Q’anil represents the bright shining light within the world. This is 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 the light in the darkness today. 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.

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.

There are some days where using additional energy results in exhaustion as the energy of the day is not conducive. It might feel like you are pushing against a brick wall. Maybe you feel you are 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. This brings 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 take our harvest before it is ready. We might lose out on our future abundance for want of 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. Look to the future abundance and allow nature to take its course. After all, the next appearance of the nawal Q’anil will be 12 Q’anil suggesting the gathering of the ripened crop.

Solar Zenith

Here in Guatemala, at 15 degrees north of the equator, we experience this phenomenon two time per year. The Solar Zenith is when the Sun crosses the hypothetical North – South line (the Meridian) at 90 degrees. If you live outside of the tropics, you will be accustomed to the Sun being at its greatest height in the sky on the solstice. That will be June in the Northern hemisphere or December in the Southern Hemisphere.

Here at 15 degrees North, we can add the Zenith into the mix. Between August 11th – 13th and April 29th – May 1st, the Sun will be directly overhead at solar noon. We will experience what seems to be no shadow! Why is this so interesting? Between 13th August and 30th April is 260 days, and between 30th April and 13th August is 105 days.  Some people have theorised the the sacred calendar may have been developed at this latitude due to this phenomenon. This was possibly at the site of Izapa, near modern-day Tapachula in southwest Mexico. This video theorises how the the 260-day calendar may have been distributed along ancient trade routes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iGCxZOSV5o 

Several Maya sites have structures that mark the zenith transit, often zenith tubes. One possible reason that the zenith transit was so important was because of the planting of maize. Here in Guatemala, the rain becomes sporadic by the beginning of November. By mid November, we are often fully into dry season. The corn takes 105 days to grow, mature and harvest, and 105 days from 13th August would be around the 26th November. Therefore, it is important to plant the last crop of corn before the second solar zenith transit.

The Nawal Q’anil

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. Q’anil also represents human beings coming to their greatest point of perfection, their ripeness.

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. People carrying Q’anil energy can 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 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. 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”.