CARLOS BARRIOS

was born into a Spanish family on El Altiplano, the highlands of Guatemala. His home was in Huehuetenango, also the dwelling place of the Maya Mam tribe. With other Maya and other indigenous tradition keepers, the Mam carry part of the old ways on Turtle Island (North America). They are keepers of time, authorities on remarkable calendars that are ancient, elegant and relevant.

“Anthropologists visit the temple sites,” Mr. Barrios says, “and read the inscriptions and make up stories about the Maya, but they do not read the signs correctly. It’s just their imagination… Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end inDecember 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed. The indigenous have the calendars, and know how to accurately interpret it, not others.”

The Mayan Calendars comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles has proven itself to be vast and sophisticated. The Maya understand 17 different calendars, some of them charting time accurately over a span of more than ten million years. The calendar that has steadily drawn global attention since 1987 is called the Tzolk’in or Cholq’ij. Devised ages ago and
based on the cycle of the Pleiades, it is still held as sacred. With the indigenous calendars, native people have kept track of important turning points in history. For example, the day keepers who study the calendars identified an important day in the year One Reed, Ce Acatal, as it was called by the Mexicans. That was the day when an important ancestor was prophesied to return, “coming like a butterfly.” In the western calendar, the One Reed date correlates to Easter Sunday, April 21, 1519 the day that Hernando Cortez and his fleet of 11 Spanish galleons arrived from the East at what is today called Vera Cruz, Mexico.

When the Spanish ships came toward shore, native people were waiting and watching to see how it would go. The billowing sails of the ships did indeed remind the scouts of butterflies skimming the ocean surface.

In this manner was a new era initiated, an era they had anticipated through their calendars. The Maya termed the new era the Nine Bolomtikus, or nine Hells of 52 years each. As the nine cycles unfolded, land and freedom were taken from the native people. Disease and disrespect dominated. What began with the arrival of Cortez, lasted until August 16, 1987 - a date many people recall as Harmonic Convergence. Millions of people took advantage of that date to make ceremony in sacred sites, praying for a smooth transition to a new era, the World of the Fifth Sun.

From that 1987 date until now, Mr. Barrios says, we have been in a time when the right arm of the materialistic world is disappearing, slowly but inexorably. We are at the cusp of the era when peace begins, and people live in harmony with Mother Earth. We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition.

As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing Earth changes. All this, Mr. Barrios says, was
foreseen via the simple, spiral mathematics of the Mayan calendars. “It will change,” Mr. Barrios observes. “Everything will change.” He said Mayan Daykeepers view the Dec. 21, 2012 date as a rebirth, the start of the World of the Fifth Sun. It will be the start of a new era resulting from and signified by the solar meridian crossing the galactic equator, and the earth aligning itself with the center of the galaxy.

At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years the Sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, TheTree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world’s spiritual traditions. Some observers say this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.

This process has already begun, Mr. Barrios suggested.

“Change is accelerating now, and it will continue to accelerate.” If the people of the earth can get to this 2012 date in good shape, without having destroyed too much of the Earth, Mr. Barrios said, we will rise to a new, higher level. But to get there we must transform enormously powerful forces that seek to block the way. A Picture of the Road Ahead From his understanding of the Mayan tradition and the calendars, Mr. Barrios offered a picture of where we are at and what may lie on the road ahead: The date specified in the calendar Winter Solstice in the year 2012 does not mark the end of the world. Many outside people writing about the Mayan calendar sensationalize this date, but they do not know. The ones who know are the indigenous elders who are entrusted with
keeping the tradition.

“Humanity will continue,” he contends, “but in a different way. Material structures will change. From this we will have the opportunity to be more human.”

We are living in the most important era of the Mayan calendars and prophecies. All the prophecies of the world, all the traditions, are converging now. There is no time for games. The spiritual ideal of this era is action. Many powerful souls have reincarnated in this era, with a lot of power. This is true on both sides, the light and the dark. High magic is at work on both sides. Things will change, but it is up to the people how difficult or easy it is for the changes to come about. The economy now is a fiction. The first five-year stretch of transition from August 1987 to August 1992 was the beginning of the destruction of the material world. We have progressed ten years deeper into the transition phase by now, and many of the so-called sources of financial stability are in fact hollow.

The banks are weak. This is a delicate moment for them. They could crash globally if we don’t pay attention. If the banks crash … then we will be forced to rely on the land and our skills. The monetary systems will be in chaos, and we must then rely on our direct relationship with the Earth for our food and shelter. The North and South Poles are both breaking up. The level of the water in the oceans is going to rise. But at the same time land in the ocean, especially near Cuba, is also going to rise.

A Call for Fusion As he met with audiences in Santa Fe, Mr. Barrios told a story about the most recent Mayan New Year ceremonies in Guatemala. He said that one respected Mam elder, who lives all year in a solitary mountain cave, journeyed to Chichicastenango to speak with the people at the ceremony. The elder delivered a simple, direct message. He called for human beings to come together in support of life and light. Right now each person and group is going his or her own way. The elder of the mountains said there is hope if the people of the light can come together and unite in some way.

