that if the Mayan calendar is a prophetic calendar describing cosmic energy cycles of a universal nature then the particular date at which the sun was in zenith in the particular location of Izapa is totally irrelevant for us who live today and must be considered as nothing but a result of a tradition too strong to be changed.
Another equally compelling reason why December 21, 2012 cannot be the true date of completion of creation is that this day is 4 Ahau in the Tzolkin count. Since the Long Count consists of exactly 7200 Tzolkin rounds then the true end of creation must fall on a day that is 13 Ahau in the Tzolkin count so that the Tzolkin rounds even out. If we want to find out what is the real date of ending of the creation cycles we must therefore look for a day around the year 2012, which is 13 Ahau in the Tzolkin count. The inscriptions in Palenque, written about a thousand years after the Long Count was devised in Izapa, seem to indicate that the date of relevance is October 28, 2011, which in fact is 13 Ahau in the Tzolkin count.
Thus Calleman believes that the creation cycles described by the Maya, including the Tzolkin, are fundamentally spiritual, and not astronomical. He points out that by focusing on an end date, some Mayan scholars are missing the mark and not understanding the spirit in which the calendars were created and intended. According to Calleman, the October 28, 2011 date is based on archaeological evidence that the Nine Underworlds and Thirteen Heavens do indeed describe and measure evolution -- the evolution of Cosmic consciousness. Moreover, while there is extensive evidence that the Maya based prophecy and prediction on shifts between baktuns, katuns, tuns, not a single ancient Mayan text mentions the 26,000 year precessional cycle. The only known ancient inscription that mentions the calendar's end is depicted on Monument 6 from Tortuguero (pictured below) whose glyphs are translated as “witness the display of Bolon Yokte Ku in his full costume and regalia.”
Calleman suggests that Bolon Yokte Ku is the Nine-Support, or Nine-Step, entity of “period endings.” He associates the Bolon Yokte Ku with the 9 Step Cosmic Pyramid that is pervasive throughout Mayan architecture. He writes: Through extensive factual verification this pyramid has been shown to symbolize the nine levels of evolution the universe undergoes on its climb to its highest state of consciousness. After years of research Calleman theorizes that the ancient Maya perceived the Cosmos as being composed of Nine Underworlds which were symbolically expressed in the architecture of many Mayan pyramids: the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpent in Chichen-Itza, the Pyramid of the Jaguar in Tikal and the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, all of which were all built with Nine different stories.
Each of these stories represents a harmonic cycle of time with individual layers expressing an increased frequency that moves twenty times faster than the previous cycle. Within each layer there are 13 sub-cycles called tuns depicting a sequence of Thirteen Heavens, each alternating as "day" or "night" in frequency. For example, the longest of the tun-based time cycles was the hablatun of 460,800,000,000 days = 1.26 billion years. Thirteen such hablatuns makes up a creation cycle of a total duration of 13 x 1.26 = 16.4 billion years that created the lowest, the first Underworld. Strangely this time period of 16.4 billion years is very close to what scientists project the age of the universe: 15 billion years the time when matter first emerged from light (Big Bang).
Each level of evolution the cosmic pyramid, called Bolon Yokte Ku, is then developed through a series of thirteen time periods. These range from the hablatun (1.26 billion years) on the bottom level to the uaxaclahunkin of 18 days at the ninth level. This means a twenty times frequency increase and speed-up of time with every single step to a higher level.
The correlation of these levels with evolution is fascinating. The lower levels are still completing harmonic adjustments, as the upper levels are developed. The upper levels may not manifest until certain prerequisite energy and consciousness is established below. For example, the 6th level cycle began in 3115 BC which also marks the beginning of civilization and the development of nation states in the Nation cycle. During this time period the Long Count was established in Izapa, Mexico under the influence of a nationalistic impulse in Meso-America. The 7th level cycle began in 1755 AD which marks the beginning of consciousness looking out at the heavens under the impulse of the Planetary cycle influencing the Age of Enlightenment. And most recently the 8th level, or Galactic, began on January 4, 1999 which brought our attention further out to the Galaxy and brought new understanding about precession cycles and consciousness, not to mention increased technology at a record pace.
