Monthly Archives: May 2026

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

12 Aq’ab’al (5th May 2026)

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12 Aq'ab'alUsing our life experience to develop new concepts works well today. We can breathe new life into old concepts to conceive something novel today. This energy can be seen as a day of revitalisation.

The number 12 represents the principle of gathering things together into a bundle. This is usually applied to life experience, things from the past, or that already exist. The nawal Aq’ab’al is related to the very new, the first light of day, the conception point. So today we have two energies which represent almost opposite ends of the spectrum of possibilities. Despite 12 being a powerful number, it can have a positive influence. Additionally, Aq’ab’al is thought of as a very favourable day. After all, it represents the beginning of a new day and new life.

Many Maya temples were altered over time, with new layers built on top of old. Sometimes this was because of a change of ruler. Other times it was an astronomical change over time that caused this remodelling. The old structure was given a facelift.  Metaphorically, today can be seen as a day to start building a new layer on your pyramid.

It can be seen as injecting your life experience into a new concept. Sometimes the dream doesn’t quite make it into reality. It gets stopped short, like those unfinished projects in your workroom/shed/office. You will often know why you stopped. For example, maybe you realised the dimensions were wrong halfway through, or you ran out of material. This is the life experience drawn on to ensure that projects started today can be seen through to completion. You may even be able to rework one of those old projects.

This could also be a wonderful day to revitalise relationships. It is a day to renovate, with all the strength of the foundation being embellished with new vigour.

The Nawal Aq’ab’al

The word aq’ab is translated as dark. The suffix -al changes the meaning slightly, alluding transtition and the dawning of the day. It is the time between darkness and light, night and day. Probably our best way to translate it would be as twilight. Birth is the beginning of the mortal journey. Aq’ab’al is just the beginning of the day and of things which are not yet fully formed.

In Santiago Atitlan one day, a friend explained to me the different parts of a weaving 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. 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. The design has passed from being just an idea, to the beginnings of a woven reality. Thus, concept 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. Also it is a perfect day for starting new projects. It is the time to bring them into the world of light from the world of dreams and ideas.

The Number 12

The number 12 is the penultimate number. In some ways it can be seen as the last Earthly number, the number 13 representing the spirit world. We travelled through the mortal world with 1 through 6, then the other world with 7 through 12. In this way 12 can be seen as a point of bringing all of the experiences into one bundle for presentation to the spirit world as we step into 13. As such, the number 12 brings a wealth of experience into one place, it is rather like writing an autobiography. It is totality, all that is, brought together.

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

11 Iq’ (4th May 2026)

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

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’

Wind God 1

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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

10 Imox (3rd May 2026)

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10 ImoxIn its best aspect, we can see this as a community creating and dreaming together. The energy of Imox connects you with, on a level beyond words, the emotions which motivate those around you.

Being connected with the psyche of your community sounds like a good thing. The nawal Imox is already well connected with the collective consciousness and its combination with the number 10 today only serves to make that connection stronger.

However, the other side to this is that Imox is unable to filter the connection. Today the connection to the group consciousness is wide open. It may not only be connected to the community you choose to be part of. Be aware of what you connect with. This is a day when you might particularly distance yourself from the media or social media networks.  The power of the herd mentality may drive you crazy today. It is a day to fully engage your discernment filters.

The strength of the energy of the day also suggests that anything which helps to access the unseen realms would be unnecessary today. It is possible to dive into your dream world and, without too much effort, get lost there for a while.

In its most positive aspect, it can be a great day to organise an event with close friends with a similar mindset. If you have the opportunity to spend time together by a large body of water, so much the better. The day 10 Imox may also be an excellent day for community water projects, for care of natural water sources, the lakes and oceans. Together you have a possibility to create and nurture collective dreams into this world.

