THE MAYAN PROPHECY KEEPER

By Walker Marchal
Four Corners Magazine

The time of the return of the ancestors is here: the return of wisdom! The prophecies are being fulfilled. - Grandfather Alejandro


Grandfather Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj is living proof of the Mayan messages he is carrying around the world. Waktel Utiw, a Mayan name that means Wandering Wolf, is his spiritual name. He is the 13th Generation Quiche Mayan High Priest who made his first visit to Sedona, AZ this July for a series of spiritual events.

When he was younger, he was told and accepted as his destiny that he was "the voice of the jungle and the messenger of the Mayas." At the age of 78, he is recognized as a primary keeper of the teachings, visions and prophecies of the Maya. Since 1995, he has been the President of the National Mayan Council of Elders, an organization of 440 spiritual elders in Guatemala.

On July 6th, with an overflowing audience at the Sedona Creative Life Center, Grandfather entered gracefully by shaking the hands of people in the audience. He welcomed everyone with the words, "Distinguished elders who honor us with your presence, my humble respect to all of you." With the deepest sincerity, he spoke of the Mayan calendar. He explained that August 16, 1987 was the day that marked the ending in the Mayan calendar of a major cycle called the Nine Hells or the Trail of Tears that began in 1524 with the Spanish Conquest. The day after that cycle came to completion a new cycle began called the Thirteen Heavens or the Harmonic Convergence. According to Grandfather, the date of August 17, 1987 was the beginning of the fulfillment period of the cycle leading up to a major shift on our planet. Many have foretold that the end of the cycle will be on December 21, 2012, but he shared that there is no exact way to determine when the time that the Maya call Zero will occur in our Gregorian calendar system. He stated that no one on earth will have to wonder whether the Zero has happened when it occurs because the earth will be plunged into three or four days of total darkness with no visible light appearing from the sun. During this period the Mayans have foretold that the magnetic poles of the earth will shift. He encouraged everyone to practice meditation during that period of darkness and to stay centered. "What we need to do, is to be the best we can, to educate our children and be with our families. God knows what he's going to do with us."

According to the Mayan prophecies, many people will be leaving the earth because they will not be able to physically endure the energetic changes on the planet. He also spoke of a time after that period of darkness, by saying that it will be up to the survivors to decide how to live on the earth. His message was not one of doom, however; for he is full of gratitude and love for the earth and all those he encounters. His message rather, is filled with hope and optimism for peace and oneness.

"Those of the center will unite the eagle of the north and the condor of the south. We will unite our brothers, because we are one like fingers of the same hand, black and white, rich and poor, indigenous and non-indigenous. What I see today is our planet covered in a veil of sadness. We are divided. Some people say they don't care, while others are interested in exploiting nature. None of this matters to the military. All they care about is conquering the world. They never think about who is dying. They never think about who they are killing. That doesn't concern us so much. All of that will fall to the ground soon enough. Those who exist now, tomorrow will not be. Those who are happy today, will weep tomorrow. And those who weep now will find solutions tomorrow. Our main interest is to stop pollution and contamination so that there can be life for all beings on earth."

On the following morning, July 7, approximately thirty people gathered in the Sedona red rocks at six a.m. for a private sunrise ceremony led by Adam Yellowbird. A human circle was formed around a ring of rocks with a central mesa altar containing sacred objects and offerings including chanupas (peace pipes), sage, crystals, rattles, drums, pendulums, smudging wands and medicine bundles. As the sun rose over the mountain and through the pines to enter the ceremonial ring, he shared that the Maya tradition is to rise each morning and offer prayers to the sun.

In addition to all his other responsibilities, Grandfather is also the keeper of an immensely important Mayan staff he inhereited from his lineage. It is more than two-thousand-years-old and bears the engraved image of the great Kukulkan, Quetzalcoatl, Tepeu, Gucumatz (the spirit of the air and of hurricanes symbolized by the Quetzal bird). It also has a serpent on its bottom and a frog in its center. The staff is being used to empower people in ceremonies and Elder gatherings, and to carry the Mayan message of unification. It represents the hurricane energy, which supports the work of the bridgemakers in bringing people together in sacred work. This ancient and powerful object was carried with him to Sedona where it was revealed for the first time in public since it was returned on June 21 of this year at Tiawanako, Bolivia. During the sunrise ceremony, the people of the north utilized the peace pipes to purify, bless and connect the staff with the north.

Grandfather and the Mayan Council commissioned Steve Copeland, a film director, to create a film called The shift of the Ages that documents Waktel and his mission to spread the messages of the Maya for unity and balance of mother earth. (www.shiftingages.com)

Adam Yellowbird, the Founder of Earthdance 8 and the President of the I.C.A. noted, "Grandfather is akin to the Dalai Lama. He is the spiritual and secular leader of his people who travels the world."

I.C.A.'s, next Earth Works for humanity global gathering will be the Return of the Ancestors and Council of Future Wisdom Keepers from April 18-28 in 2009 in northern Arizona. For more information, please contact I.C.A. at 928-646-3000 or visit their website at www.earthworksforhumanity.org.