Product Description: The first translation of a previously unknown Aztec codex and its initiatory teachings for 2012
• Discloses the potential for great spiritual awakening offered at the end of the Aztec calendar cycle
• Presents the only existing English-language transcription of the Aztec codex, with line-by-line commentary
• Contains the epic poetry and metaphysical insights of Beat poet Marty Matz (1934–2001
In 1961 an unknown Aztec codex was revealed to Beat poet and explorer Marty Matz by a Mazatec shaman in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Originally intended for dramatic performance, this codex presents a profound metaphysical teaching describing how the end of time will bring about a visionary ascent. At the behest of his Mazatec teacher, Matz transcribed this pictorial codex into a literary form that would preserve its initiatory teachings and reveal its secret meanings to a wider audience.Pyramid of Fire is an epic poem that provides a vehicle to transport the initiate into the higher realms of consciousness. It represents a barely surviving thread of teachings that have been passed down in secret since the time of the Spanish Conquest. Revealed are the techniques by which man is transported to the stellar realm after death via the solar energy within what the ancients called the “serpent of consciousness.” Line-by-line commentary by Matz and John Major Jenkins provides insights into the perennial philosophy contained in the codex and its relevance to our times.
Cultural 'Lifting' This book centers around the (possibly incomplete) translation of a supposed lost Aztec Codex called the Pyramid of Fire. In short there are too many things about this book that are incomplete and make the book seem like it's a mashup which really hurts the central truths that the text may be trying to convey.
First, codices are pictoral depictions. We have no sure pages from the Pyramid of Fire codex. The images in the book are those borrowed from other codices which are said to resemble those in this codex. There were thirteen pages of the Pyramid of Fire. There are seven drawings presented and not one of them is from this codex. Just at this point you have a tremendous problem in that the work is not rooted back to it's original conveyence which is two-fold, the pictograms and a living Mazatec codex-holder who can speak directly to the text. The lack of these two things, codex and codex-holder, ultimately unground this work from the start.
Second, Marty Matz, the poet who supposedly was befriended by a Mazatec teacher/shaman (Don Daniel), lost the 13th page of the translation he wrote down years before. John Major Jenkins supposedly listened to an old tape recording (he could barely hear) of Marty reading the codex from the 1960s. But there are facts in the written codex that were different from what Marty had spoken such as 675 vs 468 years regarding Tonalpolhualli at the end of page 5 of the codex. Another unfinished aspect is the included novella that Marty was writing about the codex abruptly ends after the first chapter. You inevitably start getting the impression that this book is having a hard time conveying complete information. It's like the codex was beginning to fade away and Don Daniel, Marty, and JMJs efforts barely rescued it from oblivion. That's at least the best case impression you could have.
Third, apart from Marty's supposed original contact with Don Daniel there is no evidence that either Marty or JMJ attempted to contact or in any other way verify the themes in this codex with any current living Mazatec personage. This lack of verification is very troubling and leads to the near complete unhinging of this codex from the culture that produced it. This is why this review is titled Cultural 'Lifting'.
Forth, JMJ proceeds to apply his own observations and insights into the text. Although he is versed in cross-cultural spiritual studies, his attempt to compare, fit, and lift the Pyramid of Fire to other spiritual systems is what ultimately breaks the presentation of the codex away from it's roots into an ascribed perennial philosophy. This attempted comparison includes the works of Gurdjieff, Taoism, the Kaballah, and even references to oracular use of Majong. The lack of pictograms or personage cause the text to be interpreted, or lifted, based on JMJs own experiences and biases. Regardless of JMJs good intentions, or breadth of knowledge, this type of presetation quickly distances the text from it's original culture and meanings.
To be clear it is certainly evident that various spiritual traditions are all attempting to explain the divine ground of being. Different spiritual paths are like different facets of a diamond conveying different aspects of the one truth. But lacking a strong infusion from original Mazatec sources (and especially the pictograms of the original codex) the book dilutes the original meaning of the text by attempting to make connections to other systems that are by no means certain. There is not sense of polish or completeness in this book.
These points have lead me to the conclusion that the codex, if authentic, has been lift and unhinged from it's cultural roots and presented in a way that does great injustice to it. There are too many pieces that were incomplete, missing (where are the pictograms?), or supposed to make this book a fitting conveyence for the codex.
For the lack of cultural rooting and especially for the lack of the pictograms (which does seriously weaken it's authenticity) two stars is rating for this book. The text itself may be authentic. At least it does embody principles that seem likely for the cultures in this region. The codex text itself gets three to four stars.
