The Mayan Tzolkin and The Dreamspell

We are going through an evolution of consciousness. And there are many spiritually-evolved people looking for a calendar that helps describe this transformation. In this article we’ll explore the Mayan Tzolkin Count and the Dreamspell to help you find more clarity.

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The interest in the Mayan calendar is increasing worldwide

During the past decade interest in the calendars of the Maya has dramatically increased worldwide. Ultimately, now that a new consciousness of time is emerging, there is an increasing interest.

A New Age gives rise to a new consciousness of time.

And for this to be expressed, a new calendar is required.

Today, people experience this new consciousness of time either as if time is accelerating or as if it simply disappears. Maybe, in fact, the idea that time is a quantity is on its way out. “Why is this?” we may ask.

Is it merely an illusion of ours that time is running faster? Or has our highly-developed technological society developed so effective a means of telecommunications that everything is speeding up to a point where things become almost unbearable?

Another possibility is that the speed up of time is real and caused by factors entirely outside of human control.

Factors which in accordance with the divine plan proceed from a galactic level of creation. And actually cause the emergence of a new age – a new age of time.

There have been rumours that the year 1999 will mean a “time shift”. Edgar Cayce also predicted a “pole shift” “in the winter of 1998”. Maybe then a polarity shift between Yin and Yang on a galactic scale will lead to the final breakthrough to a new consciousness of time.

Is time an illusion?

As a tool to do so, the calendar of the Maya has again come into use.

As many spiritually-evolved people have realized, time is ultimately an illusion. But since it happens to be the very illusion that maintains our lives… It may be worth the effort to probe deeper into its mystery.

Western astrology is, in principle, based on the study of endless repetitions of the cyclical movements of the celestial bodies. Each with fixed periods of revolutions (fixed frequencies). This could never logically explain the increased frequency of time.

To understand the frequency increase we need to accept a concept of time. One that is independent of the movement of material bodies. We need to accept the concept of time of the Maya.

Anyone who takes an interest in the ancient culture of the Maya will soon realize that this people had an understanding of time which was vastly different from our own. And many have come to use it for their own spiritual evolution.

But what then is the Mayan calendar?

It turns out, this is not as unambiguous as one might think.

The so-called day keepers in Guatemala and Mexico use some twenty different calendars in parallel. And over the ages, these have undergone significant changes. For instance, after the tenth century AD, no inscriptions of the chronology of the ancient Maya – the so called Long Count starting on August 11, 3114 BC and ending on December 21, 2012 – have been found.

Thus, we have reasons to suspect that the consciousness of time of the Maya has also undergone some significant change since the Classical culture reigned between AD 200 – 800.

What this all means is that there hardly exists such a thing as a Mayan calendar cut in stone for us simply to assimilate without deeper thoughts or insights about the nature of the divine plan.

Dreamspell is an invented “New Age” system

Regarding calendars used on a daily basis… In 1990 José Argüelles launched a calendar, inspired by the Maya. It went by the name of Dreamspell, that first came to be used in the modern world.

José and his wife Lloydine asserted that the planet was threatened by an environmental catastrophe. Because of our use of the Gregorian calendar.

And as an alternative they suggested this calendar based on 13 Moons. Each moon of 28 days, plus an extra day – July 25th – outside of time (13 x 28 + 1 = 365).

In their system, the leap day that occurred every fourth solar year was simply ignored.

Apparently this was to keep the ideal of 13 x 28 intact, these Thirteen Moons were then linked to a special tzolkin count. 260 different combinations of thirteen numbers and twenty different glyphs. In which each individual could find out what was his or her “Galactic Signature” was.

The idea underlying the Dreamspell seems to have been that if human beings lived in phase with the natural cycles, in this case probably primarily the female cycle of about 28 days. And that with this idea, we would treat the earth better and thus avoid an impending catastrophe.

This idea attracted some. But the idea that a particular birth day had an inherent energy attracted many more. A unique Galactic Signature described this energy, known as their tzolkin day. This latter idea certainly had support from the notions of the Maya, in principle.

There was however a problem with the Dreamspell

This was a problem because the Maya had never used the particular tzolkin count that it was linked to.

Many of the followers of Dreamspell, mostly for lack of knowledge, simply presented Dreamspell as the Mayan calendar. In practice the result of this was that many individuals have been led astray. Deluded into thinking that the Galactic Signature they had been assigned was also used by the Maya.

As this was discovered, something called The True Count Debate raged on the Internet in 1995.

