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Astrologer Steve Nelson stands in front of a constellation chart in his office in Myers Park. Nelson says the prediction that the world will come to an end at the end of the Mayan calendar on Dec. 21 is a fallacy. Instead, he says this time period will mark the shift to a transformation in consciousness and global awareness. LISA MOORE
- Learn more:Steve Nelson will lead a Winter Solstice celebration at 3 p.m. Dec. 22 at Sacred Grove Retreat in Gold Hill. Mayan and other cosmic cycles will be discussed and practices will be shared for facilitating this shift and for seeding the new cycle. For information on Nelson’s work and the solstice celebration, visit www.GaiaAstrology.com or www.SacredGroveRetreat.com.
As Dec. 21 approaches, thousands of people around the world will be preparing for the holidays and a new year. There will also be some sitting in stockpiled bunkers or shelters in expectation of the much-hyped Mayan apocalypse.
In the months leading up to this day that has spawned numerous movies and books, NASA says it has received more than 5,000 questions, many dealing with anxiety related to end-of-time fears.
The panic surrounds a 5,125-year calendar developed by the Mayans, an ancient, advanced civilization who resided in the present-day Mexican state of Yucatan and Guatemala, and were known for their astronomical observations and mathematical powers.
Professional astrologer, Steve Nelson, author of “The New World Cycle of Celebrations,” says that no traditional Mayan prophecies or present day Mayan elders predict calamity for the end of this calendar cycle.
Instead, what he says is predicted is a global shift in awareness, a transformation of consciousness such that the world may actually end as we know it on the psychic level.
Nelson, 65, who refers to himself as a cycles counselor, says that several cultural and mystical traditions converge in this time all portending the beginning of a new age. However, we must work to clear through the darkness that precedes this anticipated new era.
“As predicted, shadows crowd the dawn of this new time and these shadows include the fear that the world will end,” says Nelson, a Myers Park area resident who uses Jungian-based mythological astrology with his international clientele.
Nelson refers to the work of Carlos Barrios, a Mayan elder and ceremonial priest, who said anthropologists have misinterpreted Mayan texts and stated, “Other people write about prophecy in the name of the Maya. They say that the world will end in December 2012. The Mayan elders are angry with this. The world will not end. It will be transformed.
“We are no longer in the World of the Fourth Sun, but we are not yet in the World of the Fifth Sun. This is the time in-between, the time of transition. As we pass through transition there is a colossal, global convergence of environmental destruction, social chaos, war, and ongoing earth changes.”
According to Nelson, most of these changes have already occurred.
Barrios says that Dec. 21, is the start date of the World of the Fifth Sun. This new era begins as the solar meridian crosses the galactic equator this year, i.e. when earth and sun align with the heart of the galaxy.
Nelson believes Charlotte is designed to play a special role in this new time. He says Charlotte’s founder, Thomas Polk, laid out the city in a 360-acre square that is the core of the “City of Revelation” as described in the book of Revelation.
According to the chart Nelson has prepared for the Queen City (est. 7 November, 1768), Charlotte is favored to be a leader in new forms of art, clean energy, banking and the healing arts. He believes Charlotte will play a significant role in renovating the global economic system during the next few years.
So, is there anything we can do to prepare for this predicted shift in consciousness?
Nelson notes that what happens to us on Dec. 21 and the weeks that follow depends on how we engage with this alignment. He says that from now to Dec. 24 is the time to shed karma to free life force energy.
The best way to hook up with the heart of the cosmos during this time, Nelson says, is go to a natural, geographical power spot at Winter Solstice Dec. 21-24. Local spots include the Grande Disc at the corner of Trade and Tryon (which is the exact center of Charlotte), the giant Indian Rock in The Ballantyne area and the energy vortex at Sacred Grove Retreat in Gold Hill. Once there, do clockwise turns, following the path of the sun to open to the new light.
“We’re being called now to let go the trappings of the old world so we can move into the new,” said Nelson. “The more we shed the old the easier and more rewarding this shift will be.”
Lisa Moore is a freelance writer. Have a story idea for Lisa? Email her at LisaMooreNC@gmail.com.
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