I did not have an idea that my first blog in so long would be in thus topic but it came across. A friend of mine send me a personal add about a girl that is thinking of commiting suicide and I think there might be more people out there with this same though. I wish I could stop all u you thinking of doing something like that so here are some reasons not to do this....

If you’re reading this, there is at least a small part in you that doesn’t want to die. Listen to it, and please read on.
Suicide is final – once it's done, there’s no changing your mind. Since you have even the slightest of doubts, you owe it to yourself to stay alive.
You can always kill yourself later, why not wait? Even if you wait just one day, you may find a reason not to kill yourself in the meantime.
If you’re feeling suicidal, you’re probably in more pain than you know how to handle. There are ways to reduce the pain, and ways to learn to deal with pain. You can learn both - either way things will get better.
Just because you’re feeling suicidal doesn’t mean you have to act on that feeling.
Consider this – if you’re trying to escape from the pain you are in and seek relief, suicide is not the answer. You cannot feel relief, or anything else for that matter, if you are dead. You must stay alive in order to feel the relief you seek.
Often when feeling suicidal you feel alone. You are not alone – you found this blog didn’t you? Turn to your family or friends or a priest or a rabbi – anyone that will listen. If you don’t know whom to turn to. 
By terminating your life right now, you terminate your future. Consider this – we create our own future. You have the power to create whatever future you wish for yourself. But you need to be alive in order to have that future.
If you’re sensitive enough to be in so much pain that you no longer want to live, you’re probably sensitive enough to care about, and want to help others. Maybe you don’t feel like helping anyone else right now, but why not help yourself? And perhaps by not killing yourself and overcoming your difficulties you can later help someone else who is in a similar situation.
Finally, don’t do it because I’m personally asking you not to. Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you’re going through, things can get better – I know because I’ve been there. Maybe I haven’t experienced exactly what you have, my wife thought about it . I can speak from personal experience when I tell you things can get better.

May this simple blog be of blessings to you.
Cela

 Today I am writing my curriculum vitae to apply to Naturopathy school and one of the field to enter is asking if I manage a wep page. I was going to write that I had none but then I realize that I had two and in those two I had beautiful people like you who follow and add to this important blog. I have desided that I am going to keep writing even if no one reads. I write this because I need to say this. I will organize my selg again and will start writing this evening again. I belive that besides our primary focus on neosyncretism this blog will be influence on my new path of Natoropathy, hope you do no mind. Thank you all and blessings. Cela

 Today I am writing my curriculum vitae to apply to Naturopathy school and one of the field to enter is asking if I manage a wep page. I was going to write that I had none but then I realize that I had two and in those two I had beautiful people like you who follow and add to this important blog. I have desided that I am going to keep writing even if no one reads. I write this because I need to say this. I will organize my selg again and will start writing this evening again. I belive that besides our primary focus on neosyncretism this blog will be influence on my new path of Natoropathy, hope you do no mind. Thank you all and blessings. Cela

After 13 blogs I have no idea if people are reading it and if they like what I have to say. I will love to hear from the one who are reading to see if I shoul still write more. Bless you all.  Cela Et Neucaral.

I was out for a few days but from wednsday on the blogs will keep on going. Thank you and blessings to all.

Most people don't even consider these two systems of belief to be remotely compatable, or even comparable. While this is true from a doctrinal standpoint, there are many superficial comparisions that can be made, from the placement of holy days and sabbats to certain aspects of ritual work. The few comparisons I have seen written by Wiccans are largely skewed towards proving the Catholic/Christian feasts are merely off-shoots of Wiccan ones and are, largely, an attempt to debunk the faith of many people. This will be an attempt to treat both faiths with equal respect and honor. 

A brief analysis of the circle of the year: For Catholics, the new year begins with the start of Advent, four Sundays before Christmas. This is a time of preparation and reflection. Not nearly as sober a time as Lent, but one of longing anticipation, of hope. The color for the season is a dark purple, save the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, which is represented by a pink candle on the Advent Wreath. Advent culminates with Christmas Day, December 25th. The Church then enters the Christmas Season, which culminates on January 6th, originally called Twelvth Night (the twelve days of christmas..etc), the Visitation of the Wise Men to the Christ Child. The Church then enters what is called Ordinary Time until the beginning of Lent. Lent culminates with the celebration of Easter. Lent starts 40 days before Easter (not including Sundays). We then enter the Easter Season, which lasts until Pentecost, 50 days after Easter. After that, we are once more in Ordinary Time once more until Advent starts again. Interspersed within these "times" are various High Feasts, such as the Presentation of Christ, the Feast of John the Baptist, the Annunciation, and so forth. 

