THE MAYAN OUROBOROS   The Cosmic Cycles Come Full Circle By Drunvalo Melchizedek Published by Weiser Bookss 200 pages, paperback

There is an old Chinese curse that condemns us to live in “interesting times,” and surely it is indisputable we live in such times prophesied by the ancient ones many centuries ago. Certainly author Drunvalo Melchizedek believes so and expresses this eloquently in his new book, The Mayan Ouroboros: The Cosmic Cycles Come Full Circle.

The subject of prophecy has been studied intensively since the Cold War days of the late 20^th century. Significant dates such as the 1987 Harmonic Convergence, the culmination of the Egyptian calendar in the 90s, the turning of our own Gregorian calendar to the year 2000 along with the greatly feared ‘Y2K computer bug’, were seen simply as preparations for the “big daddy” of all prophecies, the culmination of the Mayan long count calendar in 2012.

While there are many who prophesied the world would end on this date, it is clear that if you are reading this review, that particular interpretation of the prophecy proved inaccurate. Instead, writes Drunvalo Melchizedek, we need to see the date of 21 December 2012 as just the beginning of a transitional phase towards complete transformation.

In his new book, the author details the journey of the Mayan prophecies and relates them to scientific exploration. In particular, he points to the moon cycles studied in the Milankovitch Study that investigated weather changes. Instead, the study discovered that moon cycles affect human emotions and in particular female menstruation patterns. “These patterns,” he writes “are the key to everything that we are talking about and to all of the prophecies of the Mayan people.”

The Earth travels through a longer galactic cycle of 25,771.5 years as the planet’s axis moves through all twelve signs of the Zodiac. In so doing, the earth points to two different zodiacal signs. On 21 December 2012 the axis began to point at the sign of Aquarius, and it is this new alignment that will change human consciousness.

However, there is another axis, a galactic axis the Mayans call Hunab-Ku, that has recently been discovered. Interestingly, scientists discovered that the speed of light changes when you aim light exactly parallel to this axis. This phenomenon, Drunvalo Melchizedek believes, is the feminine aspect of the galaxy. “It is not logical, as it is based upon feeling,” he writes. “This means that there is always a window of time when cosmic events take place.”

The author draws many parallels between various cultures, including the Hopi Indians of Arizona, who are related to the Maya. The Hopi believe the situation we are currently facing began in Atlantis and it is a repeating pattern. Mongolian tribes, Mayan and Hopi Indians have legends and stories about their lives in Atlantis and all the stories tell of huge disaster, volcanic activity and seismic shifts that forced them to migrate elsewhere. These same prophecies, writes the author, can be read in crop circles that he believes are messages from a higher dimension.

He refers to a study and interpretation of the circles by Russian scientist Dr. Marina Popovich. Dr. Popovich claims the circles ‘say’ there will be eight catastrophes, one after another in mid-2013. These catastrophes include solar flares that will erase computer hard drives and CDs and thus create global chaos in our computer-driven world. But the biggest catastrophe is predicted to be a physical pole shift, and this crop circle prophecy parallels similar prophecies of the Hopi.

Any book that focuses on prophecy, particularly prophecy scheduled to manifest very soon and on particular dates runs the risk of either creating panic and potential suicides or being ridiculed, particularly if these prophecies do not manifest as scheduled. In the end, the reader must always bear in the mind that anything written in this book is simply an interpretation by the author based on his own research. The key to navigating the choppy waters of change, writes the author, is to embrace inner shifts because we urgently need to transform consciousness into a higher, more loving state.

“You live in a holographic universe based upon consciousness, and you are consciousness. You will find that you can use your consciousness to create whatever you need,” he writes in the final chapter.

It seems we are all going to be greatly challenged over the next few years. According to this author, assuming we survive, by 2015 the worst will be over and we will be steadily rebuilding a new world with new ideologies.

This new book is certainly a breathe of positive fresh air compared to so many “gloom and doom” books available on this subject, however the lack of footnotes and references is a little disconcerting, particularly for researchers. Despite this, it is clear Drunvalo is enthusiastic and very positive about our collective future, and that is always welcome.

I recommend this book for any student of prophecy. It is well written and uses simple, straight-forward language. Most importantly, the author has combined research with his own personal experiences with elders and ceremonial leaders from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. It is always refreshing to get the personal touch in these very serious studies of the interesting times in which we live. The Mayan Ouroboros is definitely a very special book to place in your library.

