Ved Leonide Martin

Yucatan er et sted af subtile skatte, camoufleret i spektakulære ruiner og spændende naturlige kreationer. Den kalkstensplateau der understøtter savanne og tørre tropiske skove er interlaced med underjordiske vandløb. Ingen floder kører på overfladen, men under er huler og vandrør, som en stor schweizerost. Når overfladen af ​​vandveje slidt tynd, kan den kollapse og danne Cenotes (cirkulære åbninger afsløre klart vand.) Mens nogle Cenotes er tæt på jordoverfladen, flere er på dybder på 20 til 50 fod. Rødder af træer dingle ned, søger næring i vandet nedenfor, mens vinstokke drapere elegant over kanten og sluger rede under stenede tagskæg.

Den feminine element, vandet, gennemtrænger den hårde Karst formation. De hellige feminine svæver lige under overfladen af ​​kantede sten og lineære pyramider i gamle Maya byer. De Mayalands betragtes feminine af oprindelige folk: Pachamama, Heart of the Earth.

Efter at jeg havde boet i Yucatan i to år, min ven og åndelige søster kom på besøg. Hun havde rejst før i dette område af Mexico, at finde det temmelig barsk energisk og intens klimatisk. Som tilhængere af gudinden, delte vi interesse i at opleve Hendes tilstedeværelse, hvor vi rejste. Den Yucatan-halvøen, at min ven, syntes mest maskulin. Flade sletter, stenede marker, skjulte vand og skarpt kantede ruiner projiceres maskuline sværhedsgrad. Jeg inviterede hende på søgen efter det hellige kvindelige i Yucatan.

Uxmal

De Puuc bakker stige forsigtigt i den vestlige udkant af Yucatan sletterne. Deres kurver er bløde og afrundede, dækket med frodige løv. Du føler indhyllet i favn Moder Jord. Uxmal er den dominerende Maya sted i Puuc, med rester af hævede veje (kaldet Sacbe) at linke til andre nærliggende byer. Grundlagt omkring 600 CE, Uxmal nåede sit højdepunkt i 800-1000 CE og blev stort set forladt et århundrede senere. Det har nogle af de fineste kalkmalerier og mest kunstfærdigt dekorerede bygninger i Maya verden.

Den overordnede følelse du får på Uxmal er harmoni. Det er måske den mest visuelt tilfredsstillende af steder, med åbne områder mellem tårnhøje strukturer, der på differentierede platforme. Kun få træer hindrer udsynet, og græs bringer grønne fredfyldthed, hvor der engang hvide plazas afspejlede sollys. Mest slående er dog en harmonisk placering af bygninger, hvordan hele sitet udstråler ynde og balance. De ældre siger, Uxmal har den perfekte balance mellem kvindelige og mandlige energier. I mayaernes hellige geometri, er Uxmal strukturer tilpasset til solen, månen, og genetablering af Venus.

På mit første besøg i Uxmal, følte jeg en flagren omkring mit hjerte da vi nærmede os. Sensing mine længe siden forbindelser her, intuition fortalte mig, at stedet fungerede som et træningscenter for præstinder og præster af gudinden IxCheel. Adskillige år senere, Maya Elder Hunbatz Mænd beskrev vores gruppe hvordan dette sted var et universitet for at uddanne kvinder, især i kunst af hellige seksualitet. Sidder på trappen i Nonnekloster Quadrangle, påpegede han det primære symbolik i kalkmalerier for hver kardinal retning: Den sydlige Bygningen var små hytter og korn til jorden og familie, øst bygningen havde uglen af ​​visdom i himlen nettet med ni dobbeltpilen Slanger af dualitet, havde vest bygningen sammenflettede slanger af kundalini med et panel af blomster (symbol på vulva), og nord bygningen havde stablet Chak ansigter (gud for regn og livgivende væsker) og mandlige falliske symboler.