For Wiccans, the circle of the year is as follows: New Years is on Samhain (pronounced sow-in [Irish pronunciation]) on October 31st. This is followed by Yule, which generally falls around December 21st. Then Imbolc on Feb. 2nd, Lady Day on March 21st, Beltane on May 1st, Midsummer on June 21st, Lammas on August 1st and Harvest Home on September 21st. These feast follow the cycle of the natural year and more attention will be given to their dates and meanings to follow. 

However, if we overlay these two circles, we run across a remarkable discovery: they match to a certain extent. Each Wiccan sabbat follows with a Christian celebration. Although only two of the high holy days of the Catholic Church match up with a major sabbat, there are several, lesser feasts that match the wiccan equivalent. Let's take each one individually.

Samhain/All Saints Day 

For the Christian, All Saints Day is a two-day celebration. On November 1st, they celebrate the Feast of All Saints, a holy day of obligaion. It celebrates all Saints (canonized) and saints (anyone in a state of grace, up to and including me or you). November 2nd is the Feast of All Souls, a day of reflection on all the dearly departed. It is a time to honor our dead, to remember our families and friends who have gone before us. 

For the Wiccan, the day is similar. It is one of the Four Major Sabbats, also known as a Cross-Quarter sabbat. It is a time when the curtain between the physical world and the spiritual world is very thin. It is a day to remember the dead where the time is ripe to perform divining, invocations and other spells. 

Yule/Christmas 

Yule is the Wiccan celebration of the birth of the sun/son, the light of the world. Born from the goddess on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, it represents the turning point in the natural cycle of the seasons: after this night, the days become longer again, bringing light into the world. 

Any Christian (and probably any Wiccan) can see where I'm going with this. Christian tradition is not too far off the mark from Wiccan. In fact, I could copy/paste the above paragraph and only have to change a few words in order to make it appropriate for the celebration of Christmas. Side note, Christmas is the Medieval name for the holiday, Christ Mass, one of the few that has carried over to modern times. 

There are many traditions that are common to both. The Yule Log, mistletoe, christmas trees, all are common to both traditions. 

Imbolc/Presentation of the Christ Child 

Many Wiccans mistakenly call February 2nd the Feast of the Purification of Mary. This is, actually, mostly inaccurate (I personally think it was an attempt to find a tie between Mary and Brigid) and it requires an explanation. Jewish tradition teaches that women are impure for six weeks following the birth of a child (there is also a corresponding impurity for a woman's menstrual cycle). Thus, she would not be allowed to enter the Temple in Jerusalem until that time was complete. However, Jewish tradition also dictates that all male children are to be dedicated to YHWH after their birth. That said, February 2nd is a celebration of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple and the corresponding events (read: Simeon and Anna) surrounding that. There is no mention in the Bible or Church tradition of any purification ritual for Mary on this day. Did it probably happen? Yes, absolutely. She wouldn't have been allowed to enter the temple otherwise. But it's not the event that is celebrated. In medieval times, this day was also known as Candlemas, the blessing of all the candles to be used during the year. 

Wiccan tradition holds that Imbolc is a celebration of the recovery of the goddess after the birth of the son and to celebrate in the strength of the growing god/son, due to the obvious lengthening of days. This is where the tie comes in, not through Mary/Brigid. As with Christian tradition, there is a proscribed waiting period in the Jewish faith before the child can be presented to YHWH, due to high infant-mortality rates. The Catholic celebration of the Presentation affirms that the Christ Child is growing strong and healthy. So, the celebration is one for the son/god, not the goddess/mother. 

Ostara-Lady Day/Easter-Annunciation 

Given both traditions reliance upon the solstice for the celebrations, there is no accurate date. For sanity's sake, we'll use the date of March 21st. 