– Reviewed by Lesley Crossingham in New Dawn 137

THE VENUS ECLIPSE OF THE SUN 2012 By David Tresemer Published by Lindisfarne Books 170 pages, paperback

While many of us know about the impending expiration of the Mayan calendar in December of this year, there are some who believe the recent transit of Venus across the face of the Sun was the real end of our era, and the true culmination of our calendar.

One such proponent is author David Tresemer, who believes that the “hyperbole and inflated attention given to the supposed ‘end of the world’ on December 21, 2012” has in fact obscured an actual rare celestial event: The passage of Venus before the Sun, as seen from the Earth happens only every 125 years.

Venus is much smaller than the Sun and many of us have seen the incredibly beautiful photographs of a small black dot floating across the enormous golden ball that is our Sun. David Tresemer, author of The Venus Eclipse of the Sun 2012, calls this event an eclipse because of the ways he expects it to affect world events. And it is this speculation, seen through the eyes of astrology and spirituality, that he focuses on.

The author considers the dynamics of Sun, Earth, Venus and the exact location in the heavens of this eclipse event. He weaves a dramatic story about our modern technology, its uses for good or for evil, and the journey we all take to find our own personal power in a somewhat confusing and conflicted world. While there has been great speculation about the actual meaning of this transit, David Tresemer believes it heralds a time when the heart (Venus is the Roman Goddess of Love) is empowered by the light of the Sun.

The whole issue of personal power is explored in depth in this fascinating book. Many New Dawn readers will no doubt be familiar with The Secret DVD and book that swept the planet a few years ago. The information offered in this DVD, writes the author, is certainly not new but the motivation appears to have shifted from the ancient tradition of spiritual development and growth, to a modern perspective of personal materialism and obsessive self-interest.

“The misuse of these tools… have served to disembody human beings at a rate that is becoming epidemic,” writes Tresemer. As an example, he points to electronic games which engage the full attention of hundreds of thousands of people right around the world where the players assume a personality usually referred to as an “avatar.” The word avatar is a Sanskrit term which defines an incarnation of a divinity from spirit into flesh. This being is of a more spiritual nature and therefore behaves divinely in the material realm. It is clear that the modern usage, including the famous James Cameron movie of the same name, has actually reversed its meaning, and denuded it of its original divine nature. For the most part, these modern-day “avatars” are often maniac killers who wipe out hundreds of “electronic” soldiers, writes the author.

“As you add points (number of kills) to your profile, what is happening at the level of the soul, which records all of these connections? Every day and night, thousands of people are murdered in cyber wars in this way,” he writes.

The author believes the recent Venus transit will inspire many of us to re-think our thoughts and look at the many “unlawful images” that infiltrate our minds. It seems the heart has its reasons and they can overpower the massive influx of negative images that assail us from television, movies and computer games, every day. He suggests that after this transit we will all begin to rebuild our minds becoming more aware of image pollution. He suggests that many of us begin with a simple five minute morning practice of clearing the mind of all erroneous images. He also suggests we will all work with our hands, touch nature with what he terms the “hands of the heart,” actions based on engendering warm feelings towards one another.

Whether the end of the Mayan calendar heralds a universal shift, or this recent transit of Venus across the face of the Sun empowers us all to re-think our lives and our world, it is clear that the planet is faced with enormous challenges. Discussions on climate change, conspiracy theories, endless wars, lies and propaganda can keep us all embroiled in conflict, discussion and endless diatribe, but are we literally “fiddling while Rome burns?”

Author David Tresemer is clearly an optimist and believes that we will all eventually return to the heart, see the clear error of our ways, and re-tool our minds back into a thought system based on love rather than on conflict, competition and rivalry. He reflects upon the past, and offers many insightful myths that help us learn to re-write the inner myths that hold us all in chains.

The book does not require an astrology background, just a clear curiosity about how the world is carefully unfolding around us. I recommend this book for anyone who is searching for deeper understanding of their own lives and how their minds have been trained to think.

In the end, we are our thoughts, and our thoughts do indeed create our reality. This includes all those idle daydreams and video games we all thought were just harmless distractions.

– Reviewed by Lesley Crossingham in New Dawn 135