Energy Shifts

(4) What Does the Future Hold?

Introduction

“It was halfway famine, it was halfway feast” [1].

This is the translation of the original Maya prophecy for Katun 2 Ahau (2012-2032). In the next chapters, we will match this prophecy with real trends and we will make realistic forecasts for the next fifteen years.

Physical energy configurations, such as fossil fuel resources and renewable energies, will be factored in, and we will make predictions on how human beings are likely to respond to the challenges facing them in the coming years.

Having the Right Attitude

If we are internally (spiritually, mentally and psychologically) prepared for the external material changes in the world, they will appear to be positive, and our approach to them would be pro-active, courageous, responsible, motivated and engaging.

“As above” (spiritually and internally)

“So below” (materially and externally)

If we are not internally prepared for external changes in the world, they would appear to us on the outside as negative, disastrous, calamitous and unfair, and our approach would be that of fear, denial, evasion, resistance, victimhood and escapism.

A Concise Prophecy

The first thing that we notice about the prophecy for Katun 2 Ahau is that it is reasonably short: “It was halfway famine, it was halfway feast” [1]. This is the section that is considered to be the most important part by translators. The rest of the prophecy consists of a few additional sentences, which we will touch on later.

The wording of the English version differs, depending on the translation and the codex from which it was taken, but “It was halfway famine, it was halfway feast” is Munro S. Edmonson’s interpretation and is from The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel.

Edmonson’s version comes across as less symbolic than other translations as he has already applied some interpretation to the symbolism used; this serves the objectives of this article well as we will use it as a reference point for the rest of our discussion.

Interpreting the Prophecy

The words “feast” and “famine” could be further interpreted in various ways. In the context of our discussion, we will consider these words to generally mean “economic growth” and “economic decline”.

In his book, The Mayan Prophecies, Kenneth Johnson explains that most scholars apply mainly two interpretations to this prophecy – namely, that in half of the Katun there would be prosperity and in the other half poverty or that there would be social disparities between the rich and the poor which would cause a lot of social tensions during the Katun.

Prophecies can sometimes (less commonly) be interpreted literally. The meaning often falls somewhere in between the symbolic and the literal. As a thought experiment, we will consider the possibility of there being a literal meaning, too, during our analyses.

First Easy, Then Difficult

As explained in Part 3, Katuns (19.7-year time periods) are divided into two 9.85 year halves – and the half has a length close to that of a decade. However, Katun-halves do not necessarily start or end at exactly the same time as decades do.

The energy of a Katun ascends during the first half, reaches a peak in the middle and descends during the second half.  We will, therefore, assume that the prophecy should be read in reverse, i.e. that the first half of Katun 2 Ahau (2012-2022) will continue to be relatively “easy” (there will be continued economic growth) and that the second half (2022-2032) will be difficult (there will be an economic decline of some sort).

Forecasting and Probability

In order to arrive at some realistic conclusions and make forecasts with a relatively high level of probability, we will take an open and philosophical approach to this broad and complex subject by consulting mainstream as well as quality non-mainstream sources.

Due to our scope being somewhat limited, we will keep it concise while being as comprehensive as possible at the same time. In the process, we will inadvertently touch on issues or topics that are frequently ignored or avoided for reasons that we will also delve into later. But first, let’s start with some context.

Prosperity and Poverty

Presently, we live in the most materially prosperous time in recorded history, notwithstanding the poverty that can still be found in many parts of the world. Considering how familiar we are with the abundance of choice in everything that we do and consume, imagining the arrival of “famine” in a real sense is almost impossible for those of us living in the developed world.

Poverty – unlike famine – is, however, something that we can relate to, at least to an extent, because we come across it often enough. Homelessness can be observed even in the richest countries and, in recent years, the arrival of large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers has added to the phenomenon.

Some people in the developed world may even have come close to poverty themselves due to personal financial crises or temporary local economic downturns. That happened, for example, in several first-world countries after the global financial crisis that started in 2008.

In reality, the average middle-class person is basically only a few lost pay cheques away from poverty. However, unlike in the poorer countries, there are relatively good social support systems and safety nets in place in developed nations that can assist people in getting back on their feet.

An Unbalanced World

The abundant standards of living that people are used to in the first world rely on large volumes of resources and supplies coming in from other parts of the world. People in developed countries have, over time, grown accustomed to having access to a much wider variety of manufactured goods and agricultural produce than what their local environments are able to consistently provide [2].

Virtually all under-developed nations rely on imports, too, but their reasons for importing have usually more to do with survival or with maintaining a basic minimum standard of living as opposed to it being based on demands for having as much variety as possible. Some countries fall somewhere in between with sections of their populations just surviving while other sections live in abundance.

The Making of an Illusion

Abundance can only truly be measured by consuming what is only locally available in order to measure if the environment can support local population numbers and consumption habits. If it can’t, we are overconsuming. If nobody has local abundance anymore, then global abundance is an illusion and everybody is overconsuming everywhere.

