Category Archives: Chol Q’ij – The Energies of the Days

13 Imox (29th March 2025) – Solar Eclipse

13 ImoxThe dreams of spirit and our connection with them may dominate today.  This combination leads to a closeness to the unseen world. As a day of divination, readings or dreams, it may be the most outstanding.

Sometimes Imox can be rather a passive energy, one to be experienced rather than pushing the experience onto you.  I often think of the connection with Imox being rather like all the hairs on our bodies acting like little psychic antennae. Those antennae pick up everything around us, the feelings of others, creating empathy. However, today this is connected not just with our world, but also with the unseen. This can include our ancestors in the spirit world, and possibly other realms within nature, the devas. Consequently, the information coming through may be rather overwhelming, it can be like everything is “turned up to 11.”

When filtered and ordered, some truly remarkable information may come through. But, if it is unfiltered it may be just an unintelligible mess, a jumbled dream. This is certainly a day to apply your discernment to whatever comes to you. You may find that exposure to the mass media is counterproductive, today would be a better day for a retreat.

It may be a day where individuality could be lost.  You may find yourself sucked into a crowd that you might not normally associate with. It is a day to be aware of your psychic connection with the collective consciousness, and use it appropriately. It’s a great day to disconnect from the media, from social media and the influences of that collective, and perhaps instead connect with the collective of the ancestors, of spirit.

Solar Eclipse

The maximum point of eclipse will occur at 10.47 UTC, and will be visible over northwest Europe and northeast Canada and USA . Eclipses were very significant to the Maya. The picture below is from the eclipse tables of the Dresden codex, where calculations show when eclipses (both lunar and solar) will take place. In general, most references to eclipses, either lunar or solar, tend to be rather negative in nature. They are seen as a war in the heavens. There is some evidence that wars between different classic era city states occurred directly after solar eclipses.

During solar eclipses, the moon is so angry with the sun that she bites him. It is also seen as  either an ant or a jaguar who is said to have bitten the eclipsed celestial object. This can be particularly apparent with partial eclipses, the bite mark on the sun being very much how leaf-cutter ants make circular holes on leaves. The people sometimes make a great deal of noise (usually by banging on pots and pans) to drive away the animals attacking the sun or moon.

Of course, the covering of the face of the sun, darkness occurring in the middle of the day is a hugely dramatic experience both then and now. The cutting off of the energy source for our planet would have very serious consequences if it went on for longer.

Bringing Water stability to Families

As I write about water bringing stability to families, it reminds me to mention another worth local project, Water4Life Global. Founders  Jenna MacEwan and Nikki Appleton and their team have been making a difference to peoples’ lives since 2018. They provide water filters to local families throughout Guatemala, giving direct access to clean drinking water. Additionally they are involved in action which helps to clean up the local sources of water. This is achieved through grey water treatment projects, reforestation and education. To learn more or donate, please visit: https://water4lifeglobal.org/

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 Thirteen

The number 13 is the final number. It represents the spirit world. It is said that on Samhain, the veil between the worlds is the thinnest. However within the sacred calendar, this thinning happens every 13 days. This connection with the spirit world creates a powerful day. Both the positive and negative aspects of the day come through strongly. It is a very good day for activities such as divinations. Ceremonies on 13 days are best left to experienced Aj Q’ijab who understand how to work with that energy.

12 Ajpu (28th March 2025)

12 AjpuThe day 12 Ajpu is a day to recognise divinity within our life experience. Today we might feel the spirit which has come to create this moment which we are in now. 

There are particular moments in life where a destination is reached. Upon arrival, you realise how many other points in life have contributed to your current moment. Of course, this can be said of any moment, as it is preceded by all others. However, today is rather special. Today you may truly recognise the blessings you have brought into your life through previous experiences. You are where you are today because of the choices you have made. Possibly, even sometimes experiences you may not have consciously chosen. Today is a day to recognise the beauty around you right now. Appreciate that which you have arrived at as a result of your life experiences.

It is the legacy of our ancestors and what they have created for us in the now. It is a day to savour that which brings you joy in life, that which you consider to be your blessings.

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 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.

 

The Heliacal Rise of Venus, 12 Ajpu (28th March 2025)

Today Venus returns to the morning sky. If you go out before sunrise today, you may be rewarded with a fleeting glimpse of Venus. Venus will briefly appear on the eastern horizon, just before disappearing into the Sun’s glare.

