How the mayans viewed the stars

About a year ago I had a very strange experience happen to me.  I think I may have accidentally figured out how the mayans / other ancient civilizations viewed the stars.  This has only happened once to me as I am too scared to do it again.  The strange thing is that I used no modern day equipment at all.  All I used was clear container of water, a light, and my eyes.  Is this normal??  Sorry I didn't explained it much but it really is quite difficult to explain what I saw.  Any help would be appreciated.