Feb 6-8, 2009
The Mayans developed a sophisticated understanding of astronomy and a complex system of calendars running simultaneously. Our modern astronomy mirrors their understanding: it is the same Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. However, for the Mayans, spirituality and astronomy were deeply intertwined and informed their daily lives. Their Sacred Calendar indicates the end of a Great Cycle of almost 5,200 years on the winter solstice of December 21, 2012, at which time humanity will enter a new Great Cycle.
The Universe inspires stillness, awe, connection, and wonder. Before television, human beings spent a lot of time projecting their collective wisdom up onto the stars. On this weekend, we will gaze in awe and stillness at the night sky together. Let us connect with the stars through stories of the constellations and origins and teachings of the zodiac. We will connect to the wonder of Universe through astronomy by celebrating our experiences through our entire being – body, mind, heart, and spirit.
Join in an examination of the Mayan calendars and compare them with our modern concepts. Learn scientific teachings surrounding the astronomical origin of the seasons and the four directions, and applications to sacred architecture and stone circle calendars. Look at the metaphorical significance of the light of summer, the dark of winter, and the balancing equinox. Explore the ways that living in tune with the seasons can enhance our experience of the days, seasons, and years of our lives. Step into an experience of time and space through a pilgrimage to the Sunwheel, a massive stone circle calendar created by Dr. Young on the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus.
Many indigenous people interpreted the spiritual significance of the four directions through the Medicine Wheel that is part of sacred architecture. Experience various interpretations of the Mayan Prophecy and compare it with the Hopi Prophecy as we prepare for the time of humanity’s awakening.
Judith Young is a tenured full professor of astronomy at the University of Massachusetts, where she has taught for 25 years. She has authored over 120 scientific publications, and her work with star formation in galaxies is internationally recognized. She’s been nominated for the Distinguished Teaching Award and the Distinguished Outreach Award, but she has a not-so-secret-love: inspired by a sunwheel on Blackfoot Indian territory in Montana, Dr. Young built the first original stone circle calendar on a university campus in the world. She’s given over 300 talks to over 9,000 visitors to the sun wheel, where she hosts solstice and equinox sunrise and sunset gatherings every 3 months. She loves teaching people about the sky to help them feel at home in the Universe, and she dreams of inspiring the building of stone circle calendars all over the world.