In honor of my 100th post on this blog - for love of learning

Recently I did a talk on the Maya at the local museum as part of a series on 2012. It was the most well- attended of all the presentations - nearly 70 people came, crowding in to a small stuffy room to hear the about ancient Maya inscriptions etc.

Apparently an ex-President of the Museum had a fit about it. I was asked by the current President, to write a letter to the local newspaper about my perspective on the role of a museum.

One of the attributes of a vital museum in a community is that it responds to the needs and interests of that community. Look at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco - the de Young and the Legion of Honor. In an effort to serve their community, they have instituted free evenings on major exhibits so that they serve not
only their members who can afford to attend and support events, but also the working class and poor who cannot.

Even exhibits which normally cost up to 25.00 are free on Friday nights. Why? Are they losing money doing this? Well, if the health of the museum depends on the community, people will not support something they don't value. Not being able to go to museums because they are too expensive or cater to a select few, people will not care for them, allocate funds for them or set priorities in their favor. If they don't matter, they will cease to exist.

My mother started taking me to museums when I was quite young. For me, the old de Young was like church. What I learned there led to nearly all the things I have do and have done in my life. I developed an interest in other cultures, which led to degrees in Anthropology and Linguistics, serving as a Peace Corps volunteer
in Zaire, teaching English as a Second Language to Vietnamese refugees.

I loved the old exhibits they had on women's fashion through the ages, which led to my hobbies: knitting, embroidery, crocheting and sewing. As a teenager, I made all my own clothes. These days, I donate my creations to charity.

I loved the room exhibits at the old de Young where they reconstructed whole rooms taken from historic buildings. I was fascinated by furniture, textiles, carpets, ceramics...all of it.

While working at the Office of Preservation at the Library of Congress and pursuing a degree in Rare Book Librarianship at Catholic University, I studied Museum Conservation at the Smithsonian. This led to an interest in Museum Curatorship.

Later, while working at the California Department of Parks and Recreation, I worked on the exhibits at the Petaluma Adobe, the Benicia Capitol and Fischer-Hanlon House, the Vallejo Home and Jack London State Historic Park. My eclectic interests and skills were stimulated and fostered by museum exhibits and programs. They often led me to pursue more training.

While living in Washington, D.C. I was a Smithsonian Associate. I took classes in book-binding, paper making, calligraphy. I developed skills I have used throughout my professional and personal life.  I was able to design and write my own wedding invitations using Copperplate script. Later as a graduate student at Tulane University I worked on the illustrations for a book by one of my professors on Mayan Hieroglyphs because I had developed skills gained through these museum programs.

While a doctoral student at Tulane, I worked as Director of Educational Programs at the Maritime Museum in New Orleans.

To summarize: Museums have an important role to play in the education process. For seniors they provide entertainment, recreation, socialization. For adults, they serve as a source of continuing education. For children they are in the unique position to shape young minds in immeasurable ways. You can never know
how a child's mind will be stimulated leading to careers, hobbies, volunteer activities, and recreation.

If the Petaluma Museum hopes to be seen as a vital, progressive source of experience and educational opportunities, it must be willing to provide diverse opportunities.

Tradition has its value, and believe me, no one values history more than I do - I worked at several State Historic Parks, developing exhibits and programs and training docents, but the Petaluma Museum has a wider role. Otherwise, it would still house the old library. It's founder, Andrew Carnegie, saw the need for
continuing community education, when he established the system of libraries throughout the State of California. The library outgrew the facility which was then given a new role. Ultimately, the Petaluma Museum could/should outgrow the building. But, in order to expand, its vision has to expand.

The unique history of Petaluma is fascinating. I worked at Olompali SHP which was part of the chicken farming history of the area. This should not be overlooked or forgotten. It has its place in local history. Permanent exhibits on that topic are appropriate. But in order to expand membership, bring in more
visitors, generate income and fulfill its role as an educational institution, the Museum has to be willing to respond to a diversity of needs and interests. This can be accomplished through programs such as the Speakers Program, visiting exhibits etc. on a diversity of topics.

What's Going On?

I've noticed a trend. I look at hundreds of blogs on a regular basis and it seems that, in general, people are reporting that their lives have gotten so much more complex, busy or difficult that they have neglected their blogs. They either don't have a thing to say, or they don't have time to write.

What's going on? Is it a fad that is losing it's appeal? Are people finding out just how hard it is to make money blogging? Or has life taken a turn in the last couple of months? I think it's a little of all of those. Or is it something else?

I often get asked how you make money blogging. I make most of my money through Amazon. Sometimes I sell products through Etsy. I make the least from Adsense, but I do make some. True, I don't know much about all the ways to increase traffic. When I write regularly and drop my Entrecards regularly, my stats go up and that helps things a lot. While I started out blogging just to make money, I soon found that it was a medium for expressing myself and writing about the things I enjoy.

Lately, it has become a bit of a chore, sorry to say. I have been wondering why. And I can see from my perusal of other blogs, that others are experiencing the same thing. In fact, I am finding most things in life - a chore. I have this growing sense, that more and more aspects of life are losing their meaning. That so many of my activities are totally irrelevant. I see people bustling around and I wonder why?

The only thing I can find to account for these changes in my behavior and attitudes is the shift I experienced after hearing about the ideas of Nassim Haramein last month. You can go to his website, to see what he's doing. It's as if I feel the presence of another level of reality that is closer to REALITY and that this world is but an distant echo of it and is fading away. I know that sounds bizarre, but believe me, this is a sensation I have never experienced before and so it is difficult to describe. I feel hope and excitement about this approaching NEW WORLD or new level of reality. In some way, I feel it is already here, beginning to peek through.

