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Time and the Technosphere: The Law of Time in Human Affairs

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The Mayan calendar has become increasingly popular outside of Mesoamerica over the past twenty years. One of the driving forces behind the movement is Dr. José Argüelles and his many books including The Mayan Factor, Dreamspell, and Earth Ascending.

Jose and his wife, Lloydine, regularly travel the world, spreading their vision of a new approach to how we consider and exist alongside Time. They believe that as a society, we can solve our collective problems by changing to a new calendar based on the natural time of the cosmos. Argüelles works full time on behalf of the World Thirteen Moon Calendar Change Peace Movement and is president of the Foundation for the Law of Time.

In the long awaited sequel to the authors bestselling book The Mayan Factor, Argüelles explains the Great Calendar Change of 2004 and its enormous potential for the future of humanity. Time and the Technosphere presents a unique study that distinguishes the concept of Natural Time from the artificial mechanistic time known as the Technosphere, under which we currently live.

The premise for the study is simple: the time structure that governs human civilisation is not the same as the time structure governing the rest of the biosphere. The term biosphere refers to what is commonly and inadequately called the environment. As such the biosphere is a whole system, composite of the sum of life and its organic and inorganic support systems spread out over the surface of the Earth, hence bio = life and sphere = having the form of a globe. (Arguelles, p. 2)

This form of Artificial Time establishes a frequency that governs humanity apart from the rest of life. Argüelles defines the actual nature of time as the frequency of synchronisation of all things, and by applying this concept or Law of Time to the entire system of life on Earth, he illustrates a way humanity can assist Earths ability to sustain life.

Until the creation of the Gregorian calendar and the 60-minute hour, most of humanity lived by the 28-day cycle of natural time. The adoption of artificial time has subjected us to a 12:60 time frequency that governs the entire global industrialised civilisation, which Arguelles defines as the Technosphere.

Our perception of time is intrinsically linked to our perception of everything around us. Time is also very central to our experience of mind, and the primary effect on our perception of time is the calendar. Theoretically, the Gregorian calendar is imposed over natural cycles, which minimises our ability to see natural cycles. It is designed for material functionality, following the seasons and the working week, but it implicitly keeps us from seeing the full cyclical nature of time.

By using a calendar based on materialism, we are locked into a material way of seeing time and hence a material level of consciousness. We cannot escape this pattern until we switch to a calendar thats designed to promote sustainability and a revised and natural experience of mind. By changing our definition of time and adopting a natural harmonic calendar based on the 13-moon 28-day cycle, humanitys existence operates in tandem with the Universe rather than in opposition.

To be realised and then applied, the science of time is dependent on two factors: a sudden and radical disruption of the historical continuum, and a genuine globalisation or planetisation of consciousness. According to Argüelles, the break in historical continuum is necessary to jolt the human consciousness from its stagnant and entropic state, while the globalised consciousness is necessary for the application of this law at a planetary whole systems level.

Argüelles suggests that the radical jolt to the human consciousness occurred on September 11 with the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York. As the signal of the end of artificial time, this act created doubt in the mind of modern humanity in regard to the artificial technosphere. It provided an opportunity to consider the nature of life and consciousness in a different perspective. This was an opening of humanitys mental envelope or noosphere. The remainder of Argüelles work elaborates on this matter, and the possible, and somewhat inevitable, circumstances it will initiate.

Humanity now has an opportunity to leave the errors of the past and enter a time of peace by adopting a harmonious natural calendar that will repair the damages caused by the irregular tempo of technospheric time.

Through careful research, Argüelles claims to have discovered that the best (and last) chance to adopt this natural time structure is the Great Calendar Change of 2004. This theory is based on the authors mathematical research into the Mayan calendar first begun in his work The Mayan Factor.

In Time and the Technosphere, Argüelles reveals the clear distinction between third-dimensional astronomical time and the fourth-dimensional synchronic order of the Law of Time, which he believes, holds enormous potential for the future of humanity.

Argüelles is interesting reading for those who are prepared to think outside the square of established pattern. Argüelles research may not find converts everywhere, but it certainly presents extremely relevant and thought provoking concepts. Time and Technosphere is a good start for those who want to understand the paradigm shift that may be already underway.

