When you take into consideration that earlier cultures didn’t have the trappings of “progress” (i.e. television, radio, McDonalds, etc) that our “more advanced” cultures have today, it becomes evident why they were more in tune with their surroundings than we are – as a people. I mean, if they went out for fast food, it only meant that they might not catch anything & come back hungry.

If we weren’t able to communicate ideas through the rapid switching of these electrons, we might very well be outside on our front stoop in Chichen Itza enjoying a celestial matinee.

It’s my understanding that according to Mayan knowledge (and the Sacred Round of Katuns), our course of rotation with respect to the stars rather than with respect to the Sun (aka: sidereal space), will bring us to a populated zone with many asteroids and other objects influencing our gravitational field. Considering the cosmic circumstances which we lack active conscious awareness (i.e. the effect of the Moon on the oceans, the Sun switching magnetic poles every 11 years, etc), these celestial bodies could produce oscillations in many levels that could move Earth’s magnetic field again and shift tectonic plates. Their belief of “the end of the world as we know it” is purported to be based more on logic than religion. See also: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast15feb_1.htm

Mayans seemed to have a circular relationship with time while the Western tradition is horizontal or linear and they understood that seasonal factors fall within the rules of the Universe and could study the Zenithal passages of the Sun due to their position in relation to the ecliptic. Unfortunately, early Christian conquerors destroyed most of the ancient records of this native American culture.

I remember all too well while growing up that my father would – on what seemed like a regular basis – point out planets crossing the daytime sky. “That’s Venus“, he would say as he was pointing; or another time, “There’s Mercury” all-the-while explaining that their orbits around the Sun are smaller than ours. I was more amazed at the time that he was able to tell a planet from a star with his naked eye than the fact that we’d be looking at such things during daylight.

Conjunctions occur when two or more celestial bodies are visible near one another in the sky at the same time and soon five, yes FIVE, planets should be visible to us at the same time this February 17th. You can read about the particulars and times at:  http://www.earthsky.org/radioshows/52944/five-planets-visible-in-february-2009

Also of note is a more specific and much more rare conjunctive event when Venus transits in front of our visible path of the Sun in June 2012. More information on this occurrence can be found at: http://TransitOfVenus.org

Imagine, for the sake of a better understanding of the scale of things, that the entire 14-15 billion year history of the universe – from the Big Bang or Beginning until now were compressed into a single year. I believe Carl Sagan brought the concept about and it is now regularly referred to as a “Cosmic Calendar”.   

Using this scale, the Big Bang would take place on New Years Day at the stroke of 01:00:00 January 1st and each subsequent 24 days would represent 1 billion years (a month would equal about 1.17 billion years).

The Milky Way Galaxy would’ve been created in February. Since Astronomers believe our Solar System developed approx 4.5 billion years ago, that would’ve been in early September with microscopic life on Earth beginning to flourish later that same month. It wouldn’t be until mid-December, however, that the earth would see great sea creatures and every living creature according to its kind.

Argueably, the most remarkable thing about using this perspective is that the entire history of human civilization falls into about the last half minute: 

• 11:46 Domestication of fire by Pekin Man
• 11:59:00 Extensive cave writing in Europe
• 11 seconds ago the ancient Egyptians built their pyramids
• 11:59:51 saw the invention of the alphabet by the Akkadian Empire
• 11:59:56 Roman Empire & birth of Christ
• 11:59:58 Mayan civilization, Byzantine empire, Crusades

The first second of the next New Year’s Day brings the widespread development of science and technology, the ability for self-destruction of the entire human race, and outer space exploration.

On the cosmic scale of things, we as humans are barely infants, let alone our individual lifetimes.

Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. – James 4:14 NKJV