The Controversial Mayan Queen: Sak K'uk of Palenque (The Mists of Palenque) (8 page)

The rain was light and short, the clouds quickly dissipated. But, Pakal had successfully called the rain; he petitioned correctly and Lord Chak responded. Pasah Chan bowed and clasped his shoulder in acknowledgement, then invited all to partake of the altar offerings in celebration.

Pasah Chan instructed Pakal on the cyclic essence of reality.

“All in nature is a cycle. The pathways of the sun, the journey of the moon in the sky, the life of flowers. All life follows the seasons of the year. When the flowers open, the birds unite to procreate. In the heat of summer they raise their young and prepare them to survive the chilling rains or migrate to warmer lands. Every year, Pakal, you must be attentive and follow the seasons of your life. Now you are in the season of flowering, a young bud just opening. As you grow your force will increase. When the summer of your life arrives, you will be strong, vigorous. Cultivate your interests in this time, explore everything to satisfy your desires but do so with moderation and within moral boundaries. Conquer and defeat that which is evil, push forward toward the good.

“When the winds arrive and leaves fall to coat the forest floor, youth recedes and you come to the horizon of your life. You will then plan the remainder of life and the route to take. Then will appear the consequences of your past actions, so choose those actions well. It will be time to slow the pace of life, to make more tranquil its rhythms. It will be time to teach others, to transmit what you hold in your heart and mind. This leads into the time to prepare for your leaving.

“Finally will arrive the days of cold and snow, the closing of the cycle. Your hair whitens and your step slows. Be tranquil and at peace. Meditate and contemplate the significance of your life. In this time, prepare for physical death. It brings close the time of liberating your spirit, when you will show to your people the continued cycle of being. Many are afraid of death, but death is merely transformation. Life does not cease, it only changes, like the butterfly transforms within its cocoon. Those too attached to life cannot imagine the wonder that awaits.

“You cannot be in the temple and the forest simultaneously. You cannot wear two sets of clothes at the same time. The shell that is your body remains upon the earth, to make you lighter for a grander reality. The body shell you can use, break and destroy. But the spirit is indestructible. Go forth in this knowledge that you have a marvelous destiny in the dwelling of the immortals.

“Those afraid of death have much hidden from them. You have great wisdom to give our people, remember to use your powers to serve others. You must overcome all obstacles, including both self-aggrandizement and all personal fears. Become the master of your body and mind.”

Pakal learned to control his thoughts and feelings, to regulate the activity of his body and mind. The latter presented the greatest challenge, for the mind was a trickster always finding ways to circumvent his techniques. He became the observer of his mental landscape, watched beliefs, fears and emotions play out without reacting or grasping. These wafted across his awareness and dissipated, rose and fell, ultimately resolving into nothingness. He focused until his mind became empty, a clear field of calmness, and entered the blissful state of pure awareness. He simply
was
.

3

Pakal’s long legs took two steps at a time as he bounded up the tiered stairways leading to the Temple of the High Priest. He was late for his favorite lesson; studying Mayan hieroglyphs inscribed in fan-folded codices with the old calendar priest Ah Kuy. Wending his way through vaulted hallways and across the wide central plaza, he quickly ascended the final set of stairs and entered the western chamber that held thousands of codices. Passing through several interconnected rooms, he found the old priest seated on his raised platform with a codex in place on the wooden display box.

Pakal bowed deeply, clasping left shoulder with right hand.

“It is my regret to be late, honored Ah K’in. Now am I before you for teachings.”

Ah Kuy turned his cloudy owl-like eyes toward the boy, wrinkled lips held tight. He paused just long enough to make Pakal uncomfortable, and then gave a toothless grin. The boy relaxed and smiled back.

“The young are always busy.” Ah Kuy’s voice was high and reedy but conveyed an ease of command that Pakal instinctively recognized. He intended to develop that quality in his voice as it matured.

“The old, as am I, never busy themselves but savor each moment life still gives them.” Ah Kuy appeared wrapped in deep contemplation. Pakal stood respectfully and waited until the old priest spoke again.

“Let us resume study of this divinatory almanac based on the original hearthstone event. Do you remember when this calendar began?”

“At our last session you said it began at the end of the previous count of thirteen bundles, when the hearthstone stars rose at midnight and reached the middle of the sky at dawn,” Pakal replied eagerly and with perfect recall.

