The energy of the day 5 Q’anil combines the number of work with the nawal of ripening and abundance. This combination gives an excellent day to put extra effort into your project, it will be rewarded.

Before I go any further, I would like to put in a word about the tragedy which has happened in our community of San Marcos la Laguna. On the evening of 3 Kame (6th October) a huge boulder fell from the top of one of the mountains and destroyed approximately 12 homes, leaving 4 people dead and several injured. On this day of Q’anil, as we celebrate our harvest, our abundance, I ask that you consider sharing some of that abundance to help care for those who have lost their homes and those who have been evacuated in case of a further landslide, which is highly likely if we get heavy rain. Being as this is traditionally the wettest part of rainy season, this also seems highly likely. Having just come out of the presidential restrictions due to the pandemic, it feels like the town is being hit again, this time with a very physically present tragedy. If you would like to make a donation, Utz Familia was set up to help with food distribution during the pandemic. They already have their infrastructure in place and a making sure that every donation makes a difference to the local community here. You can find their gofundme page here if you wish to donate. As we walk this path of the sacred cycles of time, we are being given an opportunity to share our harvest. If we cannot use our spiritual practice to help those in need, what are we really walking that path for?

There are some days where using additional energy results in exhaustion as the energy of the day is not conducive. It might just feel that you are pushing against a brick wall, wasting your time or energy on something of no benefit. Today has the exact opposite energy. Today the energy put into your work or your project will be magnified by the fruitful and productive nawal Q’anil,  bringing about the possibility of a great harvest in the future.

However, some reserve is required. Sometimes we become impatient with our process, impatient with our crops. This can lead us to taking our harvest before it is ready, losing out on our future abundance for a want or need of more immediate gratification. Be aware that the effort you put in to your work may not bring immediate results, you are setting a larger ripening process in motion. This is a day to enjoy the process, to look to the future abundance and allow nature to take its course. After all, the next appearance of the nawal Q’anil, in 20 days time, will be 12 Q’anil suggesting the gathering of the ripened crop.

From another point of view, Q’anil represents the bright shining light within the world, something often demonstrated by the people who carry this nawal. The day 5 Q’anil suggests that it may be a little challenging to be that light today, to be the light in the darkness. It is a day to work on brightening the world around you. Whilst your effort may not be immediately rewarded, it will be multiplied as time progresses.

Nawal Q’anil represents the ripening of the seed, the crop coming to maturity. The K’iché word Q’an means yellow, and the -il suffix is rather like the English -ing. Q’anil represents the golden head of maize at its perfection of ripeness, ready to be picked. In the Mayan creation story, humans were fashioned from maize dough, we are Ixim Achi, the people of the corn. The maize in this part of the world has a 260 day growth season between planting (conception) and harvest (birth.) This connects maize with both the sacred calendar and with the period of human gestation.

It is in the fields and gardens that Q’anil’s light shines particularly brightly, it is the nawal of farmers, gardeners and herbalists. But just as it is at home around plants, Q’anil has the possibility to shine anywhere. Q’anil has talent, its beautiful golden light illuminates that which it comes into contact with, Q’anil people light up the room with their presence. Q’anil is about achieving full potential, and this relates to all of our activities. It does have an affinity to the arts, but in general is a day of bounty for all life projects.

However, when an energy is so fertile and prosperous, life can become too easy. Q’anil also appreciates the rewards of its talent – sometimes a little too much. Q’anil is prone to overindulge in the sensual, in particular with regards to intoxication.

The Sacred Mayan calendar is often said to be a calendar of human life, and parts of 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 it’s five digits. It is with our hands that we work, and with what we earn for that work that we pay our debts. Five is also a number that relates to the sacred fire where we pay our debts with offerings and prayers. 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”.