In Catholic/Christian traditions, Easter generally falls the first Sunday after the Vernal Equinox. Sometimes this can be as late as April or sometimes as early as mid-March, depending. A more apt comparison, although I will go into some comparisons of traditions later, would be between Lady Day and the Annunciation. They both have nearly identical themes. On the Annunciation, Mary is visited by Gabriel (I'll get into angel lore much later) who tells her she will conceive and bear a child. Since this is nine months before Christmas, it's quite obvious why this day was chosen (March 25th for those who don't want to do the math). As must be strikingly obvious, this is also the day that the goddess becomes impregnated by the god. In other words, we have identical celebrations here: the joyful reflection on the inevitable and endless cycle of birth and rebirth. Pretty cool, no (I almost wish Gabriel was guardian of the east so I could take the symbolism one step further)? Even the words Easter and Ostara are very similar. If Easter falls near mid-March, one can also draw lines between the death and rebirth of Christ to the Wiccan celebration of the death and rebirth of the seasons.
Christian Easter traditions, up to and including easter eggs, the Easter bunny, etc, are all symbols of fertility, an obvious reminder of the celebration. Baskets of goodies brought by rabbits. Easter dinner of ham and other fresh items, now that the earth is able to provide for all the young animals that have been born. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 

May Crowning-Feast of St. Jospeh/Beltane 

There really isn't much tie between the two here that I've been able to find. In medieval times, it was called Roodmas (Mass of the Holy Cross). In modern times, it is the Feast of Joseph the Worker, one of St. Joseph's many feast days. It is not a Holy Day of Obligation. If anyone has any insight on this, email me. 

Feast of St. John the Baptist/Midsummer 

The Feast of St. John the Baptist is a celebration of his birth, the only feast day in the entire Litany of Saints that celebrates ones birth rather than ones death. Given Church Canon, St. John was born six months before Jesus. That places his birth on June 24th, a few days after the Summer Solstice. Common tradition for Midsummer's eve is to light bonfires, to provide light for the revelers and ward off evil spirits. According to one source, this was called "Setting the Watch". Part of John's role in Christian tradition is he was the first herald, the first watcher for the coming of Christ. St. John was also oftentimes adopted by Wiccans because of his more non-traditional take on life..a voice crying out from the desert, living in the wilderness, etc. 

Lammas 

Both traditions use the same name for this one. If you're Christian, look up the Gospel reading around August 1st. Not surprisingly, you'll find it to be the reading of the Loaves and Fishes. Why is this not a surprise? Because Lammas, literally translated, means Loaf Mass. It was a celebration of First Harvest. What better way to celebrate than with the miracle of Jesus feeding 3000 with meager supplies. 

Obviously, Wiccan traditions also celebrate this day also as the first harvest, the first collection of the bountiful crop that mother earth has provided for her children, once again, without fail. There is no real tie to the Christ Story with this day but with the olden traditions of the Church, who were primarily peasants and farmers, honest workers. 

Mabon-Harvest Home/Michaelmas 

During Harvest Home, or the Autumnal Equinox, things are at a balance. Up until this point, the days had been longer than the nights. After this day, it will no longer be the case. The son is in decline after this point, preparing for death on Samhain, and waiting for the cycle to begin again. The mother is starting her progression to crone. 

So, what on EARTH does this have to do with Catholicism? Well, I'll admit, the grip is a tenuous one. Firstly, September 25th was the Feast of St. Michael, called Michaelmas in medieval times. In medieval tradition, Michaelmas was a Holy Day of Obligation, everyone was required to attend church. It is, also, traditionally, a day of settling debts, which implies to a sense of putting your affairs in order. Also, as it falls during the middle of the harvest time, it was seen as a day of hospitality where one invited their friends over for one last celebration before preserving food for winter stores. It was a time of preparation for the coming of winter. One can draw lines of similarity in theme between the two. Some people have also maintainted that it was an attempt to place another archangel on the old Wiccan calendar, coincidentally across from Gabriel. However, outside of that fact, there is little reason in any other Wiccan teaching for him to be placed there. Michael is represented by fire, which is the element of the south.

In these days of excess entertainment and consumption, it is easy to get caught up in the so-called "holiday season", rarely stopping to consider its significance. I say so-called, because the very word holiday is derived from the two words holy and day. However, under closer scrutiny from the Judeo-Christian and Islamic perspectives, these days are anything but holy. Celebrations such as Easter, Christmas, All Saint's Day, and Halloween all find their roots in pagan traditions, alien to the prophets (may peace and blessings be upon all of the prophets). Proof of this lies in the lack of historical evidence that the prophets ever celebrated their birthdays, decorated eggs, placed ornaments on trees, or dressed up in costumes. Through an examination of these holiday myths as religious innovation, or bid'ah, this article is a small attempt at warning people of the dangerous implications and subtle attitudinal changes that come with such celebrations.
Before any discussion on the origin of holidays such as Christmas and Easter, it is important to define a term called bid'ah. A bid'ah is any invention, creation or addition of any religious matter, which was not found in the original teachings. 
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who innovates something in this matter of ours (religion), will have it rejected." (Bukhari and Muslim)
To illustrate the bid'ah involved in Christmas and Easter simple questions beg asking. Did Jesus (peace be upon him) celebrate his birthday? Did his mother, Mary (peace be upon her)? Did his disciples? The answer, of course, is no. Did Jesus (peace be upon him) speak of an Easter bunny? Did he decorate evergreens? Of course not. 

To believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) came with the truth, and to then add or delete from his message is to mix truth with falsehood. The above practices find their origins in pagan rites and rituals. I have heard with my own ears, Christian learned men and leaders acknowledging the true origins of Easter and Christmas, but putting it off as "all in good fun." So, I ask, would Jesus (peace be upon him) approve of mixing his teachings with those of the pagans? 

Furthermore, to illustrate the gravity of bid'ah and of immitating non-believers, I refer you to the words of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said what translates as follows: 
Whoever imitates a people is one of them. (Related by Ahmad)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once saw the Ansaar celebrating a certain day. He inquired about that and was informed: This is one of two days that we used to celebrate in Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islaamic ignorance) and we continue to do so. He replied: Nay! Allaah has substituted for you two better days: the day of al-Fitr and the day of al-Adhhaa. (related by Ahmad, an-Nasaaee, and others)
While holidays like Christmas, New Year?s Day, and Valentine?s Day have names which indicate either the holiday?s origin or its significance, Easter stands out. Most people have no idea what the name Easter means. It turns out that Easter is a corruption of Austre, the name of the ancient pagan Scandanavian goddess of life and fertility. 

As noted above, many holidays celebrated today represent a synthesis between Christian doctrine and pagan ritual. The basis for most of these "holy" days revolve around natural phenomena such as the autumnal equinox, vernal equinox, summer solstice, and winter solstice. With regards to the spring season and the vernal equinox, pagans, especially the pagans of cold, northern Europe, celebrated the renewal of life, as was demonstrated by the budding of the leaves, blooming of the flowers, return of the birds, and the re-emergence of many mammals previously in hibernation. These celebrations often utilized symbols of fertility and life such as the egg, the baby chick, and the rabbit. 

The use of these same symbols in present day celebrations of Easter is quite obvious. Decorating eggs, Easter egg hunts, and the Easter bunny are all familiar icons. These things have carried over from pagan traditions via a synthesis with Christian doctrine. In particular, the worship of the sun god has been incorporated into the once monotheistic Christian teachings. The vernal equinox represents a time in which the hours of daylight equal the hours of night. The days following the vernal equinox mark an increase in the number of hours of daylight over the night. This time, then became viewed as the time of sol invictus or the unconquerable sun, demonstrating its supremacy by conquering the night. 

The synthesis with Christian ideas was simple. Just as the sun conquered the night, the son conquered death. Thus, the pagan holidays of fertility and life were replaced with the Christian concept of the resurrection of Jesus (peace be upon him). 
The Church adopted spring equinox celebrations as Easter. As this time had already been one of celebrating the sun?s resurrection and return to prominence, celebrating the resurrection of the son of God required no great change in understanding. In fact, the Easter celebrations were so similar to earlier celebrations - particularly those which recognized the resurrection of the Babylonian Adonis, the Greek Apollo, and the Roman Attis - that a bitter controversy arose with pagans claiming that the Christian Easter celebration was a spurious imitation of the ancient traditions. Vernal equinox bonfires, originally prohibited by the Church, found their way as Easter fires into the official liturgy of Rome by the ninth century. Fertility symbols associated with spring, such as the egg and the incredibly prolific rabbit, survived as well. (Ellerbe p.148)In fact, the very symbol of the cross is derived from pagan fertility practices. It is known by many that the symbol of the cross was utilized by many civilizations prior to the emergence of Christianity. The ancient Egyptian symbol of the ankh, then, deserves mentioning for its connection to fertility. The ankh is a symbol which resembles the Christian cross, except that it has a loop at the top. Some sources indicate that this symbol derives its shape from ancient Egyptian studies of human anatomy. The loop, it is said, represents the gravid (pregnant) uterus, while the arms of the cross represent the Fallopian tubes. And the base of the cross serves as the vaginal canal. The ankh, then, serves as the ultimate fertility symbol. In support of this theory of the derivation of the ankh, the fertility dolls of many African peoples, in particular the Ashanti, are shaped like the ankh. The animated graphic to the right illustrates the similarities.
Let us now move on to the "birthday of Jesus", Christmas. Jesus (pbuh) is commonly considered to have been born on the 25th of December. However, it is common knowledge among Christian scholars that he was not born on this day. It is well known th at the first Christian churches held their festival in May, April, or January. Scholars of the first two centuries AD. even differ in which year he was born. Some believing that he was born fully twenty years before the current accepted date. So how was the 25th of December selected as the birthday of Jesus (pbuh)? 

