Donald B. Carroll: The Maya city Ichakabal Discovered!! Over 50 years after an Edgar Cayce reading named it.

The Maya city Ichakabal Discovered!! Over 50 years after an Edgar Cayce reading named it.

In May of 1943 Edgar Cayce gave a life reading for woman seeking to better understand her role in the universe. In his trance state Edgar Cayce reviewed some of her past lives that would be of assistance to her in the present life’s journey. This was always a core tenet of the life readings for such seekers. These readings were not for entertainment, they were for growth of the individual. This is clearly stated in the reading:

6. In giving the interpretations of the records as we find them for this entity, these we choose from same with the desire and purpose that this information may be a helpful experience; enabling the entity to better fulfill those purposes for which the entity entered this present sojourn. TEXT OF READING 3004-1

The Cayce reading recommended to her that she had latent abilities and skills as a historian or “datastician” (sic) that should be developed. Her reading continued describing past lives where she was a teacher, record keeper, plan designer and interpreter of crystals and natures fires. It was suggested to develop her talents in such fashions, such as a historian in her present lifetime.

The past life for her Cayce reading described in the Yucatan caught my eye.

18. Before that the entity was in the Yucatan land, when there were those activities in which there were those groups that had caused dissension among the worshipers in the temple there of Ichakabal. In those activities we find whole groups of individuals being separated, and seeking for activities in other groups.

19. The entity maintained that the activities there, in Ichakabal, were to be kept. These brought periods of disappointment for the entity. Eventually the entity became the priestess there, but with the groups being led away by Horcatiaus, they were periods of depression for the entity.

20. In the latter part of the experience there, even though the groups had become small, there were those activities that brought the greater spiritual unfoldment, spiritual development for the entity….

21. The name then was Shekla…TEXT OF READING 3004-1

Unashamedly I am avid researcher and occasional writer based in the Cayce readings; particularly the readings involving ancient cultures, along with the common threads and links between such ancient cultures the Cayce readings commonly make reference too. In particular the cultures of the Ancient Egyptians, the Cliff Dwellers of the SW United States, the builders of Stonehenge, and the Maya. Though I have written and presented on Cayce readings in such areas sharing the validating evidence collaborated in the readings sharing how there are not only cultural links, but also spiritual links. In that vein a recent article I came across piqued my interest.

Ichkabal, the most important archaeological site in southern Quintana Roo

Por Fernanda Duque Hernández By Fernanda Duque Hernandez
Thursday, March 3, 2016, 12:35 hrs.[i]

Ichkabal! The name of a Maya city in the readings, could this be? Incredible! This is the first time I have come across a reading with the name of an unknown, undiscovered ancient city that is then discovered by the scientific community. The synchronicity of finding this article at this time made me smile. The Cayce readings time and time again tell how we are connected, not only with each other but with all consciousness. Through the years this truth from the readings had been proven on a regular basis. If we practice meditation, contemplative prayer and apply it in our lives such experiences happen more and more. I have had the opportunity through the years to explore multiple Maya sites and led a tour to some Maya areas. Right now I am preparing to lead another tour to Maya sites again and it was in that preparation and research Ichkabal was brought to my attention.

Needless to say after finding this article, I searched for more. I then could see why I hadn’t found it before, this is a recent discovery and almost all the articles about it are in Spanish. (Thank you “Google translation”) As I read them, and there are not many, one could see, archeologically speaking, this is a recent site and funding for such research takes years. Thanks to “Google translate” the information in these links could be pursued to reveal even more about this discovery. Many of the articles are from Mexico’s INAH, their nation institute for Archeological and Historical research, which was important in validating the source information.

It should be noted that the readings spell this Maya city; Ichakabal, while the archeologists spell it; Ichkabal. I would suggest since the readings were written down as Edgar Cayce spoke, and the slight difference is merely a phonetic difference only.

One of the aspects that really caught my attention was how this Mayan site discovered by the archeologists was given its name.

“Origins of name

The site is located west of the Bacalar Lagoon, surrounded by a lot of smaller and very close to the archaeological site of prehistoric settlements Dzibanché. The name was assigned Ichkabal only in March 1995, when the first archaeologists came to the place accompanied by local guides; the name means "between low", which were intended to highlight the physiographic features of the site environment.”[ii]

This is a stunning turn of events! This ancient Maya city was not assigned a name until 1995, fifty-two years after being cited in the reading. It seems what is being experienced here are not only Cayce’s ability to tap into the universal consciousness of experiences and events in the past, but also his prescience ability to see into the future. I already used incredible, so let me write, amazing! Remember, the National institute wrote that they named this site (Ichkabal) in 1995 “to highlight the physiographic features of the site environment.” The archeologists choose the name from its surroundings while physically visiting the site. I sit back and think about that, these archeologist climbing through the jungle to reach this site, whereas Edgar Cayce, spoke of and named this Maya city from the couch in his home office, thousands of miles in space and thousands of years in time removed from the city’s inception. His climb to the same place was through the Akashic record and through this manner named it and some of the events occurring in an ancient time.

