The Plumed Serpent

What, or Who, is Quetzalcoatl?
What, or who, then is Quetzalcoatl? Why would the ancient peoples of Mexico worship, and long for, a "Plumed Serpent" who would bring the light? The reason is that this Serpent was a symbol of the duality that always accompanies the generation of new Yin/Yang-polarities in the cosmic plan. Since the introduction of Yin/Yang dualities at longitude 12 East (which separates the Western and the Eastern Hemispheres) always brought some light, Quetzalcoatl was also seen as the bringer of this. Since America is located in the Western Hemisphere and Quetzalcoatl was associated with the World Tree trunk at longitude 12 East, he was in ancient times perceived by Native Americans as an energy appearing in the East, from where he was also one day to return. Part of the purpose of the Oneness Celebration is to recreate the energy of Quetzalcoatl along this line.

Also in many other traditions the Serpent was seen as a symbol of duality. The Biblical theme of the Serpent and the Tree of Life, or the Norse of the Dragon-Serpent Nidhögg coiling around the World Tree Yggdrasil, are really describing the same reality as the old Mexican of the Cosmic Serpent and the World Tree. The planet Venus, which passed through its alternating phases of morning star and evening star, light and darkness, was also associated with duality and hence with Quetzalcoatl. The 13-baktun Long Count of the Maya was sometimes referred to as the "Birth of Venus", which was a natural name for the introduction of the cosmic duality that created the first higher civilizations of humanity at the beginning of this Count about 5000 years ago.

Cosmic Time Plan
If Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, returns during the Oneness Celebration and the Venus Transit of June 8, 2004, what would be the nature of the civilization that this deity would bring? This Venus Transit will create the opening for the spiritual awakening of mankind – one in which the importance of materialist values will recede. But what about the calendar that Quetzalcoatl will bring at this time? In my books The Mayan Calendar (Garev, 2001) and the forthcoming The Mayan Calendar and The Transformation of Consciousness (2004) I argue that the combination of the True Tzolkin Count of the Maya with the tun calendar is indeed the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl. "What is the great value of this calendar?" someone may then ask. Rather than comparing technical details with other calendars, the point to realize here is that there are vastly different spiritual consequences of different calendars. The Calendar of Quetzalcoatl has some significant positive things to offer mankind:

 

The insight that we human beings live in a reality created by Divine Intelligence evolving according to a pre-set Cosmic Time Plan. Above all, this is a calendar that proves that God exists and that we have a higher purpose. The calendar as such gives life a higher and deeper meaning. Doubt and belief give way to hope and inspiration provided by the knowledge of the true destiny of humanity.

This promise has important consequences. If we are here for a reason and if there is a deadline within which the destiny of humanity should be fulfilled, then we have to assume responsibility on a new level; responsibility for ascertaining that we attain our common spiritual destiny. Such responsibility includes protecting the Earth and its life forms. Being co-creators of the divine plan or, gods in becoming, will no longer be just "nice thoughts", but our very reality. If we want to be part of fulfilling the Divine Plan, then our spiritual destiny will need to be taken into account in all planning of the future. At present this is the only realistic approach to life and we will need to choose the course of our lives based on whether they are consistent with the Divine Plan or not.

A unified view of looking at the world is one where science and spirituality merges into a Theory of Everything of a very simple basic structure. This will create a deeper understanding of the universe in all of its aspects. All phenomena become understandable from the evolution of consciousness according to a pre-set plan.

It has been suggested several times that the energies of Christ and Quetzalcoatl are the same or at least closely associated. If nothing else, it was in the baktun ruled by Quetzalcoatl, AD 40-434, that Christianity expanded to a world religion. This, in contrast to many of the religions that had preceded it, brought a message of love and forgiveness to mankind. On a symbolic level the Cross of Christianity was an expropriation of the World Tree and Quetzalcoatl was really the Serpent that in so many traditions was winding around the World Tree and in this symbolism the two energies are immediately connected.

Prophecy and Venus
We have yet to explain however what was meant by the prophecy that Quetzalcoatl should return from the East after, around the year AD 1000, he disappeared on a raft. We should then first note that, since then, many pairs of Venus Transits have occurred that did not seem to bring the return of Quetzalcoatl. The most recent examples of such pairs are those of 1518/1526, 1631/1639, 1761/1769 and 1874/1882. (Venus Transits usually come pair-wise separated by exactly eight years minus two days). While these seem to have coincided with significant steps in the evolution of the Earth to a Global Brain through extended communications, they have not brought peace and harmony to the world. What then is the difference with the pair of Venus Transits that we are now about to experience June 8, 2004 and June 6, 2012? Why should we expect a return of Quetzalcoatl this time, when it did not happen at those previous Venus Transits?

