As the divine breath, Iq’ reminds us to focus on our breathing. With the potentially wild and unpredictable energy today, it is more important than ever to take a breath before we react.

I once described the energy of 11 days rather like a firework with a broken stick. It has a great deal of energy to expend but lacks direction. Even when it starts in a direction, it may change in the blink of an eye. With the energy of many nawales, this might be relatively easy to deal with, but Iq’ is also unpredictable. Iq’ can move from its soft, gentle breeziness to its hurricane force very quickly. This is a day when sudden, unexpected changes are highly possible.

With Iq’ governing communication, we could expect a similar experience concerning our interactions with others today too. The energy of this day could lead to a lot of chatty conversations. These could again be rather directionless, although that is not to say that there will be no wisdom in them – it just may take a long time to get to the point. This may be frustrating in a busy Western world, but it also reminds us of the true art of communication and conversation.

This is where the lessons of Iq’ may come to the fore. Iq’ teaches us to learn to adapt, to embrace the changes it brings, to learn to be flexible. When we learn to “ride” the wind we may find it is rather enjoyable, just watch birds playing in the wind. However, if we try to resist this flow today, it may lead to meeting one of the other properties of Iq’, anger. The power of the wind is too strong for us to influence.

The Nawal Iq’

Nawal Iq’ is another strong nawal. It represents communication and particularly divine inspiration. It is the wind, the breath of life, that which brings the change in seasons.

The communication brought by Iq’ can be enlightening and inspiring. It is the breath of the divine which flows through us all, in fact the word for soul is Saq Iq’ – white breath. When our breath stops, our divine essence leaves our physical body. When we engage ourselves with the divine breath we are able to create, to manifest with our words, to inspire those around us. However, Iq’ also has a destructive side. It has the ability to blow like a hurricane and may level everything before it. It is the angry words which cut down everything in their path.

Hurricane is one of the few English words which is actually derived from a Mayan word- Junrakan, meaning “one footed”. Junrakan is another name for the Heart of the Sky, one of the creator deities. Once again it seems that certain patterns follow through the sequence of the nawales which are interrelated. Imox, the female creative principle, or egg, is fertilised be Iq’, the male principle. Their combination results in Aq’ab’al, the conception and a change in the state, bringing the dream into reality.

Iq’ is a day of communication, a day of inspiration. It can be a great day to express yourself through written or particularly verbal means. It is also a day on which changes happen. You can either embrace those changes or resist them. However, be aware that the wind blows forcefully and resistance of change requires a great deal of energy. Embracing change helps you to learn to dance like a leaf in the wind.

The Number 11

The number 11 is a high and odd number. This gives it some rather challenging properties, although it can come good in the end. Imagine you visit Ireland and are transfixed by the green of the hills. Then you go to Morocco and are awed by the red of the buildings. Then you go to the Caribbean and are moved by the turquoise sea. You return home and paint a beautiful picture using those colours. When you were in Ireland you didn’t know you were going to paint that masterpiece. You may not have even known why you were there.  This is how 11 works. You are sure you need to be doing something, but unsure why. You are collecting experience through many wanderings.