Monthly Archives: July 2025

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

7 Kawok (5th July 2025)

Leave a comment

7 KawokThe end of the rain or finalising the birth process. Both of these events can be a cause for celebration. Kawok brings us the energy and resilience to make it happen.

Chak sends the fire serpent (lightning) from the sky, from the Dresden Codex
Chak sends the fire serpent (lightning) from the sky, from the Dresden Codex

Like all things, the nawal Kawok seems to have two faces, one benevolent and one malevolent. However, this is just our perception and our experience. If our house gets flooded in a great storm, we may feel like cursing the rain. If we live in a desert, the rain falling may seem like a miracle, new life falling from the sky. The rain would fall whether we were there or not. If there were no rain, there would be no life.

Just as in the natural world, the rain brings new life, and the storms within our lives also bring the potential for new growth. Today, with nawal Kawok combined with the number 7, it is very much our choice to deal with the storms we see going on around us.

Sometimes we have to endure storms within our lives, and sometimes we lend our umbrellas to our families and friends as we help them to endure their storms. Today we have the opportunity to finally heal and decisively wash away the obstacles to growth, to allow the flow to take us towards novelty within our lives. This could be seen with the finality of the number 7 representing one final push to bring new energy into our lives. Of course, we can resist it if we wish. However, we might find that the current is too strong and that resistance only causes exhaustion. The new life is coming in on its own schedule. Allow the rain to heal you, to cleanse you and to soothe you. You can then emerge into the novelty of life.

The Nawal Kawok

Ixchel empties the water jar, washing away the old world in order to bring in the new. From the Dresden Codex
Ixchel empties the water jar, washing away the old world in order to bring in the new. From the Dresden Codex

While most healing roles do not seem to be gender specific, one is. Both women and men may be healers, prayer makers, herbalists and diviners, only women will become midwives. Kawok is the energy of the midwife. It helps to clear the obstructions from the birth process, in some ways it actually represents the birth process. Kawok brings the new into the world. In the Mayan cross, Kawok, the birth process finishes the sequence which starts with Aq’ab’al (conception) and moves through B’atz (gestation.) In the sequence of the calendar, Kawok precedes Ajpu. Ajpu represents the resurrection of the maize lord, also the creation of the world. Kawok creates the conditions for that to happen, the rain which brings forth the sprouting of the maize.

In its storm aspect, Kawok can be destructive, although it is a destruction which allows a new creation to happen. Kawok energy can give rise to some tempestuous situations, it can be a day which can give people a rough ride, although this may be for the eventual good. It is a day to ask for the gentle rain to bless your crops, and for the harsh rain to stop. It is a day which washes away the old and outworn in life, so that the new growth, life and divinity may emerge.

The Number Seven

If we imagine the numbers 1 through 13 as a pyramid, the number seven would be at the top. Seven is the number of balance, it gives the ability to weigh up situations and see all points of view. While this may be very noble, it may lead to indecision.

However, it is also known as a number of death and endings, which would seem strange as it is only half way through. It is another representation of the change of state of the soul, showing half of the journey (1-6) in the mortal world and half (8-13) in the otherworld. As such it can be a great number on which to finalise or end something.

Number Sequence.jpg

The sequence of numbers as they appear with each appearance of a nawal. Here we see that the sequence begins with 1 and ends with 7, giving 7 as a number of finality.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

6 Tijax (4th July 2025)

Leave a comment

6 TijaxBring stability through precise cuts. Today is a good day to restore balance in family life by eliminating anything that causes imbalance. This in turn can bring harmony to your community.

Today is a day of editing. It’s a day to bring healing by gently but firmly removing that which no longer serves you. It is crucial to have a steady hand when using the razor-sharp obsidian blade. Today is that day, the day when the sharp blade of discernment cuts with stable certainty. The movement of the blade in the physical realm is guided through the connection with the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of the Earth.

The drive of the nawal Tijax can have a fanatical energy, rushing off on the next quest, determined to rid the world of evil. The energy of the number 6 turns the fanatical crusader into a wiser warrior. It helps us to understand when to stop, and which causes are worth fighting for. Tijax brings a high degree of discernment; it can guide you to make the right cuts to lighten your load. Tijax‘s eye for beauty can be trusted. It can be used to cut away the superfluous and bring out the true divinity. It is also a great day for choosing things which bring beauty to the world.

Whether it is a way of creating beauty, healing, or bringing peace, today is an excellent day to be wielding the blade. It has enough power behind it to complete the task, without causing collateral damage. The ultimate stability of the number 6 together with the healing ability of Tijax brings true resolution of duality.

The Nawal Tijax

Sacrificial Death God 1

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, but 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 surgeon’s scalpel cuts away disease and the warrior’s blade dispatches the evil, the sculptor’s 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 Six

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. Thus, ceremonies are often made on six days thanks to their conducive energy.