The reason is that at the current time we are in an "Underworld" in the Mayan calendar that, in contrast to at previous times, favors the Eastern Hemisphere and the right brain half. Thus, the light that is now entering the consciousness field of the Earth falls preferentially on the Eastern Hemisphere. We are in an Underworld that will set an end to about 400 years (a baktun in Mayan language) of dominance of the world by the Western and left brain hemispheres. This is the explanation that it is only now, with this pair of Venus Transits, that we have reasons to expect the return of the energy of Quetzalcoatl. Thus, both the myths of a return from Venus and from the East (looked upon from the perspective of the Western Hemisphere) now make sense.

Symbol of Light
A crucial aspect of Enlightenment is the balancing of our brains, and on a larger scale the Earth's, hemispheres. A pre-requisite for the Mass Enlightenment to happen at the completion of creation on October 28, 2011 is that such a balance is created. The creation of such a balance is really what sets an end to our externalizing of inner conflicts and a return to living fully in the present. This is exactly the change that we may expect the energy of Quetzalcoatl to help bring about – if we co-create its manifestation in the physical realm. If Quetzalcoatl is a symbol of the energy of light and this energy is now falling on the Eastern Hemisphere, it will now indeed serve to create a balance.

Without going too deep into Mayan calendrics, we should note that the different Underworlds create a sensitivity of human beings to different fields of reality. The gravitational and electromagnetic fields are examples of such fields, which human beings became sensitive to and learn to control in lower Underworlds than the present Galactic.

The current Galactic Underworld, however, which had its inception on January 5, 1999 in the Gregorian calendar, brings sensitivity to the very consciousness field of the planet and living beings. There are several names for the energy that this field organizes, such as prana or Qi, and its most common description may be the "ether".

Creation Field
Another way of looking at this field is to regard it as a heavenly creation field that allows for immediate communication across the universe and synchronizes creation across the universe. This field then is not one of the common fields of physics, but a creation field that only now human beings are developing sensitivity to. What this means is that for communication human beings no longer need to transport himself or herself to another place or use the field of electromagnetism. Instead what is needed is to develop the intuitive capabilities of the right brain half that allow us to connect to the heavens, the fields that create the universe.

Harmonious Resonance
If a significant segment of humanity is in resonance with this field of creation it would more or less by necessity mean that it would be able to function more harmoniously. Its connections through this field would depend on the capabilities of the right brain half, the brain half that is now in the process of balancing the world and eliminating its injustices. This is a process that leads human beings away from looking at the world through a dualist filter and projecting conflicts onto the external world. It is also a process that is about to set an end to the linear time consciousness of the left brain and so supporting a life lived in the present, in the power of now, if you will.

But then, how is Quetzalcoatl to return? Regardless of by what means, anyone who is able to connect to the Oneness of All at the time of the Celebration will become a living incarnation of Quetzalcoatl. To become real the energy of Quetzalcoatl must manifest in human beings. At this time this must happen through the absorption of the energy of light on the right brain and unifying this with the left. This is really about activating Kundalini energy for which humanity may now be ripe. A winding energy of light in our bodies, a manifestation of the movement of the serpent of light, Quetzalcoatl, may serve this purpose. This will set the road to wholeness in an otherwise turbulent time.

The Plumed Serpent:  The Return of the Energy of Christ and of Quetzalcoatl
In this the second article in a series on the Return of Quetzalcoatl, Carl Johan Callesman, one of the world's leading authorities on the Mayan Calendar, discusses the idea that Quetzalcoatl, the ancient Mexican deity, is a true savior figure. He argues that there could well be a divine plan revealed in the Mayan Calendar, which comes to fruition in the near future. Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, was seen in ancient Mexico as the deity that created the calendar and the civilization. To many, equating the importance of the calendar with that of civilization may seem to overestimate the importance of the former. This is because time has become a blind spot in the worldview of modern man. In reality, the calendar is just as important as the civilization as such, since the calendar is what provides the worldview of a civilization. The reason most people do not realize this is simply that modern civilization has the calendar that it deserves. In today's materialist civilization, calendars are almost without exception based on astronomical cycles, cycles of material bodies, such as the orbits of the Earth around the Sun or of the Moon around the Earth. Few people even consider the possibility that a spiritual calendar unrelated to such physical movements might exist.