Today (March 9, 2011) marks the beginning of 9th and final level that introduces the Universal Underworld. We may infer from previous cycles that time will speed up twenty-fold as we come under the influence of a Universal impulse that awakens us to our place in the Universe. Then on October 28, 2011 the energies of all nine waves will manifest fully and simultaneously. Calleman believes that the so-called end date is actually the final manifestation of what the ancient inscription refer to as Bolon Yokte Ku appearing in his full regalia -- the full expression of Universal consciousness. He describes the purpose of this last wave is to cap the entire evolution of the universe that so far has been propelled by the eighth lower waves. . . The ninth wave of unity would then be calling for a complete shift in our way of being, to manifesting unity consciousness, which is the intended end result of the cosmic plan. If this is to happen, it may also call for extraordinary cosmic energies to fulfill the cosmic plan. In fact, maybe the ninth wave will be a Judgment Day that will save the world.
Wow! This change certainly sounds exciting. So even though the Mayan calendar may not be tracking an astrological or astronomical phenomenon, the energy shifts associated with these evolutionary waves might still be seen in the snapshot of an astrological event chart. An Event or Horary chart, called Prashna in Vedic Astrology, is used to shed light and meaning on certain moments in time by studying the rising sign and the ruler of the ascendant. Each is assessed to gain insight into influences surrounding the event and as well as to give an outlook for possible developments stemming from that event. Both Eastern and Western astrologers use a horary chart that is created for the date, time and place of a particular event. The difficulty about creating an event chart for Calleman's dates is that we do not have a specific time or astronomical alignment like a solstice to consider. Instead we may do a chart for sunrise or "day" (new beginnings) and sunset or "night" (endings) set in a sacred location for the Maya, Palenque. As each of the Thirteen Heavens ends in a "day" tun, the sunrise chart may take precedent over the sunset chart, which may show the outcome of the ending impulse.
In the day chart, there is an intriguing synchronicity of nakshatras with the 2012 chart: a Libra Sun is rising on the eastern horizon in the nakshatra Swati. The 2012 chart was also strongly under the influence of Swati as its chart ruler Saturn was placed there. As I mention in my discussion of the 2012 chart, Swati gives the power to "scatter like the wind," pradhvamsa shakti. The deity that rules Swati is Vayu, the god of wind, air, breath and prana -- the primordial energy of the universe that sustains life. This ascendant suggests the universe may exhale and blow the cosmic breath of life scattering seeds of consciousness to the wind.
Venus rules the sign of Libra and is also rising after the Sun and Mercury in the auspicious evening star position. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Dresden Codex is one of the few surviving books from the ancient Maya that is is filled with observations and equations denoting the movement of the planets, Sun, and stars. In particular it tracks the cycles of Venus with tremendous accuracy, and is the basis for the start date of the Long Count Calendar appropriately named the Birth of Venus. The Long Count completes at 13 Ahau, the end of the 13th baktun which is measured from the Birth of Venus. The basis of Calleman's argument for the October 28, 2011 date over the 2012 date is that the later date is out of sync ending at 4 Ahau, and his date does end on 13 Ahau. Ahau means "sun," "light," or "lord" and it seems fitting that astrologically the Sun is rising with Venus on Calleman's end date.
I find this glyph to be intriguing as it seems to represent the Sun emitting or being caught by a beam of light surrounded on either side with two dots, perhaps indicating planets. Could these planets represent Venus and Mercury which are one degree apart that day? Or could they represent two phases of Venus, morning star and evening star, that figure so prominently in Mayan lore. Ahau also is a day to ask for wisdom and to remember the ancestors. It is an intriguing theme connected to the alignment of all evolutionary, or ancestral, layers in a moment of completion.
In other Native American tradition, the evening star is seen as a marker for the end times. According to Greyeagle:
It was told to me that first the "Evening Star" would start to be seen at the dances and would make its appearance known to the people during the "night dance". This would tell the people that the end times are near. Then the "Evening Star" would physically appear in the Sky, which would be a sign of the end time change. In the Final days people will look up in the sky and witness the return of the two brothers who helped create Earth Mother in the birthing time. One brother is the guardian of our "North Pole" and his brother is the guardian of the "South pole". In the final days the "Evening Star" would come to be with his nephews and they will return Earth Mother to its natural rotation. . . The rotation of Earth Mother has been manipulated by not so benevolent "Star Beings" .... The brothers will be seen in our "North Western skies". They will come and visit to see who has still remembered the original teachings. They will bring many of their star family with them in the final days. The return of the "Evening Star", will be the sign that tells the people of the new day and new way of life, a new Earth Mother that is coming. This is where the changes will begin. They will start as fires that burn within people and they will burn up with desires and conflict if they do not remember the original teachings and return to the peaceful way of life.