The downside of not living within one’s own means as a group is that it makes you reliant upon others, and it also puts a strain on them. The same can be said of unbridled population growth worldwide, regardless of how rich or poor countries are. Ultimately, everybody will be impacted.

In the process of living out the illusion of abundance, the future, in terms of arriving at a reasonable quality of life for everyone worldwide, is being consumed in advance, especially by populations that demand a higher quality of life than others [2].

Limits to Limitlessness

A global economic system that depends on infinite economic growth driven by unlimited resource extraction, coupled with endless hyper-consumption as a lifestyle, has – over time – been exported around the world and virtually all nations have adopted it.

The consequence of this is that the first world has locked itself and the rest of the world into a very specific and very set trajectory, i.e. endless, infinite, unlimited, non-stop material growth and expansion forever – or for as long as the raw materials and fossil fuels would last.

Although it is, perhaps, not always obvious, we actually live on a rather small planet with finite resources. Logically speaking, it is just a matter of time before we do, in fact, start running out. The only question is: “When?” [3].

Catching Up

In the meantime, lots of consumer goods and technology have, in recent years, also become available to those who can afford them in poorer nations, and that has significantly increased the quality of life of people worldwide.

Technology has, in many cases, leapfrogged infrastructure development completely, thereby accelerating the process. Overall, one can thus see a trend where the developing world is increasingly catching up with the developed world, and this is happening as we speak.

Huge progress has been made in infrastructure development, too, especially in developing countries with booming economies, with China being a prime example of how fast such developments can occur.

On the face of it then, one could easily arrive at the conclusion that the nations and peoples who were left behind previously would be able to catch up in the foreseeable future. However, such continued worldwide progress would depend on uninterrupted supplies of affordable fossil fuels and many types of raw materials.

A Precarious Situation

Should, for instance, the flow of resources and food supplies between countries be interrupted or become constrained for some reason, people in most nations would be severely affected. Hardly any countries are self-sufficient anymore, and they all rely on imports and exports.

Having said that, some nations are still more self-sufficient than others, due to being naturally endowed with important raw materials or by having favourable conditions for agriculture and food production. Some countries have smaller populations and, thus, fewer mouths to feed and fewer cars to run – so there’s an overall lower strain on their environments and a lower demand for fossil fuel.

In many poorer nations, there are still people who predominantly rely on local produce due to subsistence living and agricultural lifestyles. People in urban locations in developing countries often still live within cultural environments that are generally more community oriented or more based on a spirit of sharing and that of supporting each other.

Whose paradigm shift is it anyway?

The San people from Southern Africa, considered to be the oldest living tribe on the planet [4], will not experience a major paradigm shift should, for example, food imports stop coming into the countries that they reside in. Many of the San still live from the land – usually in very arid areas – and they continue to hunt for their food and conserve water as traditional practices.

The San people are the epitome of human survival due to having preserved their way of life for centuries. They have resilience. Should, for example, first-world city dwellers experience sudden interruptions in food supplies, experience extended power cuts or find a lack of fuel at filling stations, a complete paradigm shift is guaranteed. Modern-world city dwellers do not have resilience.

Another example of people with resilience is the Amish community in the USA who have maintained their rural way of life for hundreds of years in communities that are based on self-reliance, self-sufficiency and simplicity. Importantly, they have avoided becoming too dependent on advanced technologies. The most likely paradigm shift for the Amish would be city dwellers arriving in their rural areas asking for assistance with survival.

That being said, even the Amish and the present-day Maya people in Central America (for example) rely on goods that are brought to local markets with vehicles that operate on fuel and diesel. Therefore, should there be any form of fuel supply shortages in general, even more- resilient groups would have to adapt. However, due to having preserved and maintained most of their survival skills, along with their orientation towards simple living, it would be much easier for them to cope than for the majority of consumer-oriented city dwellers who simply don’t have any reference points for “going back in time”.

By J.J. Montagnier

Continue to Part 5 >>

Copyright © · All Rights Reserved · EnergyShifts.net

This article has been written for general consumption and some concepts have been simplified. The views and opinions are those of the author. Creative license has been applied to make some concepts more accessible.

Main Resources:
The Mayan Prophecies – The Renewal of the World 2012 – 2072, by Kenneth Johnson, (published in 2012).
The Book of Destiny – Unlocking the Secrets of the Ancient Mayans and the Prophecy of 2012, by Carlos Barrios (published in 2009). [1] [2].
The Historical Value of the Books of Chilan Balam. Author(s): Sylvanus Griswold Morley. Source: American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Apr. – Jun., 1911), pp. 195-214.
The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel, by Ralph Roys (published in 1933).
The Katun Prophecies of the Paris Codex. Thesis by James V. Rauff. Loyola University Chicago.

