J(eys to the lllysteries

of Xiballca

"Do xot theseinitiarions," writcs Le Plongeon, 'vividlv recallto nind $,llat Ileroch saidhe sawi lri! visions? 1'hatblazi g housr ofcrystal,burninghot and icy cold that placewherewerthe borvof lire, the quiverofarro$,s, th sword of frre -that other where he had to cross dre babbtirg strearn,and the riverol fire and drosecxremitiesofthe Earthtullof all kinds ofhuge beasts andbirds or d,eh$itaiion where.rppcared ofgreatglory sittingupon rhe one orb of the sun -and,lasd\ldoesnot fi tamarind treein the rnidstof the earth, that he wastold wasdre T}eeofKnowledge, find its sinile in tJre calabash tree,in the n;ddle of dre road where thoseof Xibalbaplacedthe Lead of Hunhun Ahpu,aftersacrificing for having him liiled to supporrthlirsrrrialofthe iniria* * * 'l hesewr $e astul ordeals drat dre cmdidates for irLitiationinto tion) the sacred mvsteries topassthroughin Xibalba. theynotseem xact had Do an couuterpart ofwhathappened a milderIbrmat dreiritiation into rheElusin, in q,ere ian rrrvsteries? alsothe greater and mysreries ofEglpt" fron which rhese copied? Doesnot the rcitalofwllat the candidars rhen,ystcries Xibalba ro in * * * recallto mind theworrdtriri wererequired know. to beforc beingadmiued, sirnilar lbaasaidto be perlbmed by theMahatnas. Brothers India,andof the several ofthe passages ofthe book ofDaniel,rvho beenirritiated tlrernyshad to teris ofthe Chaldeans Magiwhich,according Eubulus, or to weredjvidedinto threeclasses genera, highesr or the beirrg nosi ieamed?" rh (See Jz.ad,Ulrt 'Es anonettu Mo)as arul {ht Qlihes.) In his introductorl notesto rhePoPoL DL G[thrie presents number ltlt, a o1 importantparallelisms bet{en this sacred book of dre Quich6sand rhe sacred writingsofother gfeatcivili,ations. rhetests In throughwhich Hunahpu and Xldanque are forced to passhe finds ttre fotlorvhg analogywith dre signs ol the zodiacas enployedin dre Myst i.s ol dre [,gypriars, Chaldeans, and Greeks: the the 'Aries,crossirrg riverofmud. Tirurus,crossing riverofbltnd. Genini. deteclirgdre two durnmykilgs. Cancel tlre Houseof Darhess. Leo, the HouseofSpears. Virgo, the Houseol Cold (the usurl trip to HelJ).t,ibra,dre llousr of Tigers (fehre po;e). Scorpio,the House of Fire. Sagitrarius, the

arlrRrcar{ rr{0rar1 sY r0Lrsrrr r45 Houseof Bats, wherethe God Camazotz decapitates ofthe heroes. one Capri(he corn,theburnineon thescatTold dualPhanit). Aquarius, theirashes being scattered a river. Pisces in thir ashes turning into r.ar-y'',{,i, dd later backinto It would seemmoreappropriate assign river ofblood to Arics md to the that ofmud to Taums, ard it is not at aI improl,able dnt in the ancient folm of the legend orderofthe riverswasreversed. Gud ie'smostastorisllirg the Dr. conchnion hiseltortto identi$Xibalbawith theaociertcolrtinent is ofAdmtis. princes He sees thetwelve in ofxibalba dremlersofdrc Atlarteanenpire,and iI thedestructnD oftheseprinas by thenagic ofHunahpuand Xbalanque atl allegoricaldepiction ofthe tngic end ofAtlantis. '[o the initiated, howevcr,it is evident that Ada*is is sinply a slnbolic frgurc in which is setforth th mysrery oforigins. pr;marilywith th problenrs mysticalanatomy, Pryse Concerned of Mr. relatesthe various symb<ns describcd nr dre Pzfal rzli k, dle occult centen,of consciousnes the humanbod,t Accordingly, sees the elasdc in he in ball the p;neal glandard in HunahpuandXbalanque dualelectric the currentdirccted alongthe spinalcolunn. U ortunately, Pryse not Fanslare portion Mr did thar ol t\e Pofol hh <lealingdirecdy the;nitiatory with ceremonial. Xibalbahe considersto be the shadowy ethricsphrewhich, accordirgto thc Mystcry or taclings, was located withir thc t'ody of thc plaret itsell: The fburth book of drePabol ltuh concl,tdeswtthan accountofth erectionofa rnajestictemple,all white, where*as preser.red secretblack clivhnrg stonc,culical in shape. a Gucmatz (or Quetzalcoatl)partakes ofnany ofthe attributes ofKing Solonon: ihe account ofthe templ buildingln &e Polol l/anis a reminder ofdr storyof Solomon'slemple, and undoubtedly has a snnilarsignficance. Bnsseu dc Bourbourg rvasfint attractdto the studl of religious panllelisms in the Polrl F?r,by thfactthatthetemple, togetherwith theblackstone which itcontained, \\as ian\ea the Caabaha,a nameastonishirgly sirnilar to that ofdre Tenple, or Caara,wHch contains sacred blackstoneoflslan. the 'rhe erploits of Hunahpu and Xbalanque takeplace before the actualcreatior ofdre hrman raceand therefore to be considered are essertially spirias tual nystcries. Xilalba doubdcsssigniliesthc infcior universcofChaldan and philosophy; prnrces Pythagorean the ofXibalbaarethtwelve Govemors ofthe lower uii!rse; a thc two durnies or narilins ir dreir nLidstna1. be irr teryreted ar the te'o {alse signs of the ancient zodiac inserted in the heavens incornprehensible $e profan.'Ihe to mak the astroromical Nlysteries io descent ofllunahpu andXbalalqueinto dresubteranean kirgdon ofxi.balba

