(Note:
with the exception of book titles, I use the Nawatl Orthographic Convention when
using Nawatl words).
The Fifth Toltek Sun started on May 20, 311 CE.
May 20 is the yearly date of the northern zenithal passage of the Sun at the
latitude of Tollan: the Toltek capital. Precisely on that day, Venus
transited through the face of the solar disk, just as it had done 8 years
earlier, on 22 May 303 CE. The Teotiwakans, who preceded the Toltek in that region, constructed the Pyramid of the Sun just
on time for this astronomical event. This twin astronomical event is reflected in the myth of the creation of the Fifth Sun. Just as the legend tells us,
Ketzalkoatl threw himself into the fire (first Transit of the pair) and went to
Miktlan (land of the dead) but failed to bring the bones of the ancestors, so
next was the turn of Xolotl, his twin brother who, after throwing himself in
the fire (second transit of the pair) and venturing into Miktlan, successfully
brought the bones of the ancestors back. Ketzalkoatl-Xolotl (Venus) then bled
over the bones of the ancestors and created the new humanity. The birth of the
Fifth Sun.
The end of the Mayan Long Count on 2012 has
generated momentous interest throughout the world. This phenomenon has sprouted
numerous books and theories on the meaning of this event. Researchers and
authors span the gamut from academia to fringe spiritual theories. Epiphenomena
such as crop circles and the re-emergence of the shamanic experience have also
become an important part of the 2012 movement. Yet there is one story that is
of paramount importance and has never been told outside of Mexico. The
following is only part of that story.
First though I feel it's necessary to give a
personal account of where my life intersects the story you are about to read.
From 1968 to 1974, I often went with my grandmother to a small village in
Mexico called "Aldea de los Reyes," this precious village sits at the foot of
the snowcapped volcano known as "Istaksiwatl" (White Woman) the female
companion to the active volcano known as "Popokatepetl" (smoking Mountain).
My grandmother, my brother, and I stayed in a
small brick cabin owned by a gentle woman, a childhood friend of my
grandmother. I remember clearly those days. The days were spent with my brother
exploring the small village and surrounding mountains, the evenings were spent
listening to wonderful stories told by my grandmother and her friend. It was
years later, when I was in my twenties that I met her son: Antonio Velasco Piña
"The Witness".
Velasco Piña is well known in Mexico as the
author of several books on the re-emergence of Indigenous consciousness. Chief
among them is "Regina el Dos de Octubre no se Olvida" (Regina October 2nd
won't be Forgotten). The following account is based on that book, also on the
book "El Despertar de Teotihuacan" (The Awakening of Teotihuacán), and my
personal conversations with Antonio Velasco Piña. His books have not been translated to
English.
Regina was born in that same cabin where I
spent unforgettable childhood days. On March 21st 1948 her soon to
be parents had gone on a trip to the nearby town of Amekameka. On the way back
to Mexico City, they stopped at the town of "Los Reyes" to take in the scenery.
Regina's mother felt the pains of labor and they sought refuge in the brick
cabin owned by Velasco Piña's mother. Fortunately Antonio, who was then a child
of twelve, and his mother were at the cabin that day and readily opened their
doors to the couple. Antonio's mother called the local midwife to help
with the birth of Regina.
Several months prior to the birth, the pregnant
couple had gone to India where they visited the Buddhist Temple at Shahjanpur.
At the temple, a visiting Tibetan Lama, Tschsandzo Tschampa, approached the
couple and told them that the soon to be born child was an Avatar and asked
them to move to Tibet where the Lama would see to the her proper upbringing.
Regina's mother was reluctant and decided to have Regina in Mexico. The young
couple promised the Lama that they would go to his monastery in Tibet once the
child was born.
Regina[U1] was indeed taken to Tibet by her parents. She spent
her childhood under the care of the Tibetan Lama Tagdra Rimpoche, the same Lama
who recognized the incarnation of the current Dalai Lama. When Regina was only
a couple of years old, she was taken to visit the then young 14th Dalai Lama,
who immediately recognized her as a Dakini. Regina stayed in Tibet even after
the Chinese invasion. In 1958 the Chinese army killed her parents who were
living in Lhasa. Regina and her mentor hid in an isolated cave in a remote area
of Tibet in order to complete her training. Eventually,
the Chinese found them, killed the Lama Tagdra Rimpoche, and imprisoned Regina
for several years. When she was 19 years old, the Chinese released her to the
Mexican authorities.
Regina arrived in Mexico City in 1968. Not
knowing anyone there, she headed to the only address she knew: Antonio Velasco
Piña's mother's house in Mexico City. She was received warmly and invited to
stay for as long as she desired. It was then that Regina met Antonio Velasco
Piña and asked him to witness and chronicle the events that were sure to
follow. Velasco Piña has not only done that, but he also founded the Casa
Tibet-Mexico, which was inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 1989. He is also an
indefatigable leader of the Reginos: the followers of Regina[U2] .
