The day 10 Tijax can be seen as a day which brings resolution and healing within the community. This may involve removing the cause of the imbalance, which may cause some discomfort during the process.

As we continue to journey through the Toj trecena, the theme of service to the greater whole is often reinforced. Here is another day which fits into the theme of “being part of creating a better world around us”. This time it is through being part of bringing healing into our community. Toj represents payment, and when debts are forgotten, sickness can arise. This sickness can be resolved through making a payment, either physically or through service.

Sometimes it is not personal, it is the greater whole that has become unbalanced, creating a general malaise in society. The day 10 Tijax allows coming together to work on the solution to this. It may be that cuts need to be made. Maybe something has to be severed in order to bring about long term healing. This may be something that is easier to achieve as a group rather than an individual. However, it may also serve to create greater cohesion and harmony within your community to go through the process together. This is an auspicious day to create a healing circle of friends and neighbours to bring peace and unity into your part of the world, and the greater area.

The Nawal Tijax

The nawal Tijax represents an obsidian (or flint) blade. How the blade is used depends on the intention of the person wielding it, a warrior or a surgeon. These would seem like opposite ends of the spectrum. However, where Tijax is concerned the aim is the same – healing and purification.

Tijax is the nawal of the holy warrior. In the Mayan book of creation , the Popol Vuh, the first act of the hero twins was a mission given to them by the Heart of the Sky to rid the world of the false gods Seven Macaw, Zipacna and Earthquake. By destroying the false gods, the twins brought balance to the world, and helped mankind, they brought healing to the world. They cut out that which caused disease, exactly as a surgeon would do.

Tijax is celebrated as a day of healers, particularly what could be seen as the masculine aspect of healing. It is a day of crusading, of standing up for what is right, the healer who refuses to give up on finding a cure. Tijax gives powers of discernment and refinement. Just as the surgeons scalpel cuts away disease and the warriors blade dispatches the evil, the sculptors chisel creates beauty by remodelling the base material. This is a day of alchemy, both internal and external, turning the ordinary into the divine.

The Number Ten

The number 10 is another number which demonstrates the connection between the sacred calendar and the human body. As five represents one hand, ten represents two hands coming together. This can be seen as the shaking of hands creating agreement between people. Ten is seen as a good number, a number of community and the laws of society, of acting in harmony.