TX I

SECRTT

I E A T H I IIG5

OT AIL

AGES

by crossnrg overthe riversor br gesmrde Iiom their blo$'guns a subdc has analog)to the dcscert ofthe spiritualnatureofrnan into the physical body throughcertain superyhysical channets mavbe likexcdto rhcblovgunsor drat tubes. The lal,ardn is alsoar appropriatc cmblen ofthe spinalcord and dre powerresident u,itlLirits tinv crntral opening.'lhe two youthsuc irNitc.l t{) playthe "GameolLifb" with dreGodsofDeath,ard only*idr theaiclofsuper llatunl power impartedto them bv the "Sages" can thev triurnphover these gloonylords.The tests reprcsent soulwanderimg dre th,rugh tLesu!-zodia.dl realms ofthe created univcrse; finalvictoryovertLeLorclsofDeadrrepredreir sents asccnsion th spiritualandilluniled cimcn,usness th ol liom theiower xaturewhichhasbeen$4rollrconsuned thefire o{ qriritualpurification. by l hat the Quich6s possessed ke,vs drex,Ftcry ofregeneration evi rhe ro is dentlrom an analysis ofthe symbols appcaring upor theinrages ofrheirpriests alrd gods. In Vol. ll of the A aL6 lel Lea j\a.ianal d( M4xico;s ftprc/uce.l theheadofaninngeBDeraliv considered represent to The Quetzllcoad. sculptuing is distinctry Orientalin character or the cronn ofthe headappear and bodrdrethousand petaled sur$urstoi spirihral illun,inariorandthe serpent of the liberatedspirral lirc. The Hindu dra,{z is urur;st:}ableand jt frquend} appars the retigious ofthe dree ,Anericas. in art One (r1 carved the noxolirl,s ofCentralAnerica is adorlred {ith thc heads tlvo elephants of widi thcir drivers.No suchannnaL Larc cxisted theW'estern in llemisptrcre since prehisroric timesaDdit is evident dratthecaningsarcthe resultofcontactwirh the distanr conrineni Asia.,qmong N{ysteries the CentralAmcricanIndjansis a of dre o{ renarkable doctrirrc conceningdrconsccrated nurtles ol asthevwerecalled nr Europe.nagic capes. Because thcir gloryszs {:tal to rnortalvisio4 thegods. whenappearing theidtiattd priests,robed to thenrelves d,se n, nanrles..\ilegory and tablelikcu'ise th mandes are with lvlich the secret .loctrire is evcr erveloped. Sucha magic capeof conccalnent thePofol l'zi, anddecpwitlin is 'l'he n,assivc its ti,ldssitsthegodofQui.L6 plilosoph,\. pvramids. temfles.and nonoliths ofCentral Anerica rnal bc likencdalson, d1elaerofgods. whose upperpartsltle enshrouded nagic martlesofnrvisibilitr'. irr