Twenty Count: Secret Mathematical System of the Aztec/Maya

by Roger Montgomery

The sacred number system of ancient Mesoamerica has emerged in recent decades as a teaching paradigm for writers as diverse as Jose Arguelles and Carlos Castaneda. In this book, Roger Montgomery provides yet another entryway into this multidimensional view of our universe. His pathway is one of meditation and study that open one's awareness to a multitude of inner guides. The guides in turn reveal sacred teachings that illuminate the pathway itself. Weaving a complex set of numerological teachings through a series of semi-autobiographical stories, the author step-by-step builds a spiritual philosophy that demonstrates the universality and the relevance of ancient Native American spiritual thought. Taking the root of its teachings from the mathematical layout associated with the well-known Aztec Sunstone and Maya calendars, Twenty Count articulates a type of spiritual trip common to a generation of spiritual seekers during the last of the 20th Century. It's a trip that starts with an awakening awareness of the sacred power of Native American traditions during the hippie days of the 1960s and then progresses to an expanded awareness of the oneness at the heart of the world's religious traditions. Montgomery's story, while dedicated to ancient Aztec and Maya scribes, opens on a mountaintop in upstate New York and closes at the foot of the unclimbed Himalayan peak Machhupachare. Having experienced in-depth teachings of many cultures, the author has molded a writing and teaching focus that refuses to romanticize any culture-specific religious model. While the sacred Twenty Count serves as a powerful backdrop, Montbomery's story-telling style is one of creative suggestion, allowing readers the opportunity to see themselves in spiritually challenging situations whose solutions offer wisdom as a reward. In other words, the more spiritual preparation readers bring to this book, the more they'll get out of it. Each chapter includes an original meditation diagram based on the Twenty Count paradigm, and various meditation techniques are related for serious seekers whose goal it is to bring clear-minded inner awareness to our life in the outer world.

252 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, I did not take away much from reading this as I had hoped. I had also hoped that Mayan spirituality would have been more fleshed-out, but that was hardly the case.

[Marie]

My fault for not reading the synopsis more clearly, I was expecting a math book, not a spirituality book. DNF at around 50 pages.

[Terre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blew my mind a few times. I will definitely be reading this one again. Hopefully when I can appreciate it even more.