The Trecena of B’atz is a great time to begin a new creative project. Whether you are launching your new artform, or beginning to weave something, this is the day to get started.
I always make two suggestions for organisations you may wish to donate to. The links for these are below. However, I have also been made aware of another worthy cause which is a bit more personal. My dear friend Dolores Ratzan is recovering from illness and in need of some support. Some of you may have met Dolores, I often send people in her direction if they would like a tour of Santiago Atitlan as I feel she brings the town and culture of Santiago truly to life. Her friend Rosemary has organised this GoFundMe page to help Dolores, you can find it here https://tinyurl.com/47aemyf8
Within the village of San Pablo la Laguna, there is an organisation doing great work. They are called ODIM and are specialising in medical and educational services. During the pandemic restrictions, they helped feed many people, but this is in addition to their regular, long term work there. You can find out more about them through this link https://tinyurl.com/yb4l3rux
Popol Jay is an ancient name to define the House of the Council of Elders, among the Maya of Guatemala. These were places of wisdom where sacred knowledge about medicine, the calendars, music, spiritual practice and more was kept and passed to future generations. All were burnt down during the Conquest and subsequent Colonization periods. Today, the Q’eqchi’ Maya Council of Elders Releb’aal Saq’e has joined forces with many supporters to rebuild the Popol Jay of the North, in the lowlands of the Petén region, heart of the Maya culture of the Classic Period. The Elders have worked hard to acquire land and co-design this Center of Knowledge to share ancient wisdom with the World. To donate to the Elders of Peten to fund the Popol Jay, please use this link https://tinyurl.com/8s7vkvr
If you would like to dive deeper into the sacred calendar, I will be running a workshop via Zoom from 10 am – 2pm (Guatemala Time, UTC -6) from 31st July to 4th August 2023. For more information, please go to https://thefourpillars.net/?page_id=1120