Master Maya Teacher Miguel Angel Vergara kalder Uxmal "The City of the Kindness of the Moon" og siger, at det var en kosmisk Feminin University for præstinde indvielser. IxCheel blev hædret i hendes mange aspekter som Lady Rainbow og Moder Jord, med Face of the Moon, healer, herbalist og jordemoder.

Øst for firkanten står tårnhøje Pyramid of the Magician. Besøgende kommer ind ruinerne er underholdt med synet af denne 117-meter høje struktur, og det tager pusten fra en. I modsætning til næsten alle mayaernes pyramider, som er kvadratiske og fire-sidet, er denne pyramide ovale. Stejle trapper op ad øst og vest sider. Mod vest, et kæmpe monster maske giver adgang til det indre gennem sine gabende kæber. Anbragt på toppen af ​​masken er en lille firkantet tempel. De svulmende pyramide sider tyder på graviditet, og den ovale form antydninger af feminine kurver. I skarp modsætning hertil er de rette linjer af trappen decideret maskuline. Under nætter af fuldmånen, der udføres præstinder i Uxmal deres ritualer på højderne af pyramiden, som forener de kreative kræfter i universet, ære frugtbarhed og overflod.

På grund syd for pyramiden, et stort tredelt terrasse stiger til at understøtte den imponerende Guvernørens Palads, som faktisk er et tempel for solen. Foran er to bemærkelsesværdige små strukturer. Den dobbelte hoveder Jaguar tronen sidder på en lav firkantet platform, en leder i hver ende udad. Med forskellige venner, har jeg oplever de forskellige energier i de to Jaguaren hoveder. En person står over for hver jaguar, hænder holdt håndfladen åben mod jaguar. Den mindre hoved trækker energi blidt mod sig selv, som om modtagelse. Det store hoved blaster energi ud, dens magt næsten overvældende for nogle mennesker. Arkæologer siger, at Uxmal regenten brugte denne trone til ceremoni. I think it brought his feminine and masculine sides into balance.

Between the jaguar throne and middle steps of the Governor's Palace stands an elongated stone about eight feet tall. Now tilted about 45 degrees but originally upright, this stone phallus symbolizes the fertilization of earth. Possibly it was empowered to draw down masculine creative forces and focus them in the person of the leader who manifested creative cycles for the people.

Southeast of this broad platform, now surrounded by brushy overgrowth, is the House of the Old Woman. The structure is crumbling, with vines and bushes growing between stones. Few tourists visit here. The old woman is IxMucane, goddess of the center of the earth, the convergence point of planetary energies and place of transformation. Called the Grandmother, she is the legendary sorceress who hatched her dwarf son from an egg, and magically aided him in his contest to overcome the Uxmal ruler. During this process, the dwarf created the imposing Temple of the Magician in one night.

Determined to do ceremony for IxMucane, a friend and I braved the narrow thorny path and found a small clearing in front of the House of the Old Woman. We spread our altar cloth on the ground in typical indigenous manner, and placed objects for earth, water, fire and air at the four corners. Making offerings of copal (resin of the copal tree) and ground maize (corn), we offered prayers and salutations quietly. In our meditation there, we caught glimpses of Uxmal when it functioned as a center where Maya women received both human and cosmic knowledge, learned the ceremonies of the elements and directions, and celebrated the power of creation in song and dance.

My friend was deeply moved and felt the Feminine Divine presence strongly. We agreed that Uxmal offered an amazing balance: sky-earth, sun-moon, masculine-feminine.

Xcambo

An hour from Yucatan's capital city, Merida, lies hidden the small coastal site Xcambo. My friend and I drove past palm-stippled beaches lining the calm Gulf of Mexico to Telchac Puerto, a sleepy fishing village. A short sandy road took us into the Xcambo ruins, a collection of modest structures. The tallest building, composed of five levels, rises 50 feet. On top, a large flat platform gives unobstructed 360-degree views of the surrounding marshes and the nearby gulf. Palmettos dot the marsh and water birds abound. Around the central plaza are four structures, the southern one presenting masks in deteriorated condition. The architecture is simple, mostly without adornment.

