Dreamspell
Encyclopedia
The Dreamspell is an esoteric calendar based on a modern interpretation of the Maya calendar
by New Age
spiritualist, Mayanist
philosopher, and author José Argüelles
, initiated in 1987 and released as a board game in 1993.
called the Haab, but most importantly focused on the 260-day sacred calendar called the Tzolkin, which Arguelles claims to be based on a fourth-dimensional pattern called a "galactic spin". (It is worth noting that the Tzolkin was also associated with the movements of the planet Venus
). Arguelles interprets this calendar as part of what he calls a 'radiogenetic game board' that relates to both the I-Ching, the 64-unit DNA
code, and many other "divinatory" systems, including the cosmology of Ibn al-Arabi of the 28 lunar mansions and the 22 Major Arcanum of the Tarot.
. The names of the seven days are taken from a text called 'Introduction to Cosmic Science' which is claimed to be of extraterrestrial origin, written (claimed to have been channeled) by Enrique Castillo Rincon, a UFO contactee, in the early 1970s. (This text is reproduced in full, as an appendix to Book of the Avatar, Cosmic History Chronicles Volume II written by Arguelles and South. The work of Enrique Castillo Rincon ) The seven names are what "Cosmic Science" refers to as the seven "radial plasmas" sub-sub-atomic particles: Dali, Seli, Gamma, Kali, Alpha, Limi, and Sillio
Each day of the 7-day week of the 13 Moon calendar is assigned a glyph (distinct from the 20 solar seals for the dates) that is also one of four colors red, white, blue, or yellow — Dali's glyph is yellow, Seli's glyph is red, Gamma's glyph is white, Kali's glyph is blue, Alpha's glyph is yellow, Limi's glyph is red, and Sillio's glyph is white.
In the system of the 13 Moon calendar, these seven "radial plasmas" also correspond to the seven chakra
sץ However, the chakras each day represents are not in the same order as the placement of the chakras on the body, but according to a spiral
pattern that Arguelles provides on his website.
The glyph for Dali (yellow) symbolizes the sahasrara
chakra (seventh chakra); the glyph for Seti (red) symbolized the muladhara
chakra (first chakra); the glyph for Gamma (white) symbolizes the ajna
(sixth chakra); the glyph for Kali (blue) symbolizes the svadhisthana (second chakra); the glyph for Alpha (yellow) symbolizes the vishuddha
(fifth chakra); the glyph for Limi (red) symbolizes the manipura
(third chakra); and the glyph for Sillio (white) symbolizes the anahata
(fourth chakra).
Since seven divides equally into 28, the 1st of each month is always a Dali and the 28th of each month is always a Silio.
The intercalary day at the end of the year, since it is not part of any month, is also not part of any week either. Thus every date of every month always occurs on exactly the same day. This system of every date always occurring on the same day of the week and not including the year end day in any month or as any day of the week is standard for a 13 month calendar.
Of course the days of the week do not correlate with the days of the week named on the Gregorian calendar since the "day out of time" (25 July) is not assigned as being any day of the week.
The date called in the Gregorian calendar 29 February falls every four years between 22 Galactic and 23 Galactic. It is interesting to note that in the original Roman calendar
, a lunisolar calendar
, a 13th leap month called Mercedonius
was periodically inserted between 23 February and 24 February to keep the calendar in line with the solar year. In most 13 month calendars, the leap year day is added every four years as an intercalary day between the year end day and the New Year's Day. However, doing this to the Dreamspell 13 Moon calendar would bring the calendar out of sync with the 52-year cycle where the galactic signature and day of the year return every 52 years.
If the Gregorian calendar weren't in existence at all, the 0.0 Hunab Ku would still be the necessary intercalary day to keep the 52-year cycle (of 18,980 days) intact.
However, Arguelles recently address this issue because many followers of the calendar inquired how to number the days. He explained a system, similar to the dating system of the Mayan calendar (for example, 13.0.0.0.0). The system simply counts from the first year of the Dreamspell (1987), with the initials "NS" - standing for "New Sirius" cycle, since the 52 year cycle of the Dreamspell calendar is the same as the 52 years it takes Sirius B to orbit Sirius A. For example, if it is 23 years after the beginning of the Dreamspell, month 1, day 2, the date is "NS1.23.1.2"
This system, as mentioned above, is similar to the dating system of the "Mayan calendar" cycle which "ends" on December 21, 2012. However, there have recently been discovered dated Mayan artifacts which predict dates well into the future, far beyond 2012:
"It is interesting that recent decodings of the hieroglyphs at Palenque, which are understood to have been made during the reign of Pacal the Great, refer to dates beyond the end of the Long Count calendar. On the Tablet of the Inscriptions at Palenque a date of 1.0.0.0.0.8 5 Lamat 1 Mol can be inferred – otherwise known as 21 October 4772, almost 3000 years in the future. Perhaps we can deduce from this that Pacal himself believed that the end of the fifth age did not represent the end of time or of the Earth, and that his name would be still mentioned in the sixth age." David Douglas, p. 133, The Mayan Prophecy 2012 (2009)
1.) To synchronize human beings with our "galactic roots" by tuning us in to the spiritual energy from Hunab Ku
, a being Arguelles asserts is the governing deity
of the Milky Way Galaxy.