Heliacal Rise of Venus
Venus rising just before sunrise on 28th March 2025 in Solola, Guatemala

The cycle of Venus was of great importance to the ancient Maya, and often used to time ritual activities including warfare and sacrifices. This depended on whether it happened in the dry season or rainy season. Venus was generally seen to have an unsettling influence, particularly during the time of the heliacal rising of Venus.

Today we enter that period of potential turbulence, the first rising of Venus as the Morning Star. This is said to be the time when the influence of Venus “spears” certain victims. Although these victims are often leaders, this turmoil is affecting all of us on the planet. That said, whoever holds “high position” would do well to avoid rushing into impassioned decisions  or judgement during the first few days of the Morning Star.

The Dresden Codex

Heliacal Rise of Venus on Ajpu Day

Here is the particular page in the Dresden Codex which refers to the heliacal rise of Venus on an Ajpu day. In the top left hand portion of the page, you can see the glyphs E’, Iq’, E’ and then Ajpu. These positions relate to superior conjunction, rise as evening “star”, inferior conjunction and then rise as morning “star”.

 

 

In the page pertaining to this Venus event, the top panel (above) shows the Corn god standing before the Death god (Kisin or Ah Puch). These are the Lords of the Heliacal rise. The Venus warrior in the second panel  spears the victim in the lower panel. The victim in this panel is said to be Tzul, a foreigner.

It is interesting to note that the panels are arranged so that the final date is the heliacal rise. If the figures on the left are seen as presiding over a period, does that period begin with the disappearance of the morning star? For example, this fifth page began on 2 E’ (14th April 2024) with beginning of the superior conjunction phase. It continues for 584 days until the beginning of the next superior conjunction on 1 Ajmak (19th November 2025). Could it be seen that the Maize lord and Kisin have been governing this time from April 2024 through to November 2025? Perhaps the time as the evening star could be seen as the gestation for what is birthed as the morning star. When the morning star rises, that which has been hidden in the darkness emerges?

The last time that Venus would have gone through the heliacal rise in the spring would have been 2017. Perhaps we can get an insight into possible events by looking at the events between 16th April 2016 through to 21st November of 2017.

 

 

11 Kawok (27th March 2025)

11 KawokThe energy of 11 Kawok may be  unpredictable and wildly stormy. This is all part of the birthing process and can lead to a powerfully creative day.

The day 11 Kawok may bring many strong opportunities for the emergence of new growth into the world. The strong and vital will weather the storm, that which is worn out might not.

Following the powerful group healing of 10 Tijax, the 11 Kawok day is even stronger. Kawok certainly has both a healing, compassionate face and a destructive face. The rather turbulent and unpredictable energy of the number 11 may result in the strong expression of either and possibly both faces. This could certainly give rise to a rollercoaster day of ups and downs. When faced with this type of potential, it is even more important than usual to remain grounded and focused, like a ship’s captain guiding the vessel towards its destination. Fix your focus on what you choose to achieve, and allow yourself to alter course according to the conditions you encounter. This way you can make it to the new ground and new life on the opposite shore. Allow that which is no longer necessary to be washed away.

The unpredictable nature of the energy of the number 11 can provide fertile ground for innovation. The energy of the number 11 changes its direction intuitively, not following a logical path. But it is this spontonateity that brings out true creativity. Often leaps forward in any discipline come from not following the logical path. Here, seeing it with the nawal Kawok, it has a powerful, dramatic energy of healing and rebirth. The combination suggests a powerful birthing process. We may emerge a little bruised and sore, but teh new life has entered the world.

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 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.

10 Tijax (26th March 2025)

10 TijaxThe day 10 Tijax can be seen as a day which brings community healing. 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

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. 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.

9 No’j (25th March 2025)

9 N'ojThe day 9 No’j can be seen as a day of feminine thought. It is a day to pay attention to ideas inspired by life, and a day when realistic resolutions of life’s problems may emerge.

This may particularly come through a feminine channel. It is most certainly a day to ask for practical solutions from the women around us. It is a marriage of the masculine, square, logical No’j, with the feminine, rounded, artistic nine.

Today might be a day when feminine problems may be resolved with masculine logic and masculine problems resolved with feminine intuition. It can be seen as the union of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. 9 No’j brings a day of particular inspiration, with the possibility for the emergence of true genius. This is enlivened with the energy of the number 9 with its connection with the divine feminine and life energy. This would also bring in the energy of the heart. I have heard this referred to as the holy trinity, left brain, right brain and heart working together. In turn, this can create the best possible solutions, bringing sustainable, compassionate, beautiful ideas into practicality. This is the ideal day for an ideas circle within your community.

 

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. Thus, 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.