Venus is the most prominent planet in the 2011 sunrise chart as it rules sign of the rising Sun, but it is placed in a different nakshatra, Vishakha. As we saw in my previous post, Vishakha is associated the celestial Tree of Life and represents the process of reaching and attaining one's goals.
It is also strongly connected to the triumphal arch that may indicate the opening of an energetic door or star gate.
In addition to being in this profoundly symbolic nakshatra, Venus will be in a critical anaretic degree at sunrise and will transition into the sign of Scorpio by the end of the day. In Vedic astrology this juncture between signs it is called sande. The 29th degree of any sign may bring fateful consequences as the planet is getting ready to make an elemental change. The energy of that sign may be all used up. This oscillating energy can bring hesitancy in decision making. Combined with a debilitated Sun in Libra, the morning hours may be a little confusing.
As the day winds down, Venus leaves the 29th degree and enters the sign of Scorpio, ruled by Mars. At the same time during sunset, the other sign ruled by Mars, Aries will be rising on the eastern horizon with Jupiter. This Aries ascendant is ruled by that debilitated Mars in Cancer from the fourth house of home and environment. Like Venus earlier in the day, Mars is in an anarectic degree, but this time this critical degree is in a water sign making it gandanta. When planets are placed in a gandanta positions, they take on a special power to unravel the knot of karma and move on to the next level. If a planets falls in the last three degrees of water sign, it is completing an old cycle; if it falls in the first three degree of a fire sign is beginning a new cycle. Thus in this case, the planet Mars, which rules energy, ambition, and drive, is at its weakest position in the water sign of Cancer. Here Mars is worn out by the emotional medium of a water sign. It can only heal and release the karma of the old cycle by releasing its tendency to fight and opening it its higher nature and surrender to healing.
By sunset Venus will join the Moon in Scorpio, its signs of debilitation that is canceled by its mutual exchange with the debilitated Mars that also gets canceled. This parivartana yoga strengthens both Mars and the Moon. The Moon softens the anger and sharp edges of Mars, while Mars gives courage, drive, and great devotion to the Moon, especially in the 17th nakshatra of Anuradha. Thus the Moon and Mars are able to reach beyond their individual weaknesses and unite as something greater.
The mutual exchange, or parivartana yoga between the Moon and Mars connects the 6th and 4th houses. Each house represents one of the four aims (dhama, artha, kama, moksha) in human life, and the fourth house is considered a moksha bhava. Moksha means "liberation or freedom" and relates to our need for spiritual growth and transcendence. The sixth house is an artha bhava. Although many associate artha with wealth, it actually means achievement of goals. Thus this mutual exchange between moksha and artha houses indicates that there may indeed be a moment of surrender to the coming night that brings success to higher goals.
In addition, the great benefic Jupiter will be rising on the eastern horizon in the sign of Aries under the influence of the nakshatra Ashwini. Jupiter gains directional strength in this placement and gives protection and understanding to those forces greater than ourselves. Jupiter in fiery Aries gives expansion to our spirit and is an auspicious force for the promised awakening.
As the first of 27 nakshtras, Ashwini initiates the development of the shakti impulses for the soul to experiences in its journey through each asterism. In particular Ashwini activates primordial forces and facilitates the awakening of consciousness. This nakshatra is aptly called the "star of transport" as it is associated with the twin horsemen. The deities associated with Ashwini are twin divine doctors who ride in a golden chariot and bring healing to the earthly plane through shidhra vyapani shakti, the power to heal and reach things. Could these twins be transporting humanity to higher consciousness, or to another dimension through a portal or star gate?
In ancient Mayan and Aztec cosmologies there is also myth that associates two twin brothers with fire and shifts in World cycles. Quetzalcoatl (called Kukulcan in Mayan languages) and Xolotl are associated with the morning and evening stars, respectively. The morning star Quetzalcoatl is the inventor of the calendar and bestowed mankind with the gift of maize/corn (the calendar and corn cycles are related as the time it takes to plant and harvest corn is 260 days, the length of the sacred Tzolkin calendar). The evening star Xolotl was also associated with fire as he assisted his brother Quetzacoatl in bringing fire from the underworld to humans. The ancient Aztecs believed that Xolotl guarded the Sun when it went through the underworld at night. Thus the morningstar Quetzacoatl gave the calendar and fire to humans at the beginning of the beginning of the Fifth World age which appears to come to a completion on Octobe 28, 2011 with the evening star Xolotl escorting the Sun to the underworld. Isn't it a fascinating astronomical coincidence that the Evening star is so prominent in both the sunrise and sunset charts of October 28, 2011. No wonder the Mayans tracked Venus cycles so closely.