The Cayce reading tells us that even with the dissension it was a place where greater spiritual unfoldment occurred. Ongoing research at the site is reaching similar conclusions. This is not a minor discovery; the researchers describe this site as a very important Maya site with a pyramid temple that absolutely dwarfs the Kulkulcan pyramid at Chitzen itza.

El sitio arqueológico en cuestión, The archaeological site in question, located 40 kilometers west of the city of Bacalar, was discovered in 1995 and everything indicates that this is a political and religious center of great importance in the Maya world, with a backbone of more than 40 meters high and 200 meters base, surpassing even the famous Chichen Itza pyramid. [iii]

The validation of the Cayce reading information continues:

The Cayce readings detail that there were religious/spiritual dissentions at the time with the populace separating in to groups, many being led away from the city and leaving a smaller remaining group.

we find whole groups of individuals being separated, and seeking for activities in other groups…. with the groups being led away… even though the groups had become small,(those remaining) there were those activities that brought the greater spiritual unfoldment, spiritual development for the entity…. TEXT OF READING 3004-1

This section of the reading collaborates with the archeologist’s hypothesis as they excavate and research Ichkabal, that it was not reasons of war or famine for the exodus of populations of such cities.

“This dwelling continuity surprises us; Ichkabal exploration may end the Maya Collapse myth, which points out that great ceremonial centers were abandoned by the end of Classic period, around 900 AD, remaining like that until European contact”.[iv]

As the Cayce reading points out; Ichkabal had an exodus of many of its dwellers over spiritual differences, but was not abandoned. The woman (Shekla) for whom the readings was given remained with others.

As a final fascinating note related to this past life reading the woman’s past life incarnation was named “Shekla”. In the North American indigenous Zuni culture shekla (ashekla) means pine. The Zuni culture of the American Southwest traces their roots back to the older ancestral Puebloan culture of the same area. This more ancient culture was known to have links, trade and communication with the Mesoamericans such as the Maya. Recently remains of Mesoamerican parrot feathers, copper, and cocoa (chocolate) have been discovered and identified in the ancient Puebloan site of Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. This leads back again to the Cayce reading that provides the name of a recently discover Maya city and also provides the name of the Maya priestess (Shekla) with evidence this name means pine. This is evidence based information with tantalizing possibilities, not only from the Zuni language but of the spiritual importance that pine had for the Maya. In a recent article to Latin American Antiquity (Vo. 16, No. 3, 2005) an article on the ancient Maya culture states:

The common distribution of pine remains … in ceremonial deposits at surface sites suggests that pine was a component of prehistoric Maya ritual paraphernalia. …Furthermore, the widespread recovery of pine remains from diverse ceremonial contexts raises the possibility that pine was a basic element of ritual paraphernalia for many different types of ritual practices; the burning of pine may have been an essential symbolic act necessary to establish the validity of ritual performances.[v]

This shows even the name given for a Maya priestess, related to pine, in the Cayce readings would be appropriate for the person’s position and the specific culture that is being described. These are not random, happenstance results.

Nor do I believe that this reading’s recommendation to pursue history for this individual was happenstance. Rather that this reading was prophetic not only for her, but also for those who research the readings, for in such pursuits, it can be seen how rich and still unfolding the readings are towards spiritual evolvement, medical assistance, and clearly the ancient cultures being shared in them.

Presented here is more evidence of Edgar Cayce’s ability not only to describe accurately ancient past cultures, cities, and events, but also future events, in this case the discovery and naming of this Maya city. Ichkabal is just being unearthed, there is much yet to come from the ongoing excavations of this site. My dream is to find a way to this site, it has not yet been opened to the public, and to share it with others, to be present, to explore on the ground what Edgar Cayce explored in his psychic state.

There is so much more to this and the Cayce readings, but for now let’s just absorb and appreciate this further validation of the significance and value of the Cayce readings.

Ultimately this shows that the tens of thousands of pages of the Edgar Cayce readings are alive, they are living breathing resources of knowledge pertaining to humanity’s purpose, spiritual journey, ancient history, physical health and our evolving consciousness. The readings are not static to be read once and filed away. In so many ways humanity, science and our individual consciousness are catching up to the rich resources awaiting our active participation and searching. As been stated by many before; when the student is ready, the teacher appears. The readings are such an active teacher, the student just needs to be ready.