Max was discovered in Guatemala and was used by Mayan priests in rituals; he's spent time in the British Museum as the subject of scientific study, and he's appeared in documentaries about crystal skulls in particular and world mysteries in general. The skull will be on display today through Sunday -- and at 7 p.m. Saturday, there will be a presentation of his history, guided meditation and more, It all goes down at Isis Books and Gifts, 2775 South Broadway.
We caught up with Isis owner Karen Harrison to chat about Max.
Westword: Can you talk about who and what Max is for people who might not know much about crystal skulls?
Karen Harrison: One of the things that we as human beings throughout our cultures have always done is associated the human head as the repository of wisdom, ancestral knowledge and that kind of thing, and that's really what the head represents. So, that's kind of interesting from an archetypal viewpoint. But Max is an authentic ancient crystal skull. Nowadays, there are modern carvings, typically out of semi-precious gemstones, like amethyst. But those are modern.
Max was discovered in 1924 in a tomb under a Mayan temple in Guatamala. This temple was, of course, a place that was used for prophecy, healing, rituals, that type of thing, so it was felt that Max absorbed -- because he is made out of quartz crystal, which is seen as a medium that absorbs energy patterns -- so he absorbed all this energy and wisdom. He's probably the largest of the ancient skulls that have been found. There's a legend that says there are thirteen of this size that hold wisdom, healing energy, information about the earth's past as well as the future of our planet, so people are going around trying to discover the other skulls as well, because the legend states when they all come together, it will help with the evolution of the planet.
How did it come about that you're hosting Max at your store?
I was contacted by representatives who work with JoAnn Parks, the woman who is from Texas -- Max lives with her, and she literally goes around the country, I think she probably travels every weekend, bringing Max to different parts of the country. This is the first time Max has been in Denver as far as I know. We've known about Max for years and years, so when they contacted me and asked if I wanted to have Max in the store, I said, "Of course!"
Can you talk about what will be happening on Saturday night?
So the talk is a two-hour talk, from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday evening. Max will be present in the room, and people are welcome to bring their skulls and any sort of power object, if they would like it to absorb the energy and wisdom of Max and charge that object with his energy. But they're going to be talking about the history of Max, how he was found, all of the different types of scientific experiments that Max has undergone. He was researched by the British Museum, and a documentary was made about him, and one of the things that they found is that even with our modern laser technology now, a skull with all of the intricate carving that Max has could not be made by modern methods, so we don't really know how he was made or who originally created Max.
JoAnn Parks is going to be talking about the history of Max, legends about the skulls in general, and after that, the group is going to go into a meditation and a sound journey with Max, so everybody will be able to experience the energies in a more subtle and subconscious way. At different venues, people have experienced spontaneous healings, or have gotten messages that have changed the directions of their lives in a positive way.
Book a private appointment with Max today by calling 828-337-5512; tomorrow night's event is $35, and we'll provide a recap on Monday on Show and Tell.