At the end of the day Venus remains in the nakshatra of Vishakha, symbolized by the triumphal arch, but enters its Scorpio degrees. It approaches the waning Moon in the seventeenth nakshatra of Anuradha whose secondary symbol is also an archway. Anuradha's primary symbol is the lotus flower.
Just as the roots of a lotus are buried in the mud, they must grow and push the stem up through the water in the sunlight and release the delicately scented flower. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience, and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. Thus Anuradha promises to bring the flowering of consciousness out of the challenges of the murky material world. Sounds like the perfect nakshatra for ascension!
The stars of Anuradha are located in the body of the Scorpion. It contains the our closest stellar neighbor,Alpha Centauri, and as such is the focus of a lot of recent astronomical research for an earth-like planet. As the nearest star to earth, Alpha Centauri has captured the imagination of many science fiction stories and movies, including James Cameron's Avatar. The asterism of Anuradha is comprised of a group of stars that resembles a staff or row of offerings to the Gods. The symbolism of the staff dates all the way back to ancient times in which a staff was used by shepherds to guide their flock. It is a symbol of authority and in some cultures of travel. A row of offerings speaks to this nakshatra's ability to inspire deep devotion and worship, radhana shakti. Anuradha is called the "star of success" and grants success especially in foreign lands. This "star of success" has the ability to create and maintain friendships, and recognition can be attained through cooperation with others. Again there is this theme of unity -- that success depends on coming together.The residing deity of Anuradha is Mitra, the god of contracts, friendship, and cooperation. He is one of the Adityas or 12 Solar deities and is thematically related to Mithra, Christ, the future Buddha, and the Maitreya. In the Vedic hymns, Mitra is often invoked together with Varuna, the lord of the cosmic rhythm of the celestial spheres who figures prominently in the 2012 chart. Mitra brings forth the light at dawn, and apparently may bring us to the dawn of a new World Age.
Conclusions
So now we have come full circle after studying the two end-dates for the Mayan Calendar. The predominant theme of passing through a triumphant gateway is clearly indicated in both. No matter which date is correct, we are clearing approaching, if not already in the middle of a profound shift in universal consciousness. How this will play out over the next 18 months may be debated until the actual moment of its completion, but what ever happens is sure to be under the protection of some powerful archetypal guides. Whether it be Varuna, Mitra, Quetzacoatl, or the Ashwins, the stars indicate that we will be protected by the light of these higher vibrations as we, like the lotus, reach up from the murky materialistic earth, through the waters of emotion, to the light of consciousness and become One with the great Celestial Tree of Life.
Namaste!
Part III: The Beginning of the 9th Wave
After I heard that Japan's Meteorological Agency upgraded the magnitude of Friday's catastrophic earthquake from 8.8 to 9.0, I immediately thought of the interesting synchronicity of the number 9 with the 9th level of the Mayan Calendar, the Universal Underworld, that began on the 9th of March 2011. As I discussed in my last post, Carl Johan Calleman suggests a different end date to the Mayan calendar based on the Nine Underworlds and Thirteen Heavens model of the evolution of consciousness. According to Calleman:The rhythm of the Universal Underworld is then a nine-day climb of increasing intensity starting on March 9, 2011 followed by a descending intensity for the next eighteen (9+9) days until a new descent begins of eighteen (9+9) days. We will then have to learn to ride this wave in order to ultimately climb to the top of the pyramid to be able to witness the appearance of Bolon Yokte Ku in “his” full regalia.
Since March 9th solar flares, earthquakes, tsunami's and threat of nuclear meltdown have dominated the news. Riding this wave has been an intense experience. And the wave may not have crested yet! (Update: Click here for Calleman's perspective on the 9th Wave and Japan earthquake.) One of the charts that I did not include in my last analysis was the event chart for the start date of the 9th Level, the Universal Underworld: March 9, 2011. This chart may hold some clues to the archetypal themes that we will be dealing with until the completion of the cycle on October 28, 2011.
