Carl Johan Calleman
Encyclopedia
Carl Johan Calleman, is a toxicologist
as well as an author and speaker on the millenarian
New Age
interpretation of the Mayan calendar known as Mayanism
. He differs from professional Mayanists
in seeing 28 October 2011 and not 21 December 2012 as a significant date. Calleman does not interpret the date as an apocalypse
, Armageddon
, or other cataclysmic
event but a slow transformation of consciousness in which people experience a higher "unity consciousness."
at the University of Stockholm in Sweden.
He has had no professional training in archaeology or the study of the ancient Maya.
He first encountered the Mayan calendar on a visit to Mexico and Guatemala in 1979. He became fascinated with the concept of a calendar that had an "end date" and was influenced by the works of Michael D. Coe
.
In 1986 he took a post at the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Washington in Seattle as a cancer
researcher. As a result of work done in that post and in China he was appointed as an expert for the World Health Organization
on cancer.
In 1993 he returned to Sweden and devoted himself full time to researching and writing about the calendar. He published a short book in Swedish on the subject in 1994, Mayahypotesen. In 1998 he was invited to be one of the main speakers at a conference about the Mayan calendar in Merida
, Yucatán. This inspired him to write a more widely accessible book, The Mayan Calendar published in 2001. A second popular book The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness followed in 2004, and a third Purposeful Universe: How Quantum Theory and Mayan Cosmology Explain the Origin and Evolution of Life in 2009.
He lives in Orsa
, Sweden and lectures worldwide.
in that he sees the crucial date for change as 28 October 2011--not 21 December 2012--which he posulates will see the culmination of a series of nine waves of increasing frequency which have influenced, and continue to influence, the development and evolution of both the physical universe and human consciousness.
His ideas represent a revival of theories of unilineal evolution
.
Calleman disagrees that 2012 represents the point of an alignment between the Earth's solstice and the galactic centre which he says would be a purely local phenomenon unique to the Earth and which in any case has already occurred in 1998. Instead he sees the Mayan calendar as describing the creation process of the whole Universe.
Within the logic of the Mayan Long Count
, he says, an auspicious end would have to be on a day which is 13 Ahau in the tzolkin
count. Since December 21st 2012 falls on 4 Ahau this is an unlikely end date. The 28 October 2011 is a 13 Ahau date.
Beginning with the Big Bang
he believes creation has continued through a series of waves, each one a factor of 20 times shorter in duration than the one preceding it. Each wave has driven the structure of the universe to a higher level .
The first wave drove the creation of physical matter, the second living cells, the third multicellular life, the fourth organisms living in family groups, the fifth, saw humans in tribal groups , and the sixth in national groups. The seventh wave encompasses human awareness of the whole planet, and the eighth awareness of our place in the galactic structure. The final wave , the ninth and shortest of all, began on 8 March 2011 and will complete along with all the others on 28 October 2011 sees awareness of the whole of the cosmos achieved. Rather than the series ending with an Apocolypse he describes it as the completion of the creation process of the Universe. The way will then be open to the full realisation of consciousness at its highest level which he terms "Unity consciousness" .
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
as well as an author and speaker on the millenarian
Millenarianism
Millenarianism is the belief by a religious, social, or political group or movement in a coming major transformation of society, after which all things will be changed, based on a one-thousand-year cycle. The term is more generically used to refer to any belief centered around 1000 year intervals...
New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
interpretation of the Mayan calendar known as Mayanism
Mayanism
Mayanism is a non-codified eclectic collection of New Age beliefs, influenced in part by Pre-Columbian Maya mythology and some folk beliefs of the modern Maya peoples...
. He differs from professional Mayanists
Mayanist
A Mayanist is a scholar specialising in research and study of the Central American pre-Columbian Maya civilization. This discipline should not be confused with Mayanism, a collection of New Age beliefs about the ancient Maya....
in seeing 28 October 2011 and not 21 December 2012 as a significant date. Calleman does not interpret the date as an apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
, Armageddon
Armageddon
Armageddon is, according to the Bible, the site of a battle during the end times, variously interpreted as either a literal or symbolic location...
, or other cataclysmic
Cataclysm
The term cataclysm The term cataclysm The term cataclysm (from the Greek kataklysmos, to 'wash down' (kluzein "wash" + kata "down") may refer to:*Deluge (mythology)*a hypothetical Doomsday event*any catastrophic geological phenomenon**volcanic eruption**earthquake...
event but a slow transformation of consciousness in which people experience a higher "unity consciousness."