In a few months, Regina became very active,
promoting cultural events around the recovery and recreation of the knowledge
of the ancient Mesoamericans. It was through her activities that she met the
four Secret Guardians of the Tradition. These four men were the current
Guardians of the Indigenous traditions (Toltek, Sapotek, Maya and Olmek) that
went underground since the Spanish invasion. Depositories of ancient knowledge
that they had inherited from the previous Secret Guardians, these lines of
Guardians extend uninterrupted all the way back to 1521. These four individuals,
upon meeting Regina, knew it was time to start the process of re-awakening the Pyramid
of the Sun.
On March 21st 1968, when Regina
turned twenty years old, she and the four Secret Guardians of the Tradition,
went into the cave at the base of the pyramid and performed a ritual ceremony
to awaken its heart, its energetic center. According to the Tradition, this
center serves as a synchronous resonant chamber that amplifies earthly and
cosmic energies. After the ceremony Regina explained to the Guardians of the
Tradition that there remained four energetic seals on the pyramid.[U3]
These seals had been put in place by the Toltek
and had the effect of inactivating the pyramid's geo-energetic resonant
function. Regina and the Guardians knew that the spiritual energies of the
Earth were once again moving polarities, from the Himalayas to the American
Cordillera. It was the Tibetan Lamas who needed to perform the rituals
necessary to break the first three energetic seals and only then she and the
Secret Guardians could break the fourth seal, which sat at the top of the
pyramid.
Mexican agents murdered Regina on the night of
October 2nd 1968. She was shot from a helicopter during the
infamous student massacre that took place in Tlatelolko. Regina died on top of the
small pyramid at Tlatelolko surrounded by the four Secret Guardians of the Tradition
and the Witness, Velasco Piña. The Guardians buried her body in a well-hidden
cave in the Istaksiwatl.
Many years later, the Witness, the four Secret
Guardians of the tradition, and the many followers of Regina, known as
"Reginos" were able to invite his Excellency the 14th Dalai Lama to perform the
first of four rituals needed to break the energetic seals that kept the Pyramid
of the Sun from functioning properly.
On July
3rd 1989, the Dalai Lama flew in a helicopter to the ancient city of
Teotiwakan and performed the first of these rituals. Several
thousand Reginos dressed in white were present at this ceremony. For the first
time in over a thousand years, the earth energy that emanates from the heart of
the Pyramid was allowed to flow out. But it only scattered through the ground,
like water from a broken faucet, losing its power as three seals remained in
place.
The next year, on March 21st. 1990,
under strict instructions from the Dalai Lama, eight Lamas from the Ganden
Shartse Monastery conducted the second ritual ceremony. Over 30,000 Reginos
were present at Teotiwakan for the occasion. This time the energy flowed out of
the pyramid and upwards but was stopped by the third seal, which was located at
the first platform[U4] of the pyramid. The third ritual was scheduled for
1992.
On March 21st 1992, Tibetan Lamas
were to conduct the third of the four ritual ceremonies that would reopen the
energetic flow of the Pyramid of the Sun.
After the two previous ritual ceremonies
conducted at the Pyramid of the Sun, the INAH or National Institute of
Anthropology and History, decreed that the ritual ceremony scheduled for March
21 1992 would not be allowed. The permit that Casa Tibet-Mexico (the
organizers of these events) had applied for to bring ten Tibetan Lamas from the
Drepung Loseling Monastery, whose turn it was to perform the third ritual
ceremony at the Pyramid of the Sun, was denied. The reason given to the public
was that the growing presence of people at the previous rituals (30,000 people
attended the 1990 ritual ceremony) would damage the structures at Teotiwakan.
In order to prevent this event from taking place, the INAH requested the
presence of the Mexican Army at the famous archaeological site.
Mexico and The Tibetan government in exile have
no diplomatic relations, while Mexico and China do. China had protested against
the character of these events. While the Mexican Government had granted visas
to the Tibetan Lamas, it appeared likely that the third and final Tibetan ritual
ceremony required to open the third energetic seal of the Pyramid of the Sun
would not be performed.
As the March days went by, the attitude of the
Mexican Government didn't change. No permits were issued and the 5th
Artillery Regiment moved into the archaeological site of Teotiwakan. It seemed
that the ceremony was to be cancelled. When the Lamas were told of the
situation, they responded by saying that they would risk their lives if
necessary in order to perform this ritual.
Around midnight on the 20th of March
of 1992, something extraordinary took place. The President of Mexico, Carlos
Salinas de Gortari,[U5] ordered the Mexican army to leave Teotiwakan and
countermanded the head of the National Institute of History and Anthropology,
who was ordered by the President to grant the necessary permits for the third
ritual ceremony to be performed. What moved the President to issue these
instructions? Nobody knows. As a gesture of gratitude to the President of
Mexico, the Guardians of the Tradition gave him a beautiful handmade book, one
of an edition of fifty, titled "The Aztec-Mexican Computations of Time."
