Return to the Sacred Path of the Sun

Location

Mountain View, CA
United States

In December of 2008, a group of seekers from Canada, the USA and as far away as England joined my travel company Sacred Earth Journeys on a journey titled "Maya Sacred Path to 2012: Return to the Sacred Path of the Sun." The journey was led by a teacher of the Maya wisdom, Miguel Angel Vergara, and spiritual teacher Richard Jelusich.

The focus of this journey was on the role of the sun, our sacred central star in the solar system of planets, and the cosmology of the Maya understanding of the sun in the evolution of consciousness. In ancient times, the Maya Lord Ah-Kin-Pech traveled this same path and connected with the soul of the sun while he planted the seeds of wisdom he received from the essence of the Sun.  Our group followed in his footsteps, back to the source of the Sun, and participated in sacred Mayan ceremonies and rituals where we harvested the sacred wisdom from these seeds, planted by Lord Ah-Kin-Pech, to understand the value this wisdom contains.

Our journey took us through the scenic and diverse regions of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo, where we visited unique ancient Maya sites along the way, such as Labna, Chicanná, Becán, Kalakmul, Xpuhil and Edzná.

A special thanks goes out to the following tour members for contributing to this set of photos: Richard Jelusich, Helen Wong, Sal Nocitra, Christine Marsh, Lauren Pena and Linda Strom-Medvitz.

~ Helen Tomei

Click on the images below to see the larger views.

Our local Mayan friends prepare the fire for cooking a traditional Mayan dish for El Día de los Muertos celebrations.
The uncooked food, wrapped in banana leaves, is buried in the hot coals to cook.
Our Mayan friends prepare traditional Mayan dishes for the Day of the Dead celebrations.
Tour guide Erik Solis and owner of Sacred Earth Journeys Helen Tomei set out the traditional Mayan dishes for the feast.
At the Mayan ceremonial site of Labna.
Miguel Angel Vergara explains the Mayan glyphs at Labna.
Saq' Be (White Road) at Labna
Miguel Angel Vergara prepares the ceremony at Labna.
Our travel group at the beautifully decorated Mayan arch in Labna, considered a gateway to another dimension.
Sadly, "phallic" symbols such as these, symbolizing fertility and abundance, were destroyed by Spanish invaders.
At the Mayan site of Chicanná, "The House of the Serpent Mouth", considered the best decorated building in the Rio Bec region.
Miguel Angel Vergara and Richard Jelusich embrace after the Ritual of the Sacred Wine, the Balche ceremony at Chicanná.
The Mayan site of Becán, "The Initiating Path of the Serpent." The Maya built various entrances, 7 of which are through tombs.
Kalakmul, “the Place with Two Pyramids”, located deep in the jungle on the 1,800,000-acre Kalakmul Biosphere Reserve.
Preparations for our ceremony at Kalakmul.
Kohunlich, “The Temple of Father Sun,” in the state of Quintana Roo, is most noted for its fantastic 6'6"-tall stone masks.
From left, Lauren Pena, Sal Nocitra and Helen Wong enjoy their time at Xpuhil.
Kalakmul was the major seat of power of the Kaan, or the "Kingdom of the Snake", and supported a population of over 50,000.
Stela at Kalakmul
Kalakmul, a remarkable Mayan site and possibly the largest city-state in the Maya world.
Edzná, "The House of the Sacred Mantras," is one of the most important Mayan sites in Campeche.
Dianne Harding soaks in the energy at Edzná
Sal Nocitra enjoys some quiet time at the beautiful Mayan site of Edzná.
Edzná was constructed with a sophisticated system of canals, moats, and reservoirs for collecting rainwater.
Edzná

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