The combination of the number 4 with the the energy of the nawal Tijax brings about a steadiness to the tenacity that Tijax has. It can bring powerful, decisive healing into the physical realm.

The energy of Tijax can accentuate the drive on a quest. This may be the usual kind of Tijax quest, searching out the truth in matters, cutting away at falsehoods and perceived injustice or a pure drive for healing. It brings an essence of tenacity, cutting through that which stands between you and your goal, sometimes almost literally. Tijax can sometimes have a rather belligerent reputation, even if its desired achievement is noble. It can be seen as cutting away the “fluff” around words and conversations in order to get to the point, and in doing this may be rather short.

Today this energy is tempered by the stability afforded by the energy of the number 4. The energy of the 4 brings out the solid, grounded, physical aspects of what it is connected to. It is a day on which forms of healing should have  exactly the desired effect, with recipient put firmly on the road to recovery. It can also be a good day to sever any unnecessary ties gently, but with firmness and certainty. It is a day to apply your powers of discernment very much into the physical world, to understand where improvements, or cuts, may be made, with a steady hand on the knife. It could also be a great day for de-cluttering!

The nawal Tijax is often thought of as an obsidian blade or knife. How the blade is used depends on the intention of the person wielding it. It can be wielded by a warrior or by a surgeon. These would seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, but where Tijax is concerned the aim is the same – healing.

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. This is their quest, their crusade, and is represented by Tijax. They then sacrifice themselves in the underworld (Kame) and are resurrected with magical abilities (Ix). 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. It has a tenacity to it, it is sometimes belligerent, it will not be stopped in it’s quest. It is 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. It is a day of alchemy, both internal and external, turning the ordinary into the divine.

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, 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 solar number. Even though it is still low, it is thought of as a good number.