As I discussed in my previous post, the difficulty about creating an event chart for Calleman's dates is that we do not have a specific time or astronomical alignment like a solstice to consider. According to the Vedas, the Sun is the Atma, the Self of all the Universe. As the Nine Underworlds represent the evolution of consciousness, it makes sense to use an event chart set at sunrise, the literal time when the Sun is awakening. A sunrise chart may represent the evolution of the Self of all the Universe. I have set the chart at the sacred Mayan city of Palenque.
At sunrise on March 9, 2011 the sign of Aquarius, called Kumbha in Sanskrit, was rising on the horizon imprinting its energy on the earth through the Sun and Mars. Kumbha means "pitcher" and Aquarius is represented by the archetype of the Water-Bearer who generously pours the divine waters of soma, the divine nectar of immortality, upon humanity. As Aquarius is an air sign, this water refers to the cosmic life force or prana, which like earthly water, can be used to purify and cleanse on an energetic and spiritual level. Mars is the karaka for energy, and issues about energy may be associated with the birth of the Universal Underworld. According to some astrologers like Gary Gomes, Mars can also be the driving force behind enlightenment. Saturn's rulership of this fixed air sign gives humbling lessons that break down the ego of the individual self. By releasing the self from its illusion of separation from the divine, the Aquarian impulse inspires selfless acts that benefit humanity and helps us to see our Oneness with the Universe -- not a bad ascendant for the dawn of the Universal Underworld!The nakshatra associated with the Universal Underworld chart is Purva Bhadrapada. Purva means "earlier" and Uttara means "latter". There are three sets of nakshatras that are paired: Purva/Uttara Phalguni, Purva/Uttara Ashada, and Purva/Uttara Bhadrapada. All three of these nakshatras are represented with symbols of beds indicating areas of relaxation, healing, and sometimes death, as in the case of Purva Bhadrapada. Purva Bhadrapada and Uttara Bhadrapada make up the four legs of the funeral bed.
When combined with the next nakshatra, Uttara Bhadrapada, they form the "scorching" or "burning" pair, as in a funeral pyre. Moreover, Jupiter and Mercury were both in Uttara Bhadrapada in the sign of Pisces completing the end of the funeral bed. Thus the rising sign of the Ninth Underworld indicates themes of death and completion. These nakshatras are also known for their fiery energy that is used to inspire universal goals that uplift humanity. The deity associated with this nakshatra is Aja Ekapada, the one footed goat or unicorn which is related to Rudra, the god of storms. Its power is yajamana vdyamana shakti: the ability to give fire to raise a spiritual person up in life. The fire of these nakshatras burns away illusion which may be a fast, sudden and painful process on the way to enlightenment.
And the Universal Underworld certainly began with a fiery bang: a powerful solar flare. According to Spaceweather.com earth-orbiting satellites detected an X1.5-class explosion from sunspot 1166 around 23:23 UT. They denied that a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was released, but did report that "after four years without any X-flares, the sun has produced two of the powerful blasts in less than one month: Feb. 15th and March 9th. This continues the recent trend of increasing solar activity, and shows that Solar Cycle 24 is heating up." Well the next day on March 10, 2011 a CME did hit the Earth's magnetic field on March 10th around 0630 UT. Click here for more.
When the Sun emits a coronal mass ejection (CME) and it travel on solar winds towards the earth, most of the plasma bounces off the earth's magnetic field. But still a good amount of highly charged particles get caught and pulled into the field and release a huge amount of energy into the geomagnetic network. The ionosphere becomes charged and emits the northern lights of the aurora borealis at the poles. These light show the fluctuating magnetic meridians which may carry the Sun's particles to the center of the Earth recharging the core.
Although scientists may disagree, there is evidence of increased seismic activity during impacts of large CMEs. Thus this X-class solar flare may have also triggered shifts in the earth's crust and magma flows that lead to the 9.0 earthquake in Japan followed by increased volcanic activity. (Update: Check out the increased worldwide seismic activity on March 9, 2011 at Nunki.nl,9) The fire element of the Sun literally leaped towards the earth on solar winds and charged the magnetic fields which are connected to the earth's molten iron core. Our bodies also have magnetic fields, and they are susceptible to these high energy shifts too. How has your own inner core reacted this week. Did you have a melt down, or did you feel energized? Moreover, the displaced ocean water released from the shifting ocean floor became the massive tsunami that destroyed coastal cities, knocked out the power grid, and left nuclear reactors without energy to cool their cores. The influence of "scorching pair" indeed.
