He looked around the table at each and every one of the people with whom he had shared the adventure.
“Every one of you contributed to that final awakening. I could feel the desire and intent in each of your hearts, beginning with Maria, and saw it most clearly perhaps in the unconditionally pure love that always shines from C.D.’s eyes . . . from his entire being,” he said warmly. “But it was most powerful in the collective energy of the group, the collective purity of each of you as members of the Twelve, seeking to help not just your individual families and nations, but all of humanity.
“It brought home to me—in the moment of numerical and vibrational connection—the pure base of love, which is, in fact, the essential element of all life. It is at the base of each conception and birth, both physical and metaphysical. Had I, as Max, not entered this higher state of consciousness, I would have been an ignition key without the power to heal the planet, and the great shift might not be happening.”
He paused again, allowing what he had said to sink in, then spoke.
“There is more involved with human destiny than scientists can fathom.” He held up the object that had been the key to his discovery. “Here in B.N. Mahars’s notebook, there are equations that explain some of these connections, but even I as Max did not have the capacity to understand them. The calendars of the ancient civilizations, the legends of the twelve tribes, the twelve colors associated with each of you and with the cosmic energy of the universes beyond, all are linked.
“It is true that everything and nothing are the same, since the shift. There is no time. There is no space. And yet the illusions of life and death are real within the limits in which they have been created.” He put down the book and peered at them, one at a time. “As you progress and become multidimensional beings, you will see that even these insights are but the beginning of a greater journey of awakening . . . a journey best explored at a future time.”
Maria looked back at him, a mixture of love and awe reflected on her face.
“Yes,” she said. “For now it seems enough to rejoice that humanity is saved. But before long the questions will begin again. Where do we go from here? What must we do with the remainder of our sacred lives?” she asked.
Before he answered, he smiled at her, and in his smile lay the promise that they would live and love together, just as they had pledged. And the human who was Max rejoiced.
“For the moment, and in fact for all moments, it’s enough that you each experience the joy of who you really are. On the surface your lives may not change at all, but as you move throughout this vast and strange world, be aware that every human you meet—every animal, every plant, and even every object most think of as lifeless—is brimming with life.
“Challenges remain for all of you and even for me. For I desire nothing more than to continue on the journey of Max and discover what human tasks await me and how as a man with human needs and frailties, I will integrate the knowledge of who I really am with all whom I am yet to meet.”
As he concluded, Max raised his glass in a toast to all assembled, as they continued on the strange journey that both man and God call “life.”Epilogue
NONE OF THE TWELVE EVER REVEALED THE ROLE THEY EACH HAD played in bringing about the great shift, and none of them exposed the true identity of Max as the One.
Meanwhile, the Earth flourished, and global warming slowed, then ceased. Perhaps more spectacularly, man found a balance with nature.
New technologies were invented, new forms of energy were found. Abundance became commonplace for all. Within just a few decades, the concept of war ceased to exist, and education and creativity became the battlefields of choice. There was no reason for crime.
Scientists continued to explore the dramatic shift that took place on December 21, 2012, but never arrived at a consensus. Some went back and studied the ancient Mayan beliefs, and it was proposed that the Earth—and Izapa in particular—were located at the center of the alignment of the great galaxy of the Milky Way and at the center of the infinite universes yet unnamed.
How this could be was the topic that was argued and never resolved, for indeed it was beyond human understanding.Postscript
THOUGH THE TWELVE IS ESSENTIALLY A WORK OF FICTION, IT contains more elements of reality than you might suspect. The belief in the great shift is reflected in aspects of several of the world’s cultures, not only the Mayan.
And certainly, the current state in which we find our planet and its cultures would prove that something needs to be done. Whether or not you believe in a higher power—whether you consider yourself a Running Bear or a Dr. Alan—you can be a part of the solution.
Truth, integrity, and love are what will always matter most in life. The shift that is coming will highlight these simple values, which have been known throughout the ages.
