Tierra y Vida

GREETINGS EVERYONE, I'm Steve Copeland: the Director of the Shift of the Ages project. Thank you for your interest in what we are doing. I'd like to share a few personal thoughts for your consideration. It's been a pleasure being exposed to the sacred knowledge of the world's elders from which I've evolved a personal perspective. I know what I'm sharing to be my truth that I offer in the spirit of Oneness. I trust you will take these words into your mind and heart and evaluate them as you seek to know your truth. And now with that, I'd like to talk about the Shift of the Ages film project.

For me the film is an exploration of time and consciousness. It's about the nature of time, and the time we're experiencing now. Many of our Ancestors have marked our period of existence as a very special one. Our special period is one that signifies momentous changes on a multitude of levels. What I have gathered from interviews with indigenous elders is that we are in the midst of a transition that was predicted eons ago and is presently progressing with increasing intensity and acceleration. The Ancient Ones left many stories, glyphs, and prophecies describing with great detail major planetary transitions of the past, as well as what to expect in our present time of conversion. In addition to the indigenous people, a vast majority of the world's religions also refer to our present time as one that harbors a big-shift - "The Shift of the Ages". I have interviewed the elders and scholars from a broad spectrum of cultures and most amazing thing for me is how similar the various traditions prophecies, perspectives, and detailed accounts of past transitions are in relation to each other. From Peru to Siberia, I have found common ground in the interpretation of their records.

The Ancient Mayan Calendar ends a roughly 5200-year cycle known as the long-count near the Gregorian year of 2012. According to the Mayan tradition this is the death of the 4th Period of the Sun, and the birth of the new 5th Period of the Sun. This event is the end of cycles within cycles and is a new term of existence marked by some specific adjustments in our collective perception of reality. The Mayan Calendar's closing occurs at a very important time in mankind's evolution. Some amazing and unique astronomical events will occur around 2012 that were predicted eons ago. These events were known in advance by the Mayans and are contained within their calendars.

So what are we to make of these events and the closing of this major cycle? I believe the closing leads us into a total adjustment in the way we perceive reality. This is the time when we regain our suppressed powers and recall the forgotten technologies we once possessed. According to the Mayan prophecy we are living the return of the ancestors and the men of wisdom. Our time truly is the "Shift of the Ages."

The sewed seeds of Ancient Prophecy are sprouting into common knowledge and our capacity of awareness is increasing globally. However, people are having a tough time with the ancient information that was left for us to consider. We want answers for what's going on in today's world, and we want to know what's going to happen in the future. People want a better world. Yet we experience ourselves as "stuck" in a "collective agreement" that sees our environment as rapidly deteriorating. It's an "agreement" that anticipates some unknown external event to suddenly arrive and provide liberation. This linear and "Western-ish" perspective keeps the ruling society from accepting its worldly responsibility in the present moment. This is the same perspective that is responsible for the seemingly divided Indigenous and Western Worlds. Earth's soft Indigenous voice grows louder and louder as people increasingly search for leaders of truth. There are traditions that have kept a close and sacred connection with nature and Mother Earth. The people of these traditions are aware of simple things that the average Westerner can't seem to grasp at the present. As a Westerner myself I believe the carriers of Indigenous Wisdom will be the heroes of our near future once we do start to grasp these messages, and are willing to learn from them. I also believe we, as Westerners, can become heroes to the Indigenous Worlds if we can feel their perspective. Over the years I have been blessed with the opportunity to feel the heart of the Indigenous World. I became very passionate about bringing this world back to my friends and family so they can benefit as I have.

I entered the film business to make a difference in some way or another. I had the idea for the Shift of the Ages film while I was living in Costa Rica. At this time of my life I was reading great books, traveling, and meeting amazing and spiritually aware human beings everywhere. I feel very deeply in my being that we are living in an amazing time of transformation, and through my readings have found that the Ancient Maya's documentation is the most accurate explanation of the process we now experience. I want to help heal the wound between the Native and Western Worlds and the Maya's cosmic understanding coupled with the heart of various other Indigenous traditions seems fitting to do just that. I feel that allowing both sides to tell their story while affirming that we are in a process of transformative healing will benefit the world greatly. I came up with the concept of a movie trilogy using a model based off of the ancient prophecy known as the "Prophecy of the Eagle and Condor". The first film would be the indigenous heart manifested through the Shift of the Ages. This film would gather ancient knowledge and wisdom while celebrating Indigenous workers of light. This would be followed by the mind of the western "Vision". This second installment would be the envisioning of a compassionate "blueprint" or road map to aid in the healing of our world. The combining of these two films would be displayed in action in the third chapter: the "Return of the Garden". And that was it, three movies: The Shift of the Ages, The Vision, and The Return of the Garden.

