“We’re Beginning a New Cycle” -Solomon, the Mayan Shaman

Still alive today?  Don’t be surprised.  Solomon isn’t.

According to Hollywood hype and end-of-the-world sensationalists, the world was scheduled to end this morning at around 5 a.m.  The rumor is that the Mayan calendar mysteriously ends on December 21st, 2012, which signals the end of the world and the destruction of all things.  People have called it a prophecy or a prediction.  But is that ever what it was meant to be?  Did Mayans actually think the world was going to end in 2012?  According to many Mayans, no.

They believe this is the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one.  Just like seasons and years spiral on, so do the cycles in the Mayan calendar.

One Mayan man set me straight on his (and his people’s) beliefs a few years ago.  His name is Solomon.

Julie and Katie: Adventure Buddies

 I met Solomon while traipsing around the ruins of Tikal in Guatemala with my adventure buddies, Julie and Katie.  We had slept in hammocks the night before and got up early to watch the sunrise over the 200 foot tall pyramids.  As the sun peeked over the tips of the ancient stone structures and howler monkeys cried through the forest, I had a feeling it was going to be an amazing day.  It was.  And Solomon was a huge part of it.

We met Solomon outside of the ruins of the royal palace.  He was sweeping dead leaves off the path with a rake he had fastened out of a bundle of sticks.  When I saw him, I noticed several necklaces hanging from his neck and said in Spanish, “I like that fish necklace.  Are you a Pisces?”

That was all it took to get Solomon chatting.  He started talking to us in rapid Spanish about his life as a Mayan shaman (spiritual healer), his emigration from Mexico, the secret tunnels that lie underneath the Tikal ruins (apparently larger and more impressive than the ruins above ground), and his thoughts about 2012.  As I translated for Katie and Julie, I wondered where he was going with all his chatter.  Was he trying to preach to us about the end of the world?  Was he going to tell us about the doom and gloom of end times?  I had heard all of that before and frankly wasn’t in the mood for such a depressing topic.  I wanted to continue climbing the ruins and watching the coatis snuffle around the underbrush.  But Solomon surprised me.

“El mundo no va a terminar,” he said bluntly.

I stopped translating.

“What?”  I said.  “En serio?  You don’t think the world is going to end?”

Solomon and I next to the Elephant Tree

“No,” he replied.  “I think 2012 signals the end of a cycle.  A transition.  We will end this greedy, war-driven cycle and start a new one in which people share and give, and there is tranquility and peace in the world.”

The three of us were stunned.  We thought all Mayans believed the world would end in 2012 and to hear this contradiction straight from the source was a little shocking.

Solomon went on to say, “But not everyone will be a part of this new world.  There will be a division on earth.  Some people will continue to live a material exist and thrive on greed and excess.  The rest are the enlightened ones and they will step through a gateway of light (looking back, I’m sure he meant this metaphorically) and live peacefully with one another.”

“And how do I know if I’m an enlightened one?” I asked.

“You are,” he replied.  “You are because you are listening to my words with an open heart.”

We spent a good chunk of the afternoon with Solomon–listening to his advice, taking part in a traditional cleansing ceremony, visiting a sacred “elephant tree” that keeps water in its trunk, no matter how dry the weather.  It was surreal.  It was mystical.

The next day we were back to our normal routine–drinking Gallo beer and bartering in the markets.  But Solomon’s message never really left us.  We would talk about him, jokingly sometimes, but his words had a lasting effect.  I still think about him from time to time and wonder what he’s up to…or if he is even still alive.  In 2010 he was 92 years old.  Nine decades on this earth.  I wouldn’t be shocked if he lived three decades more.

THIS is a coati…probably the cutest animal alive

So no, I was not surprised that the world didn’t end this morning.  And neither was Solomon.

But am I feeling enlightened?  Do I feel like I’ve stepped through a gateway of light?  Maybe not.  Maybe nothing so dramatic.  But I do think my first day in the “new cycle” is off to a great start.  I am surrounded by people I love and care about; I have a comfortable apartment and enough to eat; I am writing again; I am healthy.  That is enough light for me.