Reflections on the end of the Mayan Long Count from Chitchen Itza
I had a hoot writing this mish-mash of thoughts and reflections on my trip to Mexico last week, and what it all means, i will probably go back and edit some sense into it. In the meantime, here's my raw spillage on Synthesis 2012.
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Thanks
Thanks in no particular order to Fantuzzi, Jaris, Kat, Chris Donagan, Issac, Cappi, The Earthlings, Justin, RC, Spirit Essence, Caroline Casey, Kevin Whitesides, B. Jeff, Frank Gamble, Mark Von Stone, Michael JaiDev, Michael Stocker, John Carlson, Paul Carey, Alphonso, Paula and Paula, Zia, Pitt, Oliver, The Luminaries, Sun Ruh and the Last Dragons, Meghan, the fire dancers, musicians, artists, healers, scholars and freaks who pulled together under the most challenging circumstances to keep pushing the good vibe.
Saturanlia Panoramas
And so the tribe walked on down to the Mayan site, chanting, dancing, singing smiling, laughing and honouring the local gods, however they please. A moving circus of self-owning ones, minds on the walk, talk tapes unfastened, tired, far from HOME, moving towards the once state-of-the-art city complex of Chitchen Itza in the blueberry dawn, yes, if not just for the invocation of the sun, a new dawn.
We the tribe, discordians, stuck apart, but coming in and out of togetherness, an ooze of disparate creatures in white, domesticated primates with a sack full of mental baggage, some sacks much lighter and better packed, but still, our monkey bodies pulled our saturated fruits on down that road to the site where we would seed the imagination of the entire planet. Pretty heady stuff for a ripe fruit no doubt and an opportunity for ‘ploughing some field’ in the sense of amplifying certain aspects, turning them over, cycling similar horse manure into the ‘field’. And, simply, wishing for new flowers to bloom. Is this the new age? Haha. Well,…first it depends of what your idea about the meaning of ‘is’ is. And ‘this’ is. Follow me.
I turn over the reins to a Joycean like philosophy, based on maximal play, maximal connectivity, dymaxion maximal tension, and ‘hologrammic’ prose. No Age? Knowage? Nowidge? Gnoeich? Take it or leave it. The language we use and the platforms we adopt to communicate language are the ‘things’ in play, the THINGS in the game. State of the art: sharing.
And, so, if I can leave this writers shell behind, I will write more along the lines of how I felt, with total immersion, and sound effects included. The sweat and heat of the rocks, the condor and the hawks, the trinkets, the chanting, camera flashes. And the food wrappers, button clicks, cell phone GOOD magic and play, the best be those that could weave between worlds, sewing up holes in the global microcosm wild world weavers, with feathers, shells, drums dream catchers, more feathers, teeth and rainbow jewels, crocodile cunning, mantis Yoga. Unified filed of people, doing the human thing, coming into and out of orbit. Into somewhere else, mystics, in the woods among the rocks and glkypix. Talking about wherenit, and why to the when ce fourth . And, he men and women split off into ships, motherships, EARTH central. Soil and hummus, humans, yes, the place alive.
Honoring the local Gods
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And honouring the local gods I say, to mean those that I really accent made the unity between tribe, the home at every step, open wisdom and cool disposition. Getting to know the characters you bump into throughout a week of music art, performance and improvised survival in Chitchen Itza, a pretty spooky place, you might hazard a guess to blaze a fire to highlight the game. The whatnowwherewhowhyness?
It’s complicated, and it’s hidden, it’s hidden and always secret. Generally speaking, you know? Love is everywhere and peace permeates all spaces, living in potential, ready to settle into or between the cracks. And so the dead went down to the place of the dead. And the spacetime continuum folded in on itself, if you can imagine that. A cabbage inside a washingmachine, so there we were, carrying our fruits to the site.
Each individual tale of what happened in Chithen Itza is equally valid and should be equally considered as a tale of ‘what’ happened, and defined by that persons point of view (POV). Lets hope that each story can shake loose the hinges of stale bread heads and exhibit a new way to communicate. Mind body peach sitting at the beach helps too, be good to yourself in whatever way makes you feel good, duh!