As Saturn rules the rising sign of Aquarius, its placement indicates the outcome of this event chart and Underworld cycle. In this chart Saturn is retrograde in the sign of Virgo, the nakshatra of Hasta, and placed in the 8th house of death and transformation. Virgo is a mutable earth sign which rules over practical and detailed thinking. The earth element brings stability to the mind, and skill to the hands. The constellation of Virgo, latin for virgin or maiden, is symbolized by a harvest goddess holding a sheath of wheat.
This wheat sheaf represents the fixed star Spica which she dropped to form the Milky Way, and symbolizes Virgo connection to natural cycles of growth. Wheat is subject to an unending cycle: the seed, fruit, and then the harvested kernels. Thereafter, it returns to the earth to grow again. Behari writes: The impulse flowing through this sign represents the feminine aspects of nature undisturbed by other influences. The impulse at this stage produces an electrified field which is neither active nor passive. This undisturbed and pure energy is the divine hidden deeply in matter, like the potential energy packed in a seed waiting its trigger to express its divinity at harvest time.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, Virgo mark the direction toward the center of the Universe. There is also new evidence that in addition to a Galactic Center of our own galaxy, there is also a grand Universal axis called the Central Axis situated towards the stellar fields of Virgo. In their search to understand the origin of the universe, astrophysicists have been studying the afterglow of the big bang called Cosmic Background Radiation, or CBR.
Instead of an undiscernable, random pattern, Kate Land and Joao Magueijo at Imperial College London noticed an unexpected alignment of hot and cold spots in the CBR in 2005 that resembles the taiji, mystical union of yin and yang from which according to ancient taoists the universe was born.
Carl Johan Calleman believes that the Mayan Calendar tracks these evolutionary waves from this center or World tree of Virgo. We are bathed in transformative bursts of star waves from both our galactic and universal trees which may all sync up at the end of the Mayan Calendar.
Thus it seems significant to me that Virgo is also the constellation from where many recent comets are originating. Historically astrologers have described comets as evil omens, heralding cataclysmic events, sudden political upheaval, and even the death of kings. In Vedic astrology they are considered the children of Ketu, the south node. Ketu is the karaka for spiritual liberation and enlightenment, so these messengers from outside our solar system's cell wall may be bringing messages of awakening. In fact during the initiation of the final cycle of the 8th level, or Galactic Underworld on November 3, 2010, Comet C/2010 V1 Ikeya Murakami made a bright appearance as it passed by Saturn.
This comet was followed by the discovery of Comet Elenin on December 10, 2010 also passing Saturn in Virgo.
Because Comet Elenin's trajectory makes a very close pass by the Earth in late October 2011, there is speculation that this comet may be the event that triggers and ends the 5th World Age of the Mayan Calendar. For more on Elenin check out the videos below:
Saturn in Virgo is also aspected by the ruler of Virgo, Mercury, in its sign of debilitation, conjunct Uranus (the modern ruler for Aquarius and indicator of sudden and tumultuous change like earthquakes) and Jupiter in Pisces in the 2nd house. Mercury and Uranus were in exact conjunction on March 9, 2011. Saturn rules the earth and is transiting an earth sign known for humility, perfection, and sacrifice. Although a malefic is considered strong when placed in a difficult, or dustana, house like the eighth, in this case Saturn's power of transformation is amplified. The 8th house is not only the house of death, but also the house of power. It is naturally ruled by Mars, indicator of energy. I find it fascinating that most of the major world catastrophes over the past year have all been about energy revealing our glutinous consumption and reliance on toxic forms of it, such as oil, coal, and nuclear. Saturn retrograding in Virgo will critically assess our mistakes and bring a new perspective on how we might change, cleanse and purify, and put to end bad practices. Unfortunately, death may be part of that transformation.
Although the "scorching pair" is hemmed in by benefics, Venus and the Moon, the hand of grace -- perhaps represented by Saturn in Hasta, the hand -- may be limited. Venus is a great friend to Saturn, and its placement in Saturn's sign of Capricorn in the 12th house of liberation is hopeful from a spiritual perspective. Venus is in the nakshatra of Shravana that consists of three stars associated with the three footprints of Vishnu, the preserver of the Universe. It is also connected with Saraswati, the goddess of learning who brings knowledge, music, and communication to the earth. The power of this nakshatra is samhanana shakti, providing connection. Shravana is symbolized by the ear reflecting its ability to hear the subtle etheric realms, and it is through the act of listening that we connect deeply to each other and to the universe in order to help transcend the material world.