During this time, John Major Jenkins energetically asserted that the Argüelles count was false. And that the Mayan people themselves had never used it.

In addition, there still existed a tzolkin count, the Classical. And in Classical times this calendar was used over the entire Mesoamerican region. And had survived until today in the Highlands of Guatemala and elsewhere among the Mayan day keepers.

Jenkins made an important statement. He said that Argüelles’ followers had no right to present the Dreamspell count as the calendar of the Maya. And that it was a kind of Cultural imperialism to ignore the “surviving” Sacred Calendar that was still in use among the Maya.

Argüelles’ response to this criticism seems to have passed through two different phases

His initial response was to say that he had received his calendar by divine revelation. He saw himself as an incarnation of Pacal Votan, a Mayan king who ruled in Palenque in the 17th century AD. So everything he did was in accordance with the divine plan. To my knowledge he never responded in a direct way to the issues raised. It seems however that the attitude of the Argüelles’ changed in 1998 and José became more open to the criticism.

Cirilo Perez Oxlaj had a meeting with Quiché elder Don Alejandro. Afterwards, at Spring Equinox 1998, Cirilo declared that Dreamspell and the Classical Maya tzolkin were equally valid. And that no conflict existed between the two. Later, he claimed in an interview that Dreamspell was really not a Mayan calendar, although he still asserted its value.

And this later position is obviously perfectly legitimate. As long the Dreamspell count is not claimed to be used by the Maya, anyone is in his right to assert its possible value, if any.

A new calendar of the future…

Back to our discussion of a new calendar for the future, for the new age…

I believe that what is most important is to specify what the purpose is of this calendar and chronology. Unless we do so, we may run into the kind of pie-throwing that was typical of the True Count Debate. Or we may resign to a attitude that has become common today, claiming that “anything goes”. This would say that there’s no such thing as a True Count and all there is are our individual truths. But then, if there is no True Count, what value would any particular tzolkin count really have?

In contrast to these resigned thoughts. I feel that when it comes to developing a Mayan calendar that is useful to chart our future, it is important to realize the predominant role of the tzolkin.

It also seems that without exception, Mayan day keepers maintain that the tzolkin count is the hub around which all other calendrical cycles turn. And for this reason, although the tzolkin count has sometimes been lost, it is not known to ever have been intentionally reformed.

Tzolkin – the master calendar and center wheel

The master calendar is regarded to be the tzolkin, which all the others revolve around. If it is true that the tzolkin count plays such a crucial role, then the consequence would be that if we desert it, our calendrical system may end up anywhere.

Unless we respect the Sacred Calendar and its divine origin, there will be no hub keeping the various other calendars linked.

To make a clear example of this:

Many people have become fascinated by the fact that the Mayan Long Count ends in the year 2012. They sense that this may be a time of fundamental importance to humanity. And, in fact, the Mayan Long Count is a fairly exact calibration of a certain process of evolution of the human consciousness. However,this calendar is linked to a certain tzolkin count, the Classical. This means that it is only those that respect this hub of the calendars that will be in phase with the particular evolution of consciousness that the Long Count describes.

If we instead choose to use another tzolkin count than the Classical. Such as the Dreamspell. We will not be able to logically integrate the divine creation cycles in our thinking. And we will miss the whole point of the spiritual calendars of the Maya, and the possibility of being in phase with the ascension of humanity.

What then is the purpose of calendars?

Over the last 5000 years they have had an important purpose in aiding people to keep track of the agricultural year. For this purpose a calendar based on astronomical observations. And the exact estimation of the duration of the solar year, 365.242 years, seems natural.

It has thus for agricultural reasons been necessary to arrive at a very exact estimate of the astronomical year. And to keep each day of the year frozen with regard to the place the earth that occupies in its orbit around the sun.

Such a calendar is useful for telling us when to sow and harvest, etc. And the Gregorian calendar, for one, fulfils this purpose very well.

The frozen haab also fulfilled this purpose. This is the Mayan calendar made up of eighteen uinals of twenty days. Plus the five extra days, the vayeb, when the gods rested (18 x 20 + 5 = 365).

The Thirteen Moons of Dreamspell (13 x 28 + 1) fulfils the purpose of a calendar for the seasonal changes equally well.

But it is certainly questionable if either the Haab or the Thirteen Moons has anything to offer that goes beyond the Gregorian calendar. Beyond following the seasons or in aiding agriculture.

I would say they do not.