Grolier's encyclopedia says: "Christmas is the feast of the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25.... Despite the beliefs about Christ that the birth stories expressed, the church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event until the 4th century.... since 274, under the emperor Aurelian, Rome had celebrated the feast of the "Invincible Sun" on December 25. In the Eastern Church, January 6, a day also associated with the winter solstice, was in itially preferred. In course of time, however, the West added the Eastern date as the Feast of the Epiphany, and the East added the Western date of Christmas". 

So who else celebrated the 25th of December as the birth day of their gods before it was agreed upon as the birth day of Jesus (pbuh)? Well, there are the people of India who rejoice, decorate their houses with garlands, and give presents to their friends on this day. The people of China also celebrate this day and close their shops. The pagan god Buddha is believed to have been born on this day when the "Holy Ghost" descended on his virgin mother Maya. The great saviour and god of the Persians, Mithras, is also believed to have been born on the 25th of December long before the coming of Jesus (pbuh). 

The Egyptians celebrated this day as the birth day of their great saviour Horus, the Egyptian god of light and the son of the "virgin mother" and "queen of the heavens" Isis. Osiris, god of the dead and the underworld in Egypt, the son of "the holy virgin", again was believed to have been born on the 25th of December. 

The Greeks celebrated the 25th of December as the birthday of Hercules, the son of the supreme god of the Greeks, Zeus, through the mortal woman Alcmene. Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry among the Romans (known among the Greeks as Dionysus) was also born on this day. 

Adonis, revered as a "dying-and-rising god" among the Greeks, miraculously was also born on the 25th of December. His worshipers held him a yearly festival representing his death and resurrection, in midsummer. The ceremonies of his birthday are recorde d to have taken place in the same cave in Bethlehem which is claimed to have been the birth place of Jesus (pbuh). 
The Scandinavians celebrated the 25th of December as the birthday of their god Freyr, the son of their supreme god of the heavens, Odin. 

The Romans observed this day as the birthday of the god of the sun, Natalis Solis Invicti ("Birthday of Sol the invincible"). There was great rejoicing and all shops were closed. There was illumination and public games. Presents were exchanged, and the slaves were indulged in great liberties. Remember, these are the same Romans who would later preside over the council of Nicea (325 AD.) which lead to the official Christian recognition of the "Trinity" as the "true" nature of God, and the "fact" that Jesus (pbuh) was born on the 25th of December too. 

In Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon says: "The Roman Christians, ignorant of his (Christ's) birth, fixed the solemn festival to the 25th of December, the Brumalia, or Winter Solstice, when the Pagans annually celebrated the birth of Sol " vol. ii, p. 383. 

Christmas is not the only Christian festival which was borrowed from ancient paganism and foisted upon the religion of Jesus (pbuh). There is also Easter the Feast of St. John, the Holy communion, the Annunciation of the virgin, the assumption of the virgin, and many others have their roots in ancient pagan worship.Time of Year Pagan Traditions Christian Synthesis
Winter Solstice The birth of the sun. The birth of Mithra on December 25th. Often celebrated with yule fires, processions of light, and tree decorating. Christmas & the Epiphany
Winter Season A time of nurturing and honoring inspiration and creativity. Common practices involving festivals of light, wearing animal masks and skins in hopes of augmenting the coming year's supply. Candlemas
Spring Equinox The sun is resurrected and gains prominence over the night. Fertility celebrations involving symbols such as the egg and the prolific hare. Easter
Spring Season The mating of the earth and the sky from which will come the year's harvest. Often celebrated with maypole dancing, decorating with new foliage. Pentecost & the Feast of the Ascension
Summer Solstice The peak of the sun's light. Celebrated with large bonfires, burning fragrant herbs, decorating with flowers. Feast of St. John
Summer Season The sun's energy transfers to the crops. Ritual blessings of the harvest, herbs, fields, mountains, and ocean. Assumption Day
Autumnal Equinox A time of gratitude for the harvest. Feasts and decorating with fall fruits, grains, and vegetables. Michaelmas & the Nativity of Mary
Fall Season Acknowledgement of the year's completion. Honoring the dead, honoring and releasing the past. All Soul?s Day & All Saints Day