However, Venus is also in the morning star position which was considered a powerful omen of catastrophe by the Mayans (click here and here for more on Venus morningstar). It is also connected to the return of the feather serpent Queztacoatl.
On the morning of March 9, 2011 an Aries Moon was located in the 3rd house in the nakshatra Bharani. The Moon represents the Divine Mother and is a karaka for sensitivity, emotions and reflected consciousness. Aries imbues the Moon with the fire of Mars and gives inspiration and courage. Bharani means "she who bears" which indicates the ability to endure hard work. Its power is to cleanse and remove impurities, apabharani shakti. Although its symbol is the yoni, or vagina, 'bearing' does not necessarily mean 'bearing' children, but rather the capacity to receive, hold, nurture, and destroy. The yoni also represents a doorway through which a soul enters the physical plane.
The deity connected to this nakshatra is Yama, one of the eight gate-keepers and god of death. Yama guides souls back to the astra plane where it realizes the results of its karma from the present life, and prepares for the next. Extremes, such as birth and death, may be experienced under the influence of Bharani. Mother Earth may be going through a purification and birth process that may leave many of her children in Yama's arms, traveling to the astral plane or another dimension.
The first cataclysmic event of the Universal Underworld is still unfolding. The 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan swallowed up cities and human lives. The loss of the power grid has brought nuclear power plants to near nuclear meltdown with certain radiation poisoning in Japan that is threatening all those who live around the Pacific Rim. However, when we look at the event chart for the earthquake, there is an uncanny planetary grace that underlies the surface.
At the time of the initial earthquake, Cancer was rising on the horizon in the nakshatra of Ashlesha. This nakshatra is called the "clinging star" and is symbolized by a coiled snake that embraces, or entangles its object of desire. The snake represent the kundalini or serpent fire that is located at the back of the spine and rises through the chakras during spiritual awakening. This process can bring mystical power, electrifying shakti, shaking, and ultimately spiritual enlightenment. Ashlesha's power is visasleshana shakti, the ability to inflict with poisonous venom. Venom may be a death inflicting toxin, or used in the right dose a healing medicine. Ashlesha's bite has released toxins, and has aroused the human race to reconsider its use of nuclear energy. Today Germany announced that it will take seven of its 17 reactors offline for three months while the country reconsiders plans to extend the life of its nuclear power plants (click here for link).
The sign of Cancer is ruled by the Moon, which as I indicated above represents the Divine feminine and is a karaka for sensitivity, emotions and reflected consciousness. It is also an indicator of the collective consciousness which is on high alert. The media coverage and internet chatter connects us like never before, and can project news and information that increases fear. This earthquake has brought the world's collective attention like no other catastrophe. The BP oil spill was also catastrophic, but man-made. This tragedy was triggered by an act of Nature that is revealing how toxic our technology has become. Our collective consciousness is held together by shared emotions including grief, fear, but also hope. This event is yet another opportunity to put our spiritual philosophies into practice and come together. Under the Aquarian energy of the Ninth Underworld we must come together for the benefit of all mankind. This jolt to our collective conscious is the first step on this Universalizing path.
In addition the ruler of the earthquake chart, the Moon, was exalted the nakshatra Krittika whose power of burning away negativity to get to the truth, dahana shakti seems to have been activated for all the world to see and feel. This nakshatra is also associated with the Pleiades, a group of stars associated with wives of the great seers in Vedic myth, and with the fates in Western myth. Fate is definitely stirring the pot. It was placed in the 11th house which represents gains, or what brings us improvement. The 11th house is an upachaya or growing house, so things get better over time. Krittika is ruled by the Sun, which was conjoined Mars in the 8th house of death. Like the rising Sun in the dawn of the 9th Wave, the Sun was in Purva Bhadrapada. And the great benefic Jupiter was placed in the 9th house of good fortune and grace. Thus the outcome of this event chart may be more positive than our current perspective may understand.
Tomorrow the Moon will enter the sign of Ashlesha and will transit the ascendant of the event chart around 5 pm pdt. It may trigger another release of toxins bringing our collective consciousness together again. It is a time to embrace our fellow brothers and sisters in prayer. As Calleman states: "The rhythm of the Universal Underworld is then a nine-day climb of increasing intensity starting on March 9, 2011. We will then have to learn to ride this wave [together] in order to ultimately climb to the top of the pyramid" to be able to witness the promised awakening.
In La'Kesh
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