Moonstarers

Malo’ Kin.

It means ‘good sun’ in the Mayan language and is a greeting equivalent to ‘good day’ in English. The sun, along with the moon and stars were of utmost importance to this ancient race. Their knowledge of heavenly bodies was so precise and comprehensive scientist were awestruck by the discoveries made. One example of this the Mayan calendar, more specifically the long count calendar (they had 3 calendars in total). It is able to measure with greater accuracy the number of days in a year than the Gregorian calendar we use today, even with the leap year correction.

Another illustration of their expertise is their construction of monuments. The temple of Kukulkan in Chichen Itza, one of my favourite of the 7 wonders, exemplifies this best. Located in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsular, Mexico, Chichen Itza is perhaps the Mayan’s greatest legacy. I travelled to Chichen Itza from Cancun on a 2 hour bus ride. The queue was short as the park had just opened so getting in took little waiting. A short stroll past local vendors busy setting up stalls and there stood the pyramid of Chichen Itza basking in the morning sun.

The temple of Kukulkan, or El Castillo, was built almost to embody significant numbers to the Mayan calendar – 91 small steps on each side + the peak = 365 for days of the year, 9 larger terraces X 2 on each side = 18 for months of the Mayan solar calendar, 52 panels for number of years in the Mayan calendar round. Another astonishing design of the pyramid is its acoustics. Stand a distance away from the foot of the north or the west steps and clap. The temple will greet all who come from far away lands with squawks of a quetzal – a native bird.

But by far the most spectacular marvel happens twice a year. During the spring and autumn equinox, Kukulkan the serpent deity of the Maya will descend and bless the lands of its people. Kukulkan arrives from the heavens starting at the top steps of the pyramid and slowly makes its way to the bottom. It takes about 45 mins for Kukulkan to be fully illuminated and its head glowing with the halo of sunlight before receding back upwards and finally disappearing.

Kukulkan’s descent at equinox. http://www.world-mysteries.com/chichen_kukulcan.htm

Although El Castillo takes the limelight, the entire archeological site encloses a traditional Mayan ball court, the platform of Venus and two other temples namely the Temple of Warriors and the Temple of the Jaguars and Eagles. All important relics of the once great city of Chichen Itza.

Mayans were quintessential Moonstarers… … Astronomers. It is apparent in the cities they constructed. In Tulum, another Mayan village along the coast, a temple was built with a small window where the light of sunrise would shine through it only during the summer solstice. Apart from this idiosyncratic show of astronomy, Tulum is a beautiful site. Ruins of old, dilapidated houses, temples and palaces lay a stone’s throw from a picturesque beach with low cliffs flanking either side.

 

There are several other sites of abandoned Mayan cities that have similar ruins and structures, unfortunately more time is need to visit them. Their civilization stretched form modern day Honduras, through Guatemala, to Mexico.

With such knowledge of astronomy, it is surprising and lamentable that the civilization declined, conquered by the Spanish and many of its scriptures destroyed. If little amazes you these days, a visit to Chichen Itza would excite the wanderer in you and spark your imagination.

 

Websites:

http://people.howstuffworks.com/mayan-calendar4.htm

http://mathsforeurope.digibel.be/Calendar.htm

http://www.trussty.com/2012/11/the-mayan-civilization.html?m=0#axzz3x1nG4B9F

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/world-heritage/chichen-itza/

http://www.world-mysteries.com/chichen_kukulcan.htm

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1206_021206_TVMayanTemple.html

Enter the Baha’i Faith

It is apt that the first entry of this site speaks about religion. After all, most religions claim their narrative is the first entry to all of existence. The Baha’i faith continues this tradition. It believes all of the world religions and prophets originate from the same divine deity. From Christianity to Hinduism, Zoroaster to Buddha, every religion speaks of the same god. They differ in beliefs to suit the culture, politics and environment of the eras they were founded.

“These holy Manifestations have been as the coming of springtime in the world…For each spring is the time of a new creation…”     — ‘Abdu’l-Bahá 

The Bahá’í faith was founded by Bahá’u’lláh in 19th-century Persia. The word ‘Baha’ is arabic for ‘glory’ and Baha’i means ‘follower of glory’. Today, Baha’ism is one of the youngest religions in the world. It currently boasts a following of roughly 5 million (Christianity has the most with 2.2 billion) and has only 7 temples to its name. One of these is in Wilmette, Illinois, 45mins from the centre of Chicago by train.

My trip to visit the temple was not a pilgrimage. I knew nothing about the faith nor its teachings. It was simply one of the recommended sites to see in Chicago. At first glance, the temple appears like an earlier, unused design of the Taj Mahal. But a closer look beyond the marble-coloured exterior, domed roof and symmetrically layered structure would reveal a series of intricate and ornate patterns on the walls and panels. The temple’s designer, French architect Louis Bourgeois, also incorporated the Baha’i religion’s tenants into the facade of the temple. The number 9 is a characteristic of the Baha’i faith for various reasons, thus the temple is an enneagon, with the second layer perfectly staggered from the first. All of the nine pillars have the symbols of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Islam embedded on them. Nine gardens surround each side where meditation is done. Unfortunately it was winter and most of the flowers were not in bloom, nor the fountains sprouting.

Before entering the main conclave, visitors first a small room filled with brochures about service timings and information guides. The main conclave of the temple mimics the layout of a Christian church – long rows of benches with an aisle down the centre and even extra chairs placed behind the main seating area, plus a pulpit elevated slightly at the front. Looking directly upwards, the curved beams of the domed roof converges in the centre to another nine-sided star with the symbol of the Baha’i religion meaning ‘O glory of the all glorious’.

A short trip to the visitor’s centre beside the temple where videos and informative posters are available, people can learn more about the Baha’i faith. There are rooms and spaces where followers share and meditate.

Looking back as I cross the bridge heading away from the grounds, the Baha’i temple radiates a religious glow, yet with a touch of modernity that gives it a distinct aura unlike other temples.

Religion – its innate intrigue in immortals, insatiable indulgence in idols and inescapable individual inquisition, interminably invasive.

 

Websites:

http://www.bahai.org/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/bahai/

http://news.bahai.org/media-information/statistics

http://bahai-library.com/leiker_bahai_architecture