If you've always loved calendars as works of art in themselves, Time and the Technosphere by Jose Arguelles will upgrade your view of them as such. If you've always viewed calendars and timing as merely formalities Arguelles' book succeeds most admirably in upgrading your view of what's really going on when you locate yourself within a time grid. He's most convincing when
showing that we are how we time ourselves. The sins of the Gregorian Calendar are well known and Arguelles suggests a new timing device that's so sensible its like comparing inches to meters. Dividing a year into 13 months of 28 days with one day off to grow on, seems reasonable. Where to begin the New Year will probably always be controversial. The point of the Spring Equinox seems the most logical but Arguelles proposes an ancient point, July 26 when the Sun is conjunct the constellation Sirius,
giving this calendar a distinctly New World/Mayan/Native American flavor that's appealing. The Old World has held the clock over us too long. The other connections to the Mayans base 20 counting system are harder to fathom but most intriguing. What's most disappointing is that this calendar is solar based and does not literally link up with the ebb and flow of the real lunar calendar. You need We'Moon (at another location at Amazon) for that. So you're still stuck with at least two different calendar systems. If you love calendars like me, maybe that's no problem. Arguelles book is a door opening to a new way of thinking about our world, sometimes difficult and challenging...

While I find the idea of "technosphere vs. noosphere" intriguing, and I support the idea of returning to a lunar-based calendar, this found this book maddening! I won't discount that Arguelles might have received a download from some higher consciousness, but I think that higher consciousness should have chosen a better translator.

Here's a typical passage:

"The thirteen-unit form constant of fourth-dimensional time is the wavespell. It is important to see the thirteen moon calendar I this modular format, Planetary Service Wavespell, for then it makes more sense to speak of the calendar as a synchronometer. The wavespell's form describes the motion of time as a fractal fourth-dimensional cosmology. The numbers 1-13 in the dot bar notation that code the thirteen positions are known as tones. . . . The two gates and the two towers, tones 1, 5, 9 and14, articulate the structure of the wavespell. Between the places of articulation are three sets of chambers. The first set, tones 2-3-4, helps establish the wavespell; the second set, tones 6-7-8, helps extend the wavespell . . . . "

You get the idea. I should have listened to the other reviews of this book.

I have to agree strongly with other reviews of this and other of the authors book. The author invents all sorts of intricate sounding phrases (like technosphere). No doubt, the Mayan Factor, opened up alot of people to alternative interpretations of history. But the author also does not know when to keep certain musings to himself.

An example would be the Dreamspell he created. This 'alternate' calendar competes directly with the authentic Mayan Calendar. Some people don't know the difference. So while Jose rants on about us using a messed up Gregorian calendar he created his own calendar to compete with the Tzolkin. His claiming to be 'the' reincarnation of Lord Pacal [Votan] did not win him many critical thinkers as fans.

I agree that our use of time systems is ignorant of nature cycles. Daylight Savings Time is a joke making us subserviant to an antiquated agrian invention. The number of days in our calendar is messed up. But even having a messed up calendar does not directly precipate an incorrect timing that affects consciosness. It's more the electrical fields from quartz-watches, 60hz electricty, microwaves, being programmed through television, and being a slave of 9-5 that affects us more than 12:60. In fact there are many sources that indicate that the 60/360 arc degrees that were codified by the Babylonians is actually an older system based on sacred resonance. And the author fails to cover the strongest reasons why we are messed up, greed and corporate systems that are artifical dis-organisms.

Simply changing the calendar is not going to change this planet. People have been arguing about calendars and religions for thousands of years. The Chinese and Islam have alternate calendars and year counts and they are no better off than the rest of the planet. We don't need any more crusades. It is not the changing of the outer but the inner that will then affect the outer.

What we need is a re-emphasis on personal experience and consciousness. And the authors over-emphasis on intricate sounding

This is probably the most important book that has ever been written... Why? Because it explains how an error in time (the way we think about time) has caused us to create a technosphere that is completely out of tune with the rest of the biosphere. This is a seriously great book -- you should read it now!

Addendum November 2008...

I realize that Arguelles' writing style can be difficult to understand at first, and if this your first introduction to his work then you will probably give it the one or two star treatment. If that is the case you should try reading Surfers of the Zuvuya.