8 Ajmak (24th March 2025)

8 AjmakThis is the perfect day for a ceremony of forgiveness. Energetically wipe the slate clean, and move forward without guilt or resentment. Embrace the beautiful humanity of yourself and others.

Ajmak days are not always easy to negotiate. The energy may bring up our “failings” or those of others. They remind us of what it is to be human, both through the ways of compassionate forgiveness, and through actions which give rise to the need to forgive. These are how we learn, but we do not need to keep running the same program once we have learned from it. For example, an action gives rise to a desirable or undesirable reaction. We may wish to repeat the desirable one and not repeat the undesirable one.

However, holding on to guilt about the action which gave the undesirable reaction rarely serves any purpose. In the Maya cross of Ajmak, the future sign is K’at, the net. Thus, the future of Ajmak can be abundance, one aspect of K’at, or it can lead to ensnarement. This ensnarement may be a result of guilt, the inability to move on from an action which produced undesirable consequences.

Of course, this is highly simplified, but we often do choose to carry our guilt for longer than necessary. It becomes a burden, stifling our creativity and preventing us from achieving our full potential. It can  stop us from living the lives we are able to live, filling us with regret. Choosing to cleanse ourselves from the burden of guilt over past actions can have a dramatic effect on our lives, as can releasing grudges we hold towards people who we perceive have wronged us. Holding grudges takes a huge amount of our creative energy away, again preventing us from being all we can truly be.

How Can A Forgiveness Ceremony Be Made?

Ajmak days give us an opportunity to resolve this in one way or another, and 8 Ajmak points us in a direction of ceremony. So how might we make a forgiveness ceremony? Unless we are in the Maya lands, we may be unable to make a Maya ceremony, so here are two other ideas of forgiveness ceremonies. I realise they are not insights into Maya ceremonies, and hope that you will forgive me this.

The opportunity to free ourselves from what we no longer need to carry seems like too good an opportunity to allow it to pass without comment. Firstly, we might make a ceremonial fire. It doesn’t have to be a large and ostentatious affair, your intention is the important ingredient. Write down what you want to forgive, or be forgiven for, on pieces of paper. Light your fire and connect yourself with your true essence, connect with the Earth and the Sky. Say some words which have meaning to you, prayers if you like, then lovingly and respectfully put your papers into the fire. You might like to read them out loud first, contemplating each one as you burn it away. When you have finished, say thank you in whichever way seems most appropriate.

Another way may be to use the four sentences of Ho’oponopono, the Hawaiian art of forgiveness. Bring the person or situation to mind and use the following four phrases.

I am sorry

Please forgive me

I love you

Thank you

Both of these methods have the ability to release you from your burden through forgiveness.

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 Eight

The number 8 is considered to be several wholeness. It can be seen as birth (1) and death (7) combined to represent the whole cycle of the soul. Also, it can be seen as the point where the four first men who raised the sky from the sea were joined by their wives and the world became whole. The eighth day of the trecena is the most common day for ceremonies to be made. Therefore, it is still in the balanced range of numbers and is an even number, which is also considered fortunate. This wholeness represents every aspect of the energy of the day with which it is coupled. It is the wholeness of the nawal that is addressed in the ceremony.

New Calendar Page – April 2025

This quick link takes you to the April 2025 calendar page. As usual, you can see the days of the Chol Q’ij plotted onto the Gregorian month and the many major astronomical events of April 2025! Click here to navigate to the page.

April 2025

13 Iq’ / 2025 Calendar

My 2025 calendar is now available. The calendar shows the days of the Chol Q’ij, formatted onto the Gregorian calendar. Currently, it is available electronically as a PDF in both English and Spanish. Printed versions, in English, are available locally in Guatemala in San Marcos at Lava Love Cacao and Palo Santo. They are also now available in the USA through Soul Lift Cacao. See this link ‎for details on how to get your pdf.

Google Calendar Plugin

For the more technically minded I have also created a plugin for Google Calendar. This enables you to track the days of the sacred calendar on your smartphone. In this way, you can ensure that your activities are aligned to the most conducive energies! I have also added a description to every day, just click on the day name. It is available for purchase here.

Readings

If you would like to know what your nawal brings to your lifepath, please follow this link to get a reading with me https://thefourpillars.net/maya-lifepath-reading/

Calendar Workshop

If you would like to dive deeper into the sacred calendar, I will be running a workshop via Zoom from 12 pm to 4 pm (Guatemala time, UTC -6) from 21st – 25th April 2025. There are currently spaces available. For more information, please go to https://thefourpillars.net/?page_id=1120. 