Reflecting on this, Mr. Barrios explained: “We live in a world of polarity: day and night, man and woman, positive and negative. Light and darkness need each other. They are a balance. Just now the dark side is very strong, and very clear about what they want. They have their vision and their priorities clearly held, and also their hierarchy. They are working in many ways so that we will be unable to connect with the spiral Fifth World in 2012.”

“On the light side everyone thinks they are the most important, that their own understandings, or their group’s understandings, are the key. There’s a diversity of cultures and opinions, so there is competition, diffusion, and no single focus.” As Mr. Barrios sees it, the dark side works to block fusion through denial and materialism. It also works to destroy those who are working with the light to get the Earth to a higher level. They like the energy of the old, declining Fourth World, the materialism. They do not want it to change. They do not want fusion. They want to stay at this level, and are afraid of the next level.

The dark power of the declining Fourth World cannot be destroyed or overpowered. It’s too strong and clear for that, and that is the wrong strategy. The dark can only be transformed when confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness. This is what leads to fusion, a key concept for the World of the Fifth Sun.

Mr. Barrios said the emerging era of the Fifth Sun will call attention to a much-overlooked element. Whereas the four traditional elements of earth, air, fire and water have dominated various epochs in the past, there will be a fifth element to
reckon with in the time of the Fifth Sun: ether. The dictionary defines ether as the rarefied element of the Heavens.

Ether is a medium. It permeates all space and transmits waves of energy in a wide range of frequencies, from cell phones to human auras. What is “ethereal” is related to the regions
beyond earth: the heavens.

Ether the element of the Fifth Sun is celestial and lacking in material substance, but is no less real than wood, stone or flesh. “Within the context of ether there can be a fusion of the polarities,” Mr. Barrios said. “No more darkness or light in the people, but an uplifted fusion. But right now the realm of darkness is not interested in this. They are organized to block it.

They seek to unbalance the Earth and its environment so we will be unready for the alignment in 2012. We need to work together for peace, and balance with the other side. We need to take care of the Earth that feeds and shelters us. We need to put our entire mind and heart into pursuing unity and fusion now, to confront the other side and preserve life.”

anymore. Our planet can be renewed or ravaged. Now is the time to awaken and take action.” “Everyone is needed. You are not here for no reason. Everyone who is here now has an important purpose. This is a hard, but a special time. We have the opportunity for growth, but we must be ready for this moment in history.”

Mr. Barrios offered a number of suggestions to help people walk in balance through the years ahead. “The prophesied changes are going to happen,” he said “but our attitude and actions determine how harsh or mild they are.” We need to act, to make changes, and to elect people to represent us who understand and who will take political action to respect the Earth.

Meditation and spiritual practice are good, but also action. It’s very important to be clear about who you are, and also about your relation to the Earth. Develop yourself according to your own tradition and the call of your heart. But remember to respect differences, and strive for unity. Eat wisely. A lot of food is corrupt in either subtle or gross ways. Pay attention to what you are taking into your body. Learn to preserve food, and to conserve energy. Learn some good breathing techniques, so you have mastery of your breath.

Be clear. Follow a tradition with great roots. It is not important what tradition, your heart will tell you, but it must have great roots. We live in a world of energy. An important task at this time is to learn to sense or see the energy of everyone and everything: people, plants, animals. This becomes increasingly important as we draw close to the World of the Fifth Sun,
for it is associated with the element ether - the realm where energy lives and weaves.

Go to the sacred places of the Earth to pray for peace, and have respect for the Earth which gives us our food, clothing, and shelter. We need to reactivate the energy of these sacred places. That is our work. One simple but effective prayer technique is to light a white or baby-blue colored candle. Think a moment in peace. Speak your intention to the flame and send the light of it on to the leaders who have the power to make war or peace.

We Have Work to Do According to Mr. Barrios this is a crucially important moment for humanity, and for earth. Each person is important. If you have incarnated into this era, you have spiritual work to do balancing the planet. He said the elders have opened the doors so that other races can come to the Mayan world to receive the tradition. The Maya have long appreciated and respected that there are other colors, other races, and other spiritual systems. “They know,” he said, “that the destiny of the Mayan world is related to the destiny of the whole world.”

“The greatest wisdom is in simplicity,” Mr. Barrios advised before leaving Santa Fe. “Love, respect, tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It’s not complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free. It’s encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you. Great teachers have said that from the beginning. Find your heart, and you will find your way.”

QUESTION:

QUESTION:

So what is important?

ANSWER:

Consciousness is important. You must begin to see yourself in proportion to where you are in creation and consciousness. When your calendar is based on actions that are in tune with creation and consciousness, you will be free from the stress of how much you can produce in a workday. When your consciousness is in tune with creation, you will be one with the universe. Right now, your consciousness is speeding faster and faster.