Life
Calleman studied toxicologyToxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
at the University of Stockholm in Sweden.
He has had no professional training in archaeology or the study of the ancient Maya.
He first encountered the Mayan calendar on a visit to Mexico and Guatemala in 1979. He became fascinated with the concept of a calendar that had an "end date" and was influenced by the works of Michael D. Coe
Michael D. Coe
Michael D. Coe is an American archaeologist, anthropologist, epigrapher and author. Primarily known for his research in the field of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican studies , Coe has also made extensive investigations across a variety...
.
In 1986 he took a post at the Department of Environmental Health at the University of Washington in Seattle as a cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
researcher. As a result of work done in that post and in China he was appointed as an expert for the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
on cancer.
In 1993 he returned to Sweden and devoted himself full time to researching and writing about the calendar. He published a short book in Swedish on the subject in 1994, Mayahypotesen. In 1998 he was invited to be one of the main speakers at a conference about the Mayan calendar in Merida
Merida
Places of the world named Mérida or Merida include:*Mérida, Spain, capital city of the Spanish Community of Extremadura*Mérida, Yucatán, capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán*Merida, Leyte, a municipality in Leyte province in the Philippines...
, Yucatán. This inspired him to write a more widely accessible book, The Mayan Calendar published in 2001. A second popular book The Mayan Calendar and the Transformation of Consciousness followed in 2004, and a third Purposeful Universe: How Quantum Theory and Mayan Cosmology Explain the Origin and Evolution of Life in 2009.
He lives in Orsa
Orsa
Orsa is a locality and the seat of Orsa Municipality, Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,278 inhabitants in 2005. It is located in the northern part of lake Siljan, about 15 kilometers north of the town Mora...
, Sweden and lectures worldwide.
Beliefs
Calleman's beliefs differ from other interpreters of the Mayan calendar and the 2012 phenomenon2012 phenomenon
The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012. This date is regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar...
in that he sees the crucial date for change as 28 October 2011--not 21 December 2012--which he posulates will see the culmination of a series of nine waves of increasing frequency which have influenced, and continue to influence, the development and evolution of both the physical universe and human consciousness.
His ideas represent a revival of theories of unilineal evolution
Unilineal evolution
Unilineal evolution is a 19th century social theory about the evolution of societies and cultures. It was composed of many competing theories by various sociologists and anthropologists, who believed that Western culture is the contemporary pinnacle of social evolution...
.
Calleman disagrees that 2012 represents the point of an alignment between the Earth's solstice and the galactic centre which he says would be a purely local phenomenon unique to the Earth and which in any case has already occurred in 1998. Instead he sees the Mayan calendar as describing the creation process of the whole Universe.
Within the logic of the Mayan Long Count
Maya calendar
The Maya calendar is a system of calendars and almanacs used in the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and in many modern Maya communities in highland Guatemala. and in Chiapas....
, he says, an auspicious end would have to be on a day which is 13 Ahau in the tzolkin
Tzolk'in
Tzolk'in is the name bestowed by Mayanists on the 260-day Mesoamerican calendar used by the Maya civilization of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.The tzolk'in, the basic cycle of the Maya calendar, is a pre-eminent...
count. Since December 21st 2012 falls on 4 Ahau this is an unlikely end date. The 28 October 2011 is a 13 Ahau date.
Beginning with the Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
he believes creation has continued through a series of waves, each one a factor of 20 times shorter in duration than the one preceding it. Each wave has driven the structure of the universe to a higher level .
The first wave drove the creation of physical matter, the second living cells, the third multicellular life, the fourth organisms living in family groups, the fifth, saw humans in tribal groups , and the sixth in national groups. The seventh wave encompasses human awareness of the whole planet, and the eighth awareness of our place in the galactic structure. The final wave , the ninth and shortest of all, began on 8 March 2011 and will complete along with all the others on 28 October 2011 sees awareness of the whole of the cosmos achieved. Rather than the series ending with an Apocolypse he describes it as the completion of the creation process of the Universe. The way will then be open to the full realisation of consciousness at its highest level which he terms "Unity consciousness" .
External links
- Carl Johan Calleman - The Mayan Calendar Official website