What, or Who, is Quetzalcoatl?
What, or who, then is Quetzalcoatl? Why would the ancient peoples of Mexico worship, and long for, a "Plumed Serpent" who would bring the light? The reason is that this Serpent was a symbol of the duality that always accompanies the generation of new Yin/Yang-polarities in the cosmic plan. Since the introduction of Yin/Yang dualities at longitude 12 East (which separates the Western and the Eastern Hemispheres) always brought some light, Quetzalcoatl was also seen as the bringer of this. Since America is located in the Western Hemisphere and Quetzalcoatl was associated with the World Tree trunk at longitude 12 East, he was in ancient times perceived by Native Americans as an energy appearing in the East, from where he was also one day to return. Part of the purpose of the Oneness Celebration is to recreate the energy of Quetzalcoatl along this line.

Cosmic Time Plan
If Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, returns during the Oneness Celebration and the Venus Transit of June 8, 2004, what would be the nature of the civilization that this deity would bring? This Venus Transit will create the opening for the spiritual awakening of mankind – one in which the importance of materialist values will recede. But what about the calendar that Quetzalcoatl will bring at this time? In my books The Mayan Calendar (Garev, 2001) and the forthcoming The Mayan Calendar and The Transformation of Consciousness (2004.) I argue that the combination of the True Tzolkin Count of the Maya with the tun calendar is indeed the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl. "What is the great value of this calendar?" someone may then ask. Rather than comparing technical details with other calendars, the point to realize here is that there are vastly different spiritual consequences of different calendars. The Calendar of Quetzalcoatl has some significant positive things to offer mankind:

The insight that we human beings live in a reality created by Divine Intelligence evolving according to a pre-set Cosmic Time Plan. Above all, this is a calendar that proves that God exists and that we have a higher purpose. The calendar as such gives life a higher and deeper meaning. Doubt and belief give way to hope and inspiration provided by the knowledge of the true destiny of humanity. This promise has important consequences. If we are here for a reason and if there is a deadline within which the destiny of humanity should be fulfilled, then we have to assume responsibility on a new level; responsibility for ascertaining that we attain our common spiritual destiny. Such responsibility includes protecting the Earth and its life forms. Being co-creators of the divine plan or, gods in becoming, will no longer be just "nice thoughts", but our very reality. If we want to be part of fulfilling the Divine Plan, then our spiritual destiny will need to be taken into account in all planning of the future. At present this is the only realistic approach to life and we will need to choose the course of our lives based on whether they are consistent with the Divine Plan or not.

Read part two: The Plumed Serpent, where Carl discusses the idea that there is a Divine Cosmic Time Plan, revealed in the ancient Mayan Calendar.

For further information about the spiritual meaning of the Venus Transit and the energy shift that it is associated with see the web page www.OnenessCelebration.com.

Carl Johan Calleman is the author of Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time: The Mayan Calendar (Garev, 2001) and the forthcoming The Mayan calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness (Bear and co, 2004). He lectures and gives courses internationally on the Mayan calendar. His web page is www.calleman.com

The Plumed Serpent [part two]

The Return of the Energy of Christ and of Quetzalcoatl
As his fascinating article unfolds, Carl examines the idea that the return of Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent of Mexico, marks the fulfillment of a Divine, Cosmic Plan, as revealed in the ancient Mayan Calendar. This unified way of looking at the world; one where science and spirituality merges into a Theory of Everything has a very simple basic structure. Knowledge of this plan will create a deeper understanding of the universe in all of its aspects. He argues that all phenomena become understandable from the evolution of consciousness according to a pre-set plan. To give an idea of what this Theory of Everything will mean I would like to quote Stephen Hawking's ending words from A Brief History of Time:

The Calendar of Quetzalcoatl is exactly this Theory of Everything, which describes the evolution of consciousness. That this Theory of Everything eventually did not turn out to have its origin in the science of physics should not come as a surprise to anyone. Physics is the science of matter. It seeks to reduce all phenomena of mind and spirit to the movements of matter. Since we are now entering an Underworld that makes the unification of the left and right brain halves possible the science that is now developing is instead holistic and based primarily on the evolution of consciousness. Only now may the human mind on an intellectual level become whole and able to understand the mechanisms of divine creation.

