Understanding the Mayan Calendar & Looking Forward

UNDERSTANDING
THE MAYAN
CALENDAR

By Lulu FemmeFatale

12/19/2012 www.TheLuluChronicles.com

Questions and Thoughts

 1) What is the Mayan Calendar?
 2) What do we know about the Maya?
 3) What else makes 12.21.12 date significant?
 4) What might happen 12.21.12?
 5) How do we prepare for this date?
 6) What if nothing happens?
 7) Moving Forward.

www.TheLuluChronicles.com 12/20/2012 Lulu FemmeFatale

Overview: Mayan Calendar

 1) Mayan Calendar
 History

 Different Calendar
Types
 Counts and Cycles

 Long Count

 Mayan Concept of
Time

MAYAN CALENDAR LINKS

 YouTube Video

 Wikipedia Definition

 HowStuffWorks


History
 Mayans derived calendar from
earlier cultures
 Traced to 5th Century BCE
 Added to Zapotec & Olmec
 Advancements in mathematics
and astronomy

 Mayans calendar contributed
to those of later cultures
 Mixtec & Aztec
 Mayans made most
sophisticated refinements to
the calendar
12/19/2012

Calendar Types
 Different Calendar
Types
 Tracking the Moon
 Tracking Venus
 Days on Earth

 Used sets of 20
primarily
 Compared to Decimal
sets of 10
 Similar to binary or
decimal system

Counts & Cycles
 Calendar Types
 13 day – Trecena
 20 day – Veintena
 260 day – Tzolkin
 Base of 20 days in 13 cycles, important numbers
for Maya
 Approx. length of human pregnancy
 Astrological, geographic, and archaeological
significance to Olmecs
 Approximate plat to harvest cycle for crops
 365 day – Haab’ (Solar Year)
 20 days in 18 month cycles + 5 days
 Slightly skewed with time for lack of account of
¼ day in tropical year
 52 Haab’ cycles – Calendar Round
 Combined Tzolkin and Haab’ repeat every 52
years
 7,885 Solar Years - Piktun

Long Count Cycles

 1 K’in  1 B’ak’tun  1 K’inchiltun
 1 day  144,000 days
 1,152,000,000
 20 K’atun
 1 Winal  394 Solar days
 20 days Years
 20 Kalbtun
 20 K’in  1 Piktun  3,154,071
 1 Tun  2,880,000 days Solar Years
 360 days  20 B’ak’tun
 18 Winal  7,885 Solar  1 Alautun
Years
 1 Solar Year  23,040,000,00
 1 K’atun  1 Kalabtun 0 days
 7,200 days  57,600,000 days  20 K’inchiltun
 20 Piktun
 20 Tun  157,704 Solar  63,081,429
 20 Solar Years Years Solar Years


Long Count
 Long Count
 1 repeat Haab’ every lifetime (52
solar years)
 Long Count to track important
events linearly
 Gives a better view of events over
long period of time
 Identify dates using Long
Count, beginning with believed
creation day (Aug 11, 3114 BC)
 December 21, 2012 will be next
b’ak’tun cycle
 13.0.0.0.0
 Next piktun cycle October 13, 4772
 1.0.0.0.0.0

Mayan Concept of Time
 Count with Base 20
 Haab’ accounts for solar year
 Base 20 x 13 months = 360 days + 5
“unlucky” days
 Other cycles 20 x 20 x 20 etc.
 Saw time as cyclical
 Saw repetition in calendar cycles
 Reoccurrence and renewal of death-
rebirth
 Repeated rituals and believed
supernatural influences repeated with
cycles
 Configurations in calendar had
influences based on positioning
 Ex. “Unlucky” 5 days at end of solar year
cycle

Cycles

 Cycle Completions
 Erect and dedicate
monuments
 Commemorate completion
 Belief in Previous Cycles
 Believe present world
preceded by other worlds
 Number of cycles vary
 Due to fatal flaws, created
and destroyed by gods
 Sacrifice believed to
appease gods and maintain
balance needed for
existence and our world to
continue