Chitchen Itza, and Pueblo proved to be a pretty difficult place to communicate from with a limited patchy internet and limited phones and limited help. Which among other things, led to a whole in my ability to feedback real time with what was happening on the Solstice. Only today, 29th December 2012 have I found a chance to search ‘chitchen itza 2012’ in google, and read the articles.
I have been pretty much APPAULED at the quality of sincerity and lack of understanding from the main stream press for over 20 years anyhow, but now, with my experience of BEING THERE, and then seeing images of people reporting to have BEING THERE, and--what it all means--reminded me of the up-hill struggle of the cop-media to capture anything that resembles ‘wisdom teachings’ and ‘ways’ of the great ancestors, elders, great old ones (GOO).
Apparently the reporters knew all-about the thousands of so called ‘festival goers’ that were honoring 'things and stuff' in very important ways. Bah Humbug, i thought, reading the press releases days later....Internet is a part of this NEW AGE thing too, you know? Visit the latest from CCC at the 29th annual meeting for an update.
I cannot speak for the Mayan ceremonies and rituals performed in and around the site that morning, but they were stunning and awesome sights and sounds to ma' ears. Yes! Easily the most ceremonial and audio heavy activity. Fully authentic sounding and looking, feeling, and smelling. I really felt the energy in the music at that moment.
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No, no, no, no, no….THIS is what REALLY happened. (my trip to Chitchen Itza, Mexico, on the Winter Solstice 2012, and cycling day of the Mayan Long Count Baktun ‘measure’ of timespace.
My approach here pays as much respect as I can pay to Caroline Casey for her trickster redeemer qualities and etymological seed-spinning. To invoke play. To propose the open ended mystery, the coming together of the stories, the threads weaving, speaking in tongues, mind-body-speech research, each to their own, and good peace be with em'
Be GOOOOOOOD!
To be nice to each other, have fun and share wisdom, to try and live a life as an example to others, in everything you say do, eat, and play with. The ‘clown’ and the myriad of clowning acts, the prankster and the trickster, the rascal mystic, those that play harder that most scholars, those that wield the wit of a Jonathon Swift, or a Joyce, the playful satirist, cutting deeply into the fabric/skin of our shared linguistic ooze space. Who says it best?
Well, I like mysticism, and I adore mystics, I mean, I like the playfulness and the intelligence game aspect. To mean, the question of ‘what the hell is going on’ is still way up for grabs, but I am excited on behalf of the long lineage of globally active seers, shamans, witches, heretics and what I might call mystic scholars, due to the rise of information technology and the resultant ‘space-time’ we inhabit or co-create as if by magic, out of nothing, total immersion and connectivity to the greatest innovators and masters, and the dullest face smack.
I mean to imply here that a long line of outsiders, those running contrary to the current western paradigm of late capitalist bust bubble life, have been working with ‘code’. Or developing their own communications devices, systems, networks, knowledge bases etc. Today, in the last few days of 2012, it seems apparent to me that there is a BOLD statement that should fly first:
GIVE THE MAGICAL WIZARDS ACCESS TO THE SACRED SITES. Or GIVE THE LOCALS CLEAN WATER, HEALTHY FOOD AND SUFFICIENT TRADE AND BARTER SYSTEMS TO LIVE COMFORTABLY IN THE AREA SURROUNDING THE SITE.
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And HONOR the local gods. Dance as they do, drink and laugh and look serious as they do, and you shall have fun, and show your shared satchel of wise-stuffing. Walk with a swank, speak highly and be the change, you wish to see in the world, take responsibility, I suppose. Of course, this is true, but what can we do to support the movement .
Walking down the path to Chitchen Itza with a candle chanting Hoooo Naaaaab Kuuuuu, the sun crept over the bushes like a sniper in orange combats, more than a thousand ‘synthesis people’ snaked on down the trail dressed in white, chanting regalia, singing, praying.
Some line confusion, double ticket gods strike a double blow, along with the ‘no big bag’ gods, who set out their laws straight, not allowing certain shaped bags and objects. The early morning Sunrise inside the Site came quickly, and early, the Mayan ceremony was taking place around the back side of the first pyramid you are confronted with.