As a species and planet, we are facing huge challenges, but the first steps are to wake up to who you really are and wake up as many others as you can. Reading and discussing The Twelve is a step in this direction, but only a step.
If you have connected with Max’s belief that coincidences, serendipity, and synchronicities are embedded in every life, and that they can guide you to your higher purpose to serve others, then please go to http://www.planetchange2012.com, where you can connect with like-minded individuals.
Acknowledgments
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE READERS OF THE EARLY DRAFTS OF this manuscript including: Catherine Chiesa, David Wilk, Gayle Newhouse, Bob Holt, Linda McNabb, Cathy Montesi, Conrad Zensho, Thom Hartmann, Constance Kellough, Jose Arguelles, Cyrus Gladstone, Santos Rodriguez, and Dr. Ervin Laszlo. My thanks to my editors, Marie Rowe, Georgina Levitt, Kim McArthur, Amanda Ferber, and Stephen Saffel, who each added valuable suggestions to the manuscript, as did film producer Ian Jessel, my cousin Rhianne, and my film agent, Barry Krost. My appreciation to Waterside staff Ming Russell, Nathalie McKnight, and Carlene Hermanson, who spent many hours typing corrections and additions to the early and later drafts, and to copyeditor Claire Wyckoff. I have a truly wonderful publisher in Roger Cooper, who assembled a great team to edit and produce the beautiful book you hold in your hands. To all of them my heartfelt gratitude as well as to all those whose lives have intersected with mine from teachers and colleagues, to clients and golfing buddies, allowing me the privilege of living a life that stimulated the writing of this book. Above all I must acknowledge my late parents, Selma and Milton Gladstone, who provided me both the intellectual foundation and inspiration to share my soul with others through the magic of writing.
In Joy,
William Gladstone
I am deeply appreciative of the work that Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute have done and continue to do to educate young people on the importance and sacredness of their connection with the earth and all living things. A percentage of my author royalties are being donated to Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots. I encourage you to visit www.rootsandshoots.org and to consider making a contribution of your own.
Recommended Reading
Argüelles, José. The Mayan Factor: Path Beyond Technology. Rochester, VT: Bear & Company, 1987.
Audlin, James David (Distant Eagle). Circle of Life: Traditional Teachings of Native American Elders. Santa Fe, NM: Clear Light Publishing, 2006.
Braden, Gregg, Peter Russell, Daneil Pinchbeck, et al. The Mystery of 2012: Predictions, Prophecies, and Possibilities. Louisville, CO: Sounds True Publishing, 2007. (Audio also available.)
Clow, Barbara Hand. The Mayan Code: Time Acceleration and Awakening the World Mind. Rochester, VT: Bear & Company, 2007.
Gladstone, William. Legends of the Twelve. New York, NY: Vanguard Press, 2010.
Jenkins, John Major, and Terence McKenna. Maya Cosmogenisis 2012: The True Meaning of the Maya Calendar End-Date. Rochester, VT: Bear & Company, 1998.
Laszlo, Ervin. Worldshift 2012: Making Green Business, New Politics, and Higher Consciousness Work Together. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2009.
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Loye, David. An Arrow Through Chaos: How We See into the Future. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2000.
Márquez, Gabriel Garcia. 100 Years of Solitude. New York, NY: Avon, 1976.
Melchizedek, Drunvalo. Serpent of Light Beyond 2012: The Movement of the Earth’s Kundalini and the Rise of the Female Light, 1949 to 2013. Newburyport, MA: Weiser Books, 2008.
Michell, John, and Christine Rhone. Twelve-Tribe Nations: Sacred Number and the Golden Age. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2008.
Page, Christine R. 2012 and the Galactic Center: The Return of the Great Mother. Rochester, VT: Bear & Company, 2008.
South, Stephanie. 2012: Biography of a Time Traveler: The Journey of José Argüelles. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press, 2009.
Whitehead, Alfred North. Modes of Thought. New York, NY: Fireside, 1970.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
A Note from the Author
Preface
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Acknowledgments
Recommended Reading
The Twelve Page 24