Overview: Mayan Civilization

 2) Maya Civilization
 Content
 Accomplishments
 Characteristics
 Beliefs

 Context
 Time Period
 Location
 Influences


MAYAN CIVILIZATION LINKS

 Wikipedia Definition
 Mayan Empire Documentary Part 1 (Intro
and Founding Civilizations)
 Mayan Empire Documentary Part 2 (Math
& Architecture)
 Mayan Empire Documentary Part
3 (Astronomy & Calendar)
 Mayan Elder Speaks (Renewing Cycles &
Lost Knowledge)


Context
 Mesoamerican civilization
 Changed through Spanish conquest
 Ancestors still survive today in same region
 Distinctive cultures and traditions
 Pre-Columbian and Post-Columbian ideas and cultures
 Central America
 Guatemala, Belize, north El Salvador, west Honduras

 Time Line
 Established Pre-Classic period (2000 BC to 250 AD)
 Peaked Classic period (250 AD to 900 AD)
 Continued through arrival of Spanish

 Classic Period
 Number millions
 Advanced urban centers
 Architecturally advanced monuments and water
systems
 Advanced intellectualism and art
 Notable for mathematics and astronomy


Content

 Known for fully developed written language
 King and Court
 Generally just rule over specific capital city &
neighboring cities
 Ruler believed from divine lineage
 Privileged nobles make up court and upper
society

 Architecture and Art
 Advanced sculptures, pottery, paintings, and
murals
 Ceremonial platforms, palaces, E-
Groups, pyramids, temples, observatories, and
ball courts constructed by Maya
 Writing system based on logosyllabic system
 Syllabic signs play role in comprehension


Content

 Mathematics
 Advancements beyond
contemporaries due to use of 0 in
math systems
 Base units in 20 (compared to 10 in
decimal system)
 Allowed for advanced calculations
and observations

 Astronomy
 Traced many different cycles of
celestials bodies
 Moon
 Venus
 Large and specific interest in Sun


Content

 Religion
 Believed in cyclical nature of time
 Rituals and ceremonies associated
with celestial and terrestrial cycles
 Believed in 3 planes
 Earth, underworld, and heavens
 Practiced human sacrifice through
opening the chest and removing the
heart
 Maize at heart of Mayan religion and
culture
 Deities with multiple characteristics
 Not characteristically “good” or “evil”
 Actions changed with seasons and time


Context

 Collapse
 Still widely debated theories
 Overpopulation, invasion, revolt
, trade collapse, drought
 Exhausted environmental
potential
 Hunting and farming passed
sustainable limits
 Whole city centers
abandoned, populations
relocate to coastal and other
regions


Overview: December 21, 2012

 3) December 21, 2012
 Beginning of
New
Long-Count Calendar
 Nostradamus
Prophecies

 Religious Beliefs
 Galactic Alignment

 Geological Concerns


2012 PHENOMENON LINKS

 Wikipedia 2012 Phenomenon
 Nostradamus Prophecies on
HowStuffWorks
 Nostradamus Video (History Channel

Clip)


New Long Count Calendar
 New b’ak’tun cycle in the Mayan Long
Count calendar system
 Mayan literature Popol Buh describes 4
believed worlds
 Long count believed to mark beginning of
4th world
 3 previous worlds believed destroyed by the gods

 Enter 13th b’ak’tun
 13 and 20 significant numbers for the Maya
 Some believe 4th cycle of humans will be
cleansed and ended with the completion of
the 13th turn of the Great Cycle
 Other believe the end of the 13th cycle is time
for celebration, not devastation

Nostradamus

 Nostradamus Prophecies
 Recently discovered book
discussing apocalypse
 Believe most of his previous
prophecies came to pass
 My personal problem is
vagueness and room for
interpretation, I don’t know as
much about this as I’d like to,
but don’t have the time or
energy to really dive in

Galactic Allignment

 New Age Beliefs
 A number of articles and
scholars throughout the
20th century have written that
this date is linked with a
supposed coming apocalypse
 Believe date links to galactic
alignment that will bring
catastrophe
 Aligns sun with center of the
Milky Way Galaxy

