© 2012 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved
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Green man from OMG! The Mayans Were Right
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Despite the internet woes at
the hotel and getting a doozy case of the flu the last day that’s still
lingering as of this writing, UAC and New Orleans exceeded my expectations—and then
some.
My goal was to experience a balance of astro-education, link-ups with friends and colleagues, and New Orleans culture. I left feeling I’d met the trifecta in the week I had and was left wanting more—a good sign!
On May 24, I attended 2012 and the Mayan Calendar with Bruce Scofield, a pre-conference
workshop sponsored by NCGR. It was my most enlightening experience to date
about what the calendar is, how it works, and why we shouldn’t be worried about
its end this December. Bruce said it’s like an odometer turning over, a reset
to zero. Major moment of insight: The 260-day cycle on which the calendar is
based is roughly the time it takes for human gestation. The Mayan Long Count
Calendar began on 11 August 3114 BC and ends 21 December 2012. The link to Bruce’s publications offers more to study
and appreciate. See Recent Articles on Bruce’s astrology.com
page for the key points on this material for links on more Mayan resources.
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| Sacramento's Ziggurat and Tower Bridge. |
And we hadn’t even yet
begun! The real beginning was an extravaganza—the opening ceremony. The video kaleidoscope
had a UFO’s Landing in New Orleans theme, complete with little green guys run amok that would parallel
Mikey Lutin’s mad musical,
OMG! The Mayans
Were Right on Saturday night. The videography was out of this world in more
ways than one, and various astrology groups had submitted clips from their home
turf to give a sense of the global diversity of this amazing convergence of
some 1500 astrologers on the Big Easy. (This was the second UAC to be held in New Orleans.) I was proud that our video from NCGR-Sacramento
Area was included. Knowing it would be only snippets from our full film, I
was thrilled with the ones chosen. Right on theme, there as the clip of me
talking about Sacramento’s ziggurat building, which looks like one of those
Mayan flat-topped pyramids. Just as I mention how some people say these
buildings were used for astrological purposes, our vice-president, Linda Byrd,
popped in with “Isn’t that Chironic?” Our postcard of the lead team followed with
stars falling ‘round as we shouted our capsule mission statement, “We’re ambassadors for astrology!”
The video not only introduced
us to who was there but gave a preview of all 13 tracks on the conference agenda
with faces of the presenters. The music and visuals were all so exciting; you
couldn’t leave anything but pumped for the days ahead.
But wait, there’s more! A
brass New Orleans band added the finishing touches, as it led us,
conga style, to beignets
and decaf coffee or wine and the opening of the Marketplace. Booths full of
jewelry (my weakness), astro publications and software, t-shirts and galaxies
of info. My Mercury in Libra can never make up its mind, so I gave up on booths
early-on. I concentrated on the hard decision on the beignets. In other words,
I had both blueberry and strawberry sauces. While I never made it to Café du
Monde, the home of the “best” beignets in New Orleans, I hope sharing this recipe offers a little of the
opening ceremonies—and the local ambience—to everyone. (Roomie Sara is
convinced that the New
Orleans
atmosphere is made up of at least one layer of powdered sugar.)
In-between these openers, I
looked for souvenirs and lighter fare and lighter priced food, finding all
within a block or two of The Marriott. I picked up some drumsticks from The
House of Blues—an odd choice for a piano player! I’m missing my mallet for my
meditation chimes, and I thought I could display the drumsticks as art objects
and use one to tap my chimes as needed.
There was so much music
everywhere—in the shops on recordings and at night in the streets by live
players—it inspired me to come home and tinkle the ivories for the first time
in a long time. (I have not shaken my hips this much and danced wherever I was,
no matter who was looking, ever.)
Ironically, the first music that popped out of the pile was Ordinary People.
In New Orleans, no one seems ordinary. Everything feels enchanted
with the roots of the Spiritworld and magic dust. Or is that powdered sugar?
More flashbacks soon ….
~~~
Photo Credits: Green man © Sara Fisk. Mayan
Calendar © olgachirkova - Fotolia.com. Sacramento Bridge and Zig © Andy - Fotolia.com.
Here are links to all the Vicarious UAC Posts, if you want to read the entire series:#2 - Electronic Voodoo#3 - Green Men and Mayans#4 – One Last Déjà-UAC
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