By Carlos Barrios

"The light is within us; let us work for our destiny-our destiny to better the human race. Let us become more aware of our actions; let us be more compassionate to our fellow human begins and to ourselves." This is a call for us to listen to our Mayan Elders.

Don Pascual (a Mayan elder) would tell me "we are living in the time of the Prophecy, a difficult time." Don Pascual was a member of the Clan de Aguila (The Eagle Clan) my mentor, and my spiritual guide and was one of the greatest wise men. Don Pascual belonged to one of the oldest organizations in the Mayan World, believed be over thousand years old. Not only did they preserve the pure magic and mystic of the ancestral world back then, but the same tradition has been preserved and is still being followed to this day. Don Pascual was a Chimam (Aj'qij), a wise Shaman, belonging to the nation of the MAM (the oldest people) located in Huehuetenengo, Guatemala.

I could only remember his look, gazing to the distance and looking into the future. I remembered the fog around us and the Cuchumatanes Mountains in the horizon.
I want to believe that we are still in time!

Several days ago, I received a call from the Elders, the heirs of Don Pascual, from the Eagle Clan. They are always courteous when they call, but this time I noticed a serious tone at the other end of the line. "We have been trying to get in touch with you, since December. We are concerned with what is happening to our Mother Earth." Since they have always been direct to the point, they started telling me that the Mother Earth is in despair, unleashing her furor at us, sending us Hurricanes, Droughts, and just recently the Earthquake followed by the Tsunami that provoked floods, and killing our fellow brothers and sisters in Asia and Africa. But according to the Elders this is only the beginning of what is to come. In the five Continents there will be floods and earthquakes. In our country we have already three volcanoes erupt. In Mexico, the Popocapetel is also active. In the Western Coast of the United States, as well in parts of Europe, it has been raining non-stop and causing floods. We must remember that Guatemala is the Torch of Light and our call and our message to all of our Brothers and Sisters is that we need your help. We have already begun performing ceremonies since December.

But that is not enough. We need the help of our Brothers and Sisters in order to continue our mission. We need to perform at least a Thousand ceremonies, but the ideal would be Two Thousand Six Hundred. We would appreciated it if everyone would donate ten dollars in order to buy material to keep on doing our ceremonies and to give thanks to our Mother Earth for what we have. That is why I am coming to you to give you the message of what the Elders told me the other day. And tomorrow the 18 January, which is an important day in the Mayan Calendar (Chol'qij) 9 Keme, which means the change in cycle and to give away to the bad energy, we will be doing a ceremony tomorrow along with the Shaman's of the Amazon and the Andes. The Elders are asking all of you to please light a fire, light a candle, to meditate, anything that comes with in you and this must be done before sunset or during sunset. And not during the night, for we are trying to eliminate the dark. On this day we will commence our ceremonies and meditations and will be focusing on our Mother Earth to ask her for her forgiveness and for her to guide us with her light so we can unite our energies and transmit love and positive force to our friends and invite everyone to join our cause to change our destiny. From this day forward until July 18 (8Kiej which is the day that the Mother Earth opens her heart to us and connects with the hand of God). So, it is important that everyday before sunset we make our fire ceremonies, light candle, meditation, etc.

The most important days for the celebration are: January 18; February12, which is the Mayan New Year; And the 18th of July. The Elders are also inviting anyone who is interested to come to Guatemala before the 12th of February. That day (8 Baatz) is the New Year in the Cholq'ij Calendar and we will be celebrating our New Year with ceremonies. And also on the 18th of July we would like to invite everyone to come and join us for the last ceremony which will be in the sacred ceremonial center of Tikal
Donations can be made through Saq' Be’ online at:

http://www.sacredroad.org/staticpages/index.php/20030915161553817
Or via mail to: Saq' Be'; PO Box 31111; Santa Fe, NM 87594. Please make a specific note for all donations that they are for the ceremonies.

Carlos Barrios is a Mayan Ajq'ij, who originates from and resides in Guatemala. Carlos has been given the mission by his elders to begin sharing the prophecies and teachings of the Mayan peoples with the rest of the world. Carlos travels internationally to share these teachings and to generate awareness and support for the rescue and preservation of the ancient Mayan tradition in his homeland. Carlos is also the author of "Kam Wuj: El Libro del Destino", an out of print book on the astrology and prophecies of the Mayan peoples.

Saq' Be': Organization for Mayan and Indigenous Spiritual Studies is a non profit organization based in New Mexico, US. Saq' Be' works to bring people, especially young adults, together with ancient traditions for the purpose of cultural and spiritual preservation and to open the doors of opportunity for those traditions to share their teachings with the rest of the world. Preservation programs include Radio broadcast capacity for the Native community in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, support for the community of Sarayacu in Ecuador in their struggle against petrol interests, and support for filmed documentation efforts of elders and guides of the Mayan tradition. More information can be found at: www.SacredRoad.org, or by email at: saqbe[at]sacredroad[dot]org.