Doomsday Theories
 Doomsday Theories
 Alignment causing problems for the sun
which would in turn destroy Earth
 No hard evidence this alignment will affect
Earth
 Earth most directly affected by Sun and
moon, unless these are affected, the Earth
shouldn’t be
 Massive solar flare causes pole
reversal, shifting the earth’s crust and
causing atomic blasts, geological
upheaval, and widespread death
 Geomagnetic reversals take 1,000 – 10,000
years to complete
 Solar maximum will peak in 2013, not 2012
 Planet X/ Nibiru colliding with Earth
 Adjusted from uneventful original
prediction in May 2003
 Such an imminent disaster would be visible
with the naked eye


Overview: Predicted Events

 Theories on December 21, 2012
Events
 Natural Disaster
 Earthquakes
 Tidal Waves
 Volcanoes
 Hurricanes/Tornados

 Power Struggles
 Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
 Nuclear Disaster
 Ancient Astronaut Theory

2012 PREDICTED EVENTS LINKS

 Natural Disasters (Top 10 Worst Video)
 Earthquakes, Tidal Waves, Volcanoes, Hurricanes
 Galactic Alignment (Opinions Why Alignment Won’t Affect Us)
 Planetary Concerns (NASA & Science Backed)
 Ancient Aliens (Opinions on Revisit by Extraterrestrials)
 Redistribution of Power
 Project Mayhem by Anonymous
 Wikipedia Power Law
 Miscellaneous Mayhem & Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
 Wikipedia 2012 Crimes
 Wikipedia Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
 Nuclear Disaster ( Top 10 Worst Video)


Natural Disaster

 The earth is constantly changing, evolving, and renewing
 Geological activity changes over time, and there may have
been a way to predict peaks as they appear cyclically over
time
 Even if it doesn’t occur 12.21.12, I believe this is a real threat
that we should be aware of and prepared for
 If we survive, we should pass the knowledge and
preparation to ensure the survival of our offspring in the
future event one of these catastrophes comes to pass
 Volcanoes
 Super volcanic activity is dangerous for its magma and the
ash cloud it would expel
 The ash would block the sun, killing plants and primary
producers
 Without the producers, the consumers that eat these plants
would die
 Without these secondary consumers, the animals that feed
on them would perish, crippling or demolishing the food
chain


Natural Disaster
 Earthquakes
 Correlated to Volcanic activity
 Shifting of plates and fault lines
 Fault lines border every continent on Earth
 Could cause architectural devastation, and loss of
life, but may be survivable
 Tidal Waves
 Result from earthquakes and displacement at sea
 Can devastate and temporarily or permanently flood
coastal regions
 Hurricanes/Tornados
 With changing air currents, these wind tunnels can
cause devastation across expansions of land
 Tornados are a big concern for plain regions
 Hurricanes mix wind currents with the sea and
coastal regions
 Survivable through preparation, though would cause
widespread devastation in its path


Power Struggles
 Historically tense relationship between
bourgeoisie (ruling/upper class) and
proletariat (working/lower class)
 Tensions have been increasing with economic
turmoil, natural disaster, and distrust in
governing bodies
 Ex. Occupy Movement
 The fear that exists over this date may be used
by parties that want power and/or want
changes or the deconstruction of current
political systems
 Power is not voluntarily given up
 There may be a fight which is lost
 There may be a fight which is won
 Project Mayhem – Anonymous
 Releasing December 12, 2012 at 11:11 local time
 Publicly releasing private information regarding
government and corporate corruption
 Unknown potential impact


Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

 Because an event has been
prophesized, people act
differently than they normally
would, which can cause the
event to occur
 People who believe the world is
going to end may act in irrational
ways
 Killing themselves and loved ones
to save from believed harm
 Killing others to simply watch the
world burn because they believe
it’s going to end anyway

Nuclear Disaster
 Enough Nuclear power
exists to kill ourselves many
times over
 Political powers, or smaller
groups with ulterior motives,
may release Nuclear power
to send a fearful world into a
frenzy or even war
 Natural disasters may cause
the meltdown of existing
nuclear plants, destroying
civilization around it

Ancient Astronaut Theory

 If we were previously visited, or interacted
with, extraterrestrials they may return
 Unsure of their motives, we may accept
them, destroy them, or be destroyed and
conquered by them