References & Statistics:

  1. Edmonson, Heaven Born Merida and its Destiny, p. 228.
  2. List of countries by food consumption: https://ourworldindata.org/food-per-person
  1. List of countries by food energy intake: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_food_energy_intake
  1. World food waste statistics: http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/world_food_consumption_statistics/world_food_waste_statistics
  1. Which countries waste the most food? https://wastelesssavemore.sainsburys.co.uk/whats-happening/swadlincote/blog/which-countries-waste-the-most-food
  1. List of countries by oil consumption: https://www.indexmundi.com/energy/?product=oil&graph=consumption&display=rank
  1. List of countries by oil Imports: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_imports
  2. To be explored in a future chapter – in the meantime please see the Video: Final Warning – Limits to Growth.
  3. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/worlds-most-ancient-race-traced-in-dna-study-1677113.html

Please note: References to and excerpts from this article may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and with appropriate and specific direction to the original content: please use the  page address (URL) in the browser.

13 thoughts on “(4) What Does the Future Hold?

    1. Energy ShiftsEnergy Shifts Post author

      The more I study the Mayan calendars as I progress through this series of articles the more I’m amazed at the guidance and insights they are able to provide in relation to human nature and how that is interrelated with nature itself and with the (usually invisible) energy cycles of the universe.

      The sensationalism generated a few years ago actually did a great disservice to the Mayan Calendars – they are in fact phenomenal tools available to anyone who takes the time to learn how to integrate them. Essentially, according to the Mayan calendars time unwinds itself – it unfolds – so energetically it has already happened, but on a physical level there can be some variations on how it manifests. Generally, similar events tend to come around again and again, so history often repeats itself.

      On a human development level this gives us the opportunity to improve on past mistakes if we take the time to learn from history – if we know what is coming (energetically speaking) we can prepare for it on a practical level. Since very few people follow these calendars in modern times most people are oblivious of their position in time and their real individual purpose in life and in the universe.

  1. p. j. lazosp. j. lazos

    Profound and enlightening post. I love that you tied sustainability to the past and future. I got about a quarter of the way through The Mayan Prophecies and gave up. Impressive that you got all the way through. This business of fractal time is something the modern human should be coming to grips with, especially since we have all these predictive tools (such as meteorology) at our fingertips. Also, we need to stop making cheap plastic crap. Have a nice day. Pam

    1. Energy ShiftsEnergy Shifts Post author

      The Mayan prophecies can be very obscure due to the ancient symbolism used and the calendars can be complex to decipher, but once you get a handle on it it will prove well worth the effort. I was so perplexed by the fact the “nothing happened” in 2012 after all the hype that I committed myself to really delve into it deeply to see why virtually everyone had gotten it so wrong. In this series of articles – the result of all the research I have done – my aim is to make the subject matter as accessible as possible to people in general.

      Very well said about fractal time! It is another paradigm… (if we don’t comprehend it because we live by linear time) … but it is in fact our real paradigm.

      Couldn’t agree more about plastic crap and planned obsolescence. Thanks for the visit, Pam.

  2. Henry LewisHenry Lewis

    I too am interested in the world the Mayan’s inhabited and their connections to nature/time. /As modern humans, we have become almost completely disconnected to the natural world and all it can teach us as a species. Thanks for the aid!

    1. Energy ShiftsEnergy Shifts Post author

      Thank you for your comment – it is hard these days to find people who are still acutely aware of the cycles in nature and of time. However, I strongly believe that we can return to what we have lost. In fact I think many people deeply yearn for such a state to return – and perhaps the concept of “radical nostalgia” will help us to grow back in that direction.

      I particularly enjoyed your article:
      https://myquest.blog/2018/11/18/has-modernity-failed-us/
      My sentiments exactly! It’s a pleasure meeting like-minded people.

      Best wishes,
      Jean-Jacques

      1. Henry LewisHenry Lewis

        Thanks Jean-Jacques. By the way, I think I have a photo of the same amazing tree (that you’ve used as a profile pic) at Tikal. Trees like that one have such an abundance of energy and I’ve always been drawn to their sense of stability and being one with the Earth.

        1. Energy ShiftsEnergy Shifts Post author

          Great comment about the Ceiba tree at Tikal, Henry! I have actually felt drawn back to that tree many times after I left, so I can concur. Fantastic that you have visited there too.

  3. theburninghearttheburningheart

    I just posted a comment, on this great post but I do not know if it took, I mentioned it goes with our current conversation, and mention that the prophecy: It was halfway famine and halfway feast, fits perfectly with our common World situation.

    Thames Jean -Jacques

    1. Energy ShiftsEnergy Shifts Post author

      Hello Mr Anaya, sorry for the delayed response! Yes, it’s very interesting because I’m actually revisiting that prophecy right now and preparing a follow-up post to this chapter where I will eloborate on other parts of that prophecy that is also coming true – should be ready in 2 or 3 weeks. I appreciate the visit.
      J.J.

  4. Pingback: (2) Maya Katun Prophecy is Unfolding in Real-Time | Energy Shifts

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