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This introduction to my day, might as well be the introduction, or be somewhere involved with my plan to create a linked panorama tour of my trip, featuring info’ HOTSPOTS and linked media from each space, making a comprehensive ‘tool’ for multimedia interactivity and exploration…gulp……gulp….and FEEDBACK.
The Great Ball Court, Chitchen Itza (North End) in Mexico For me, the New Age did begin in some sense on the 21st December 2012, it was based on a false belief (that the website I was launching with a friend, would be launched LIVE on the 21st at 11.11 GMT) that I did not get to check till later that day, to discover it was NOT YET live. (as of writing this it IS LIVE: www.raw360.net please do go visit and you will see what I mean, wow, wicked work CHU).
Please, just love the earth, and love each other. Not so tricky eh, well, naaa, thought you might grimace with an ending like that. Oh no, not the hippies again. Well, O' yes, me thinks that message, and that of the rainbow people worldwide, the artists and writers, painters, poets, and dancers, is the message: LET US PLAY. Join the dance, the song. Change the darkness and misery into fun and laughter, with some taste if you can muster it. Let us celebrate seduction, illusion, gameplay, strategy, paucity, glossalalia. Love one another, be good, have fun.
--Steve 'Fly Agaric 23' Pratt.
www.raw360.net
My Trip to Chitchen Itza and Tulum 21st December 2012
The Great Ball Court, Chitchen Itza (South End) in Mexico Amsterdam-Madrid-Cancun-Chitchen Itza-Tulum-Cancun-Madrid-Amsterdam (19th-26th December 2012)
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Tuesday 18th December, 2012: AMSTERDAM
Board plane-Amsterdam (11.00), exit plane
Take off from Madrid, exit….
'The hunger Games' in flight movie
babies crying all the way
….into Cancun (6012 Kilometers from Madrid)
Met with nova ‘red’ apple travelling to Cancun city,
A Hotel room for 660 pesos, split fair
Good fan, smelly sheets.
Hip convo’ with nova, including
fire up of the CERN super collider
on the 21st December
A fascinating story of 23 yr old North Korean boy,
who escaped the prison complex to tell
his Orwellian tale.
Monsanto death cultures...
sound of oil rushing under the ground,
Our mother planet degraded daily.
And Permaculture, the mosaic of new tribes,
those who disperse the seeds of solution
An array of characters R>A>I>N>B>O>W
coming together to
start a new world word:
I LOVE YOU.
Visited British pub with live covers ,
6 people in the bar. 160 pesos for 2 corona.
a bit steep me thinks.
Wednesday 19th December 2012 (Cancun)
Up early with nova, packin' bags, and board coachback to airport, meet the earthlings
jamming at airport: Chris, Issac,
Cappi, Ashley, Ra and Jonathon,
bringing the musical magix
Waiting hours for the synthesis coach,
THE OTHERS FIND EACH OTHER
Packed bus of the unhinged
depart around 6 P.M
to Piramide Hotel, the cues, chaos, trickets.
I hope to get performer pass and
sell my 500 dollar ticket to dude behind me
Michael refuses to believe my truth
about being the house band drummer
for Synthesis2012!
Ticket funk, and graphical wizards
all around me. I concede and take the full
experience pass.
Cafe hang with the earthlings,
Camping in KIM’s tent without KIM,
who thankfully found a room
donated her tent to the fly.
I scored some Mexi’ weed, seed and stalk
rolled and talked opposite cop shop
with Jonathan and Justin
showing off ‘starwalk’ Ipad App and
Solstice Galactic alignment.
Angry looking Cops buzzed
the temporary camp ground.
As it turned out i was lucky to get a tent
and/or a room during the festival.
Thursday 20th December 2012 (Piste, Chitchen Itza)
Visit Piramide hotel pool with Chris and Shawn Berry.
Qucik Swim
first pano photo of mini Kukulcan Piramide
Meet with Fantuzzi.
Practice drum parts in room.
Opening ceremony at Hacienda
Shabazz, Al Tourre,
Fantuzzi wisdom and smiles,
Panoramas at sun down.
Divine feminine meme.