2.) To convert human
ity from thinking that Time is Money
to thinking that Time is Art
and thus give human beings more scope for their creativity
.
Some people use the complex symbolism of the calendar as a means of divination
.
The anthropologist Will Black conducted research into Jose’s Arguelles’ Planet Art Network for several years. In his 2010 book Beyond the End of the World – 2012 and Apocalypse Black documents a general loss of interest in Dreamspell and in PAN in the last few years.
Black points out that as general interest in 2012 has increased as a result of the proximity of the “end date”, the significance of PAN and value placed on Arguelles’ ideas has waned. Although Arguelles and his Dreamspell system were instrumental in encouraging people to consider the meaning of 2012, further investigation by individuals has tended to cause people to look beyond Jose’s system, according to Black. In fact, interest in 2012 has snowballed so rapidly in recent years that many of those who latterly became interested in 2012 may be quite oblivious to the early contribution of Arguelles.
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....
by 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...
spiritualist, Mayanist
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...
philosopher, and author José Argüelles
Jose Arguelles
Joseph Anthony Arguelles , better known as José Argüelles, was a world-renowned author, artist, visionary and educator. He was the founder of Planet Art Network and the Foundation for the Law of Time. He held a Ph.D...
, initiated in 1987 and released as a board game in 1993.
General overview of the calendar
This is loosely based on the 365-day solar calendarSolar calendar
A solar calendar is a calendar whose dates indicate the position of the earth on its revolution around the sun .-Tropical solar calendars:...
called the Haab, but most importantly focused on the 260-day sacred calendar called the Tzolkin, which Arguelles claims to be based on a fourth-dimensional pattern called a "galactic spin". (It is worth noting that the Tzolkin was also associated with the movements of the planet Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
). Arguelles interprets this calendar as part of what he calls a 'radiogenetic game board' that relates to both the I-Ching, the 64-unit DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
code, and many other "divinatory" systems, including the cosmology of Ibn al-Arabi of the 28 lunar mansions and the 22 Major Arcanum of the Tarot.
The number 13 in the calendar
The number 13 in the Dreamspell calendar appears both as the "galactic tone" of the daily galactic signature, as well as in the 13 Moons of 28 days each are the "months" of the calendar. The 13 moons are named after the 13 galactic tones. The names of the 13 galactic tones are: Magnetic, Lunar, Electric, Self-Existing, Overtone, Rhythmic, Resonant, Galactic, Solar, Spectral, Planetary, Crystal, and Cosmic.The 20 solar seals representing the days
The names of the 20 solar seals used to name the days are Red Dragon, White Wind, Blue Night, Yellow Seed, Red Serpent, White World-Bridger, Blue Hand, Yellow Star, Red Moon, White Dog, Blue Monkey, Yellow Human, Red Skywalker, White Wizard, Blue Eagle, Yellow Warrior, Red Earth, White Mirror, Blue Storm, and Yellow Sun. These 20 solar seals are continually repeated in a 20 day cycle. The 20 day cycle repeated 13 times (20 X 13) equals 260 days or one Tzolkin or "galactic spin" as it is called in the Dreamspell: Journey of Timeship Earth 2013.List of the 260 possible different names for the days
The name of the solar seal of the day (of 20 solar seals) and the name of the galactic tone (of 13 tones) combine to create a galactic signature for every day. This generates a list of 20 X 13=260 possible day names (galactic signatures). These 260 galactic signatures, sorted by solar seal, are listed below:The seven day week
The calendar also uses the seven day weekWeek
A week is a time unit equal to seven days.The English word week continues an Old English wice, ultimately from a Common Germanic , from a root "turn, move, change"...
