Ancient wisdom did not disappear.

We simply stopped knowing how to listen.

 

Can Western science and our way of understanding reality expand enough to take Indigenous wisdom seriously—not merely as facts to study, but as lived traditions that may still have meaning for our lives today?

Most of us are used to thinking ancient wisdom froze in time or exists only symbolically. Yet many Indigenous traditions remain alive, grounded in relational ways of understanding existence—linking person, nature, and cosmos.

At a time when society feels increasingly fragmented, hyperconnected, and yet deeply isolating, these traditions may offer perspectives on balance, connection, and the crisis of meaning in modern life.

BOOKs

 

 

 

 

 

     "Alien worlds seldom seem strange 

                      when looked at in greater detail."

 

 

 

         DESTINY Books:

          Inner Traditions/Simon & Schuster

 

        Purchase through the publisher →

        Also available on Amazon

Description

 

The traditional Maya live within a cosmos that industrialized societies have largely forgotten

—a world where time, nature, and spirit remain deeply interconnected.

Through years spent living alongside Maya communities in Guatemala, anthropologist Gabriela Jurosz-Landa was invited into a realm of knowledge rarely opened to outsiders.

In this book, she takes readers to walk alongside her into the rhythms of Maya day and night, and into an ancient wisdom that continues to hold profound relevance for our world today.

 

Listen to an excerpt:

 

Chapter 14:  My Introduction to the Maya Calendar Energies →

In Español: El tiempo esta vivo →

Reviews

 

"Transcendent Wisdom of the Maya bridges the western scientific worldview and the spiritual world of the Maya brilliantly. Its wonderful photographs and detailed storytelling are very compelling. I have enjoyed time with the Maya in the Yucatan, and Gabriela’s wonderful stories of weaving, dancing, healing, and divining brought it all back to me as if I’d never left. Her description of her Welcoming Ceremony by the Quiché Maya is a significant contribution to anthropological literature, and the New Era celebration in 2012 offers hope for our future. 

 

This is a heartfelt and genuine story of Maya life, a must-read for understanding their time cycles and culture." 

 

--Barbara Hand Clow: Author of The Mayan Code and Awakening the Planetary Mind

 

"Gabriela Jurosz-Landa’s rich and enlightening book is a surprising spiritual journey to mysterious cultures, an inner self-journey and possibly a road-map for our culture’s future survival.

Her destined journey to Guatemala where she was initiated as a Day-Keeper (Shaman-priestess), is fascinating.

The anthropologist generously shares deep knowledge and wisdom of the ancient Mayan heritage as she takes us through the process of her initiation. I highly recommend this superb book."

 

--Itzhak Beery, modern shaman and DESTINY BOOKS’ author of Shamanic Healing

 

"Pierre Bourdieu’s suggestion for the development of a theory of practice comes to mind when reading Gabriela Jurosz-Landa’s well-researched and highly enjoyable anthropological narrative which provides a perfect illustration of Clifford Geertz’s concept of “thick description.” This pioneering turning-point in Mayan studies opens a window into the inner workings of Maya knowledge as lived in the political leadership and shamanic ritual practice—ancient and contemporary. In order to interpret the patterns within an initiation, the author goes through the process of becoming a shaman-priestess, defining prayer in a whole new manner. She lays out liminal experiences and takes the reader on a journey through shamanic instructions, including:

 

•    Mastering the count and interpretation of the 260 calendar days by name, symbol,

     and meaning

•    Building a proper ceremonial fire

•    Knowing when, how, AND to whom to make offerings and prayers said

•    Knowing how to “see” and interpret outer and inner occurrences during ceremonies

      and beyond

•    Communicating with the ancestors and numinous beings

•    Shape-shifting

•    Basic cosmic understanding

•    Healing procedures

•    Knowing where the specific altars are in Guatemala and the direct surroundings.

 

A major focal point of the book is the Maya concept of time, central in Maya consciousness. Juxtaposing Maya and Western awareness, the author branches out philosophically to compare the Maya perception of time-space with that of quantum mechanics, both searching to describe objects of frequency operating in space. Questioning a purely scientific approach, she points out how the human is not first and foremost a rational being. Based on Western phenomenology she underlines the significance of gaining knowledge out of personal experience combined with spiritual deduction rather than rational deduction alone. The author also addresses the idea of freedom questioning the possibility of its existence within the current understanding of time."

 

--Prof. em Dr. Thomas Bargatzky, Department of Anthropology, University of Bayreuth, Germany

Substack

Deutsche Ausgabe 

German-language edition

 

MAYA TRANSZENDENZ  ist eine überarbeitete und verdichtete Fassung des englischsprachigen Originals.

Im Mittelpunkt stehen die spirituelle Reise der Autorin sowie die gelebten Praktiken

und Weltbilder der Maya—vermittelt für Leserinnen und Leser moderner Industriegesellschaften.

 

The German-language edition is a revised and condensed adaptation of the English-language original, focusing on the author’s spiritual journey and on Maya practices and cosmology as they relate to life in contemporary industrialized societies.

 

                                                                                                                              Hier erhältlich →

Leserstimmen:

Selected Reader Responses

 

"Eine sehr wichtige Neuerscheinung nicht nur zu den Mayas, sondern für alle, die an Erfahrungsmöglichkeiten und Selbsterfahrung jenseits westlicher Episteme interessiert sind. Das Buch ermöglicht, in das spirituelle Leben dieses faszinierenden Volkes einzutauchen. Dennoch ist es auf wissenschaftlicher Grundlage verfasst, wobei die Verfasserin extrem von ihrem mehrjährigen Aufenthalt in Guatemala profitiert. So kann sie zugleich aus erster Hand berichten. Fesselnd."

 

"A very important new publication not only about the Mayans, but for everyone who is interested in experiences and self-discovery beyond western epistemologies. The book allows you to dive into the spiritual life of this fascinating people. Nevertheless, it is written on a scientific basis, and the author benefits extremely from her stay in Guatemala for several years. This allows her to report first-hand at the same time. Engaging."

 

 

"Spannend zu lesen, wie die Maya heute das Wissen ihrer Vorfahren in Ritualen und alltäglicher Traditionen am Leben erhalten. Die indigenen Werte dienen auch als Wegweiser. Das Buch bietet viele gute Ansätze um politische Gegensätze zu überbrücken und eine innere Balance zu schaffen."

 

"Exciting to read how the Maya keep their ancestral knowledge alive today in rituals and everyday traditions. The indigenous values also serve as a guide. The book offers many good approaches to bridge political differences and create an inner balance."

 

Poetry & Literary Work

COLLECTION OF 9/11 POEMS

 

Written in Manhattan on September 11th, 2001, as the towers fell, this collection is both a personal witness and a poetic reflection on grief, memory, and human fragility.

Revisiting these poems two decades later, Gabriela Jurosz-Landa transforms the emotions of that day into a broader meditation on loss, unity, and the enduring role of art in times of crisis.

 

Available at →

 

                                                              Featured Poem: First Literary East →

 

Goodreads
About | Payment and Delivery Information | Privacy Policy | Sitemap
Log in Log out | Edit
Jimdo

This site was created with Jimdo Creator! Sign up for free now at https://www.jimdo.com