Elder Carlos Barrios - Teachings for the Wayeb'

Dear brothers and sisters, Tat and Nan, Elders, disciples, friends, practitioners, and studious of the Maya Tradition:

With all our hearts, we are sending you these reflections on the Wayeb’, which begins today.

These reflections hold special significance at this moment, and we must prepare ourselves with clarity and determination. Although the process is individual, the strength generated by our unity will increase the collective consciousness of humanity.

A heartfelt hug and many blessings,

Carlos Barrios

THE WAYEB

The WAYEB’ is celebrated during a 5-day period leading up to the month of POP, marking the beginning of the HAAB’ year.

The WAYEB’ prepares us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to fully receive the new year and the new Carrier.

Given the activities each of us has, and since these dates are not of importance to the Western world, it is recommended to take a moment each of the 5 days of WAYEB’ to engage with its steps or precepts.

The WAYEB’ is considered a period of transition, known to Western archeologists as the dead days or the lost days. For the traditional Maya world, it is, however, a time of abstraction, a time for introspection, reflection, and a meeting with our inner being.

It is a space-time where we can be with ourselves, where we review our life and the purpose of our existence, where we project our destiny. It is a period of rebirth.

The review leads us to recognize our actions and what they have created, both positive and negative. What has happened to us, both by our intervention and by events that arose without it.

The days of WAYEB’ are guided by these precepts: REVIEW, RECOGNIZE, ACCEPT, DEFINE, OUTLINE.

To engage in WAYEB’ is to engage in a work of consciousness. It requires the determination to meet ourselves. Here, we do not lie to anyone, give explanations, or make excuses. We are face to face with ourselves. The purpose is to review and outline, to determine what in life interests us and what is useless, and to make decisions for reconfiguration.

THE REVIEW

The first day is for reviewing life, for recognizing who we are, and for evaluating whether we are content with it. We can write the events that have occurred to us. If we outlined the previous year, we assess what we achieved and what we did not, and what factors influenced this. What of it is useful to us, and what is no longer useful.

RECOGNIZING OURSELVES

This day is dedicated to recognizing ourselves, meaning taking consciousness of who we truly are. We must have the courage to confront ourselves and go deep within our being, to define ourselves. Whether we like what we are or not, the important thing is to have clarity.

ACCEPTING

This day is dedicated to Acceptance. After the Review and the Recognition, having clarity about what and who we are, we now begin to accept, point by point, what we are, what we do, how we do it, why, and for what reason we are at this point in our life. The recounting in this present moment is the most important, and if we manage to go into detail, so much the better. It is not about making a judgment but about recounting and accepting our current state.

DEFINING

This day may seem easy, as it involves defining. However, after completing the conscious processes of Review, Recognition, and Acceptance, it becomes the hardest part. It is about determining what we truly are, what we want from what we are, and what we need to eliminate from our lives. It is about setting clear goals that will guide us to where we want to go throughout our existence, deciding what we expect from it, whether we want it to be transcendent, or if we are satisfied with what we have achieved. It is about defining the continuity we want for our lives.

OUTLINE

It is also called RESURGENCE or RENEWAL. This is the day we make the decisions for the new cycle that begins or for the new way of life we have outlined. This is a deep task where, knowing our abilities and limitations, we project our future.

It is a Resurgence, as the work done in the previous stages gives us more clarity to project ourselves. It is a Renewal, for through interiorization we can honestly and consciously recapitulate the last cycle or our entire life, thus renewing our being in an integral way.

We must remember that in Western culture, there is no tradition of such discipline, and often such a well-outlined approach is never made.

This is a time to harmonize with ourselves, with Mother Earth, with all living beings, including humans.

It is a space to find calm, seek stillness, and enter the Universal Heart, to gain the capacity to perceive Creation and become part of the vastness of the Cosmos.

"When we begin to move inward, little by little we begin to know ourselves, our true being, and our essence."