The pagan roots of holidays celebrated in the name of Christianity testify to its having been altered. Christianity, as it exists today, does not represent the message of Jesus, the son of Mary (may peace be upon both of them). And this is not merely a Christian issue. This is an issue for all God-fearing people. We, as Muslims, must be aware of the pieces that make up the puzzle that is Christianity, first to protect ourselves and our families, then to warn others and to call them to the right way. 
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "You (Muslims) will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a lizard, you would follow them." We said, "O Allah's Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Who else?" Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith, Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri
There is no "good fun" in displeasing Allah, the Most High. So, we must provide alternative activities for our children; camping trips, sporting events, halaqaat, field trips, etc. We should do our best to avoid television, year-round. And if we find this difficult, we should at least avoid it during these "holidays". If we have non-Muslim family members that celebrate these days of bid'aa and shirk, then we should avoid their homes at these times. Visit them the month before Christmas, or the month after. 

Most importantly, however, we should study our deen and we should surround ourselves with those who do. We should seek righteousness among the righteous. We should seek the pleasure of Allah among those who please Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that whoever imitates a people is one of them. Let us imitate those who are on the straight path, not those who have gone astray.

A friend advises in his interest, not yours.

For many of us it is spring brake and different things are to be done. Today I'm going to Lake Tahoe and I want to invite you all to go out and tell the planet how awesome it is. Blessings to all of you.

The Classic Maya civilization of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize flourished in the fourth through tenth centuries AD (according to orthodox history). Today, not much is known about the Mayas or their neighbours in Central/South America; unfortunately, the early Christian conquerers destroyed most of the ancient records of the native American cultures.

The Maya numbering system used a vigesimal (based on 20) place-value number system, analogous to our decimal place-value number system.

The Classic Maya civilization was unique and left us a way to incorporate higher-dimensional knowledge of time and creation. By tracking the movements of the Moon, Venus, and other heavenly bodies, the Mayas realized that there were cycles in the Cosmos. From this came their reckoning of time, and a calendar that accurately measures the solar year to within minutes.

For the Maya there was a time for everything, and everything had it's place in time. The priests could interpret the heavens and calendar. As the result they could control the daily activities of the populace. Knowing when to plant, when to harvest, the rainy and dry seasons, and so on gave them total power and control. Their comprehension of time, seasons, and cycles was immense.

The Maya understood 17 different calendars based on the Cosmos. Some of these calendars go back as far as ten million years and are so complex that an astronomer, astrologer, geologist, and mathematician would be needed just to work out the calculations. The Mayas also made tables predicting eclipses and the orbit of the planet Venus.

The Tzolk'in is the most important and influencial of the calendars. The other calendars that are most important to beings of earth are the Haab and the Tun-Uc. 
The Tzolk'in is the Sacred calendar of the Maya and is based on the cycles of the Pleiades. Tzolk'in in Mayan means "sequence of days." The cycle of the Pleiades uses 26,000 years, but is reflected in the calendar we are using by encompassing 260 days. It uses the sacred numbers 13 and 20. The 13 represents the numbers and 20 represents the sun/glyphs. The Tzolk'in has four smaller cycles called seasons of 65 days each guarded by the four suns of Chicchan, Oc, Men and Ahau. There are also Portal days within the Tzolk'in that create a double helix pattern using 52 days and the mathematics of 28. This sacred calendar is still being used for divination by the traditional Maya all over the Yucatan, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. 
The Tzolk'in calendar was meshed with a 365-day solar cycle called the Haab. The calendar consisted of 18 months with 20 days (numbered 0-19) and a short "month" of only 5 days that was called the Wayeb and was considered to be a dangerous time. It took 52 years for the Tzolk'in and Haab calendars to move through a complete cycle.
The Haab is based on the cycles of earth. It has 360 + 5 days, totalling 365 days. The Haab uses 18 months with 20 days in each month. There is a 19th month called a Wayeb and uses the 5 extra days. Each month has its own name/glyph. Each day uses a sacred sun/glyph.
The Tun-Uc is the moon calendar. It uses 28-day cycles that mirror the women's moon cycle. This cycle of the moon is broken down into 4 shorter cycles, of approximately 7 days each. These shorter cycles are the four phases of the moon cycle.