Xcambo is full of stillness and the song of the wind. It brings you in touch with the vastness of seas, the meeting of water and earth. Meditating on the high platform, we easily communed with the goddess of the sea, IxYumHa. She embodies the life of the seawaters, her crown elongating into a sea bird holding a fish. Shells rattle at her wrists and ankles, and seaweed forms her hair. Her special bird is the pelican, and she protects both birds and fish.

We reveled in the gentle feminine energy of Xcambo. Not much is known of this mysterious site, and few tourists visit. In the spring, the local Mayan villagers make a pilgrimage walk to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe with ceremonies on the high platform. A small open-sided Catholic church was appended to the structure long ago. To us, the energies of IxYumHa and Guadalupe merged, as they undoubtedly do on a deep level for the local Maya.

Although the more famous sites of the Mayan Goddess IxCheel are on the Caribbean islands Cozamel and Isla Mujeres, we discovered a strong Sacred Feminine presence in Yucatan. Just as the underground channels hide abundant water, the land and sites here conceal the Goddess; but gladly reveal her energies to those who really look.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leonide Martin lives in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico where she gives classes and excursions focused on ancient Maya teachings, goddesses and calendars. She received training as a Maya Solar Initiate and Fire Woman, and is an ordained Priestess of Isis. Her book “Dreaming the Maya Fifth Sun: A Novel of Maya Wisdom and the 2012 Shift in Consciousness” reveals how indigenous wisdom supports global transformations. Experiences of the Sacred Feminine through the Maya goddess tradition are offered with Trudy Woodcock at Iluminado Tours: www.iluminado-tours.com

by Glenn Broughton

Why do so many people visit ancient sacred sites each year? Why are so many people drawn to England's Stonehenge, or the Pyramids in Egypt. Hvad sker der?

In my experience as a guide to ancient sacred sites in Britain there are various reasons why people make these journeys. For some it is a quest, such as following the Arthurian legend in a personal search to find the meaning of the Holy Grail. For others it is a modern pilgrimage to walk the paths of our ancestors. Others instinctively know that a healing awaits them at one of these places shrouded in mystery. Whatever prompts the decision to travel, journeys of this kind are almost always transformative.

Reading The Signs
Our ancestors knew the Earth intimately and understood her wisdom. Living in much closer communion with the planet than we do their sense of the natural forces of the Earth was a finely-tuned whole body awareness.

Imagine yourself as a member of a neolithic society living five thousand years ago. You are walking along and suddenly you feel a tingling in your hands or feet or maybe a rush of energy throughout your body. You have just walked over an energy hot spot. This is where you would choose to build a structure in which you could work with the energies present for purposes of healing or spiritual insight.
Today this same sacred site might appear to be just a dead relic of a bygone age. However, myths passed down through the generations tell a different story. For example, it is said of several stone circles that the stones go down to the water to drink at midnight or on a full moon. This folktale speaks of the connection between the stone circle, ever-present underground water and the earth energy that is carried by the water. This varies according to the seasons, the phases of the moon and even day and night. All holy wells have stories of healings attached to them. When we realise that strong Earth energy currents have turned the waters into something akin to a homeopathic remedy, these tales make perfect sense.

Sacred Space

Originally all energy spots were simply in nature – a hilltop, a wooded copse, a spring. The trees were the first to teach us the consequences of enclosing natural energy. The energy can be contained and built up to create a super-charged space. The Druids performed all their ceremonies in sacred groves for this reason. We can all feel these 'magic' places still, even if we don't feel energies; they create in us a sense of silence, of wonder, of gratitude. The stone circle builders developed this theme and used crystalline rocks in order to control the energies. Today we utilize crystal (silicon chips) in all our computers; our ancestors were really using the same technology but for different purposes and on a different scale.
Medieval churches and cathedrals were often built on the sites of stone circles, ensuring that these energy hot spots would empower their Christian ceremonies.