“It is as you say.” Ah Kuy was pleased with the boy’s memory. “And which are the hearthstone stars?”

“They are the three stars dangling below the feet of the peccary constellation,
Am Kitam
,” Pakal replied without hesitation. “The three stars are called
osh-lot
, three together and their names are
Tunsel
– little woodpecker (Rigel),
Mehem Ek
– Semen Star (Alnitak), and
Hun Rakan
– One Leg (Saiph).”

“Ah, yes, that is so. You have remembered well. Now let us consider the infinite structure of the Long Count calendar. On what date did the current creation begin?”

“On 4 Ahau 8 Kumk’u, the birth of the Fourth Sun and creation of the True People, Halach Uinik.” This date combined the day number from the 1 - 13 numeric Tzolk’in calendar, the day name of the 20-day uinal (month), and the numeric sequence of the day within one of the 18 months.

“Yes, that date marked the end of the previous age, when the 13 bundles were completed. And now tell me how to calculate 13 bundles.”

Pakal frowned, drawing his eyebrows together as he concentrated and tried running mental calculations. The mathematical poetics of the Maya 13 x 20 = 260 day Tzolk’in-sacred calendar interacting with the 18 x 20 = 360 day Haab-seasonal calendar intrigued him and he worked hard to commit these to memory. The 13 bundles were the baktun count; made up of 20 katuns, and the katun count was comprised of 20 stones or tuns, the year count. He understood that 18 uinals of 20 days made up one tun, and one tun was 360 days or kins. He also knew that the solar year was 365 days plus a few hours, but the Maya preferred the elegant numerology and sacred symbolism of 260 x 360. But beyond the count of baktuns, he was lost. Then he shrugged and lowered his eyes, admitting his confusion.

“Further I do not understand, Master. From Pasah Chan I learned how to count with the dot and bar system, where a dot is one and a bar is five. It is a 20-base system, with increments at each level of 20 times the previous number. From the lowest position up to the fifth there are increasing numbers. First level equals one, second level equals 20, third level equals 400, fourth level equals 8000, and fifth level equals 160,000.

“But you taught me that the calendars are counted differently. Each day has the value of one at the first level, but at the second level of the uinal the increment is only 18. That brings the tun at the third level to 360 days. Then the system reverts back to 20-base so there are 20 tuns to make one katun of 7200 days. The baktuns are formed by the count of 20 katuns for each baktun, to complete the baktun count at 144,000 days. But when baktuns become 13, the calendar makes a great shift and all five levels return to zero. This is said to signify completion of an era, the time when a new Sun is born. What happens with the remaining baktuns up to a count of 20? Why do not baktuns follow the same pattern as the other levels of the count?”

“Ah, this is part of the mystery and magic of calendars. Can you be more than one thing at the same time? Are you not both a boy and a son? Can a jaguar be beautiful and dangerous and loving of its cubs? Do not limit your mind to believe there is only one explanation, a single quality, an exclusive meaning given to the wondrous creations of the gods. Time is divine. It flows eternally without beginning or end. Nothing exists without time, and space is the platform on which the divine expressions of time play out. Deities acting within different spaces are the changing faces of time. You have studied the face glyphs for numbers, and the face glyphs for the five levels of the Long Count. Those are our artist’s depictions of the gods of numbers and time. But consider this mystery: the numbers and measures of time are Gods themselves. Gods have will and volition, they choose to create and craft their manifestations in our world. Do you understand?”

Pakal was not sure he did understand, but made an attempt.

“The calendar can be different things, or can be understood in more than one way. There can be a progression to the next level at Baktun 13 and different progressions at other levels. The mathematic counts can use 20-base while calendar counts use different bases. It is all dreamt in the imagination of the gods. Is this understanding correct?”

“Excellent! The Long Count calendar allows you to express an infinitely large number by writing a long string of 13s continuing in positions above the fifth level. Now recite to me what that count would say.”

“Zero kin, zero uinal, zero tun, zero katun, 13 baktun, then 13 – 13 – 13 – 13 – 13 – 13 – for as long as you wanted?”

“It is so. And if you wanted to express a specific and accurate amount of time that has elapsed since the last creation began, how would you say it?”