Archaeologists claim that the Maya began counting time as of year 3114 B.C. 
This is called the zero year and is likened to January 1, 1 AD. All dates in the Long Count begin there, so the date of the beginning of this time cycle is written 0-0-0-0-0. 13 cycles of 394 years will have passed before the next cycle begins, which is in year 2012 A.D. (13-0-0-0-0).

Glyphs and names of the Kin or Maya days:Day Glyph Name Day Glyph Name Day Glyph Name Day Glyph Name
1 Imix 6 Cimi 11 Chuen 16 Cib
2 Ik 7 Manik 12 Eb 17 Caban
3 Akbal 8 Lamat 13 Ben 18 Etznab
4 Kan 9 Muluc 14 Ix 19 Cauac
5 Chiccha 10 Oc 15 Men 20 Ahau


The Maya numbering system is as follows:

Example: (3 + 5 = 8) 


Glyphs and names of the Winal or Maya months :Glyph Month - keywords Glyph Month - keywords 
1. Pop
(11 Aug - 30 Aug)
Venus morning star, Mother Earth. 11. Zac
(27 Feb - 17 Mar)
Ray of the sun, healing with hands. 
2. Uo
(31 Aug - 19 Sep)
Good behavior, solar cross, strightness. 12. Ceh
(18 Mar - 6 Apr)
Woodpecker, Earth, rationalizing, clever but practical liberal.
3. Zip
(20 Sep - 9 Oct)
Obsidian butterfly, vulture, serious, deep, wise, realistic. 13. Mac
(7 Apr - 26 Apr)
Monkey, judge of human kind, wisdom, quickeness of the mind. 
4. Zotz
(10 Oct - 29 Oct)
Dominance, organized, creating at night. 14. Kankin
(27 Apr - 16 May)
Tree of life, advice giver, firmly grounded to earth.
5. Tzec
(30 Oct - 18 Nov)
Maya symbol of intellectual balance, rejects negativity. 15. Muan
(17 May - 5 Jun)
Director of the Universe, eagle, blue color. 
6. Xul
(19 Nov - 9 Dec)
Baby jaguar, Venus evening star. 16. Pax
(6 Jun - 25 Jun)
Music, arts, literature, sensible personality.
7. Yaxkin
(9 Dec - 28 Dec)
Solar flow, connected to Mother Earth, center of the Universe, green Sun. 17. Kayab
(26 Jun - 15 Jul)
Turtle, Milky Way, feedom, independence.
8. Mol
(29 Dec - 17 Jan)
Red color, paw of the jaguar, pampered, surrounded by all the planets. 18. Kumku
(16 Jul - 4 Aug)
Equity symbol, capable of sharing without selfishness.
9. Chen
(18 Jan - 6 Feb)
Infinite commencement, unity, god of flowers, clever, demonstrative. 19. Wayeb
(5 Aug - 10 Aug)
Discrepant, antagonistic, unequal, Creator of the Universe.
10. Yax
(7 Feb - 26 Feb)
Life signs, Mother Earth, water, green. 


Maya calendar basics

The Mayas used three different calendar systems (and some variations within the systems). The three systems are known as the Tzolk'in (the sacred calendar), the Haab (the civil calendar) and the long count system.

The Tzolk'in is a cycle of 260 days and the Haab is a cycle of 365 days.
The Tzolk'in cycle and the Haab cycle were combined to produce a cycle of 18,980 days, known as the calendar round. 18,980 days is a little less than 52 solar years.

The "calendar round" is like two gears that intermesh, one smaller than the other. One of the "gears" is called the Tzolk'in, or sacred round. The other is the Haab, or calendar round. The smaller wheels together represent the 260-day sacred round; the inner wheel, with the numbers 1 to 13, meshes with the glyphs for the 20 day names on the outer wheel. A section of a large wheel represents part of the 365-day year - 18 months of 20 days each (numbered 0-19). The five days remaining at year's end were considered evil. In the diagram, the day shown is read 4 Ahua 8 Kumku. As the wheels turn in the direction of the arrows, in four days it will read 8 Kan 12 Kumku. Any day calculated on these cycles would not repeat for 18,980 days - 52 years.

