Hopi Prophecy and the Mayan Calendar-

The Birth of the 5th World

We’re entering a new cycle, starting actually with Winter Solictice 2008 and culminating with the awesome and much discussed Winter Solictice 2012, when the long 550,000- year cycle of the Mayan Calendar comes to an end.  The next four years promise to be an interesting time of change during which much which has existed as basic patterns of behavior among humans will undergo monumental shifts towards creating a new civilization more in harmony with the needs of human evolution and the care of planet Earth.

Four is a sacred number in the Native American tradition, which they refer to as “the Sacred Ceremonial Way of Life”.  Four stands for the Four Directions, for all that comes from each of the sacred directions, and for the Four Sacred Beings who stand as pillars in each of the four directions and work and dance to keep the world from spinning out of control. 

According to Hopi Prophecy, we live in the Fourth World, and they trace the rise and fall of the three previous worlds, and speak of the fact that the human race has reached this point in its evolution three previous times.  When the Hopi saw the mushroom clouds of the atomic bombs being tested and used in warfare, they sent emissaries to tell the nations that the end times were near.  Space travel, genetic engineering, the marvel of world wide communications, and many other trappings and features of the modern world are known to the Hopi from their ancient prophecies passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation. 

And of course, the Hopi are really Mayans who came north long ago to escape the degradation and destruction of a previous civilization that they were a part of.  In the Hopi language, part of the Azteca-Mayan language group, the word “Hopi” is said to mean “People of Peace”.  In the Mayan language, the word “Hopi” means something like “Illuminated Ones” or “Awakened Ones Who Went North”.

According to Hopi Prophecy, this particular time we are now going through is a time of exchange of information and ideas between the people who have developed the material culture of science and technology, and the people of the earth who have kept the wise ways of the elders and who have faithfully followed their sacred instructions from the Creator.  In the not too distant future, those two peoples will go their separate ways, perhaps one will go off to journey towards distant suns, never to be heard from again; and the people of the earth will go forward to live in harmony and grace, following the sacred instructions of the Creator, which teach us, among other things, how to live together in peace with each other and how to live in harmony with the earth. 

In the past three ages, this point of separation has been accompanied by tremendous earth changes and the virtual destruction of all traces of the previous civilizations.  Or so the story goes.

In western traditions, similar ideas are presented in numerous ways, from the story of Noah to the dialogs of Socrates, to the history of the rise and fall of numerous civilizations, from Crete, Egypt, Sumer and Rome.  In India, the Vedas teach about the Ages, and that we are going through the ending of the cycle known as the Age of Kali Yuga, to be followed by the dawning of a New Golden Age.

So, the good news is that we are coming to the end of the world!  The only question remaining, is what kind of ending will it be?  The answer seems to be that it is up to us to decide, and now is the time to choose.  That is the significance of the next four years, for this is the critical time when we can and should decide that its time to make important changes in human relations and in our way of living with the earth.

The point of sharing this information is to remind us that we have a tendency to create the world we believe in.  There is always a lot of fear mongering that goes on when the world around us is in flux, when change is in the air.  Now, of all times, is a time for the Light-Bearers to hold the flame of Divine Love high for all to see, to help dispel the fear and to help guide the way to a new and better world.

In the Native American way, there is another meaning for “Four”, the meaning of gifting and receiving something sacred, something of power and meaning, such as an eagle feather or a pipe.  In the giving of a pipe, it is presented four times.  Only at the end of the fourth giving, can it be taken, received. 

To me, this is the true meaning of this ending of the Fourth World, for only now, after all that humanity has been through in our collective journey, are we ready to receive the blessing of the Fifth World.  Every spiritual tradition on the planet in its own way holds the expectation of a coming world of truth, goodness and beauty, a world inhabited by Awakened Beings, Masters, Avatars, Living Buddhas, Saints, Saviors and Rishis. Could it be that such is the future that awaits us dawning in just four more brief years?

There are many theories and interpretations being put forward concerning the meaning of the date Winter Solictice 2012.  I believe the choices we make and what we accomplish during the next four years will largely determine what kind of world we will leave to future generations.  This is the best timing ever to put forward a maximum effort to do as much good as possible in order to create a positive future for all humankind and all life on Earth.  I hope you will join me in acting on this positive vision for creating the Fifth World at the start of the next cycle of the Mayan Calendar.

In peace,

John M. Phillips

January 12, 2009