Think of it this way. Time and the Technosphere is like sitting on the back of a powerful motorcycle driven by a professional road racer. Surfers of the Zuvuya is like riding a bicycle with training wheels. It all depends on your comfort zone.

i donno what neufchatel?? cheese is, but i do know that jose is one of this century's greatest minds.
not so much a book for cheese and wine... it compliments fresh sustainably grown produce and tea quite well.
while his ideas are controversial, sometimes difficult and perhaps even 'elitist' his voice is nevertheless one that demands careful consideration. weather you agree with him or not your conceptions on the nature of history & time, and consciousness itself are sure to expand and strengthen through the experience.
this is not just another woo-woo new-agey work of psudo-science
jose's work is based on comprehensive whole-systems logic rooted simultaneously in the ancient future and distant past... growing into a resplendent NOW
if you are interested in the science of ancient/indigenous cultures & natural cycles, if you are a dreamer that can still imagine that peace and the re-generation of the biosphere is possible, you cannot miss this book! read it now!
also check out jose's book 'Earth Ascending'

It seems that whenever anyone talks about the Time - Space continuum, one just arbitrarily accepts the Gregorian Calendar and the Mechanical Clock as the precept of time. After reading Jose Arguelles's "Time & The Technosphere" one can no longer accept that precept.

It becomes obvious that the mechanical clock is a completely fictitious human construct of time. There is no relationship at all among the minutes, hours, days, months, and years and the "Law of Time". What's really interesting is that synchronic order seems to be "the domain of a hitherto undefined realm".

Arguelles explains that Russian scientist, V. I. Vernadsky (unknown to most Westerners because of the "Cold War") actually studied and scientifically articulated what the "biosphere" is. What it is - is NOT the loosely translated term "environment" but rather a whole system methodology that is both holistic and holonomic.

When the reader is confronted by the possibility that the biosphere is not only influencing how human's construct reality, but is being changed by human thinking, the inevitability of catastrophe (for humans) becomes more apparent - especially when one sees what Arguelles has in mind. Without any apology, he says that the "apocalytic collapse of the World Trade Center Twin towers... are actually a synthesis of thoughts and explorations in the domain of time..."

I cannot stress the seriousness of this incredible piece of scientific reasoning along with research from many scientists in the past. After reading the book very slowly, I find that I now go back time and time again to find newer and deeper meaning in the contents.

I strongly suggest this book as important research for anyone interested in understanding the apparent connectedness of humans to their "created" environment.

A lot of what the author is trying to convey can be better explained through existing systems such as astrology, numerology, flying star feng shui, chinese astrology, mayan astrology, etc... He doesn't need to make up a new system that is off the mark. The problems of the world are not going to be solved by adopting a new calendar system. Anyone who has studied astrology and has thought about the implications of it should know that the only way the problems of the world are going to be solved is if either the desires and attitudes of people change to a more spiritual and ethical bent or if coincidentally people give up their selfish desires. This is because astrology is a reactionary based system. In other words, the world manifests your reaction through the path of least resistance. If you were meant to feel down and out that day, then the universe will do something, in any way possible, to garner that reaction for you. The only way to escape the dharma would be if you unconditionally refused to psychologically react to anything that happened to you during that time period.
He puts out the equation that T(E) = Art. Time along with energy equals art or beauty? Beauty is a function of a lot of things - the observer for one, astrology possibly, and also it could be argued that beauty is a function of the higher dimensions. I won't say that what he's trying to convey isn't necessarily incorrect. But you don't need to put that concept into an equation.
There are a lot of better books out there if you want to learn about spirituality. I won't say this book is useless of course. For some people, I think it will be useful for them, as some people aren't meant to come into certain types of knowledge I suspect. And some people's spiritual evolution will gravitate toward materials that are suitable for them and are right for their path. In this sense, I can see why this book could be useful. It can be a stepping stone in the right direction toward someone's path.

I have read dozens of interesting books on new age and alternative thought. This is one of the rare occasions that I have been literally unwilling/unable to finish a book. Chapter one was enough. Perhaps Arguelles is onto something that most people are completely unaware of, and is a modern day genius. My vote is that he is way out in left field, a little wacky. I was going to sell the book used, but noticed that his barely three year old book is only fetching about 4 to 5 bucks. not worth the effort. Unless you are a little off yourself, save your money and buy something else.

Don't even bother wasting your time with this book. The author is way out in left field. The first review has it right, those other reviews must've come from a biased source like friends/colleagues/family.