(Synthesis coach did not make the long trip
festival equipment was missing
musicians and artists pull together to figure out
what they have.
I hear more than three rumors
there IS a drum kit, and then four that
there is NOT a drum kit!?!?
I thankfully find a bed in a shared room with Jaris
and his band, who i also jam with.
informed by Synthesis2012
organizers at dinner
that we'll be meeting at 5.00 A.M
outside the piramide HOTEL to
honor the moment of the Winter Solstice
with a candle walk to Chitchen Itza
and the Mayan ruins 10 minutes down the road.
we were to wear white, and be of sober mind.
Friday 21st Winter solstice. 2012. (Piste, Chitchen Itza)
430 up. Flossed my teeth. Ate some words
Candle walk and song, shuffle and smile. Minty fresh
The Candle drip from the mouth of the man
in the candle holders.
The spooky wind blowing out candles
My lighters maxed out!
Hoooo naaaab kooooo.
Hoooo naaaab kooooo.
Ticket funk beyond the Kong sized wall
gifted super bright green superfoods by Rainbow kids
After 30 mins’ unconscious incompetence
Synthesis tribe gain access to (time machine?)
Panoramas dictate my first movements
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Sun ruh and Michael JaiDev criss crossing
Sun, moon, stars all out.
Panoramas. Video and audio phenomena
Mayan Ceremony, the press gang
My apple, my toothfloss minty FRESH.
The Hawk and Condor fly above the Pyramid
many pray, some dance, all gaze,
many snap and click
fiddle with zips and clicking
wack pack snaps.
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Here we are, spacetime invaders,
putting our bean-sprouts in the mix
...aeons later, 10 panos or so,
The ball court, temple of Tables
Glyphs, Pictographix, Graphs, Maps,
Cenotes, Tree’s, ants, sun beams
Shadows tales and tales and tales
Caroline Casey interviewing Kevin
Whitesides. Wise words on Terence,
The Trickster Redeemer, the play
The timewave, the 2012 meme in the
BIGGER picture.
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Sitting and rapping with Carol and Mark Stone,
waiting for steve vermin (Swami Beyondananda)
Re-connecting with Michael Stocker of
Seaflow (whom I met in the early part of 2000’s
when I lived in the Bay Area).
Rapping about Michael New book
some Lilly, some Thelonious Monk.
Walk to hotel with Caroline Casey and Michael.
Food at Hacienda with group, and orientation
Beer and the thought of my Drum kit in the air?
Meet Mayan scholar called Alphonso.
Kevin W. and his sweet girlfriend.
We discussed his new Raw book project!
His proposed Terence Mckenna transcription Project.
I go Jam with the earthlings
in their room till early hours, then
Retire back to bed
and sleep pretty well really.
Saturday 22nd December 2012 (Piste, Chitchen Itza)
Dreams of a final Drum kit theory,
Up at 8 for good fruits and veg. and juices.
I discover my Fantuzzi gig moved to 8 PM
See Caroline, sit and enjoy the Luminaries hip hop
Group dinner with thrive gambles, Swami beyondananda
His loverly partner and Caroline.
I draw the Konnokol pyramid for Mr. ‘Thrive’
He gives support during my show without cymbals.
Fantuzzi show at 8
my sticks/brushes missing. I improvise
buying two bottled beers and emptying them
placing the bottles on the stands
PIING PING
Earthlings invite me to their jam
Technical Hick-ups, not on behalf of the band
a challenging set,
made it through with impossible
latency issues, Latency.... and
managed to throw down hard
for the last freestyle.
Chris and I went for beers in taxi
trip to a backstreet hut, a Tarrantino set.
4 GRANDE beers 160 pesos.
minty fresh.
Van parked up outside hacienda,
We board with earthlings, rap de ruiz,
Beatbox jam and rap to the
campground Ascendance stage.
Funkin shuffle all night till morning,
till the following night in fact
Locals in the dance, smiles, fire spinning,
goddess patrol. In the trees!
Goddess dance, fire, baby faces, sunrise,
local maya, to them the mothership?
Great Stage pyramid, Fantuzzi and Kat, Justin. Chris.
Earthlings. Sun Ruh, Mr. Henson having a ball.
