Nearly 300 people from all over the world met in Tempe on Wednesday —
9/9/09 — to take part in the first-ever World Mysteries Conference.

The three-day conference, which is being held at Embassy Suites hotel near the Tempe campus, focuses on crystal skulls and the “2012 phenomenon:” the time when multiple ancient cultures, most prominently the Mayans, predicted the end of the world.

The World Mysteries Conference is scheduled to take place two more times: on 10/10/10 and 11/11/11 before the forecasted apocalypse on 12/21/12.

People from countries as far as Brazil, China, South Africa and Australia attended to witness the first time all nine known “ancient crystal skulls” in the world were together in the same place at the same time.

Sherry Whitfield Merrell, of Tucson, owner of one of the skulls, spoke at the conference about her skull, “Synergy,” as well as why she came from Tucson to attend the event.

“We need to set aside some time in our life to get in touch with Mother Nature, crystals and animals,” she said.

Merrell said she acquired her skull while attending the annual Gem Show in Tucson in 2001.

She was browsing a vendor’s shop when she noticed the crystal skull.

When she asked about its history, the shopkeeper gave it to her for free.

Before acquiring the skull, Merrell operated three businesses dealing with crystals and gems, but gave them up to promote the energy of the skull by educating people on its history and the theory behind crystal skulls, she said.

Merrell called the skull her higher calling.

“What the crystal skull does to help is, it amplifies, it transforms and it reflects energy back to me,” Merrell said.

Master of ceremonies for the conference and Sedona resident Jaap Van Etten, who has a doctorate in biology from the University of Amsterdam, said people have a tendency to approach the skulls from a scientific point of view.

“The problem, however, is when you study crystal skulls from a scientific point of view … you can go into some of the things we know [like factual evidence,]” he said. “But is [the factual evidence] really it?”

Van Etten said quartz crystals can be applied to many modern technologies, such as wiring in common electronics, but this doesn’t explain why crystals shaped like skulls fascinates so many people.

The energy associated with the crystal skulls originates when they are created, because crystal skull carvers programmed them with different types of energies, he said.

Van Etten said measuring a skull’s energy would be similar to measuring how much life is in a person.

“We cannot get measures or understand the approach,” Van Etten said, adding that people cannot understand how much powerful energy the skulls have.

Kendall Morgan, 49, of Tucson, one of the event’s coordinators, said he originally worked to hold the conference in Sedona, but switched to Tempe because it is a prominent location.

“We heard people wanted to come to this from other countries further away,” Morgan said. “We shifted very quickly to Tempe, because it was close to an airport.”

Morgan said moving the event to Tempe made it more successful and cut traveling costs.

“The way the economy is right now, we wanted to take the burden off … of anyone that wanted to come and experience the crystal skulls coming together and be a part of that,” Morgan said.

He said the first World Mysteries Conference has been successful so far and is currently working to plan the 2010 and 2011 events.

Reach the reporter at djboraas@asu.edu.