Maya Prophecy of 2012 conference
By Georgeann Johnson September 19, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

On August 23, Antigua, Guatemala, welcomed 1,112 guests and speakers to “The Maya Prophecy of 2012: The Dawn of a New Age.” The conference, hosted by Jades, S.A. of Antigua, drew the press, ambassadors and consulates, 200 tour operators and guides, 52 indigenous shamans and representatives from a dozen Guatemalan museums and universities.

The event brought together the leading-edge theories of independent researchers whose aim is to illuminate Maya cosmology with the knowledge of Mayan spiritual guides and indigenous leaders. The shared message was that on this fragile planet we have an inherent responsibility to honor the knowledge of the indigenous Maya. 

Mary Lou Ridinger of Jades, S.A., opened the talks by underscoring the most important new revelation in the study of Maya prophecy: our deepened understanding of the link between the Maya ballgame, the creation myth written in the Maya Popol Vuh, the images found on carvings at the site of Izapa and the galactic alignment on December 21, 2012, which is the end of the 5,125-year Maya Long Count calendar. 

Headlining the program was John Major Jenkins, author of books and articles reflecting a 20-year study of the Quiche Maya, the Long Count calendar and its end-date in 2012, and the subsequent transformation of consciousness predicted by the ancient people of Mesoamerica. 

Jenkins outlined his striking theory about the significance of Izapa, a ceremonial site located in southwestern Chiapas, Mexico, as the birthplace of the Maya Long Count calendar. According to his research, astronomers at Izapa accurately predicted what modern scientists now acknowledge as a rare galactic alignment in 2012, between the December solstice sun and the Milky Way. 

His slides of Izapa stelae depicted different elements of Maya creation mythology found in the Popol Vuh. These stone carvings serve as eloquent illustrative metaphors for the astronomical events of 2012. His talk emphasized that though it may take radical thinking on the part of contemporary men and women to internalize the concept of multiple creations, of many rebirths of the world, to do so is the beginning of the shift toward a new form of consciousness, the consciousness of unity. 

Maya spiritual guide Aq’ab’al (Aurelio Sajvin) shared with participants his knowledge of the Maya concept of time. Aq’ab’al gracefully reminded his listeners that the essence of understanding Maya time is a spiritual wellness on an individual level. In today’s world, we frequently find ourselves “bumping into each other, looking for a flat road to where we are going” and that in order to truly understand Maya time, we must first become “energetically well.”

Jim Reed of the Institute of Maya Studies presented his film Understanding 2012, in English with subtitles in Spanish. Reed developed the film to help audiences better understand the ancient Maya perception of the galaxy. 

My presentation focused on the alignment symbolism found in the Maya ballgame. The story of the Maya ballgame is a story of being on a team. It’s a story of collaboration and working in a group. The ballgame employs the ancient astrological dictum, “as above, so below,” by introducing the crowd to the elements of the game as symbols for the galactic alignment. If we are to recognize Maya myth as a lesson for our time, then the era of collaboration and team play for the common good is dawning. 

This call for unity was emphasized by Grandfather Cirilo (Don Alejandro), Guatemala’s Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples, who spoke against what he perceives as a growing trend in Western media of using Mayan spiritual traditions in its books and films, while failing to include contemporary indigenous Maya people themselves.

Inauguration of the new Maya Cosmology Museum located inside the Archaeology Museum at Jades, S.A., followed the conference. Reed’s Understanding 2012 or a conference video are available from Jades, S.A., at baldop70@gmail.com. 

Artisan-style quiches
By Joan Strousse

October Luncheon
Mujeres en Cambio
Thu, Oct 2, 2pm
Hacienda de las Flores
Hospicio 16
120 pesos
Tickets must be purchased in advance

Alicia Rivero of La Fonda Escondida will prepare artisan-style quiches for the next Mujeres en Cambio luncheon. The meal will be rounded out by fresh salads, tempting side dishes and a selection of delicious desserts prepared by Mujeres en Cambio members.

Entry to the lunch is by prepaid ticket, available at Casa de Papel, Mesones 57A. Purchase your ticket early, as they sell out quickly! 

The group’s monthly events help raise funds for educational scholarships. Currently more than 150 young women from the ranchos around San Miguel go to school with the financial assistance of Mujeres en Cambio.

For further information about Mujeres en Cambio, visit www.mujeresencambio.com  or call Joan at 152-2820 (sorry, no phone reservations can be taken). 

Mujeres en Cambio Fast Facts

Mujeres en Cambio helps young rural Mexican women gain an education and thus fosters their self-sufficiency, self-esteem and self-respect. They currently support 150 promising young women recommended by their school’s principal and teachers. Continued receipt of a scholarship is dependent upon maintaining good grades. Annual high school scholarships are US$275. College students receive US$1,000 annually.

Mujeres en Cambio is composed entirely of volunteers who raise and pay out US$75,000 per year. Administrative costs are nearly zero since most are funded by members (except for legally required accountant and legal fees). The group is a legally established nonprofit organization under Mexican law. US tax-deductible donations may be made through San Miguel Community Foundation.

Giving back to the community
By Holly Yasui

A profile of Julie DuRand, president of the Bernard Weisman Foundation

Bernie Weisman lived his last 34 years in San Miguel de Allende. In 2007, when he was on his deathbed, his best friend Julie DuRand convinced him to leave his estate to a foundation to serve the needs of low-income Mexicans in the areas of education, health, technical assistance and micro-credit. 