7 Tz’ikin (23rd March 2025)

7 Tz'ikinThis may be a day where you finalise the vision. This may be the final part of the puzzle which leads to prosperity for you, your family, your community and the environment.

The day 7 Tz’ikin can encompass both focus and the ability to see the bigger picture. As the bird sits atop the pyramid it has an enormous breadth of vision which may bring prosperity. However, this may also lead to indecision if not focused.

The nawal Tz’ikin has a naturally restless energy. It is a natural communicator. We see the birds hop from one branch to another, gathering and exchanging information. It receives different points of view which can lead it to prosperity when correctly put together. However, sometimes it spends too much time observing and communicating to bring these things together.

If this can be controlled, then Tz’ikin may bring focus with 7 representing the goal, the final aim. It may lead to the vision of how to finalise an idea. It can see how to thrive in all choices, and prosperity may come, as long as distractions can be avoided. This may be a day where you receive the final vision. This may be the final part of the puzzle which leads to prosperity for you, your family, your community and the environment.

Nawal Tz’ikin

Bat Falcon sitting on top of Temple 216 at Yaxha. Photo by Mark Elmy

Nawal Tz’ikin is the nawal of prosperity, which sometimes seems odd to people seeking “higher knowledge”. However, this is not the same as the greed of capitalist consumerism. If your family is starving, you are more likely to fall off the road, perhaps into dishonesty or criminal activity. By asking nawal Tz’ikin for prosperity in your life, you are more likely to be able to help others. You can be more constructive within your community. That is not to say that your own input will not be necessary, just that your hard work will pay off.

Tz’ikin has the ability to give visions, it helps people to see the bigger picture within life. It also helps people to focus on details. It has grand aspirations and helps people to rise to the top of their abilities.

Similarly, just as Tz’ikin can focus, its broad vision can occasionally cause distraction. Sometimes, just when it is heading towards its goal it can be distracted by something “shiny.” Thus, this energy gives an ability to create great social networks, but sometimes spends too much time trying to maintain them.

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.

7 the final step

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.

6 Ix (22nd March 2025)

6 IxOn the day 6 Ix give thanks for the wealth or abundance which nourishes your family. Stabilise your connection between the Earth and the sky. Ask the Earth for what you need and what she needs from you. 

The nawal representing the spirit of Mother Earth combines with the number which draws on the energy of the sky and Earth to manifest into the physical plane.

Days carrying the number 6 often feel very well-balanced. This is as expected, being as the are in the middle of the range between 1 to 13. However, there is a little more to them than just that. The 6 acts as a focal point for what it is attached to. It empowers the nawal with the essences of the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of the Earth. In turn, this allows its energy to project or manifest into the physical world. It is much like the number 4, but with the embellishment of the divine masculine and divine feminine principals.

The energy of the nawal Ix strongly associates with our ability to commune with the spirit of mother Earth. This ability allows us to bring what we need into this world. It can be seen as our “magic”, but really it is just a more aware state of being. Here we understand the dynamic which exists between us an our environment.

We ask, we receive, we thank. Understand how to use your own abilities to manifest, and to stabilise your magic.

Nawal Ix

A dancing shaman transforms himself into a jaguar. From a late classic era vase found at Altar de Sacrificios. Source http://shortstreet.net/Maya/mayapaintedvases.htm
A dancing shaman transforms himself into a jaguar. From a late classic era vase found at Altar de Sacrificios. Source http://shortstreet.net/Maya/mayapaintedvases.htm

Ix is considered to be the most feminine of the nawales because it embodies the spirit of the Heart of the Earth. It can be seen as a representation of Mother Earth or the Maya version of Gaia. Ix is known for its nurturing energy, as it takes care of all things. However, this nurturing should not be mistaken for weakness, as Ix also embodies the power and stealth of the jaguar, which is its animal totem. The jaguar is a powerful jungle cat that moves stealthily through the darkness of the night with spots on its back representing the milky way. Ix carries the sun on its nightly journey through the underworld.

In industrialized societies, the Earth is often seen as an inanimate source of material wealth. However, non-industrialized societies view her as a living entity that we can interact with, and she carries the nawal Ix. Therefore, on Ix days, people offer prayers at her shrines and altars to ask for what they need in the world. To keep Ix healthy, it is important to approach her with a spirit of gratitude and humility. Ix is deeply connected with the natural world, where it finds its wisdom, power, and wealth. Therefore, it is a day to give thanks, remember gratitude, and engage with your magic.

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 the masculine and feminine principals. 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.