Throughout the world exists the remnants of ancient civilizations long forgotten in our modern lives. These Sacred Sites are doorways to a spiritual wisdom that these people possessed and held open for us to discover. The walls between our world and their world are thin in these locations, allowing us to walk between them and thus remember these sacred ways.

We invite you to turn back time 1500 years into Mexico's ancient past. Long before the first European set foot on this land were the indigenous cultures of the Mayan civilizations throughout the Yucatan peninsula. There existed civilizations of hundreds of thousands with entire cities lost in the rainforest until unearthed this last century. These people were masters of astronomy and cycles of the natural world, sacred geometry and had a metaphysical awareness far beyond even today's greatest understanding.

The Mayan People

Most advanced of all the pre-Columbian civilizations were the Mayan cultures. Known for their spectacular art, monumental architecture, sophisticated mathematical and astronomical systems, these ancient people existed for perhaps 10,000 years before their sudden disappearance and collapse in the 8th & 9th centuries AD.

Today their descendants continue to live and thrive in these regions, maintaining a distinctive set of traditions and beliefs that are a blend of their pre-Columbian traditions and Roman Catholicism. Many different Mayan languages continue to be spoken as primary languages today.

Calendar and Astronomy

Great attention in more recent years has been brought to the Mayan Calendar. These people had a highly developed concept of time and systems to track the natural cycles of their lives. It is estimated that in our year of 2012 the Mayan Long Count cycle will end and begin again marking an event that occurs only every 5125 solar years. What significance this date marks for our modern cultures we do not yet know for sure...

Wrought throughout their temple architecture and city design is an understanding of sacred proportions and geometry. Their use of the Golden Mean or Phi proportion (read more on Phi) teach us that like modern shamans, the priests of ancient times were probably the keepers of this sacred information. For thousands of years they watched the heavens, studied the human form and observed the shapes of nature.

The Maya later recorded their observations of the sun, moon, and stars in hieroglyphic books and stone inscriptions. Relationships between the geometric proportion of the temples and buildings were designed to achieve certain effects at different times of the year. At the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, light from the sunset is focused into a beam that strikes the farthest corners of the inner chambers. During the summer solstice, the scenes in the central chambers become illuminated.

Ancient Cities

During our time together we will explore the sacred Mayan sites of Palenque, the Bonampak ruins in the Lacandón jungle, and Yaxchilán.

Most impressive and highly developed of all the Mayan civilizations was the city of Palenque. Rising 200' above is the jungle canopy of the highland rainforest. This archaeological site dates from the peak of the Classic period around 600 to 700 A.D. It was a place of ceremony and wielded much political power during it's reign.

We have chosen this area of the Yucatan Peninsula because of its rich cultural and spiritual history, as well as for its unique physical location. According to Pythagorean mathematics, Palenque is located at the heart center of the Americas.

This site houses the famous vaulted room beneath the floor of the Temple of Inscriptions, in which was discovered a large sarcophagus. The human figure portrayed in relief on that stone slab has become known as "the astronaut" to some; as "Pakal", a Maya ruler, to others. From the glyphs one may see something that looks like a spacecraft within which he is seated. Anthropologists continue to debate the true significance and meaning of this highly advanced glyph of the Mayan king.

Just outside of downtown Palenque we will stay comfortably for 6 nights as we explore the surrounding regions throughout the week. Also during our time we will experience the natural beauty of this land with a day trip to one of the many waterfalls in the surrounding rainforest.

One last thought...

Our workshops are empowering, interactive and experiential in nature. This journey is as much an inner experience as it is an outer exploration of an ancient world. We will begin the week by learning about the ancient Mayan world and exploring these sites.

But as the week progresses a shift occurs, a perception emerges. We realize that this is not so much a learning process as it is remembering how to access this lost information in our own hearts. At the end of the week we will make a second visit, but from a different awareness. This will be a true connection with the sacredness of these sites.

Travel, Costs & Booking

Each experience is unique and dynamic as our participants are from all over the world, from all different traditions and beliefs. This is not your typical travel group.

The workshop fee is for a 7 day event and includes a shared room, all meals of delicious local cuisine, entry to the sacred sites and activities, and all local transportation provided by shared bus. Airfare to and from Villahermosa, Mexico is not included but we are happy to organize all the travel at a very good fare. All prices are in Euros (€).

Workshop price to be determined

For additional information, questions and booking please use our contact form and we will respond immediately: