Are we approaching the end of the world or the beginning of a new way of life? Will we become extinct? Does our heart have a brain? Are our core beliefs really true? What do our emotions have to do with anything? We are living in the most exciting and critical time on this planet. Each of us is here at this time for a reason. Our choices will determine the future of our children and grandchildren and whether they will have a future here on Earth. Wake Up and Join the Evolution presents scientific facts that have grave implications for the future of life on planet Earth. It challenges us to examine our beliefs and decide if they might still be true. It asks us to look closely at the world we have created and answer the questions: Is this a world that works for everyone? Are we enjoying peace and prosperity? Can we do better? Finally, it offers resources to verify information and delve deeper into the truth of what is happening on our planet today.

Wake Up and Join the Evolution

How To Create a world of peace, prosperity and happinessBy Sandra Weaver

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2012 Sandra Weaver
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4525-5084-8

Chapter One

The Mayan Mystery

Much has been written about the Mayan calendar and its predictions for the year 2012. The responses to these phenomena have ranged from those predicting it will be the end of the world to spiritual teachers who believe it will be the beginning of an era of peace and prosperity. As you are reading this book, we are well into the year 2012 and perhaps beyond. On the surface, it may seem that we are nowhere near an era of peace and prosperity. However, there are grass roots movements in many areas that could create a shift to turn us away from war, selfishness and greed towards harmony, love and the birth of a new humanity.

The Mayans measured time in cycles. The Maya "Great Cycle" equals 5125 years. It began on August 11, 3114 BC and will end on December 21, 2012AD at which time a new cycle begins. So, to put it in basic terms, 2012 is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. The Maya considered the Great Cycle to be one world age, one growth cycle, at the end of which, humanity reaches the next stage in its spiritual development. They did not say it would be the end of the world.

The facts as we know them from archeological records show that the first Maya appeared over a millennium and a half ago in remote areas which are now in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. They appear to have arrived with advanced technology already in place. One of the most amazing discoveries was their exact calculation of cosmic cycles. In addition to tracking familiar solar and lunar cycles, the 5000 year old Mayan calendar also seemed to track a rare celestial alignment of our solar system, our sun and our planet aligning with the center of our galaxy. This event happens every 26,000 years.

This alignment is known as the Precessional cycle and was calculated and plotted in the Mayan calendars. The Earth's precession of the equinoxes cycle takes nearly 26,000 years to complete. It is the result of the Earth wobbling as it turns on its axis during its twenty-four hour orbit around the sun. There is a relationship between this and galactic synchronization: an astronomical event that will bring the Earth and the planets of the solar system into an alignment with a central point in the Milky Way. The next 26,000 year alignment will happen on December 21, 2012. The Maya related the 260 day sacred cycle (our human gestation period) to the 26,000 year cycle as our collective gestation, our unfolding as a species.

Jose Arguelles is one of the leaders in the field of modern Mayan calendar predictions. He is the author of the book, "The Mayan Factor". He describes his meeting with a Maya by the name of Hunbatz Men who told him that our star system represents the seventh star system that the Maya have mapped, charted and navigated. In his studies, Arguelles determined that the Great Cycle isn't so much a measurement of time as it is the measurement of this planet's passage through a beam that is 5,125 years wide. Earth has been passing through this beam since 3113 BC. According to the Mayan calendar, we will depart from that beam in 2012. While all of the planets are passing through this beam, the passing is expected to have particular meaning for planet Earth. Arguelles compares this beam to a wave that has been building up for 5100 years and is about to break. The breaking point of the wave occurred on August 16 and 17, 1987 and was known as the Harmonic Convergence, named for the world's first globally synchronized meditation. According to Arguelles, this would mark a new age of universal peace. There are other prophecies and writings about the Harmonic Convergence which can be easily accessed via the internet.

What sets the Mayan prophecy apart from the general predictions of other cultures is that is has an expiration date that occurs in our lifetime. The last cycle of the Mayan calendar corresponds to a series of tangible events, some of which are happening today. Here is what we know for certain: 1) the end of the Mayan great Cycle marks a rare alignment of our planet, our solar system, and the center of our galaxy, one that will not occur again for another 26,000 years. 2) On March 10, 2006 a cycle of solar storms ended and a new cycle began. It is predicted to peak in 2012, with an intensity 30-50-percent greater than previous cycles. (this is already occurring) 3) Scientists agree that Earth's magnetic fields are weakening quickly and some suspect that we are in the early stage of a polar reversal. While we have always thought of the magnetic fields of our planet as a certainty (the needle of a compass always points north), they are not. Every once in a while our familiar North and South poles trade places ... the magnetic field of the earth does a flip flop. While these are rare, they have happened 171 times in the last 76 million years. The symptoms of these flip flops are abrupt changes in weather patterns and a rapid weakening of the planet's magnetic field, both of which are happening right now. 4) Earth's magnetics play a key role in how we accept new ideas and change in our lives. All life is strongly influenced by magnetic changes. The human brain contains millions of tiny magnetic particles and connects us to the earth's magnetic field in a powerful way. Thus, if the earth's magnetic fields are changing, we too are affected. Scientists in the twentieth century learned, through looking at the strength of magnetic ribbon-like patterns across the planet, that places with stronger magnetic fields hold more traditional beliefs whereas, in places where the fields are weaker, people are more open to change. It probably comes as no surprise that one of the areas of lowest magnetism is the West Coast of the United States. California has always been known as a "trend setter".

One of the most visible changes that we are seeing is climate. We are experiencing global warming and dramatic deviations in our weather patterns. This has great implications for our future. Science has shown us that we are not the cause of these changes. The planet's position in space creates patterns of warming and cooling that repeat on a cyclical basis. However, this is a time when the people of this planet must work together to share resources and ideas, and to adapt to the changes that are beyond our control. What does climate change have to do with the way we are governed or the way that we live? It simply means that we have to become aware of what is happening on our planet, how it is affecting our way of life and take steps to adapt to the changing conditions.

Gregg Braden has studied the Mayan calendar, and has searched the remote monasteries of Egypt, Peru and Tibet for the live-giving secrets that were encoded in the language of our most cherished traditions. He has learned much from our indigenous ancestors and from the Mayan elders. They knew this time was coming. What they do not know is whether we can adapt to the changes and embrace the fact that we are a world family and possibly part of a greater cosmic family. Gregg Braden was a major inspiration for the writing of this book, and a listing of his books is included in the reference section.

As we enter this period of change, the systems that we have in place are challenged. Those that have proven to be sustainable will continue; those that are not will collapse. When we look at our economic system, monetary system, health care and even the way our government is run, it's pretty easy to see that they are not working optimally. Never in the history of our planet, have we been faced with so many crises of such great magnitude. Our first inclination has always been to solve the problem by finding someone or something to blame, replacing him, her or it and continuing on the same path. Albert Einstein defined insanity as "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results". We will not be able to solve our present crises with the same thinking that created them. Does that mean we must be out of our mind in order to solve our problems? Probably. Will it be easy? Probably not. This is a window of opportunity to change our thinking and ways of being. It will be up to those of us living on the planet today to respond to the crises and do what is necessary to sustain a high quality of life for everyone. Our biggest challenge will be our willingness to change our beliefs.

Beliefs

The key to saving our planet, our civilization and our lives is to challenge our beliefs. How do we do that? We can change the way we believe if we take a look at the beliefs we hold and where they came from. Then, just for a moment, entertain the idea that they may not be true today. Most of what we believe we have learned from our parents, teachers and spiritual leaders. This gave us our guide as to what was right or wrong, true or false. We have been living with them for centuries as each generation passed them on to the next. The beliefs that we have held in the past seemed to have served us well, and we have been doing the best we know how. Now, with scientific facts staring us in the face, we need to re-think many of our old beliefs. This will not be easy. Even scientists have had to admit that some of what they had previously believed was an undeniable fact has been proven to be false.

One of those scientists is Bruce Lipton. Dr. Lipton is a pioneer in new biology and an internationally recognized leader in bridging science and spirit. As a cell biologist, his work focused on mechanisms through which energy in the form of beliefs can affect our biology including our genetic code. While we have always believed that our "genes" are the reason for much of our behavior, addictions and health issues, scientists have now discovered this is not true. Dr. Lipton discovered that the cell membrane, not the nucleus, is actually the "brain" of the cell. The membrane responds to its environment and behaves accordingly. This means that life experiences can actively redefine our genetic traits. Our perceptions not only control our behavior, but also control gene activity. A new branch of science called Epigenetics reveals that we are not victims, but masters of our genes. Refer to Dr. Bruce Lipton's book: Spontaneous Evolution in the reference section.

Another scientist, Gregg Braden, a major inspiration for this book, has discovered many long-held beliefs that have been proven to be false. Gregg has studied the Mayan culture and calendar, and has spoken with the indigenous people about their prophecies for the future. He has discovered that life on our planet is much older than we have believed. Up until now, it was believed that life on our planet was just 5000 years old. New discoveries, however, have now proven that life on this planet began long before that. Gregg Braden has been researching this ancient history, and has visited the sites of many civilizations no longer in existence. He has learned much from our indigenous ancestors and from the Mayan elders. His most recent book, Deep Truth offers scientific facts and what they mean for us living on earth today.

Going way back, the common belief was that the world was flat. That was the truth. Then it was discovered that the world was not flat, but round. There are many scientific "facts" that have now been proven untrue. In Deep Truth Gregg Braden tells us that it is necessary to recognize when a truth that has been thought to be undeniable is proven incorrect. We must then acknowledge the new truth and act from it. Unfortunately, our textbooks and school curricula continue to teach the flawed information.

Examining our beliefs

What are the beliefs you hold that you deem to be the absolute truth? Are there beliefs concerning God, religion, government, politics, environment, education, health, physics, family, marriage or other areas to which you hold fast? Would you be willing to change those beliefs if it were proven to you that they were not true? How would that affect your behavior or way of living? Would it frighten you or excite you?

If scientists who have long held proven beliefs can, with new information and discoveries, accept that those beliefs are no longer true and move forward with that information, should not we be able to at least consider re-thinking our beliefs? Based on the beliefs we have been taught, we have created our system of government, education, health care, environmental management and business practices. How's that working for us today? Let's take a look at our current systems.

Energy and the Environment

Let's begin by talking about energy with regard to our bodies. Energy is vital to our existence and to maintain the life of our bodies. That energy is used for growth and for protection. When the energy is used for growth, our bodily functions operate at optimal performance resulting in a healthy human being. When energy is used for protection, it takes away some energy that could be used for growth. Protection mechanisms are necessary for our wellbeing, particularly in fighting off disease. Protection energy is also used when a person is suffering from stress or fear. Twenty-five percent of the energy in our body is used by our brain. Our thoughts use energy. Whenever we have a thought of worry or fear, we are taking away the energy that could be used for growth. When we expend our energy by worrying about whether we might contract a disease in the future or if we might get the flu this season, our growth energy is diminished. With the media putting us on terror alerts and the military gearing up to "keep us safe", we are way out of balance in our growth vs. protection energy.

We need to become aware of how we are using our thoughts, and whether they are contributing to our growth or being used up for protection. When we entertain thoughts of how bad the world is or how dangerous it is, we are expending energy which could be used for growth. In addition, because our thoughts create a vibration, they can bring back to us exactly what we are thinking.

The world as we know it runs on energy. Energy is vital to life on this planet. We derive much of our energy from environmental resources such as the sun, the ocean and the earth. Prior to the evolution of human beings, organisms relied on renewable resources for survival. Humans, in their technological advances, began to use non-renewable resources with the belief that there would always be enough. The fallacy in that belief is staring us in the face at this moment. We now know that depletion of resources and fossil fuel technology are not sustainable for another millennium.

If we do not change the way we live, it is highly likely that we will become extinct. Our planet has experienced five extinctions in its lifetime and scientists believe we are into our sixth. Really? Could life on planet Earth, including we humans, actually become extinct? Extinction is the result of animals or plants being unable to adapt to changing conditions. They fail to manage life's energy. The first four extinctions were caused by climate change; the fifth by a collision between earth and extra- terrestrial bolide (cometary) or possibly a great volcanic event. The sixth extinction will be the only one caused by human beings. How are we causing this? We pollute our air and water to the point of endangering human and animal life. We continue to destroy many species as we disrupt the vital functioning of ecosystems on which all life depends. We deplete the non-renewable resources that are so vital for life. The result: extinction of life on planet Earth. Gregg Braden says, in the introduction of his book Deep Truth: "It's not Earth that's in trouble. It's us, the people who live here on Earth. I can say with a high degree of confidence that our planet will still be here 50 years from now, and 500 years from now. No matter what choices we make during that time period – no matter how many wars we wage, and how many political revolutions we begin or how badly we pollute our air and oceans – the world that our ancestors called the "garden" will still be here making the same 365.256-day journey around the sun each year, just as it has for the past 4.55 billion years or so. The question is not about Earth; it's about whether or not we will be on Earth to enjoy it."

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Excerpted from Wake Up and Join the Evolutionby Sandra Weaver Copyright © 2012 by Sandra Weaver. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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