“You would recite the exact numbers for each of the five positions, such as 6 kins, 14 uinals, 2 tuns, 9 katuns, 10 baktuns. But what happens after you reach 13 baktuns?”

“Then you must use higher value positions, new gods of time. These do exist but most calendar keepers do not know them. Not all minds can grasp such large time periods, and in practical use these greatly exceed many human lifetimes. Now comes important and occult information, not taught to many. I shall tell you some of their names. Above the baktun comes piktun, above that comes kalabtun, then kinchiltun and then alautun. When next you come, I will show you the codex with their god face glyphs. Can you imagine how immense the day count would be if continued through the alautun?”

Pakal reflected upon the endless possibilities of numbers and calendars. His mind swirled and tumbled with numbers beyond expressing. He shook his head.

“This is impossible to imagine. You would multiply 144,000 days by 20 to get 1,872,000 days, then multiply that by 13 and the result by 13 and that result by 13 and . . . oh, the number of days is beyond calculation!”

“Just so. The Long Count goes back to the very beginning of time, when no one was present to do the counting that led to the original placement of the hearthstones. So for practical purposes, we counted backward from a later date during the early times of our people to establish 4 Ahau 8 Kumk’u as the seating of the hearthstones for the current Sun. So we say the new creation began on completion of the 13 bundles.”

Pakal scrutinized the old priest’s wrinkled face. Ah Kuy waited patiently to see where his pupil’s mind was going.

“The lifetime of a man is 3 katuns, so has Pasah Chan taught me,” the boy began. “Three katuns equals 60 tuns, the time in which Father Sun completes his journey from south to north 59 times in the solar year. Yet a single baktun is 360 tuns, more than six lifetimes. It is not surprising that few people trouble themselves to think beyond a baktun.”

“That is so. Few are the 5 Katun Lords, rulers who live beyond 80 tuns.”

“Honored Elder, have you attained to Katun 5?”

Ah Kuy chuckled and nodded, touching his copious wrinkles.

“So testifies my face. Perhaps I shall see Katun 6, should the gods be willing. But let us return to your lesson on the divinatory almanac. Come sit here beside me.”

Pakal climbed onto the raised platform and sat beside the old priest. Settling on the mat cross-legged, he was now able to see the fan-folded codex with its colorful glyphs, drawings and dot-and-bar numbers. Ah Kuy pointed to a complex drawing of a woman with an intricate headdress seated on a raised dais receiving offerings.

“Here we have
Ix K’in Sutnal
, she of the sun’s place of return. She is the Lady of the House in the constellation of
Itzam Huh
– Iguana. This is one of 13 constellations of our zodiac, whose stars are situated at the autumnal equinox, the place where the sun comes around again, when day and night are equal. In this depiction, she sits on her throne made of the Star Band, the vault of the sky. Her headdress has the face of the iguana, its breath curling upward from elongated nose, its back fin fanned out above her shoulders. In one hand she receives offerings of food, drink in a vase and a smoking censer. The other hand rests by her side, fingers pointing behind her.”

The boy studied the drawing carefully, identifying all the elements mentioned by the old priest. Several other drawings and glyphs were nearby and the priest pointed to them.

“These two drawings are the spirit uay of the Lady of the House, they are frogs. See that one frog appears to be swallowing the sun. This signifies that the sun has entered the part of the sky occupied by the constellation Itzam Huh. The other frog is facing downward and raindrops are pouring from its body. This depicts the onset of rains as the rainy season begins in our locale at autumnal equinox. Soon will be time for planting corn.

“There is another very important message in these figures, when we study the calendar glyphs next to them. This codex makes predictions about astronomical events that will take place a long time in the future. Here in this group of glyphs are interval numbers projecting to the end of the current creation, when Baktun 13 will be completed and the Long Count will reset to all zeros. This will be on the date 4 Ahau 3 Kank’in (December 21, 2012). The 260-day sacred calendar will stand at the same place it did when the hearthstones of the Fourth Sun were set in place, but the solar calendar will be in another uinal, Kank’in instead of Kumk’u. Then the sun will be in the middle of the Milky Way passing by the constellation
T’zek
– Scorpion, and the three hearthstones of Am Kitam – Peccary will rise at dusk and reach meridian at midnight.”