Around sunrise on March 21st 1992,
the Lamas arrived at Teotiwakan[U6]. They were ten: seven youths and three elders. Their
leader seemed more a warrior than a priest. The multitude of people numbered
close to 100,000, most of them followers of the martyred Mexican Avatar, Regina.
The Reginos, dressed in white, presented an amazing picture, a sea of white
that contrasted with the colorful garments of the Tibetan Lamas.
The lamas made
their way to the stairs of the Pyramid of the Sun and climbed to the first
platform where the third energetic seal was located. On the platform a group of
"Concheros" or traditional Aztec dancers blew seashells, a symbol of Ketzalkoatl,
sang, and played traditional drums. Once the "Concheros" finished their
salutation to the five directions, the Lamas began their mudras and chants.
At
that moment, a dot of black manifested in the sea of white, it moved slowly
through the multitude towards the great Pyramid of the Sun. They were thirteen
people dressed in black and armed with huge sticks, they were worshipers of
Tezcatlipoka: twelve men and one woman. The woman at the lead of the precession
kept repeating in a loud voice: "Out of here damn foreigners, this is ours!"
The spirit of peace that permeated the multitude was firm and no one attempted
to stop the intruders. They made it as far as one of the corners of the
pyramid, but before they could start their ascent to the first platform,
Alberto Ruz (the son of the discoverer of Palenque) with a contingent of
Rainbow Warriors from Wewekoyotl (Old Coyote) their community in Tepoztlan (the
birthplace of Se Akatl Topiltzin
Ketzalkoatl), made a human barrier. The thirteen worshipers of Tezcatlipoca
decided to change their route and attempt to ascend the pyramid through the
stairs at the center of the pyramid. The multitude, realizing what was going on,
reacted with a chant: "Tibet-Mexico! Tibet-Mexico!" and some people decided to
stand in their way but were forced out of the way with the huge sticks. The
spirit of consciousness was such that no one reacted violently to this
aggression.
As the thirteen worshippers of Tezkatlipoca
arrived at the platform, Mr. Miguel Limon, the Undersecretary of the Interior
for Migratory Affairs, and only official authority at the event, reproached
their attitude in very strong words and reminded them of the traditional
hospitality of the Mexican people. His words disarmed six of the intruders who
turned back. Seven of them kept going past the Undersecretary. A second
authority stepped up to stop their advance on the Lamas, Domingo Dias Porta,
known as "Titolopochtli," who with the support of the Guardians of the
Tradition has worked to recreate the Sacred Traditions of Amerrikua. He spoke
to them in a serene and quiet voice, he expressed to them that Teotiwakan is
nobody's monopoly and it belongs to the entire human race. Another six of the
intruders desisted from their goal to reach the Lamas. Only the woman kept
moving forward with the intention of attacking the Tibetan priests.
The sudden irruption on the site by the
worshipers of Tezcatlipoka had two different effects on the Lamas: the young
ones showed concern in their faces, but the three elder Lamas seemed to be
pleased and indeed were smiling at the unexpected occurrence. Their eyes were
focused on the huge incensory a few feet away, a thick cloud of aromatic smoke
emanated from it. When the woman finally reached the other side of the
incensory opposite to where the lamas were standing, the smoke appeared to be a
barrier that the woman could not overcome, she stopped her advance and at that
moment the Tibetan lamas concluded the ritual ceremony that broke the third of
the four energetic seals of the Pyramid of the Sun. Unbeknownst to the
Priestess of Tezcatlipoka, her negative energy had been necessary to bring
forth the rupture of the third seal.
Regina had explained to the Witness and the
four Secret Guardians of the Tradition that just as a Mexican had to begin the
process of awakening the Pyramid of the Sun, it was the duty of a Mexican to
conclude the awakening of the pyramid. In March of 1993 the Guardians of the
Tradition performed the last ritual ceremony and broke the 4th and
last seal, the one that sat on top of the pyramid. It was then that the
powerful and subtle energies of the Cosmos and the Earth united to generate a
light energy for the use of any human being on the planet who wishes to use it
for the realization of a higher consciousness. The first step in the process of
re-polarization of the Earth's spiritual and consciousness energies had been
achieved. The Pyramid of the Sun has been reactivated and is now fully
functional as the energy resonator it was constructed to be.
It has become a common site to see Tibetan
lamas performing rituals all over Mesoamerica and South America; the purpose of
these rituals is to reactivate all of the geomagnetic points on the American
Cordillera and facilitate the spiritual re-polarization of the planet. Perhaps
this is why China is becoming the great materialist, while the Americas are
seeing a revitalization of its spiritual dimension. The task for all of us
appears to be straightforward, to promote and guide a paradigm shift, a
spiritual and consciousness awakening based on the ancient knowledge of the
rythms of a living Earth and a living Cosmos.