Maya del Mar's Daykeeper Journal: Astrology, Consciousness and Transformation


DECEMBER 2007

Remembering Maya by Sue Taylor
by Sue Taylor

[Maya del Mar, master astrologer and Daykeeper founder, passed away last November 26. Her dear friend and Pleiades companion Sue Taylor shares this tribute. (For more on the Pleiades astrology group, see Sue Taylor's book review in this issue.) —ed.]

 

As this year moves to a close, we come to the anniversary of the demise of Maya del Mar. It is a sad time for those of us who loved her, valued her, and miss her so much. But it is also a time to rejoice in her life and accomplishments, her contributions to her world, her society, and her family.

Starting with a solid foundation of innate intelligence and strong family ties, Maya took those tools and values and demonstrated them in every aspect of her life—which was painted in vivid shades of vibrant color. Maya was not a person who would go unnoticed in a crowd of any size. What was always clear was that here was a graceful, lovely, woman with a profound intelligence and infinite caring capacity for her fellow human beings. She had great tact and general reserve but was not afraid to express her mind and preferences with clarity when there was need for it.

The first time I saw Maya was in 1972 in a Richard Idemon astrology class in Fairfax, CA. She sat in front of me and asked very interesting questions. We chatted briefly after the class and we did not meet again for several months. Our next encounter was in the Crisis Unit of the Mental Health Center in Marin County. She walked through the door as an eligibility worker for the county social services, and I was a mental health nurse on the unit. We greeted each other with great enthusiasm and joy, went for lunch together, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We discovered we had many interests and life circumstances in common. We were both recently divorced, single mothers with young children. We were both interested in helping our fellow man, devoted to our families, and we both had a passion for astrology.

Shortly after meeting Maya, I invited her to a meeting of the Pleiades, a small, recently formed group of women interested in the study of Astrology. It was a study group but also a support group for these women of the 1970’s who were undergoing the traumas of the social upheaval of that time. Some of the members of the group were fairly advanced in the study of astrology and some of us were rank neophytes. Maya and I were newcomers to the study but I was slightly ahead of Maya at that time. It was the last time I was ahead of Maya in astrology and it was a very brief time. In a very short while she shot ahead of us all and left us in the stardust of her ascent as one of the best astrologers of her time.

Maya started carefully and quietly, as was her style, by writing THE MAYA REPORT and distributing it for free to members of the group. We were all amazed at how fast Maya moved from novice to master in the art and science of astrology and how knowledgeable and skillful she was at weaving together the themes of astrology and the current social, political concerns of the time. She lived and breathed astrology. I’m relatively sure she dreamed about it. It was tightly woven into the substance of her life. We all waited eagerly for each monthly report. She was so good and so accurate that everyone who read the report was amazed. We gradually started turning more and more to Maya for information and knowledge regarding the Divine Science and prediction of current events. She was rarely wrong in her prophesies. We all looked to her as the holder of wisdom for the group. The MAYA REPORT evolved into today’s DAYKEEPER JOURNAL and, although we struggle valiantly to keep it alive, and we are doing a very good job, it will never be quite the same as it was with Maya.

Maya traveled widely and loved experiencing new places and people. She hitchhiked through South America once to come to the aid of a friend and was totally unafraid of new people and experiences along the way. The two of us traveled to Iceland together in 2000 for the summer solstice. I will never forget the holy places we visited, being on top of a glacier at midnight on the solstice, watching the sun dip to touch the horizon and then come right back up. It was an amazing adventure and one I would never have experienced except for the encouragement of my friend Maya.

Maya officiated at the weddings of both my sons. One of those unions has produced a daughter-in-law for me and my two grandchildren, Ian and Rhianna, all of whom bring great joy and meaning to my life. Maya was very much a part of our family and was a sister of my heart. There is so much more that could be said but for now I will say: Goodbye, sister of my heart. I look forward to seeing you again in another time and place and am sure it will be another grand adventure together when we meet.

Maya del MarMaya del Mar, master astrologer and writer, founded Daykeeper Journal Online in September of 2000. She wrote monthly astrological features and her Daily Success Guide until her sudden passing in November 2006. We will from time to time be publishing more of her work. Learn more about Maya here; read Maya's Daykeeper features here.