Intent

What makes the crucial difference between a tourist visit and a transformative experience is our intent. Combining this committed intent with the super-charged atmosphere of a sacred site on a spiritual journey opens the door for extraordinary things to happen. On some level we still know what our ancestors knew – that the ancient sacred sites hold power and potential. Yet, our logical thinking often tells us this can't be true. If we are prepared to quiet the sceptical mind for a while and act as if magic is possible, then magic does indeed become possible. As Albert Einstein once remarked “He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

Om forfatteren:
Glenn Broughton has been researching and visiting ancient sacred sites for twenty years and is drawn to explore their energetic properties and how such places of power affect us today. He has been a tour guide for most of this time leading groups exploring the mystery of sacred sites through http://www.journeyswithsoul.com
He also lecturers internationally on sacred sites, earth mysteries and crop circles, and is the co-founder / co-organizer of http://www.earthspiritconferences.com

The iconic Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor was a gift from France, in 1886. But, did its inspiration originate almost 2000 years ago, in Turkey? A recent discovery in the remnants of excavation in one of the country's most important archaeological sites is cause for speculation.

The history of Perge, situated 18km from Antalya, in the Pamphylion Plain on the Mediterranean coast and one of Turkey's most popular vacation destinations, dates back to at least 1500 BC, the end of the Hittite Empire's period. Alexander the Great, king of Macedonia and one of the great Emperor conquered there in 333 BC But the height of the city's power was during the Roman Empire, in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD Since 1946, Perge has been carefully excavated, revealing some of the most complete and largest ancient ruins to be found in a part of the world that tells the entire story of western civilization through newly discovered antiquities, buildings, artworks and even entire towns and cities.

This in itself would be reason enough to visit Perge, and the many other ancient discoveries in Turkey but the added intrigue of Perge's “Statue of Liberty” makes a trip there irresistible. Carved into a tall column, the three-dimensional figure bears an uncanny resemblance to New York's own, including a crown and a torch held high and, as same as the American “lady,” a sword instead of a tablet of law. And, the similarities make sense because it turns out that Frederic Bartholdi's inspiration for American Statue of Liberty was none other than the Roman deity, Libertas, the goddess of freedom. Could it be that Perge's figure, with her distinctive pose and characteristics, became the model all the “Lady Liberties” down through the ages?

Americans may want to decide for themselves. In addition to a first-hand examination of the newly discovered statue, they will have the opportunity to explore the entirety of Perge's ancient wonders, which include a large agora, or market place, that served as the center of political and social life; a theatre that held 12,000 spectators; Roman baths; a colonnaded boulevard between Hellenistic gates, the city walls, gymnasium, numerous fountains and statues of Roman gods and the mother goddess Artemis, even a necropolis for the dead. Perge is also of interest because of its connections to early Christianity, having been famously visited by Saint Paul and St. Barnabas.

Adding to the appeal of a trip to Perge, of course, is Antalya itself. Some 500 miles of Mediterranean shoreline offer some of the cleanest beaches in Europe while the surrounding province contains ancient cities, picturesque seaside villages and exceptional natural beauty.

The city is noted for its hotels and resorts, appetizing restaurants, lively nightlife and shopping as well as year-round sporting events. A Cultural Center, opened in 1995, is the focal point for special events, festivals and exhibitions showcasing music, theater and other creative arts.

About Turkey

Turkey is a modern nation with a captivating blend of antiquity and contemporary and of East and West. The cradle of civilization and center of world history today stands as one of the fastest-growing tourism destinations in the world. Turkey was the site of the first human settlement; the seat of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman Empires; the birthplace of Homer and the last home of the Virgin Mary, just to name a few. Today Turkey, with its spectacular coastline, majestic mountains, cosmopolitan cities and quaint villages is one of the world's most fascinating destinations.

For information call 1-877-FOR-TURKEY or contact the Turkish Culture and Tourist Offices in New York at 212-687-2194 or in Washington, DC, at 202-612-6800, or in Los Angeles at 323-937-8066 and visit their Web sites at www.goturkey.com or www.tourismturkey.org