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Today is the Beginning of a New Era in the Mayan Calendar

"Today is the beginning of a new era" -- Alma Gloria Temaj Morales, Mam Maya spiritual guide from Guatemala

Today is December 21, 2012, the end of the Oxlajuj Baktun cycle, the end of the "long-count" calendar that finishes up a 5,129-year cycle in the Mayan calendar. The ancient Maya people were master astrologers and timekeepers, tracking the stars and planets and developing a cyclical calendar. Today is also the Winter Solstice.

In the words of Alma Temaj, "In the Maya cosmovision, time is cyclical. Today, the long-count calendar culminates and planets align. It is not the end of the world,  but the change of cycles, a new era, a new beginning. For us Maya, its the beginning of a cultural revolution that will enable us to  recover our identities, traditions, and cultures. Spiritually, the change in cycles means a renewing of energies. Across Guatemala we are holding ceremonies and making offerings to mark the end of the old cycle and to receive the new era."

Alma Temaj will be performing ceremonies marking the new era at our Bazaar today. Please join us.

Read more about what other Mayan priests are saying about the significance of December 21, 2012 here.