Sunday 23rd December 2012 (Piste, Chitchen Itza)
Taxi from camp with Chris Michael and Mr X.
Cocoa share, chocolate shaman tale,
breakfast with sunrise at Hacienda.
the story of the solstice by Michael!
The Litter, the flower gifts, (intersecting with news item)
hands around pyramid,
Condor and Hawk together.
Drum kit is gone again?
Now its back in the form of an
An electronic kit. (with a broken bass drum)
but better than nothing, which is what we had,
so Aho to that.
Schroedingers Drum Kit paradox?
Trip to the pool briefly,
Caroline arrives, we hear Patrick Flannagan,
smoke a rollie and watch Swami Perform.
My next live Show wth Jaris, Greg Pit, Oliver.
The Peace tribe band perform
I improvised a kick drum from
an upright hand drum
thanks RC.
Carol delivered her
exquisite work-shop
play at heart.
A special invite to Dinner
at ik ilk with carol.
John carlson, Mark Stone, zia zeff, Paul Carey,
Kevin Whitesides and others.
RAW talk with Kevin, Finnegans Wake and beyonda.
Raps with John Carlson:
The Mayan Letters by Charles Olson,
which came to my attention by way of John Sinclair.
I Described my interest in the principle of
epic poetry as a medium for Mayan studies,
pictoglyphix. Ezra Pound studies, Olson, Joyce.
Kevin and FW, RAW, and Terence Mckenna.
Lift back with Paul to Stardust Inn and a last night
Earthlings Jam, but just closing up
Ah, moments to late, but off to sleep,
must catch bus to Tulum on the morn.
Monday 24th December 2012 (Piste, Chitchen Itza)
Up at the 7 AM.
Sun Ruh. Jaris, Greg and Oliver all trap too
Coach to tulum. Panorama coach,
seated new to AKI the Japanese poet (also in Pyramid Pano)
I gave him my Basho book as a parting gift in Tulum
Dinner with Chris and Indra.
Head to beach hotel. Wow wow wow.
Swimming with indra 2 miles out past breakers,
Singing, wisdom tale, briefly thought we were
being pushed out to sea.
Good Meal after, with margaritta,
Geopolitical raps with Chris,
Cool beach hut hang, soft room jam,
cello vibes with Indra.
Tuesday 25th December 2012 (Tulum)
Awake up in Tulum 7A.M
Diamente hotel and the perfect cabin PARADISE
Chris and i stroll beech to find web access
success at the restaurant, good food.
Christmas day on beach.
See raw360 for the first time.
Visit site of mini festival and try to hustle gig
Take taxi to cenote encantado with Chris,
arrive in dark, sit around fire, Jaris, Tuzzi, Zia, Greg Pitt
Diego, Gizzele, Pedro, Kat, Sky,
and synthesis folks, and others gather.
Shroom choco splitt, play drums
Fire pit drums, many more arrive from the blackness,
Mayan elders, mexican shaman, all sitting in.
Acoustic girl, jamming on occupy and my dnB tip.
Sitting with loverly Zia. Amazement and tears
at Pedro and his girlfriend singing.
The Bambino tears. Oh Sleep on,
the wooden floor in shack quite good for my back
Wednesday 26th December, 2012 (Tulum)
Up at 7 on wood,
post shroom mind seeks to go swim in cenote
and film underwater places, I go back in again
with Zia and friends on a boat, diving,
searching for the crocodile.
Listening to the flute, diving and
pulling up rocks from bottom. Swimming,
laughing with love. So clear waters.
Barely dry off and take taxi back to diamente for bags
Fortunately they are there , I pack bags,
head to Tulum town center, chris kindly
lends me 100 Dollar!
I take taxi back to cenote, catch Tuzzi just leaving,
with Kat, and Jeff and Zia. (by seconds)
Big kiss and a hug.
Journey back to town to eat lasagna.
Buy some gifts. Head back to cancun,
Time is tight for tuzzi and kat.
I say goodbyes. I check in, drink bad coffee,
board plane, exit-Madrid.
board plane, exit-Amsterdam.
--Steven 'fly agaric 23' Pratt (31st December, 2012)
www.raw360.net
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