Part of the value that this theory will have is as a common basis for discussions about the purpose of life as envisioned by Hawking. Yet, it also has a more down-to-earth and practical value in the sense that in certain ways it will in the turbulent years to come prepare us for the future. The description in the True Mayan Calendar of the changing seasons of time will be very useful for guiding our course of action. What I am talking about here is the prophetic value of the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl. While this may not always tell us exactly what will happen, it does tell us about the likelihood of events that may manifest during certain spiritual seasons. This will be especially valuable in periods of turbulence, when the calendar will at least make the course of events understandable. It will be easier to find the way and avoid obstacles for those that have a map of time.

The insight that the ongoing divine creation on Earth leads us in a certain direction. This is towards the Enlightened state of consciousness of the human individual and a unified Global Mind of the collective; the Golden Age.

This is immensely important. The fact that the True Mayan Calendar proves that creation is developing in the direction of a positive and highly desirable goal provides hope for all. This hope is not based on a "nice thought" that we may chose to believe in, but on proof as to how the course of evolution is designed. The future Enlightenment of humanity is not something we need to create with our thoughts, but something that is logically inherent in the Cosmic Plan. This insight will immediately have a very positive effect on the many that look upon life as meaningless. Guidance on this path will probably be the greatest contribution of the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl; life gains a higher and deeper meaning and has a purpose.

What this also means is that the only realistic approach to your own path is to focus on Enlightenment – starting now. Those sitting around, with arms crossed, waiting to see what will happen in 2012, may easily come to find that they waited too long. The path towards Enlightenment will no longer be a rather arbitrary life goal. It is now instead becoming a necessary preparation for everyone's future.

The calendar of peace  
Since this calendar provides a schedule for the Enlightenment of humanity – a state of mind without inner conflicts from which no external conflicts are projected – the calendar of Quetzalcoatl is in a very real sense a calendar of peace. The proof that creation indeed is evolving in the direction of a harmonious state of the Global Mind – The Golden Age – is by itself a great factor promoting peace also in the present. If a calendar falls short of delivering the above promises then it is not the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl. Of course, many will recognize some of the above promises as household beliefs of several spiritual and religious traditions. Yet, in such traditions they are mostly presented as "nice thoughts", more or less wishful thinking for which there is little substantial evidence. The return of the calendar of Quetzalcoatl – the combination of the True Tzolkin count with the tun-calendar – however provides reliable proof for everyone who seriously seeks an answer to the question what life is all about. To "believe" in the teachings of prophets, gurus, priests or scriptures will become irrelevant. The truth of the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl is independent of beliefs. If the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl is absorbed on a deep level at the Oneness Celebration it will have very profound consequences for the future of our civilization even if only a minority of mankind is directly affected. In the subsequent time, it will continue to spread widely because it will become obvious to many others that the Calendar of Quetzalcoatl is a new Truth.

The Lord of Darkness: Tezcatlipoca
In ancient days the people of Mexico recognized that certain calendar periods were ruled by the Lord of Darkness and Matter, Tezcatlipoca. In such periods his priesthood would then have the upper hand and create calendars that were based on the movements of matter rather than the spiritual energies of the Divine Plan. Also today, the calendars of this priesthood dominate. The most widespread is obviously the Gregorian calendar, which is based on the solar year and the Muslim and Jewish calendars that are based on the cycles of the moon. Some calendars that are sometimes seen as Mayan also suffer from the same delusion. The 52-year calendar for instance that was so prevalent among the later Maya and the Aztecs is ultimately based on the physical year. In the recent Dream spell calendar, the energy of the leap day (February 29 every four years) is excluded as a concession to the physical year. (It should be noted that the Gregorian calendar defines the leap day and that the idea to exclude it is not authentically Mayan). This particular day is then regarded as a day devoid of spiritual energy. This is because also the Dream spell calendar is subordinated to the physical year rather than to the true spiritual energies of time. Similarly, the Thirteen Moon Calendar is a calendar subordinated to the physical year.

Tezcatlipoca also played a role in deluding the priesthood of Izapa in Southern Mexico into believing that the end of creation would fall on December 21, 2012. This priesthood wanted the Long Count to begin on the day, corresponding to August 11, when the sun was in zenith in their own particular location, which would make this appear as the center of the world. This is the reason for the error. Much later, in Palenque, a correction would be attempted so that the end of the Long Count would fall on the actual completion date of divine creation, October 28, 2011. Yet, at least until now, the Izapan priesthood has had the upper hand.