Thus the Mayas could not simply use a Tzolk'in/Haab date to identify a day within a period of several hundred years because there would be several days within this period with the same Tzolk'in/Haab date.

The Mayas overcame this problem by using a third dating system that enabled them to identify a day uniquely within a period of 1,872,000 days - approximately 5,125.36 solar years. To do this they used a vigesimal (based on the number 20) place-value number system, analogous to our decimal place-value number system.

The Mayas used a pure vigesimal system for counting objects but modified this when counting days. In a pure vigesimal system each place in a number is occupied by a number from 0 to 19, and that number is understood as being multiplied by a power of 20. Thus in such a system: 

2.3.4 = 2*20*20 + 3*20 + 4*1 = 864
11.12.13 = 11*20*20 + 12*20 + 13*1 = 4653 and 
1.3.5.7 = 1*20*20*20 + 3*20*20 + 5*20 + 7*1 = 9307

When counting days, however, the Mayas used a system in which the first place (as usual) had a value of 1, the second place had a value of 20, but the third place had a value not of 400 (20*20) but of 360 (18*20). (This may have been due to the fact that 360 is close to the length of the year in days.) The value of higher places continued regularly with 7,200 (20*18*20), 144,000 (20*20*18*20), etc. In such a system: 

1.3.5.7 = 1*20*18*20 + 3*18*20 + 5*20 + 7*1 = 8,387
and 11.12.13.14.15 = 11*20*20*18*20 + 12*20*18*20 + 13*18*20 + 14*20 + 15*1
= 11*144,000 + 12*7,200 + 13*360 + 14*20 + 15
= 1,675,375.

A Maya long-count date is a modified vigesimal number (as described above) composed of five places; for example, 9.11.16.0.0, and interpreted as a count of days from some base date. There are many long count dates inscribed in the stellar and written in the codices. Calculation of the decimal equivalent of a long count yields a number of days. This is regarded as a number of days counted forward from a certain day in the past. It is the number of days since the day 0.0.0.0.0. The obvious question is: What day was used as the base date? This question has two aspects: (1) What day was used by the Mayas as the base date? (2) What day was that in terms of the Western calendar? We shall return to these questions below. 

Just as we have names (such as week) for certain periods of time, the Mayas had names for periods consisting of 20 days, 360 days, 7,200 days, etc., in accord with their modified vigesimal system of counting days. A day is known as a kin. Twenty kins make a uinal, 18 uinals a tun, 20 tuns a katun and 20 katuns a baktun. Thus we have: 

1 kin = 1 day
1 uinal = 20 kins = 20 days
1 tun = 18 uinals = 360 days
1 katun = 20 tuns = 7,200 days
1 baktun = 20 katuns = 144,000 days 

The numbers at the five places in the long count are thus counts of baktuns, etc., as follows:

baktuns . katuns . tuns . uninals . kin

Thus, for example, 9.15.9.0.1 denotes a count of 9 baktuns, 15 katuns, 9 tuns, no uinals and 1 kin, or in other words, 9*144,000 + 15*7,200 + 9*360 + 0*20 + 1*1 days, or 1,407,201 days. It is a count of days from the Maya base date of 0.0.0.0.0. 

Most of the long count dates which occur in the stone inscriptions have a baktun count of 9. The period 9.0.0.0.0 through 10.0.0.0.0, the period of the Classic Maya, is now thought by scholars to coincide with the period (approximately) AD 436 through AD 829. There are, however, some strange anomalies. Morley deciphers two long count dates (found at Palenque) as 1.18.5.4.0 and 1.18.5.3.6 (14 days apart) which are some 2,794 solar years prior to 9.0.0.0.0. Since there is no evidence that the Mayas existed before about 500 B.C., what could these early long count dates possibly be referring to? 

We would expect that the next higher unit after the baktun would consist of 20 baktuns, and it appears there was such a unit, called a pictun. However, no long count date occurs with a baktun count of more than 12, except that 13.0.0.0.0 occurs. A widely-accepted school of thought holds that in the Maya long count system 13.0.0.0.0 marks the beginning of a new cycle, and so is equivalent to 0.0.0.0.0. In this view, 13 baktuns make up a great cycle or, Maya era, of 13*144,000 = 1,872,000 days (approximately 5125.37 solar years).

The date 0.0.0.0.0 is equal to year 3113 B.C.
The date 13.0.0.0.0 is equal to year 2012 A.D.