Overview: Preparing for the Worst

 Natural Disasters
 Anticipate and Prepare a Family Plan

 Redistribution of Power
 How Power Struggles Can Affect Us
 Economically
 Politically
 Peace & War

 Man-Made Disaster & Warfare
 Being Alert
 Anticipating High-Risk Situations

 Ancient Astronaut Theory
 Awareness of Possibilities

 Imminent Death
 Being Prepared
 Physically
 Mentally
 Emotionally
 Spirituality


Natural Disaster Preparation
 Make sure you have supplies and
a plan if natural disaster occurs
near you
 Food, water, and safety concerns
most basic
 Health and medicine would need
care, particularly for the young
and elderly
 Know what natural disasters are
typical of your region, and
prepare accordingly
 Have an escape plan, and make
sure your entire family knows
your plan

Redistribution of Power

 Our Economic system is complex, but fragile
 Precious metals historically retain value, while
the value of currency is dependent on the power,
authority, and backing of the issuing country
 Trade is old form of getting required goods
outside monetary constructs
 Value varies and is dependent on need/demand
 Politically
 Countries can be overtaken completely,
subjecting all citizens to the new regime
 Countries can be fragmented by regions
breaking off and declaring independence
 Fragments can be overthrown by other more
powerful entities
 Power asserted through force and fear
 Fear of death
 Fear of loss of quality of life
 Fear of loss of privileges


Man-Made Disaster & Warfare
 Peace and War
 Tends to have polarizing affect
 Regime vs. Resistance
 Characterized as Good vs Bad
depending on perspective
 War games controlled by heads of
the parties, using the citizens as
casualties and soldiers to validate
their cause, fight, and the extremity
of their actions
 Protection through critical thinking
and pursuit of truth
 Examine sources of information
 Examine intent as well as impact of
actions
 Be careful with your trust
 Avoid areas of high conflict and/or
risk


Ancient Astronaut Theory
 Question the intent and
impact of actions
 Working together as a
community gives strength
in numbers individuals do
not have on their own
 May also lead to stupid
decisions made through
“group think” which would
not occur on their own
 Identify trustworthy
leaders based on
knowledge and intent,
rather than those that are
the loudest or pushiest

Imminent Death

 From a young age I have been aware of the
impermanence of life, and have adjusted my
life accordingly
 There are some things you just can’t prepare
for
 I believe it is better to live each day as if
tomorrow may be your last than to mistakenly
act like you will live forever
 Keep long term goals and motivations, but do
not put off important things
 Never miss a chance to tell those you love
how much they mean to you, you never know
when the last time you’ll see them will be
 Come to peace with your pass, and release
anxiety of your future
 Living this way, each new day is a blessing
and a new opportunity rather than a right


Physical Death

 If you experience your own
death and are survived by
your loved ones, what will
they be left to deal with?
 Learn to detach from the
materialistic things that are
valued only in life, but not
in afterlife, or after death


Mental Death

 Accept what has been, and that things may be that you have no
control over, as this is the natural cycle of life and death
 Make peace with your past, because carrying around grudges and anger
taxes your body and uses energy and mental focus that you then cannot
use for more important things
 Let go of our human nature to polarize our memories of good and bad,
and find lessons in the mistakes so you may accept them as tools to teach
and strengthen you, and in turn let them go
 Keep dreams and goals for the future, as hope gives our species a reason
and drive to continue life
 Stop obsessing over details of the future, because you will never know
until you get there, and most things you worry about never happen
 Do not avoid fears of the future, face them, let your mind walk through
them to be basically prepared, then move on so that you can free your
mind for more important matters
 True peace and clarity can only be realized when we get out of our own
way, releasing what we have been taught to hold onto, looking past
momentary discomforts, and appreciate the unique blessings that exist in
this moment
 If it is not a blessing, it is a lesson, which will strengthen you in the
future, and can be a blessing if that’s how you choose to see it