Julie, whose full name is Juliana Ninette Sarda Manrique de DuRand, was born in Guatemala. She was raised by an indigenous nanny and so from a young age became aware of the great divide between “haves” and “have-nots.” She left Guatemala when she was 16 to study at George Washington University in Washington DC, where she received a business administration degree, majoring in human relations. She has dedicated her life to working with and for low-income people: “not ‘poor’ people, to be pitied,” she says. “But rather ‘people with limited economic opportunities’ who are all the more admirable when they overcome those limitations.”

After working 40 years in the US with the Pan American Development Foundation and Catholic Relief Services, Julie retired in 2004. She and her husband Cliff DuRand moved to San Miguel since it seemed like an ideal place for the bicultural couple. Julie wanted to re-establish her Latin American roots and Cliff found a niche in the US expatriate community here. Julie had visited San Miguel several times since the sixties and was impressed by the way that the small community of US and Canadian citizens had become integrated into the social and cultural fabric of the town. 

But in the past five years, the trickle of foreigners coming to San Miguel has turned into a torrent. “Now I see San Miguel as divided between foreigners and nationals, with very little communication between the two groups,” says Julie. “Most newcomers don’t speak Spanish and rely on an increasingly large network of foreigners rather than interacting with local people.

“Since UNESCO has named San Miguel a World Heritage site, it’s important to not lose the special beauty of this town, which is eminently Mexican, and not let it be made into a ‘Little America.’ For the privilege of living in this exquisite and now world-renowned city, we foreigners should direct at least a part of our substantial resources toward those most hard hit by the increased cost of living due to our presence.”

Julie hopes that the Bernard Weisman Foundation can become a means by which foreigners can give back to the community that has accepted us with tolerance and grace (in contrast to the treatment that most Mexicans receive in the US). She also hopes that the foundation can promote consciousness among foreigners that we are guests here and need to respect the language and culture of our hosts. 

Julie’s immediate goals for the foundation are to bring in more bilingual and bicultural people, especially Mexican activists. She is exploring ways to get more nationals involved. “Many Mexicans would like to participate but most are working people who don’t have the leisure and guaranteed income that retired foreigners have,” she notes. “So we would also like to offer work with the foundation to qualified Mexicans.”

The foundation board currently consists of Julie DuRand, Silvia Elguea, Cliff DuRand, Gilberto Pérez, Liz Stone and Peggy Bell. 

The foundation takes grant applications from January until March, from both individuals and organizations. It is also seeking donors who can earmark their contributions to specific projects. In this way a scholarship was made available for a student of modern languages to attend LaSalle University. 

Other grants made in 2008 include a loan to a tomato cooperative in the rural community of Peñon de los Baños; funds for five Mexican students participating in the Center for Global Justice internship program; a music scholarship for a young violinist; a four-part grant for the Suzuki program; funds to Mujeres Productoras for training; a grant to IREE school for the deaf; and a scholarship to the CASA Midwifery School.

The Foundation is located at Quebrada 67, which houses the office, a large residence, several smaller apartments, patios and a lovely garden that are available for use by nonprofits for meetings, events and activities. For more information, contact: bwfoundationsma@gmail.com. 

The Days of Awe approach
By Carole J. Stone

Shalom San Miguel
Selichot Services
Sat, Sep 20, 9pm
TV Salon, Hotel Quinta Loreto
Loreto 15, info: 154-6761

This year the first day of the month of September coincides with the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul. The months are not always so aligned—the Hebrew calendar is lunar and can vary from the secular calendar by as much as a month.

Elul is a very important month for Jews. It is the period of time used in preparation for the Days of Awe, the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. During this time Jews are expected to involve themselves in intensive self-reflection and repentance. Elul is a time to begin the process of asking others for forgiveness for wrongs we have done to them. According to Jewish tradition, G-d cannot forgive us for sins committed against others. We have to obtain forgiveness directly from those we have wronged. This process of seeking forgiveness continues through the Days of Awe. 

This mood of repentance builds through the entire month of Elul to Selichot, the Sunday before Rosh Hashana, and culminates on the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (the word Selicha in Hebrew means “I’m sorry”). The Selichot service is actually attended on Saturday evening, as each day of the Hebrew calendar begins at nightfall the evening before.

The name of the month of Elul is said by some to be an acronym of Ani l'dodi v'dodi li, which means, “I am my Beloved’s and my Beloved is mine,” a quote from Song of Songs, where the Beloved is G-d and the “I” refers to the Jewish people. In Aramaic (the vernacular language of the Jewish people during biblical times), the word Elul means “search,” which is appropriate, because this is a time of year when we search our hearts.

During the month of Elul, from the second day of Elul to the 28th day, the shofar (a hollowed-out ram’s horn) is blown after morning services every weekday. It is not, however, blown on the Sabbath. It is also not blown on the day before Rosh Hashanah, in order to make a clear distinction between the rabbinic rule of blowing the shofar in Elul and the biblical commandment to blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Maimonides, the great Jewish philosopher, explained the custom of blowing the shofar as a wake-up call to sleepers, designed to rouse us from our complacency. It is a call to repentance. The blast of the shofar is a very piercing sound when done properly. 

As the month of Elul draws to a close, the mood of repentance becomes more urgent. Prayers for forgiveness, also called selichot, are added to the daily cycle of religious services.