. The names of the seven days are taken from a text called 'Introduction to Cosmic Science' which is claimed to be of extraterrestrial origin, written (claimed to have been channeled) by Enrique Castillo Rincon, a UFO contactee, in the early 1970s. (This text is reproduced in full, as an appendix to Book of the Avatar, Cosmic History Chronicles Volume II written by Arguelles and South. The work of Enrique Castillo Rincon ) The seven names are what "Cosmic Science" refers to as the seven "radial plasmas" sub-sub-atomic particles: Dali, Seli, Gamma, Kali, Alpha, Limi, and Sillio
Each day of the 7-day week of the 13 Moon calendar is assigned a glyph (distinct from the 20 solar seals for the dates) that is also one of four colors red, white, blue, or yellow — Dali's glyph is yellow, Seli's glyph is red, Gamma's glyph is white, Kali's glyph is blue, Alpha's glyph is yellow, Limi's glyph is red, and Sillio's glyph is white.
In the system of the 13 Moon calendar, these seven "radial plasmas" also correspond to the seven chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
sץ However, the chakras each day represents are not in the same order as the placement of the chakras on the body, but according to a spiral
Spiral
In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point.-Spiral or helix:...
pattern that Arguelles provides on his website.
The glyph for Dali (yellow) symbolizes the sahasrara
Sahasrara
Sahasrara/ Sahastrara is the seventh primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.-Location:Sahasrara is either located at the top of the head in that one area, or a little way above it .-Appearance:Sahasrara is described with 1,000 multi-coloured petals which are arranged in 20 layers each of them...
chakra (seventh chakra); the glyph for Seti (red) symbolized the muladhara
Muladhara
Muladhara is one of the seven primary chakras according to Hindu tantrism. It may be represented by the color red, although its root square form is usually yellow.-Location:...
chakra (first chakra); the glyph for Gamma (white) symbolizes the ajna
Ajna
Ajna is the sixth primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.-Location:The Ajna chakra is positioned in the brain, directly behind the eyebrow centre, while its ksehtram or superficial activation site is at the eyebrow region, in the position of the 'third eye'.-Appearance:Ajna is white in...
(sixth chakra); the glyph for Kali (blue) symbolizes the svadhisthana (second chakra); the glyph for Alpha (yellow) symbolizes the vishuddha
Vishuddha
Vishuddha also known as Vishuddhi, is the fifth primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.-Location:Vishuddha is positioned at the neck region near the spine, with its ksehtram or superficial activation point in the pit of the throat.-Appearance:This chakra is white with 16 purple or smoke...
(fifth chakra); the glyph for Limi (red) symbolizes the manipura
Manipura
Manipura , called "city of jewels", is the third primary chakra according to Hindu tradition.-Location:Manipura is located at the spine directly behind either the navel or the solar plexus, depending on the system, while its kshetram or superficial activation point is located directly on the navel...
(third chakra); and the glyph for Sillio (white) symbolizes the anahata
Anahata
Anahata is the fourth primary chakra according to the Hindu Yogic and Tantric traditions.In Sanskrit the word anahata - means unhurt, un-struck and unbeaten...
(fourth chakra).
Since seven divides equally into 28, the 1st of each month is always a Dali and the 28th of each month is always a Silio.
The intercalary day at the end of the year, since it is not part of any month, is also not part of any week either. Thus every date of every month always occurs on exactly the same day. This system of every date always occurring on the same day of the week and not including the year end day in any month or as any day of the week is standard for a 13 month calendar.
Of course the days of the week do not correlate with the days of the week named on the Gregorian calendar since the "day out of time" (25 July) is not assigned as being any day of the week.
Leap years
The 13 Moon calendar simply counts leap years as a "0.0 Hunab Ku" day - which is also no day of the week or month. Nor is it one of the 260 galactic signatures. This allows the mathematical system of the calendar, which Arguelles calls the "synchronic order", to remain intact. In short, this creates an even cycle which repeats perfectly every 52 years. For example, if today is Magnetic Moon Dali 1, Red Magnetic Dragon - 52 years from now it will be again, Magnetic Moon Dali 1, Red Magnetic Dragon. This allows every date in the Dreamspell calendar to always synchronize perfectly with a date in the Gregorian calendar - in other words, February 29 will always be 0.0 Hunab Ku. In the original Mesoamerican calendar, there were 13 days not part of any month at the end of a 52 year cycle to account for leap years.The date called in the Gregorian calendar 29 February falls every four years between 22 Galactic and 23 Galactic. It is interesting to note that in the original Roman calendar
Roman calendar
The Roman calendar changed its form several times in the time between the founding of Rome and the fall of the Roman Empire. This article generally discusses the early Roman or pre-Julian calendars...