Emotional Death

 Accept the past as it cannot be changed,
and accept that the future remains
uncertain, learning to live in this moment
 Make peace and amends where needed
 Release the issues that weigh on your
heart and mind, realizing you can only
deal with what exists in this moment
 Do not hide from emotional thoughts or
pains
 Find a time and place where you can
appropriately express your emotion, alone
or with loved ones
 Allow yourself time to experience the
emotion, noting what specifically is
evoking that response
 Once you have experienced it, move past
it, release it so that it does not consume
you


Spiritual Death

 If you are religious, refer to your religious doctrine for preparation to enter the afterlife
 If you are not religious per say, understand that through the act of existing you are part of a
system greater than yourself
 Biologically your body is made of the same DNA elements of all other organic materials we need to
cohabit with to sustain life
 You consume and expel energy in specific locations and fashions that affect the world and life around you
 You can only do your best, which varies from day to day and moment to moment
 Regret comes from not trying or not doing your best
 If you try and fail, it is a lesson, not a mistake
 Accept what you are, and who you’ve been
 Most important is to accept yourself and the person you are
 You cannot change the past, but you decide and responsible for your actions in the moment
 Though family, friends, and culture may affect your perspective and privilege, you are still responsible for how you react to
this environment
 Quantum Physics of Energy
 Your actions expel energy
 Your thoughts expel energy
 The strongest waves we send out are correlated to emotions
 Group prayer and meditation have shown some tested effects on the greater environment and/or consciousness
 I believe community transcendental thought can also affect individuals from the inside out


Overview: December 22, 2012

 Future Concerns
 Finite Resources
 Political Tensions
 Geological Shifts

 Future Opportunities
 Phase 2: Assessing
Opportunities
 The Lulu Chronicles Series
 Phase 1: Motivation
 Phase 2: Opportunity
 Phase 3: Ability


Future Concerns
 Finite Resources Even if there is no
disaster on December 21, 2012, the world
is still at a pivotal moment in its
development
 Our actions at this moment will affect
the world that survives us and the
generations that succeed us
 A society that values economic
prosperity above social responsibility and
environmental resources will not be
permanently sustainable
 We have the technology to develop a
sustainable community
 Change does not come seamlessly, as
those in power want to maintain their
power
 There must be a call to action:
 Awareness > Attention > Internalization >
Call to Action


Future Opportunities

 Realizing opportunities follows the same
pattern as a Call to Action
 Awareness > Attention > Internalization >
Call to Action
 Opportunity is only 1/3 of the equation to
success
 Motivation x Opportunity x Ability
 Motivation must be understood to bring
yourself to act on the opportunity
 Ability must be developed through
education, conditioning, or resources
 I’ll be discussing the tools to unlocking
Opportunities starting December 22, 2012


Overview: Moving Forward

 Starting with a Clean Slate
 New Age of Consciousness
 Planned and Purposeful
Action
 Individuals
 Motivation x Ability x
Opportunity = Success
 Setting Goals
 Communities
 Network of Resources
 Healthy Diversification


Clean Slate
 Use the calendar reset to
forgive others and forgive
yourself for past
transgressions
 Do not forget, but forgive, as to
not carry the baggage of
bitterness with you which will
tarnish future opportunities
 Set new goals, short and long
term, and set yourself up to
achieve them
 If you need help with this I’ll be
discussing it in the coming
weeks

New Age of Consciousness
 If we are starting clean, the
future can be what we make
of it
 We need to outline what we
want from our futures to put
tangible steps into play to
realize these desires
 Through technology and a
globally trade of ideas and
information, we have the
potential to create a society
never before possible

Planned & Purposeful
 Individuals
 Construct a plan and act with purpose
 Anticipating problems enables you to
overcome them with greater swiftness
and ease
 Planning ahead for goals allows time to
network the resources needed to see
the plan come to pass
 Communities
 Healthy society similar to a healthy
body
 As I will discuss further in future weeks
 Each part of society needs to strive for
individual health to add to the
community rather than detract from it
 More can be achieved through working
together for common goals than any
individual can accomplish on their own

Want More?

CHECK OUT THE MAYA


CALENDAR PAGE @
www.TheLuluChronicles.com


Resources

 Mayan Calendar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar
 Mayan Civilization:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayan_civilization
 2012 Phenomenon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_21_2012

12/19/2012

Understanding the Mayan Calendar & Looking Forward

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