On behalf of many Indigenous communities around the world and my film crew, I'm excited to introduce a 13th generation Quiche Mayan High Priest. His name is Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj. To Indigenous people around the World he is simply known as "Wandering Wolf". Don Alejandro is the lead character in the Shift of the Ages film. His Earthly work is to travel the World as a representative of the Mayans; to hold council with Indigenous elders, conduct sacred ceremony, and share the prophecies of the Mayan culture while listening to the prophecies of his brothers of other traditions. His goal is to spiritually unite the Indigenous leaders of our world and prepare the collective for the transition that we are experiencing. He is an amazing human being that says some pretty gnarly stuff. The idea for the Shift of the Ages was rattling around in my mind long before my actual meeting of Don Alejandro. I financially sponsored his wife to accompany him to a conference in CA. In the process I was asked to spend some time with the two of them. We connected on a heart level. I never approached Don Alejandro about the project. In my first meeting with him he synchronistically commissioned my company, Positive Purpose Productions (P-Qubd), to produce a film on behalf of the Mayan Council of Elders in Guatemala. It took me a while to accept the honor. The magnitude of this commission has been daunting. The film developed into the documentation of Don Alejandro's teachings, the releasing of sacred Mayan knowledge and is to serve as a voice for the suppressed indigenous perspective. It's a calling for tribal unification and the collective initiation of progressive action towards balance on Mother Earth.

I traveled with Don Alejandro and his wife Elizabeth from country to country in the Americas for 40 days and 40 nights. Our mission was one filled with absolute miracles as we actively participated in fulfilling the prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor (for more information on this read the Shift of the Ages movie treatment at www.shiftingages.com. On our journey we felt the loving hand of the Creator everywhere we went. Following the forty days in the Americas the mission continued as I traveled to Siberia for three weeks documenting Don Alejandro's cultural exchange with spiritual elders from the North Eastern region of our planet. This particular exchange was under the sponsorship of my friend, colleague, and hard-core environmentalist Bill Pfeiffer of the Sacred Earth Network. The exchange was amazingly beautiful and surpasses my ability to describe what happened. It truly was a time of unified hearts. Here's a note to any do-gooders out there, look up Bill and the Sacred Earth Network (www.sacredearthnetwork.org). They are doing some extraordinary work and can use your help.

Originally when I started to marinate in the possibilities of a story, I had a tough time figuring out how to frame it into a feature presentation that would have mass appeal, and at the same time not blow out the messages of the Elders. Finding a balance between entertainment and education did not come overnight. Behind this educational offering lies a horrendous history of Native slaughter by Western Colonists. Of course this past is what has left the festering wound I spoke about earlier in the passage. The process of healing this wound starts with the West's willingness to put its over analytical thought apparatus on the back burner and compassionately feel the Indigenous cry. This means to not pick apart and chew up the details, but get to the real heart's core of their messages and wisdom. It's our intent for this film to be embraced by the West. We do not intend it to be a collection of Mayan Calendar mechanics to further analyze, nor are we attempting to become authorities on the Indigenous perspective through this piece. It has been produced in an artsy and entertaining way with a heartfelt message that I fell contains half of what we need to heal this planet. The film seeks to awaken the West's collective heart.

There are those who know that this is the moment when we need to think and dream the highest possible vision for a new reality. These are the people who are connecting the dots of light in our world. My partner Les Carney calls them "energetic weavers," I'll call them the "Light Workers". It has become important for these "workers of light" to turn away from the problems that plague us, and towards the potentials we posses for more positive alternatives. No more analysis paralysis. We are rapidly closing in on the big decision; what will be the Vision held for our World? Do we want clean air, or dirty air? Do we want wars and scarcity, or peace and prosperity? Sacred knowledge and wisdom reminds us that we are capable of manifesting anything. We will create an existence where the word "waste" is entirely eliminated from our vocabulary. We are the ones we've been waiting for, and it is our participation that is laying the groundwork for a new world of balance, peace and harmony. We are living out the Shift of the Ages. We are experiencing the event the ancient ones were talking about. We get to participate as co-creators. We determine where we go, and how we get there. I believe that ancient technologies and powers are returning to us all, and this belief is reflected in the film.

This first project has been blessed all over the world in countless ceremonies. As we step into the final phases of post production Don Alejandro assures us that everything is in perfect order and all will work out just fine. I feel very compelled to capture the heart of Don Alejandro and his wife Elizabeth for the film's audience. The two walk their talk and I love and respect both of them for that. They have stayed true to their paths and have not been swayed by money or power. He walks proud and is willing to do what he can to unite the world in this time of transition. The Shift of the Ages producers have organized a special journey around Guatemala with Don Alejandro and Elizabeth Araujo in December. For those adventurers wishing to participate in a sacred pilgrimage and be filmed the information is posted on www.lescarney.com ... or directly at: www.lescarney.com/don_alejandro_guatemala.htm

When we combine our networks and collectively create a win-win vision to manifest we will successfully transition into what the Mayans call the 5th Sun. The Shift of the Ages movie is not another "choir piece". We are attempting to artistically craft the film for mainstream appeal and impact. It's an honor for me to work with such amazing people and have the opportunity to partake in the mission of planetary rehabilitation as a job. This film is the opening that makes it "cool" to care again. Watch it, support it, and evolve it! Thank you for increasing awareness, and envisioning peaceful solutions.