If you do not know much about Meso-American spiritual nor are studied very widely in world spiritualism then there may be enough here to justify reading this book. Just keep in mind you are getting alot more other stuff than Aztec information. But ultimately the shortcomings in the material around the codex and the deflections into analogues in other belief systems and the lack of apparent verification from any living Mazatec teachers are factors which cannot escape careful examination. If the codex survived almost 500 years to reach Marty is it very likey that such an important text would still have a Mazatec lineage holder on the planet.
To JMJs credit he did emphasize the direct experience of reading, even aloud, the Pyramid of Fire text. Had this book taken more of a counselling approach to this goal and to be more poetic it would have been more effective. It could have spent more time giving the reader hints on how to harmonize with this work. It could have encouraged the direct mystical experience rather than an attempted scholarly approach. The book should have given examples from Mazatec culture on how to get into the core of the text based on how the Mazatec do things. Without this key to embodied resonance with the text this work is definately a head-piece rather than a heart-piece. My largest concerns are not with the core truth of the Pyramid Fire text but with the wrappings around it.
I hope that someone will take another try at this text and really spend time attempting to recover the original pictograms if they still exist and to spend time trying to verify the text with living Mazatec teachers. I salute the Mazatec people and all other peoples who have been carriers for the authentic wisdom of humanity through the ages. To honor the ancient ones we need to ensure that their voice, not ours, is central when presenting their wisdom.
Pyramind of fire Since I dabbled in mind altering drugs in the 60's and 70's I could understand the words and thoughts of Jenkins. Since I first heard of 2012 in Graham Handcocks "Fingerprints of the Gods" I have sought out books on the subject. I have narrowed my reading to the Central American and Hindu trane of thought. I like Jenkins so much I purchased Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. Both should be read by all.
DiaGnosis: A very important document In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Beat generation poet Marty Matz explored remote areas of Mexico and learned to speak the Mazatec language. He gained the trust of a Mazatec shaman, who showed him an unknown codex, and also explained to him the meaning behind the pictograms. Marty made a translation and recited it in the poetry clubs of San Francisco. The final page got lost over the years, but John Major Jenkins located a recording of one of Marty's recitals and reconstructed the whole translation.
All other codices that have survived have been interpreted solely by non-indigenous scholars, with the exception of the Popul vuh of the Maya, which was written into a word form from what was originally a pictorial document. This means that the Pyramid of Fire is a unique insight into the philosophy of the Aztecs, which turns out to be fascinating. The true meaning of sacrifice, for example, is simply a transcending of the ego - a self-sacrifice. The metaphorical pictures were misunderstood and resulted in the gory mass sacrifices of prisoners for which the Aztecs later became famous. In fact, the Aztec philosophy turns out to be very similar to that which was known to G.I. Gurdjieff, following his travels across the near East and Asia.
The Pyramid of Fire reveals that the Aztecs had a spiritual technology similar to the Kundalini yoga of the Hindus, in which Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, is shown to be an identical concept. Though some have suggested this in the past, they lacked the evidence - now we have it.
The last page of the codex reveals that the final New Fire ceremony will bring a fire of purification that will burn away the remains of mortal desires and illusions, that will be the end of obscurity - the obscurity imposed by Tezcatlipoca - the Smoking Mirror, or obsidian mirror. This is a very similar concept to the end-time vision of St. Paul "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Cor 13 v.12) or alternatively, "through a glass darkly". Since Jenkins has already reconstructed the meaning of the New Fire ceremony as a tradition for tracking precession (see Maya Cosmogenesis 2012), and that it was adapted at Chichen Itza (the pyramid of Kukulcan) to correlate with the Mayan end-date of 2012, then it seems that the Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan-Kundalini teachings are to help prepare mankind for the current time-window earmarked by 2012, when we are due to confront The Other.
Hidden wisdom of Aztec codex John Major Jenkins is best known for his facinating work on the Mayan calendar, such as 'Maya Cosmogenesis 2012' and 'Galactic Alignment'. In this book, he explores the Aztec culture, and in particular an unknown codex discovered by his co-author friend Marty Matz, a 'beat poet' of the 1950's generation. In the book Jenkins provides a complete listing of the 13 page codex, along with his own commentary on its meaning. In addition, there is an autobiographical novella written by Marty, which reminded me of the writings of Carlos Castaneda. Jenkins is convinced of the authenticity of the codex and its part in the 'perennial philosophy'.
I was particularly intrigued by the parallels of the writings of the codex with those of other esoteric sources, particularly the writings of George Gurdjieff, Gnostic, Hermetic. Kabbalah, Hebrew and Christian scripture. Jenkins seems to have a profound grasp of the esoteric meaning behind the writings of the Mayan, Aztec and other Meso-America cultures and their part in the perennial philosophy of the ages. Jenkins is a gifted writer and scholar and I recommend this book wholeheartedly.
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