CHICHEN  ITZA, MEXICO

My first challenge after arrival was to obtain a room.  Craig & Donna had been “swapped out” for less desirable quarters further from the Archeological Park, but closer to the Synthesis 2012 activity center.  At first, I attempt to negotiate with their same Chichen Itza Hotel for quarters, which proved useless when the bidding started at $500 nightly.  I later found a room to share with a young man from Seattle who had two beds to his room and a working shower, but never utilized the opportunity.  Too much work to do, and too little time.  Just stayed up all night on my first evening in Chichen Itza.

Next challenge was to get in to Synthesis 2012.  I had arrived with no tickets, no meal plan, and no room.  The ultimate freestyle approach landing. The organizing group intended to hold a pre-solstice press briefing at 4 PM.  I quickly joined in discussions with their planning group.  In discussing why I was here, much of the previous conversation Craig and I had engaged in re: the meaning of 2012 was conveyed to the event executive staff.  Surprisingly (to me at least), much of it made its way into their introductory remarks at the subsequent Press Briefing.

To make a long story short, as a result of that conversation and proof of the publication of “True North” (and intention to write Volume 2 with their Festival as the lead story) I got handed Press Credentials.  This came about by explaining in pithy terms what their event was all about from the POV of an outsider, leading to spiffs for free food and free daily entry to all organizational events.  The tickets otherwise cost from $250 to $500 to $2800, depending on level of access to various Festival venues, and whether hotel rooms and transportation from Cancun was involved.  Already, I felt like the gouging from our van ride from Cancun was being mitigated.

At the Press Conference, in addition to quoting heavily from the joint conversation with Craig, Synthesis 2012 Marketing Director Giselle Bisson quoted Bolivan President Evo Morales:  This event, she said, “Is about the end of  Fear and the beginning of Love.”  The goal of the event was to celebrate and activate the Mayan prophecies related to 2012, so that with “intention, focus and love we will manifest a new era of peace and harmony on the planet.”

It proposed an ambitious schedule leading to a global awareness convergence and candlelight winter solstice service on Dec 21^st celebrating the previously described concurrent events.  Event organizer Michael DeMartino, had begun envisioning the event as far back as 1989 when he produced the worldwide “Unity” Gathering.  It was to include a “Burning Man” style campground (after the folklife rock and party soiree that attracts 50,000 annually in the Nevada desert), and numerous rock bands with widespread reputations.

The purpose of this gathering was to bring together some of the top international music groups, dynamic visionary leaders, spiritual teachers, shamans, the local Mayan community, teachers of healing arts and practitioners of  healthy & eco-conscious living to awaken global awareness and promote global change.

The event had the support of an experienced major California production team working directly with local Mayan elders, wisdom keepers and event producers in Mexico with the cooperation of the UNESCO recognized Mayan Cultural Organization and International Mayan Council.  An international webcast coordination of galactic alignment celebrations taking place worldwide was also planned.

Major speakers were to include New Age Luminaries such as Don Miguel Ruiz (author of the bestselling “The Four Agreements” and “The Mastery of Love”), Mayan Wisdom Keeper Humbatz Men, Caroline Casey, Nicki Scully, Foster & Kimberly Gamble, Dr. Joseph Marshall, Nick Edwards, and Patrick Flanagan – among others.

Problems become obvious before the Press Conference is even concluded however.  A campground set up for attendees (to offset price gouging in local hotels) has had to be moved from in-town, to a clearing six miles outside town.  A shuttle service to ferry Festival Goers back and forth never materializes.  Most who don’t have rental cars must pay $8 one way for taxi rides into town and to visit the Archeological Area with the Ruins – if a taxi is available.  Volunteers who are told they will get free meals, are shut off from the dining hall.

A music truck with over $30,000 of equipment on it is either hijacked or waylaid just south of the Texas border – the stories differ depending on who you talk to -- and returns to Oregon after gulping nearly $5000 worth of fuel and repairs.  It never arrives at the festival.  Much sound capability is therefore cut off.  Hotels are changed for VIP customers without notice.  Van transportation from Cancun does not materialize.  Staff are not being paid and often have to put their own funds into various Festival functions to make them work.  Many bands that have paid their own way down to the happening, are told their services are no longer available and tickets promised for meals are not distributed.