The materially based calendars of Tezcatlipoca have in common that they block people's path to the prophetic Calendar of Quetzalcoatl and encourage them to settle for something much less. Distorted calendars that do not accurately reflect the divine process of creation fail to point out a clear direction for the path of humanity towards Enlightenment. Only the True Calendar of Quetzalcoatl charts the time plan towards Enlightenment.

Go to part 1 of The Return of Quetzalcoatl.
For further information about the spiritual meaning of the Venus Transit and the energy shift that it is associated with see the web page www.OnenessCelebration.com.

Carl Johan Calleman is the author of Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our Time: The Mayan Calendar (Garev, 2001) and the forthcoming The Mayan calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness (Bear and co, 2004). He lectures and gives courses internationally on the Mayan calendar. His web page is www.calleman.com.

There is also a rare transit of Venus on June 8, 2004, when Venus crosses the face of the Sun. This is one of those periodic astronomical events that could never have been observed by any human alive today. The previous transit of Venus occurred on December 6, 1882 - one of merely five events of its kind ever watched by mankind (since the first recorded witness of a Venus transit was in 1639, by Jeremiah Horrox). More on the science of the Transit of Venus.

On this day half our globe will be able to watch the tiny black dot of the planet Venus moving across the disc of the sun. Given a cloudless sky, all you'll need is a sun filter to follow the spectacle for several hours with your own eyes (be sure to protect your eyes!).

Retrograde periods, although often problematic for us earthlings, are not particularly uncommon. Each planet retrogrades, except the Sun and Moon.

Venus Retrograde 2004
Retro Station Direct Station Return
26 Gemini 08
May 17, 2004 09 Gemini 39
Jun. 29, 2004 26 Gemini 08
Aug. 2, 2004 

Previous Period of Venus Retrograde 29 Scorpio 05
Oct. 11, 2002 00 Scorpio 03
Nov. 21, 2002 29 Scorpio 05
Jan. 6, 2003 

Next Period of Venus Retrograde 01 Aqu. 28
Dec. 24, 2005 16 Cap. 02
Feb. 03, 2006 01 Aqu. 28
Mar. 7, 2006

Fated Events As a rule, retrograde planets presage a period of seemingly inevitable or fated events, which relate to their sphere of influence. They present us with a series of events over which we seem to have little or no control, relating especially to the sign in which the retrogradation occurs.

What does Venus affect?
In general, Venus, the goddess of love, rules feelings and emotion, aesthetics and tastes, fashions and all forms of desire, money and wealth. Venus rules social attitudes and behavior, along with aesthetic tastes and inclinations. Venus symbolizes female relationships and social interactions at every level. Venus indicates our values. She governs romance, marriage and other partnerships, capacity for humor, and the pursuit of pleasure. During a retrograde period the things Venus influences will be less apparent, or be of less concern to the world. Visual sensibilities are reduced. People dress with less flair and our color sense tends to be muted. This is not the time to purchase clothes or jewelery, change one's make-up or hairstyle. Redecorating or refurbishing homes or business should also be avoided, though there is no reason why decisions that have been made earlier should not be allowed to come to fruition during this period.

With Venus retrograde, the pace of relationships slows down and this is not the best time to get married or give big parties. Since Venus rules diplomacy, slowdowns in all sorts of negotiations can be expected, including industrial disputes, legal issues and diplomatic endeavors.

It is a time when we are called upon to go back and take care of unfinished business. Often we are forced to deal with deep feelings that have their origins in past events. They are activated on an inner level but are often difficult to express to others or ourselves while Venus is retrograde.

Venus Retrograde in Gemini
When Venus is retrograde, everyone's emotional state is more introspective and we tend to react emotionally to the issues and concerns that relate to the sign involved. With Venus retrograde in Gemini, people with this sign prominent in their charts will be especially prone to such introspection. There is little choice but to reconsider our personal feelings and relationships. There is, however, an opportunity to gain insight into one's own mode of relating, whether sexually or financially.

Venus retro in Gemini indicates that physical pleasure in relationships is unlikely to be as great as the intellectual stimulation derived from them. Social instincts are more geared to sharing ideas and picking up all kinds of interesting information than intense physical or emotional encounters. We will find inspiration in maintaining a wide variety of relationships with people from different backgrounds and experiences. Individuals with natal Venus in Gemini are some of the most accomplished flirts in the zodiac and in all social situations are remarkably adept.