The grounded, physical stability of the number four combines with the nawal K’at to gather together your physical abundance today. It is a day of collection, but also a day to release physical burdens and attachments.
One meaning which is occasionally attributed to K’at is that of the planting of the seed. It is possibly the planting aspect that differentiates the energy of K’at from the ripening seed energy of Q’anil, although there seems to be quite an overlap between them. Here, in association with the physical energy of the number 4 highly signifying the earthly plane, we could see another good planting day. Once the crops are planted, they will then need tending, which is perhaps the burden that is implied. However, there can be no multiplication of the seed, no harvest and no abundance, without this physical preparation and attachment. If we see Aq’ab’al as the conception point, perhaps we can see K’at as the point of implantation of the blastocyst into the uterine wall, the beginning of the development of a new life, the physical planting of a new human being.
After the possible confusion and disruption of the past couple of days, today things start to settle down again. In fact things may come together very well today. The dreams, potential and energy start to be held together by a binding force, that of the nawal K’at. The brief images and ideas that may have appeared to you are gathered together within the net, and what is more, they are grounded into this reality by the association with the number 4. Yesterday I suggested waiting for a more conducive day if you wish to start a project. Today is the day when the jumbled pieces you were looking at start to fit together to form a coherent picture. Now that you have things straight, you can proceed.
In the Mayan Cross form of astrology, the day 4 K’at transitions to the day 12 E’. E’ is seen as the path of life, the journey of discovery, and the 12 represents all of life’s experiences. If we take this from an almost literal standpoint, 4 K’at is the day that we make our preparations and pack our bags for the journey. These preparations are what sustain our journey, and in this way the day 4 K’at provides a stable foundation. Just make sure that your attachment to this solid foundation does not hold you back from setting out on your journey.
K’at signifies a net and represents gathering together or bundling. Here, in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, to this day many crops are harvested and carried in nets – oranges, lemons, avocados to name but a few. Through this we see one of the positive meanings of this nawal, that of abundance and harvest. K’at is a great day to draw things together, whether this means gathering in your crops, collecting ideas and opinions for your projects, or inviting people to a social event. It is a day of prosperity and the bounty which comes from the Earth, a day of gardeners, but also of merchants.
However, K’at also has its more challenging side. An abundant crop will fill the net, but it will also slow you down. K’at is also the nawal of prisons and burdens, as the net which gathers, can also ensnare us. When candles are purchased for the fire ceremonies, they come in bundles held together by little strings. When the nawal K’at is addressed during the fire ceremony, these strings are put in to the fire, with offerings, to ask K’at to help us release ourselves from our burdens, from the ties which bind us. These ties can also be seen as excessive attachment to material things.
The number 4 is very important within Mayan mythology. Four represents the cardinal points, the four colours of maize, the four carriers of the year, the two equinoxes and two solstices, as well as midnight, sunrise, midday and sunset. The number four is representative of the four first men, who raised the sky from the sea to create the world we live on. In Mayan myth it is four pillars that support the sky from the Earth. As you can imagine, four is a number which represents stability, a solar number. Even though it is still low, it is thought of as a good number.