After the rather wavering energy of the last few days, today is a day where we might expect to see the emergence of a new and stable concept.
Aq’ab’al days are generally seen as being fortunate days, days on which the new dawn occurs. They are a bridge between the dream world and the physical, calling the fleeting images from our dreams into our conscious minds so that we can begin to create concepts from them. It is our bridge to the collective consciousness (seen in Imox), connecting the dreaming world and the waking world. It is the fertilised egg, newly implanted in the mother’s womb; it has passed from being the dream of a child in the parents’ mind into a physical presence, but is yet to emerge into the light of the physical world.
Through these images we understand the energy of Aq’ab’al days. They are days of new beginnings, where new concepts are brought into existence. They still need work to complete them, they need to be gestate, to be nurtured, before they can stand alone.
However, today we see the energy of Aq’ab’al combined with the number 6, the number of ultimate stability. The new conception is not some vague idea, shrouded in the early light of dawn. The light of the sun is fully on its way, we know for certain that the new day, the new life, is coming. The inspiration of the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of the Earth are infused into this concept, bringing something to the physical plane which has a touch of the divine about it.
Whilst new concepts may cause some dissent from the people they are introduced to, this is unlikely today. This is an excellent day to unveil your new project to the world, even if it is not fully finished yet. Time and nurture will help to complete the process, but even as a concept it is entirely possible to see its potential.
Dawn over Lake Atitlan. Photo by Mark Elmy
In the K’iche’ language, the word aq’ab means night. The suffix -al changes the meaning slightly, to hint at change and alludes to the dawning of the day, the time between darkness and light, night and day. Just as birth is the beginning of the mortal journey, Aq’ab’al is the beginning of the day, although the detail of the day may still be obscured. Aq’ab’al is representative of new things, things which are not yet fully formed. While in Santiago Atitlan one day, a friend explained to me the different parts of a weaving in process on a backstrap loom. Aq’ab’al is the warp (the vertical threads), B’atz is the weft (the horizontal threads) which creates the whole cloth, and the newly woven cloth is Kawok. In order for the weaver to create, first she has an idea in her head or a dream. She sets out the dream on her loom by setting up the warp. Thus, the design has passed from being just an idea, to the beginnings of a woven reality, although it still requires creative input before it becomes whole. Aq’ab’al can also represent conception, the fertilised egg is far from ready to be born, but has passed from the dream or spirit world into the physical.
Aq’ab’al days are great days for the start of new things, particularly new relationships – Aq’ab’al has a strong affinity with marriage. It is also a perfect day for starting new projects, or at least bringing them into the world of light from the world of dreams and ideas.
The number six is said to be the number of ultimate stability. It is the first of the three middle numbers of the cycle, the balance point neither too strong nor too weak. It is a day frequently used for ceremony thanks to its conducive energy. It represents the four directions with the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of the Earth. It also represents family, relating to the six qualities that nourish and hold families together – health, understanding, property, employment, friendship and actions.
The cross at the top of the central hill, Paclom, in Momostenango. Paclom is known as “the six place” and the two armed cross represents the four directions combining with the Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky. This picture was taken on Wajxakib B’atz, February 2010.