Time is now accelerating

In addition to calendars for the agricultural year and a number of astronomical calendars describing the movements of the various planets… The ancient peoples of this planet also had a divine calendar, founded on the 360 day year.

The Maya called this period of time a tun. This was the foundation of their Long Count. But the same period of time exists under different names in all of the major ancient cultures on earth. It’s found amongst the Chinese and in India. And amongst the Sumerians, Egyptians and Jews. It also existed in the ancient cultures of Europe, e.g. in Scandinavia and Italy.

The most important prophetic scripture of the Christian religion is the Book of Revelation. And with some detective work we may find that this 360 days was considered as a “time”.

Learning from the ancient people

Maybe then the ancient peoples of this planet were able to see something that for the most part we ourselves have become blind to. Since they rather generally seem to have been using a holy calendar based on the 360 days in parallel with the agricultural calendar of 365 days.

There is no space here to provide the evidence that the time period of 360 days is a key unit for the evolution of consciousness.

Briefly, it can be said that:

Increasingly higher levels of human consciousness evolve according to rhythms given by different multiples of the tun. Thus, the frequency of creation step by step increases with each new level of consciousness in a pyramidal structure.

Only calendars constructed in accordance with such a hierarchical structure of time cycles can create an understanding of the evolution of consciousness.

While calendars that are based on an endless repetition, like the 28 day period or the 365 day period, will always ultimately lead to a linear concept of time. Regardless of their duration an endless repetition of cycles will always result in a linear concept of time.

To return to the issue of the Dreamspell calendar...

It is a highly telling detail that this simply omits the leap day every fourth year.

What this would mean is that in Argüelles view this particular day as lacking a special tzolkin energy of its own and thus not be a part of the divine plan, since ultimately the tzolkin is a microcosm of this plan.

While this may seem like a small detail… It highlights an important concept of the Dreamspell. It’s concept of time considers matter as primary and consciousness as secondary. Rather than the other way around.

Or in other words, when the movements of matter do not quite fit Argüelles 13 x 28 + 1 scheme… It’s the evolution of consciousness, the divine plan as expressed through the tzolkin count, that is sacrificed. Rather than the scheme.

The Divine Plan is most important…

In reality, of course, the leap day is also part of the divine plan and of the energy sequence of the true tzolkin. Although this is not expressed by the Dreamspell count to begin with.

In my own opinion, the divine plan is much more important for our spiritual evolution. Especially in comparison to the movements of matter, in this particular case, the astronomical year.

The new phase in the evolution of consciousness that will start with the inception of the Galactic Creation Cycles on January 5, 1999. It will not only carry a new consciousness of time. It will also be the return of Christ consciousness and the ascension of humanity to a higher consciousness.

Since this process is not based on anything physical… In the new world view, matter is considered as secondary to consciousness. And everything material that exists in the universe is recognized as a manifestation of consciousness. And it is not possible to use astronomical (365 days) or biological (28 days) cycles to describe its evolution.

To follow calendars based on the material reality, such as the Gregorian, the haab or the Thirteen Moons, can only result in people getting stuck in materialist concepts of time. And remaining blind to the divine plan.

A calendar for the evolution of consciousness

Those that look for a calendar that describes the evolution of consciousness should rather seek to follow a calendar based on the Classical 260 day tzolkin and the 360 day tun. These are cycles that have a purely spiritual origin.

The tzolkin and the divine creation cycles are based on the 360 day-“year”. This includes a range of time cycles, hablatuns, alautuns, kinchiltuns, kalabtuns, pictuns, baktuns and katuns. And each corresponding to the development of a specific frame of consciousness. These cycles describe the galactic vibrations that emanate from the invisible branches of the World Tree (the Milky Way).

What is central in the divine process of creation is that its evolution proceeds as a result of Seven pulses of light.

The Seven pulses of light are interspersed by six periods of darkness. This is something which has been described by Sumerians, Babylonians, Jews, Christians and Muslims. But also hinted at by the Maya and Aztecs.

On the 5th of January 1999, such a process of creation consisting of thirteen tun will begin. This will endow the human beings with a galactic frame of consciousness.

The increasingly rapid and higher vibrations that emanate from the World Tree will lead not only to an altered consciousness of time. But also to a new experience on our own part of colors, sounds and the existence of higher spiritual dimensions. The level of consciousness that this divine creation cycle gives rise to, is the consciousness of the new age. This is the galactic consciousness, a frame of life we are just in the beginning of grasping.

It‘s a calendar which describes the emergence of this new consciousness that we need in the new age of time.

Written by Carl Johann Calleman

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