TEMPORAL AXIS

Temple of Man as planetary being

a vision of our times
creating both history and eternity

INTRODUCTION

ON THE PLASTICITY AND MUTABILITY OF TIME

That our evolution as a human species is a function of time and follows its structured unfolding, mirrors another truth: the nature of time itself and its inner workings are a function of the evolving, creative human mind.

This preliminary note will put into perspective the idea (posited by both the ancient Mayas and modern astrologers) that the flow of time and history is readable ― an almost simple exercise in pattern recognition.

TWO THRESHOLDS FOR THE AGES

"By its nature, synthesis implies a joining of beginning and end ― bringing together what has been aboriginally present with what has skillfully developed through the civilizing hominization of the planet. In this process, history is but the middle term of an equation that is as mythic as it is psychogenetic in its dimensions ― and needing a fully conscious organism (man) to fulfill the once-unconscious imperative of planetary destiny.” ¹

In 2012 CE, the end of the 13-baktun cycle of the Maya Long Count calendar marked a major symbolic threshold: our entry into what can be called the post-historical period of mankind ― the full meaning of which is far too early to grasp.

Earlier on, in 1781 CE, discovery of the planet Uranus had signaled our symbolic entry into the astrological Age of Aquarius. Crossing the solar system boundary of Saturn exposed our collective consciousness to an entirely new category of archetypes: transpersonal energies which in the course of these last 2 centuries have initiated changes of tremendous magnitude, individually and collectively ― pushing for a rapidly developing consciousness within Man.

IMPLICATIONS AND CURRENT SITUATION

"In the staggering inner and outer events of our incipient modern age: its environmental, demographic, energetic, industrial, sociopolitical, technological, artistic, psychological, and spiritual aspects, all going through deep and wide revolutions, evolutions, and devolutions — do we not see an ongoing embryogenesis of specie-wide, even planetary-wide, magnitude?

Of such magnitude that the considerable energy demands of its chrysalis are rapidly exhausting fossil fuel resources millions of years in the making (drawing from the past), while creating adverse environmental conditions that will affect the planet for countless generations to come (drawing from the future)? Of such scale that the now sheer size of its chrysalis has largely overtaken the planet, overshooting the carrying capacity of its host, and extinguishing much neighboring life? From the intense pressure, such a chrysalis can become self-destructing beast, turned loose against itself and its host.

Today the need feels ever more urgent to tap into perennial knowledge, into perennial wisdom. To adopt a new —yet old— worldview or paradigm that will better serve humanity. To birth wholesome, more fully human selves. Each and all healthy participants in the Web of Life." ²

MAYA LONG COUNT CALENDAR

OVERVIEW

Macro-fractals of a 260-unit wonder construct, the Short and Long Count calendars track the larger cycles of past and future history, from deep into the dreamtime and back. Pure mathematical biorhythms tuned to chief biological and astronomical cycles and built from living energies, the Maya calendar operates as a blueprint for the flow of creation ― mapping our personal and collective evolution, our human and cosmic destiny.

By either intent or synchronicity the Long Count is linked in duration to the 26000 years precessional cycle [99.4% accuracy]. Astrologically, this largest of astronomical cycle drives the collective evolution of human consciousness. Each new round of a Long Count further precipitates the descent of Homo Sapiens into consciousness.

Let us muse over the following points of intersection between this calendar cycle and the history of humankind:

3114 BCE: zero base date of the LC, marked 13.0.0.0.0. Corresponding to the rise of human civilizations worldwide and the beginning of our recorded history. Arguably the most notable threshold since the Neolithic Revolution (10,000 BCE) until recent modern times.

551 BCE: mid-point of the LC. Located at the height of the famed ‘Axial Age’ and 20 years away from the paradigm-shifting, triple Pluto-Neptune-Uranus conjunction event.

2012 CE: end of the 13th baktun of the LC, also marked 13.0.0.0.0. Corresponding to what is shaping up to be the most important biospheric transformation of the planet since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago and the beginning of the post-historical period of mankind.

HISTORICAL PERIODS BASED ON LONG COUNT STRUCTURE

The time value ascribed to the Time Module basic unit generates either a Short Count or Long Count structure and their respective historical periods.

For sign + number rulership symbolism of historical periods:

ZODIACAL WORLD AGES

NOTES ON HISTORY OF WORLD AGES SYSTEMS

In the Western thought tradition, the theory of World Ages or Ages of Man can be traced back to Platonic historical theory of the Classical Greek period ― with earlier Persian and Mesopotamian influences. Previously, in Archaic Greece, Hesiod had elaborated a 5-Age model. Since the mid 1800’s, Western historical science has held a simplistic and Eurocentric 3-Age system.

In other world cultures: Hinduism has a 4-Age cyclic model. Maya cosmology has 4 Ages and the related Aztec traditions 5 Ages. Likewise for the later Hopis (4 Ages) and Navajo (5 Ages) traditions.

Despite claims to the contrary the zodiacal World Age system commonly known today is only of relatively recent import ― originating in the evolutionary astrology movement of the late 1800’s with its own roots in the Western thought tradition.

THE MANDALA: A VISION OF OUR TIMES

We can only wonder what the ancient Mayas would have dreamed into being to commemorate the landmark 13.0.0.0.0 ― end of the Long Count 13th baktun. The Mandãla means to answer that dream.

When on 13.0.0.0.0 (corresponding to 8/11/3114 BCE) “the image was made to appear”, Time materialized out of the dreamtime and history began. 5200 years later, on the symmetrical lookalike occurrence of 13.0.0.0.0 (this time corresponding to 12-21-2012), the image is made to appear once more. The Mandãla — embodiment of the Lord of Time — is ritual fulfilled. Out of history and into post-history, it is Time materialized anew.

Thus in essence, the Mandãla is the architecture of the End of Time but a time-keeping device going beyond it. Built at a critical juncture in time, it marks 5200 years of recorded history and heralds the advent of post-history. It celebrates the path walked until now by all of Gaia and humankind. It makes us the willing participants in a great cosmic drama ― empowering us as aware stewards of our planetary and cosmic destiny.

It also acts as record-keeper of the memory gene pool of Gaia ― both summit and summary of billions of years of continuing evolution. Built to leave a genuine, lasting legacy.

Being circles, mandalas tend to appear at the end/beginning of evolutionary cycles, individual or collective. This Mandãla is built as pillar that can support the development of a new civilizational paradigm. Like the mythological One Ring resurfacing to bring about a transition of eras, it integrates and and closes the monolithic Age of Pisces while serving as an evolving temple for the Aquarian Age and its rapidly developing consciousness. It is Temple of Man as a planetary being ― inhabiting a pulsating, vibrating, living Earth.

If the Mandãla is first and foremost a perennial vision (a timeless monument that would have its place in any historical era, past or future), it is also a vision of the present, “standing as an ongoing creative process, an evolution of worldviews, a historic unfolding vision of nature, humanity, cosmos, and consciousness itself". ³

The Mandãla: creating both history and eternity.

mound of the planetary mind
portal to the posthistory of art and civilization

time-keeper
ever since the Eternal Return