Manataka® American Indian Council
THE MAYAN SHAPESHIFTER - PART 1
by John Perkins
Black jaguar at the temple — photo by Tom Clark
The great stone pyramid that rose out of the jungle
had been mistaken for a volcano by nineteenth century explorers who saw it from
afar long before the vines and trees were excavated from its surface. But it was
designed and built by people, not nature, every stone chiseled and laid by the
hands of crafted artisans. Now, partially restored by archeology teams, it stood
proud, a monument to human ingenuity. It had defied hurricanes that swept across
the Gulf of Mexico and survived the ravages of grave robbers who hacked away at
it for more than a century. Perched atop its summit, a magnificent stone jaguar
had vanquished the assaults of both nature and man, proof – some said – that it
was a magical talisman guarded by an ancient god.
This pyramid was one of many birthed by a civilization of shapeshifters who
drained the swamps and constructed massive island-like platforms out of the
marshes. They had transformed the Yucatan from an inhospitable jungle into a
land of agricultural bounty, magnificent cities, and splendid architectural
masterpieces. Their temples rivaled those on the Acropolis and along the Nile.
Their calendars were more precise than the one we use today. They formulated a
language that plumbed the depths of science and they developed a complex system
of mathematics.
Then these magicians performed one of the most mystifying acts in human history,
an event that has baffled anthropologists, archaeologists, philosophers, and
poets ever since.
These people who had converted a tangled jungle into a sophisticated, urbanized
civilization suddenly transported themselves back to the time of their
ancestors. The Maya abandoned their cities and returned to the forests.
I had visited this pyramid before, pondered the mystery of the people who had
built it, and wondered about the message they passed down to us; however, seeing
it rise from the jungle early on this March morning, mere days after learning
that I would not be sent to the Seychelles, that France Albert Rene would face
the jackals instead of me, I knew this time would be different. I had left the
Boston winter and the swirling storms of geopolitics behind. Accompanied by
Viejo Itza, a Mayan I had met several years earlier, I was taking the first
steps along a path that I hoped would change my life.
Viejo in Spanish means “old”; Itza is a Mayan name. He was a respected
philosopher and a teacher who was known among his people as a shapeshifter.
Although just approaching forty, he walked with a limp and relied on a gnarled
cane to assist him. In his youth he had been hired to work with excavators at an
archaeological dig. Accepting a challenge to race a co-worker to the top of a
pyramid, he slipped and fell. He was pronounced dead, and then resurrected by a
shaman. The experience lamed him and altered his life. He apprenticed to the man
who had healed him and he committed himself to helping others transform
themselves. He was “old” from the Mayan standpoint that one who passes knowledge
on to others is wise beyond his years.
“Why do you think your ancestors abandoned their civilization?” I asked him. We
were standing in the ribbon of sunlight that separated the dark wall of trees
behind us from the shadow of the pyramid in front.
“She might tell you,” he replied, shading his eyes and pointing to the lone
figure of the stone jaguar at the top of the pyramid. He was dressed in the
traditional sandals, loose-fitting pants, and tunic of his people, all made from
the off-white fibers of local plants. He wore his black hair tied back in a
ponytail. “We’ve survived many catastrophes.” He turned to look at me, his
chocolate eyes sparkling in the sunshine. “According to the legends, we people
are in our fifth creation – nearly destroyed four times before. Each time it has
been the shapeshifter – what you might call ‘sorcerer’ or ‘prophet’– who led is
out of the abyss.”
He walked to the bottom step and started to
climb.
I struggled to follow him, clambering over the hard rocks that were warmed by
the sun. Some of them had edges as sharp as knives; others crumbled and fell
away as soon as they were touched. For a moment, I considered turning back,
fearful that I might stumble to my death. Then I recalled the story of his fall
and how it had transformed his life. I realized that sometimes we must risk our
lives so we can reach new heights.
Despite his injured leg, he seemed to slither like a serpent, his body one with
the rock, totally at home on this ancient pyramid. The danger, the lack of
railings and ropes, did not deter him. From time to time he paused to allow me
to catch up and, in the manner of a hawk, surveyed the territory around us. I
attempted to imitate him but discovered that looking down on the nearly
perpendicular walls falling away below set the world to spinning. Glancing
overhead was even more terrifying. The clouds swept across the heavens like
frenetic spirits.
About three-quarters of the way up, he stopped. “Sit here,” he said, patting the
ledge. When I complimented him on his technique for climbing, he chuckled and
informed me that it had nothing to do with technique. “Spirit’s the secret.
Remember I mentioned a while ago about how the shapeshifter was the one to save
our people whenever we were threatened? This pyramid is a perfect symbol. My
ancestors created a civilization that was destroying itself. Magnificent
buildings. Splendid works of art. Medicines that prolonged life. This poor land
was overburdened and the population was about to consume itself into extinction.
Not to mention what all that wealth had done to the spirit of the people.
Despite their material wealth, they lost touch with the earth herself. The wise
ones saw this happening. They taught the people to change, to let go of their
possessions and seek something more satisfying – a way of life that could endure
and be passed along to future generations.” He rose to his feet and using his
cane drew a circle around me. “As we continue up, feel your spirit mingle with
the pyramid’s.”
I attempted to follow his advice. I tried to emulate the serpent. Then to feel
myself soaring like a hawk, or climbing like a monkey. I did my best to open
myself to all that was around me, to experience the spirit of this place. When
at last I reached the top, I pulled myself over the lip and lay sprawling,
drenched in sweat, on a narrow ledge. I forced myself to look down to the ground
far below. Overcome by vertigo, I took my eyes off the earth and looked to where
Viejo Itza sat perched upon the stone jaguar.
He spread his arms as though embracing the horizon. “It appears as it did in the
time of the ancestors. But the world is not the same as then. The city.
Thousands of people. Cars and factories. Poisoned air.” He pointed at a dark
line that looked like a bloody scare on of the earth. “And there, the toxic
river. We have entered a time of cataclysm. Like those other four times, our
species is again threatened with extinction. If we wish to survive, we must
listen to those who can lead us from the abyss.”
“The shapeshifters.”
Join John Perkins and Llyn Roberts
2-12 December 2010
Shapeshifting A New
World in the lands of Maya
www.greatmystery.org/events/maya2010.html
JOHN
PERKINS is former chief economist at a major international consulting firm. He
is the New York Times bestselling author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
and Hoodwinked and has written many books about the Maya and other indigenous
cultures, including Shapeshifting, The World Is As You Dream It,
Psychonavigation, and Spirit of the Shuar, which was nominated for a Pulitzer
Prize. John is one of the world’s foremost authorities on shamanism. Trained
since 1968 to bring ancient wisdom to the contemporary world, he leads tours to
the Amazon, Andes, and Himalayas. He is also founder of Dream Change, a
worldwide grassroots movement of people from diverse cultures and backgrounds
dedicated to shifting consciousness and promoting sustainable lifestyles.
Further exploration...
Additional writings...
The Dalai Lama and The Economic Hit Man by John
Perkins
Reflections on the 2009 Shapeshifting Journey by Llyn
Roberts
2012 and Other Indigenous Prophecies for Transformation
by Llyn Roberts
The True Meaning of 2012 by John Perkins
The Good Remembering by Llyn Roberts
Change the Dream by John Perkins
The Mayan View by John Perkins
Techniques to Shapeshift a New World by John Perkins
Shapeshifting with Nature by Llyn Roberts
The Mayan Shapeshifter by John Perkins
Shapeshifting into Higher Consciousness by Llyn
Roberts
Source: http://www.greatmystery.org/nl/maya2010part1.html