Bringing Water Stability to Communities

What better way to celebrate the importance of water within our communities than supporting this excellent initiative? A wonderful, highly active project to bring water stability to families is Water4Life Global. Jenna MacEwan and her team have been making a difference to peoples’ lives since 2018. They provide water filters to local families throughout Guatemala, thereby giving direct access to clean drinking water. Additionally, they are directly involved in action which helps to clean up the local sources of water. This is achieved through greywater treatment projects, reforestation and education. To learn more or donate, please visit: https://water4lifeglobal.org/donate/

The Nawal Imox

Nawal Imox represents the collective consciousness, the great ocean. It is the moment before the “big bang”, when all that existed was the dream of the creator. It is everything and nothing in one place, the ovum from which reality was conceived. Imox is still very much in the other world, requiring another component to physically manifest the dream into reality.

Imox is considered to be a feminine nawal. Sometimes called water lily, sometimes crocodile, it is an embodiment of the primordial. It was from the great ocean that the four first men raised sky to create the world which we inhabit. Imox can also be seen as the Darwinian swamp from which all life emerged. It is fertile and creative, the mother that gave birth to our entire reality.

Imox is our common origin, and as such links us all together. It is the place of dreams, the collective conscious we delve into on our nightly voyages. It may also relate to the place that certain plant medicines take us to in order to bring us wisdom. However, as the font of all of creation, Imox harbours the dark as well as the light.

Imox is a day to celebrate the spirit of the times, to understand the collective mind. It is a day to dream your creations, your art, your music. Imox helps us all feel connected, when the psychic field between us may be particularly strong. Discernment may be called for, to understand when to dissociate from the collective. It is important to remember your individuality.

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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

9 Ajpu (2nd May 2026)

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9 AjpuSeeking the higher purpose in life is a key ability, and objective, for the nawal Ajpu. Today that is compounded further by its combination with the number 9, the number of life and the divine feminine.

The energy of the nawal Ajpu may have an effect on us seeing life through “rose-tinted glasses.” Some things are illusions, they are not all that they seem. It is equally important not to be blind to them. However, in general, society could benefit from remembering that we are all part of one source, we all carry part of the divine with us. When we choose to engage with that part within us, it comes out in others. All Ajpu days carry the energy to inspire us to seek out divinity. However, the energy of 9 Ajpu highlights the holiness of life, and the divinity of women, the givers of life.

In this trecena of E’, we are on a new path. The energy of 9 Ajpu shows us the wonders that life’s journey can bring to us. It is the excitement of seeing all that is good about a new place, or your journey. Equally, seeing the old place with new eyes. It is a day to find the joy in everyday life and allowing that enthusiasm to radiate from you. Engage your highest state and inspire others to do the same.

The Nawal Ajpu

journey to your highest potential

Nawal Ajpu is once again a nawal with a multitude of meanings and translations. In the Yucatec language it is known as Ahau, in Kiche is is also known as Junajpu. These are variously translated as lord, hunter, blow gunner, flower and sun. Each one of the translations has its merits, and represents an aspect of this auspicious nawal.

Within the ancient Mayan society, the royals were not just political leaders of their particular city-states, they were priest-kings and priest-queens. They served as the conduit to the divine, deriving their wisdom for guiding their people through their connection with the Hearts of the Earth and the Sky. This wisdom enriched both the ruling dynasty and their people, as they would be working in harmony with the gods. The ruler of the city was also the physical embodiment of the divine, and Ajpu is closely related to this. Likewise it represents our potential, the state of divinity to which we may aspire.

Ajpu represents the holiness in life, the divinity in the physical world, and our search for it. It is the search for underlying meaning, understanding that each person is a part of the whole. Whether we like it or not, and however we judge it, we are all a part of creation.

Every action of ourselves and others gives an opportunity to explore ourselves and our reaction. Sometimes we are attracted, sometimes repelled by the action of others. Occasionally Ajpu can lead us to become immersed in the other world, to lose sight of reality. It is important to remember to stay in touch with the Earth as we reach to the Sky.

The Number Nine

The number nine is the number of lunations in the human gestation period and in the sacred calendar. The sacred calendar is known as a calendar of life, and it is women that give life. As such the number nine is seen as the number of life and the number of the divine feminine. It gives all that it is attached to a strong feminine presence. It is a day on which women may wish to give thanks for their gifts.