The number 6 carries the qualities of the number 4 but has an extra axis. If we think of the number four representing the cardinal points, the number six adds a vertical axis to these. It brings in the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of the Earth. The number six has the stability of the number four embellished by masculine and feminine principles. If the number four represents the physical world and the number 6 represents the physical world animated by the life force energy.

Thus, it also represents family, relating to the six qualities which hold families together – health, understanding, property, employment, friendship and actions.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

5 No’j (3rd July 2025)

Leave a comment

5 N'ojThis is certainly a day to put your energy into problem solving.  However, taking shortcuts to save effort may result in unexpected challenges.

The energy of the nawal No’j brings us ideas, thoughts and solutions to our problems. Today its combination with the number 5 necessitates putting some energy behind our ideas to bring them to fruition.

The concept of a straightforward plan evolving without too much input from ourselves is unrealistic today. The energy that the number 5 brings to the day suggests that a real push will be necessary. However, getting down to some hard work will get your ideas into motion. The day may indeed bring some solutions that you had not thought of before, but these solutions may not be quick or easy to employ. The quick answer may cause a problem. One of the qualities associated with the energy of the number 5 is rushing into situations without really thinking them through. Today this could signify that something within your plan needs a little more thought. In conclusion, the consequence of trying to rush your work may result in an unexpected obstruction to the application of your idea.

The Nawal No’j

A depiction of the Earth Lord, the patron of the day Caban (N'oj). <yoastmark class=

The nawal No’j is the nawal of thought, of intelligence and intellect. Within the count of days, there are two geniuses. B’atz is the creative genius, and No’j is the intellectual one. No’j is an energy of masculine, logical thought. As the problem solver, it gives ideas and solutions which work in the real world. No’j gives a different way of understanding situations, and through this ability comes innovation. It is thought, but also understanding and, indeed, knowing. As such, No’j is also a day associated with divination.

This energy is not necessarily social, it can lead to becoming absorbed into one’s work, lost in one’s thoughts. The influence of No’j can create ideas which may be very much ahead of their time. Do not be surprised if ideas you have on this day take a little time to catch on. The people you express the ideas to may need a little time to process, to see the genius within the idea. No’j is also one of the classic year-bearers or year lords. As a year bearer, it is thought to be one of the more beneficial and benign energies.

The Number Five

The Sacred Mayan calendar is said to be a calendar of human life. It can be seen as a microcosm of the human body. The number five is one of these parts. It is representative of the hand with its five digits. It is with our hands that we work, and with what we earn we pay our debts. Five is also a number that relates to the sacred fire where we pay our debts with offerings and prayers. Consequently, five might be so busy working that it fails to remember what it is working for. It can also signify that what it is attached to becomes work, or is “hard work”.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

4 Ajmak (2nd July 2025)

1 Comment

4 AjmakBring sweetness into the world through your action rather than your words today. If guilt, blame or shame have been affecting your inner peace, do something about it. Enhance your community’s harmony through basic forgiveness.

Today can be seen as a day to resolve any outstanding issues you may have been trying to ignore, the “elephants in the living room.” It is a good stable day to clear the air of anything which might have been interfering with harmony.

Any day is a good day to practice forgiveness, but Ajmak days bring a special power with them. It’s easy enough to forgive in words, but is it just lip service to the idea? When the situation arises, or you meet the “offender” again, what is your reaction? Likewise, if there is something you have asked to be forgiven, how do you feel when you meet that person you ask it of? Is there still an unspoken unresolved issue, an energy which needs to be addressed?

As we see Ajmak paired with the number 4, the task today is to bring that forgiveness into the physical, material realm. It is the time to ground it, to sit down with it and buy it a drink. Forgiveness can release stagnant energy which may have been holding you back. However, today is the day to prove that you are ready to move on. It is a day to rebuild bridges you may consider burnt. Through physical action, prove that your forgiveness is more than just lip service to an idea.

I am sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

Nawal Ajmak

Raw honey, fresh from San Juan la Laguna by Mark Elmy

Ajmak is the nawal of pardon and forgiveness, the nawal of redemption. It is the energy of being human, of falling and getting back up again and giving those chances to others.

When the creators fashioned the four first men, the Bacab’ob, they created them as equals. These four first humans had superhuman abilities, including the ability to see through space and time. As equals were not desired, the gods smoked the mirror of perception, giving us our human set of senses. When we lost the ability to see through time, we lost the ability to see the true consequences of our actions and thus we needed to start asking for forgiveness. Sometimes even well-meaning actions can cause problems at a later date. Ajmak represents this ability to forgive others, the ability to forgive ourselves and the ability to accept forgiveness.

Ajmak is a sensual energy, which creates some of the reasons for its needing to be forgiven. It is kind and very lovable, but irresponsible. It can be a very talented energy, with great ideas. However, it can also be very easily distracted, especially by anything that makes it feel nice. This often leads Ajmak to fail to fulfil its true potential, although due to its lovable nature it is easy to forgive. One of the lessons with regard to the Ajmak energy is learning to forgive oneself.

The Number Four

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. It was said to be they 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 good, down-to-Earth number.