I start making subtle inquiries about how this situation has come about.  I need not tend such care.  The anger level even amongst staff grows by the hour.  It becomes obvious there is a command and control problem.  All command is centered at the top.  Very little authority flows downhill. Decisions – even petty ones – can’t be made without the personal imprimatur of Michael DeMartino.  Funds suffer the same restriction.  Nothing goes out without the visionary’s okay.  Chokeholds abound at every decision nexus point.  DeMartino, meanwhile, attends to self- satisfying but organizationally crippling duties as personally handing out meal tickets.

But the festival proceeds nevertheless.  This is partly due to the abundance of freewill present.  It is due to the huge hours of donated time and focused intention of the volunteers and staff.  Most of the invited luminaries still attend.  Moving speeches are made the afternoon prior to “The End of Time,” referring to nursing each other into a new consciousness, converging and rising up spiritually to overcome the existing world order in a quiet revolution, and celebrating new awareness with conscious connection into a new soul community.

A song initiated spontaneously by teenagers becomes the anthem for The Festival: “One People, One Creation, One Love, One light.”  It earns much enthusiasm from among the attendees.

Many well-intended folks have clearly done the work to prepare themselves over an extended period of time.  These people refer to themselves as The Rainbow Tribe, those souls who are present now combined in spirit with all those who have preceded us.  These are the serious spiritual seekers.  The purposed soul work heavy lifters.  Others appear hobbyists, looking for an emotional peak experience.  These are the ones who bear the feint miasma of “we are the ones we have been waiting for.” 

Others merely seek a lark, and want to be happy.  They are often found in the campground, and more often than not under a cannabis cloud.  Their theme song would more closely resemble “Kumbaya.”   Another set, the evolved version of the Hippie Movement, might be characterized as having a “Brother Son, Sister Moon, Everybody is Part of Me” mentality.  Their primary mindset seems to be a fairly deeply embedded Peace consciousness.

In any case, Peak Events no matter how spectacularly infused with tradition, emotion, or ceremony are sometimes merely … just events.  The spiritual Warriors who gather for four days of Peace & Harmony, nevertheless return to lives as doctors, promoters, students, businessmen, firemen, sanitation workers, and all cross-sections of humanity.

In a knowing scene from the movie Willow, famous (midget) actor Billy Barty plays the part of a very short wizard.  He is helping the decision making of the movie’s hero and his companions, when they must make a difficult crossroads choice as to which way to proceed.  He makes great ceremony of rolling the dice, a set of ancient runes.  He goes about his duty with great solemnity and agonized deliberate pacing.  There is much suspense.  He finally tosses the bones.

“Well,” cries out Willow, with more than a little nervousness.  “What do they mean???”

The Wizard looks at Willow, and gives him a sly wink.  “What do you want them to mean?”

Such is the way with movements.  And events.  And anthems.  We always look for a new message.  We desire a new way of connecting. We are attuned and even hopeful about fresh ways and hopeful outcomes.  We need change and renewed possibility in our lives.  Many things we initiate or respond to, has the cultivated interest of: “What do you want them to mean?”  Sometimes, the level of hope and optimism and caring we emotionally invest in our initiatives, pre-determines the outcome.   Input equals output.

Over and over, I hear hopeful cadences of intent such as “We are at the crossroads of the past, the present, and the future.”  Or “We are anchors for the coming shift.”  Or “The End of Time is really a New Beginning.”  Or, less objectively and much more energetically, “We are the Hope of The World and the Means of Its Transformation.”

Despite these occasional stretches into fanciful hubris, and all the snafus with Synthesis 2012, on the alleged Eve of the End of Time and Conclusion of the Mayan Calendar and windowpane to the Galactic Alignment, there was much loving and well-intentioned input taking place all throughout Chichen Itza.