New Acropolis Toronto

Mayan Myths and Wisdom:


The ongoing destiny of the Human Being

Seminar with Professor Denis Bricnet - Philosopher and Director of New Acropolis Canada

New discoveries, new Maya sites, are providing us with new insights on the Maya civilisation and culture as well as on its spiritual vision of nature and human life.

Pyramids

The “triadic” temple-pyramid, called today “La Danta”, in the Maya city of El Mirador, is one of the most massive ancient structures in the world, measuring 230 ft (70m) tall and occupying a volume of 2,800,000 cubic meters.

“To the surprise of the archaeologists, it was found that a large amount of construction was not contemporary with the large Maya classic cities in the area, like Tikal and Uaxactun, but rather from centuries earlier in the Pre-Classic era.”

Therefore, contrary to the established belief, the Maya not only were able to build pyramids bigger than the Egyptian ones but also established their “classic” civilisation much earlier than previously thought.

“According to Carlos Morales-Aguilar, a Guatemalan archaeologist, the city appears to have been planned from its foundation, as extraordinary alignments have been found between the architectural groups and main temples, which were possibly related to solar alignments. The study reflects an importance of urban planning and sacred spaces since the first settlers.”

Furthermore, evidences show that the various myths described in the Popol Vuh (Creation of the World, Creation of Mankind) were already present and leading the Maya civilisation.

2000 Years of Sustainable Experiences

Out of these data, and many others, we can easily understand that the Maya culture has “something” to tell us, even to teach us, as more than 2000 years of “sustainable” experiences must necessarily contain essential knowledge (something wrong does not last long...).

What lasted – and longer than the ancient Maya civilisation, since nowadays it is still somehow alive among the current 10 millions Mayas – is essentially spiritual, both knowledge and experience, the Popol Vuh being one of the main vectors of it.

There is a deep and essential knowledge that concerns the human being, human kind – thus, all of us - embodied in all the Maya remains, such as those that Canadians may admire in the present exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (and later on this year The Canadian Museum of Civilisation located in the Hull sector of Gatineau, Quebec).

Symbolic Language

The language of this knowledge is symbolic. Not surprisingly, as it is a fact that all of humankind’s cultures that based their civilisation upon a non-materialistic vision, experience, investigation and comprehension of Nature and Life, made use of a symbolic language.

It is also a fact and common knowledge that humankind is essentially one. The same way that the body's organs are structurally and functionally the same beyond all ethnic differences, the essential structure and functions of the inner human being (the “soul”, the “spirit”) are the same.

Comparative Approach

So the symbolic language is also one, and beyond the apparent differences there is a deep common reality. Therefore, the comparative approach and studies of the symbolism developed by humankind’s civilisations bring to light many essential insights; all useful, not to say indispensable, to any human being who does not think that s/he is boiled down to a mere rational animal, product of chance and whose life started only in the cradle and will end in the tomb.

Let's try to meet what the sapient Maya knowledge has to tell us about the ongoing destiny of the Human Being.

Date: Thursday February 2 at 7:30pm
Location: Centre for Social Innovation
215 Spadina Avenue
Between Dundas/Queen
Map
Admission: $25 regular / $15 full-time student
Inquiries: Call 416-486-7198