QUESTION:

Is this why time seems to be speeding up?

ANSWER:

Time is not speeding up. It is the mind of your people that is speeding up. But your mind is not your consciousness. Your mind is what allows you to make decisions, but right now your
mind is based entirely on this silly calendar. Your consciousness is creation, which includes all. Step out of your human-centered view of the world and you will see this. You will see how narrow your mind is.

QUESTION:

But it really does feel like time is speeding up. Why is that?

ANSWER:

It is because your mind is speeding up. Everything that surrounds the life of your people is speeding up. Just in the blink of an eye, your people went from writing on clay tablets to emailing across the globe-from walking to flying. Every day you are discovering another way to go faster. It is hard for your mind to keep up with that pace. Actually, it is already far behind, and that is why you feel so much stress. Your mind cannot keep up with a computer. Your creations have already passed the speed of your mind.

QUESTION:

Then what is time?

ANSWER:

Now that is a good question. You perceive the things that are happening to you now as being present. And all other events that you believe to be real – events that happen to you or
anyone else – you regard as past, present or future. But maybe the
positions that you regard as past, present and future are all a
product of your mind, not your consciousness. Suppose your consciousness
has no past, present or future. Then, the only thing you could really
say about time is that time involves change. You can say that
something remains unchanged through time, but there could be no time
if nothing changed. It is the rate of change that your mind is
experiencing that is causing you to feel like time is speeding up.

QUESTION:

So it’s just an illusion that things appear to be moving faster?

ANSWER:

No, it’s not an illusion. Human creation is definitely moving faster. Every day you invent machines that produce more, computers that go faster, and new ways of communicating
electronically. All the while, the rest of creation is moving at a different speed. That speed is increasing, too, but at a rate much slower than the rate that humans are creating.

Think of it this way. Just in your short lifetime, you have seen the invention of the cell phone. Quickly after that everyone seems to have one. Quickly after that you could send pictures, now you can send email and surf the Internet from your mobile phone. It is all moving faster and faster – who knows what will come next? But look outside your window to that tree that grows. Is that tree growing faster now than when you were a kid? Does the robin sitting on the branch fly faster than its parents did? Does it still take nine months for human pregnancy? You see, what is speeding out of control is what humans are creating – including the species itself. Every day, the speed at which the human population grows is increasing. Soon it will be more than Mother Earth can bear. Humans are out of sequence to that which your Mother can provide. So what must be corrected is the silly need to go faster, to always produce more than yesterday.

QUESTION:

If I hear you correctly, it is that we are taking more than our Mother than she can produce, is that correct?

ANSWER:

Of course. You can take oil from the ground much faster than oil can be created. You can take trees faster than they can be created. You are out of balance with creation.

QUESTION:

What can be done?

ANSWER:

Stop your destructive compulsion to create faster than your Mother! Get back in tune with creation. Synchronize your time, your rate of material change, back to the time of your
Mother. Change your mind. Be aware of being aware of your consciousness, not only your mind! Change your concept of time away from the rate of change in what humans can produce and toward the change and evolution of the level you are aware of consciousness.

QUESTION:

But how is this done?

ANSWER:

Your Mother is experiencing herself in relation to galactic and omniversal time, just as an insect that lives only for weeks or months experiences time differently than a whale that lives
to be a hundred years old. Humans that are in touch with their Mother may also experience the passage of time as it relates to the galaxy and omniverse. Humans also have the capacity to experience time through the actions of creation as they pertain to human consciousness. This was known to human cultures such as the Maya. They did not experience time through the Gregorian calendar or by how many goods they could produce during a revolution of the earth around the sun. Their temporal reality was based on cycles of creation. Reviving
this knowledge would be a good starting point for your people. But understand that your mind is aware of many things that they were not, so you must add those acts of creation for your view to be complete.

QUESTION:

I’m not sure what you are suggesting.

ANSWER:

What I’m suggesting is to align your daily actions to the acts of creation as they apply to human beings and also to your Mother, who provides you with life. In doing so, you will at the same time align with actions of creation in the grander temporal scheme of your galaxy and omniverse. Open your mind and your consciousness to the actions of creation that govern human life, not only those actions created by human minds, which is your main focus
now. These actions of creation are actions that you might call spiritual, but not religious.

QUESTION:

Yes, I have come to understand the differences between spiritual actions and religious actions. Spiritual actions are of a personal nature, while religion is more collective.

ANSWER:

This is true but there is more to it than that. The time has come for each of your people to claim their own connection with the spiritual aspects of human life. In the face of
the human mind speeding away from its Mother, you are now being asked not to simply follow the directions received from the prophets, but rather to experience non-ordinary states of consciousness yourself so that you can be guided by your own experiences, not the experiences of others. Direct connection to spiritual actions of creation through
non-ordinary experiences is what is required now – such is what you are experiencing in this moment while you are “speaking” to me.