The ancient Maya had a rich shamanic tradition. To open a path of communication between the spiritual and earthly realms, Maya shamans entered sacred time and space at the top of great pyramids. For the Maya, the establishment of sacred space involved the connecting of the Earth with the heavens -- to bring them into accord. To rejoin the two separated worlds and regenerate the order of the cosmos, shamans performed rituals to create a portal to the Otherworld (nonordinary reality). The sacred universal space that they created was the center of the heavens and the center of the Earth.
Centering the world was a way of materializing the World Tree. To the ancient and modern-day Maya, the whole world is generated, organized and evolving according to the World Tree or Wacah Chan, as it is called in Mayan language. The Maya believed that the world of human beings was connected to the Otherworld along the Wacah Chan axis which ran through the center of existence. This axis was not located in any one earthly place, but could be materialized through ritual anywhere on the Earth. Most important, it was materialized in the person of the shaman-king, who brought it into existence as he stood enthralled in ecstatic trance atop his pyramid-tree.
In order to understand how Maya shamans perceive the cosmos, make use of this simple exercise to enter sacred time. Sacred time, unlike ordinary time, represents the cosmic order. It's the foundation of rhythm and motion. It's the glue that binds the universe together.
1. First, select a location where you will not be interrupted. It must be a quiet space, at least for the duration of the exercise. Smudge the space and yourself with the smoke of an incense or herb. Among the Maya, copal is traditionally used, but cedar or juniper is acceptable.
2. Stand facing the East, with your feet parallel, about six inches apart, and your toes aimed straight ahead. Your knees should be slightly bent, removing any strain on your lower back.
3. Close your eyes and focus on the breath as it enters the nose and fills your lungs, and then gently exhale any tension you might feel. The Maya believe that the tree provides us our first breath, which is spirit, so offer thanks for this gift of life. Continue breathing with a series of even inhalations and exhalations until you are calm and relaxed.
4. Imagine that you are the World Tree standing at the very navel of the universe. Your roots tap deeply into the underworld, and your crown touches the heavens. Visualize Polaris, the North Star (the star that the earth's axis points toward in the northern sky) directly over your head.
5. Now visualize a spiral of energy ascending out of the earth, moving up your spine, the trunk of your own inner World Tree. This energy is grounding, centering, and abundant. In fact, all possible blessings and abundance come to you as a result of this fiery energy.
6. Now imagine another spiral of energy descending from the heavens above, entering your body through the crown of your head and traveling down your spinal column into the earth. This force embodies higher spiritual knowledge and power. It unites you with the totality of a dynamic, interrelated universe. This is the energy the Classic Maya called itz, the "dew of heaven."
7. Visualize these two energetic forces as spirals of white light, one moving from the sky into the earth, the other from the earth into the sky. Together they form a symmetrical double spiral traveling up and down your spine, like the double helix formed by the plus and minus strands of DNA.
8. Now stretch your arms out from your sides so that you stand as a cross-tree at the center of all things. To the Maya, the cross is but a symbol of the four directions, the outstretched arms of the great World Tree, and of the fourfold universe itself. You are that universe.
9. At your right hand, to the South, are gathered all the masculine or yang powers of the cosmos. Since the Maya trace their ancestry through patrilineal descent in the male line, these masculine powers include all the living members of your family. Maya shamanism teaches us to honor all our relations, so for the moment you must forget about any issues you may have with these people. Love them regardless. Also at your right hand are all the attributes associated with maleness, including your sense of power, authority, and assertiveness.
10. Now focus on your left hand. Here in the North are gathered all the feminine or yin powers of the cosmos. So, whether you are male or female, see all your intimate relations, as well as the actual women who come into your life, on your left hand. Once again, forget about any issues you have with these people, and simply love them.
11. Behind you, in the West, lies the past. Your ancestors and the collective spiritual power of all those who went before you reside in the West. When your own time comes to pass on, you will become part of this vast collective unconscious.
12. In front of you, to the East, lies the future. Your children and the spirits of those yet to come are in the East, for they are part of your future. This is the direction of your spiritual path and destiny.
13. Breathe deeply and contemplate your own World Tree. Become totally open, yielding, and receptive until it becomes part of you. Materialize the World Tree at the heart of the world and help sustain the cosmic order.
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