I have changed many of my habits and activities. I have become activated in some odd way. I have created a new blog about 2012

I feel something has shifted in me as a result of hearing the information that Haramein expresses and a friend of mine says the same thing from watching his material on YouTube. I believe that, due to resonance, people are feeling the shift in consciousness and reacting to it and have no idea why. They use the explanations they know because they have no other way of communicating it. Haramein has plugged into the Shift that is occurring as a result of our conjunction to the Galactic Center and so his ideas are riding the wave of that Shift.

I'm curious about what changes you are experiencing, if any, and how you account for them.

I want to make it clear that the DVD being offered through the Amazon link in the sidebar is different from that advertised in the picture above. The one in the picture is a 4 DVD set for 84.00 and the one at Amazon is 1 DVD for 9.95. I just thought the graphic from Haramein's website was beautiful.

I'm Back.... Sort of

Well, I'm sort of back. After two weeks, Circuit City called to tell me that since they will be going out of business soon, the service center sent my computer back unfixed and could I hurry up and pick it up before they shut for good. Great! Two weeks without my computer and still not fixed! I will have to send it in myself. Of course, I am concerned about all the people losing their jobs and the fact that one more company is folding during this meltdown.

To be able to use my computer, I had to buy a wireless mouse, because it was my mouse pad that went south. I practiced with it and it is okay for backup, but want my built-in mouse pad again.

Now try to tell me there's no such thing as "mercury retrograde". I knew something would go wrong with this process, but I took it in anyway. I will wait until past the "shadow period" before I dare send it in. This includes the degree that mercury went retrograde.

One thing I learned was just how "addicted" I am to being online everyday for hours. I miss my blog friends soooo much! I miss reading my favs and dropping my EC card. And, yes, I did clean house (a little). Did a major archaeological excavation of the downstairs storage area and almost every pile in the rest of the house. And threw stuff out! Yes, for those who know me, this is amazing! I am a pack rat. Born under the Chinese sign of Rat and boy if you ever come in my house, you'll know it. Now at least I know what is in the piles. When I have to send the computer in again in about a month, I will tackle some more of that.

I also have the goal of creating a space to see my astrology and flower essence clients starting in March or April. I have been thinking about this for months. Rent an office? Share a space with others? What? I have decided to create an area downstairs. That way I am not pressured to "make money" to pay the rent and I can create the atmosphere I want.

I also had to "dig" to find one box that contains all the materials for a class I hope to teach this summer at a local junior college on Mayan Hieroglyphs. I taught the class as a weekend workshop 5 years at Sonoma State University many years ago. I have continued to do my own research since then and want to teach it again at a place more people can afford. I am also producing a CD of the class which I will offer for sale here and on my other blogs which teaches basic hieroglyphs, the Mayan calendar, plus the latest info on 2012.

During this computerless period, I have been reading everything I can find on 2012 from many perspectives. You can see some of the books on my astrology blog.

Whatever Floats Your Boat

I haven't been posting this week except for my Issue of the Week on my herbal blog because my 'sweetie' has been visiting from Mexico where he lives on his boat. This the fulfillment of his life's dream. He wanted me to go with him, but I couldn't hack living on a boat. So.... I've been down there twice this year and he's been up here twice.

Anyway, I wanted to write a bit about the conference I'm going to in San Francisco Halloween weekend. 2012 Conference, San Francisco - Shift Happens.

Many years ago, I was working on a PhD. in Mayan Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans. I have been interested in the Maya for at least 40 years. I taught courses on Mayan Hieroglyphs and Mayan Culture through the Extension program at Sonoma State University.

Because of my academic background, I was always skeptical of "2012" stuff. I knew it was the end of a calender period of 5125 years, but it was the end of a cycle within many many cycles and so, as such, no more significant than the end of a millennium for us. Of course, each time a millennium ends, people in modern culture have predicted an 'end of the world'.

I'm not sure why I decided to check out a book by John Major Jenkins entitled 'Maya Cosmogenesis: 2012'. I don't recall the chain of events right now. This led me to an Internet search, which led me to this conference, which I have decided to attend.

The book is incredible. He has integrated the anthropological and archaeological information with astronomy and some 'New Age' teachings. In some cases, he makes logical leaps that are not necessarily appropriate, but in the long run, his results make total sense to me.

He makes the case that the Maya knew about the precession of the equinoxes and rather than designing their calender on a historical or mythological beginning, they worked backwards from an 'end date', Dec. 21, 2012. This is when the Sun will line up with the Galactic Center of our Milky Way Galaxy and this will be visible just before sunrise at particular latitudes.

His argument is well backed up by data and it is convincing. So what? you might well say. Scientists have determined that the center of our galaxy is a 'black hole'.

Wikipedia has this to say:
"A black hole is a theoretical region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even electromagnetic radiation (e.g. visible light), can escape its pull after having fallen past its event horizon. The term derives from the fact that the absorption of visible light renders the hole's interior invisible, and indistinguishable from the black space around it."

The Maya saw this black hole as the womb of the Great Mother, thus the place of Creation. The Sun was the Father. Thus when the Sun and the GC came together, Creation happened. This occurs every 26,000 years.

In light of this information and the scientific data regarding black holes, we may well ask ourselves what will happen. According to Jenkins, it is not just a finite period of one day, but rather of years leading up to and following the actual alignment. We are already in that period of years. In addition, in Mayan calendrics, time cycles overlap. They don't just end and begin. It is not 2007 on Dec. 31 and 2008 on Jan. 1. Rather there is a period of time toward the end of the year that overlaps with the beginning of the next year. Time is seen as cyclic, not linear.

Could all the upheaval that is occurring in society at this time be part of the "Shift"? I think so. Many institutions have been under scrutiny and some are crumbling or changing. Many people are living in fear these days about their future. The Earth itself is undergoing rapid change due to Global Warming. Where will it all lead?

I invite your comments.