Booklist Review
With 2012 right around the corner, prepare for the onslaught of books about the ending of the current epoch of the Mayan calendar, which some see as an apocalyptic date. The Carlos Castaneda-like Barrios, a shaman and member of the Mayan Elders Council, reports that December 21, 2012 will not be the end of the world or the end of humanity. On the contrary, It will be the start of a period in which harmony and understanding can reign. Don't bring out the champagne quite yet, though; the destruction of a large part of the world is still possible if humanity doesn't change. Exactly how this change is to come about is a little murky, perhaps because the book is so densely written and filled with Mayan terms. Moreover, Barrios structures his account around divisions and subdivisions of Mayan calendars and cycles a narrative strategy that doesn't promote fluid reading. The last half of the book comprises something called The Book of Destiny, which informs readers how to access one of the calendars to learn one's life purpose (a good thing to know before 2012).--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2009 Booklist
Library Journal Review
On December 12, 2012, we will enter the Mayan era of the Fifth Sun, an epoch of peace and harmony with nature. In this translation of Kam Wuj: El Libro del Destino (2000), Barrios, an anthropologist and Mayan shaman, reveals how Mayan elders have retained their sacred knowledge of prophecy based on intricate mathematics and astronomy. Included is a Mayan-style astrological ephemeris to the 20 life paths based on birth date with destiny profiles. Verdict Fans of the occult and New Age books will delight in how Barrios connects the Mayan dots to the Pleiades; ancient Egyptian, Greek, Polynesian, and Celtic cultures; space/time travelers; pyramids; crystal skulls; and the lost continent of Atlantis, leaving little doubt that the end of the Mayan calendar portends big changes for the planet. Get ready!-Janet Tapper, Western States Chiropractic Coll. Lib., Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