, a lunisolar calendar
Lunisolar calendar
A lunisolar calendar is a calendar in many cultures whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. If the solar year is defined as a tropical year then a lunisolar calendar will give an indication of the season; if it is taken as a sidereal year then the calendar will...
, a 13th leap month called Mercedonius
Mercedonius
Mercedonius, also known as Intercalaris, was the intercalary month added in leap years of the Roman calendar. The resulting year was either 377 or 378 days long. The exact mechanism by which this was done is not clearly specified in ancient sources. Modern scholarship holds that Februarius was...
was periodically inserted between 23 February and 24 February to keep the calendar in line with the solar year. In most 13 month calendars, the leap year day is added every four years as an intercalary day between the year end day and the New Year's Day. However, doing this to the Dreamspell 13 Moon calendar would bring the calendar out of sync with the 52-year cycle where the galactic signature and day of the year return every 52 years.
If the Gregorian calendar weren't in existence at all, the 0.0 Hunab Ku would still be the necessary intercalary day to keep the 52-year cycle (of 18,980 days) intact.
Numbering of the years
So far there is no "official" numbering system for the years. The years are simply named after the first month of the year. For example, a year that begins with a "Blue Magnetic Storm" day is called "Blue Magnetic Storm Year". This creates a cycle of 52 years, made out of four cycles of 13 years each. The basis of the Dreamspell Calendar is that time is not linear, but cyclic, and so does not require a strict "numbering" of years.However, Arguelles recently address this issue because many followers of the calendar inquired how to number the days. He explained a system, similar to the dating system of the Mayan calendar (for example, 13.0.0.0.0). The system simply counts from the first year of the Dreamspell (1987), with the initials "NS" - standing for "New Sirius" cycle, since the 52 year cycle of the Dreamspell calendar is the same as the 52 years it takes Sirius B to orbit Sirius A. For example, if it is 23 years after the beginning of the Dreamspell, month 1, day 2, the date is "NS1.23.1.2"
This system, as mentioned above, is similar to the dating system of the "Mayan calendar" cycle which "ends" on December 21, 2012. However, there have recently been discovered dated Mayan artifacts which predict dates well into the future, far beyond 2012:
"It is interesting that recent decodings of the hieroglyphs at Palenque, which are understood to have been made during the reign of Pacal the Great, refer to dates beyond the end of the Long Count calendar. On the Tablet of the Inscriptions at Palenque a date of 1.0.0.0.0.8 5 Lamat 1 Mol can be inferred – otherwise known as 21 October 4772, almost 3000 years in the future. Perhaps we can deduce from this that Pacal himself believed that the end of the fifth age did not represent the end of time or of the Earth, and that his name would be still mentioned in the sixth age." David Douglas, p. 133, The Mayan Prophecy 2012 (2009)
Purpose of the calendar
According to Arguelles, two of the main purposes of the calendar are:1.) To synchronize human beings with our "galactic roots" by tuning us in to the spiritual energy from Hunab Ku
Hunab Ku
Hunab Ku is the name of a supposed Maya deity, described as "the supreme god" whose name appears in only two colonial sources: the Motul Dictionary and the Chilam Balam of Chumayel...
, a being Arguelles asserts is the governing deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
of the Milky Way Galaxy.
2.) To convert human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
ity from thinking that Time is Money
Time Is Money
Time Is Money is the 6th album by hip hop artist South Park Mexican. The track Boys On The Cut is a cover of Eazy E's classic Boyz 'N' Tha Hood. The song also contains a reference to DJ Screw, who had been dead for less than a month at the time....
to thinking that Time is Art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
and thus give human beings more scope for their creativity
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
.
Popularity of the calendar
The Dreamspell calendar is popular among many different people from many walks of life, and has been translated into numerous languages.Some people use the complex symbolism of the calendar as a means of divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
.
The anthropologist Will Black conducted research into Jose’s Arguelles’ Planet Art Network for several years. In his 2010 book Beyond the End of the World – 2012 and Apocalypse Black documents a general loss of interest in Dreamspell and in PAN in the last few years.
Black points out that as general interest in 2012 has increased as a result of the proximity of the “end date”, the significance of PAN and value placed on Arguelles’ ideas has waned. Although Arguelles and his Dreamspell system were instrumental in encouraging people to consider the meaning of 2012, further investigation by individuals has tended to cause people to look beyond Jose’s system, according to Black. In fact, interest in 2012 has snowballed so rapidly in recent years that many of those who latterly became interested in 2012 may be quite oblivious to the early contribution of Arguelles.