On the day 9 K’at (2nd July 2019), according to the Dresden codex, Venus will cease to be a feature in our morning sky. The morning star will disappear to the underworld, only to reappear as the evening star on 8 Ix (30th September 2019).
The cycle of Venus was used by the ancient Maya to time many ritual practices, including war and sacrifice. The heliacal rising of Venus, when Venus is seen to rise with the Sun, was seen as a particularly destructive and unsettled time. Venus has been rising heliacally since 7 Q’anil (8th November 2018). The period since the beginning of the heliacal rise of Venus seems to have been a great turmoil for many. It was at its peak brightness on November 29th 2018 (2 Toj) and reached its greatest height (western elongation) on January 6th 2019 (1 Kej), which could be seen as the height of its influence.
It is said that the light of the morning star illuminates that which has been hidden, it is an exposer of cover-ups. Additionally it is said that when Venus rises heliacally on a Q’anil day, the Venus deities spear the children. Has this morning star period seen the revelation of children being harmed? Perhaps this might refer to the coming to light of the plight of migrant children, whether on ships in the Mediterranean or in border/refugee camps.
This is a time that could be seen as a respite from the disturbing influence that Venus has. It is said that Venus represents a warrior and that his return to the darkness gives him the time to make new spears, to throw at his victims when he returns as the evening star. Appearances on both Q’anil and Ix will signify children as the victims, however the difference may be the way of expression. Where the morning rise of illumination may highlight the issue externally, the evening phase represents the dark mirror of introspection. This may represent a time when we look within ourselves and ask how we ever allowed this to happen in the first place. It can be a time to look at what went wrong and see how to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. It is a time to evaluate ourselves, and the leaders of our society, a time to address our values and the values of the society we live in, and a time to redress the balance.
The change of the year bearer, or arrival of the new Mam, represents the start of the new solar year, according to the classic highland Maya count. We are leaving behind us the year 6 Kej and moving into the year 7 E’, a year where we finish certain journeys and can see the new options available to us.
For more information, please also check out https://thefourpillars.net/?p=5199
The Seating of the New Mam is the moment that the Wayeb has ended, when the period of retreat has finished and we can emerge from our “cave” back into the real world. In some communities, this would be celebrated with feasting and drinking, welcoming in the new grandfather who will guide us through the next revolution of the sun.
This year is governed by the Mam 7 E’. In addition to 7 E’ carrying the energy of the day, it is also carrying the energy of this new year. The properties and benefits brought by the nawal 7 E’ are discussed in my post for the day of 7 E’ here. The energy of this day is a representative of the energy which we will be living with for the whole year. The general feeling of this year should be about the completion of a journey, and the choice of which direction to go next.
The new Mam may take a little while to settle in. This is usually the first 20 days. Whilst it is obvious that the “administration” has changed, it takes a little time for all the promises made in the campaign to be adhered to. Nothing in nature moves in a square wave, it is always a gentle transition more akin to a sine wave. This is the first light of dawn, the day is just beginning, but we are still experiencing a little of the cold of the night. It will not be until midday, the height of the cycle that we will experience the fullest expression of the energy of this year lord. We can expect that in around 182 days or so, 7 Ix (21st August 2019).
The last time we experienced an E’ year was 2015, which was the year 3 E’. E’ years are usually seen as being benevolent years. They the years when we might make new discoveries, journey to new places, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. They bring an energy of curiosity, of change, and sometimes a boldness to step out into the unknown, as it is there where novelty awaits us.
Its combination here with the number 7 suggests endings. This year may very well represent the end of the road for some things. We have taken our learning process as far as we could, now we have reached our destination, the top of the pyramid. From that vantage point we can see the new opportunities for learning open to us. It will be up to us to choose which path we now wish to take. This may be a year when many options are laid out in front of us, and it will be essential that we make a choice. There is a danger that stagnation will arise from indecision, although with all the options available it may be difficult to select one path. This is a great year to finish the study of a subject and begin a new one. The journey of the heart through relationships may also find itself coming to some kind of conclusion. Life and time can be seen as a spiral, and here we have come to a point where we have completed a revolution of that spiral and it is time to begin a new one.
On a grander scheme of things, the cycle of the year bearers repeats every 52 years. Of course, we do not relive exactly the same experiences, but we may see similarities with the last time this year bearer was in office. That was the year 1967, when Mam would have taken his seat on the Gregorian day 5th March. This gives us the opportunity to understand how to engage with the benefits of, and avoid the errors committed during, the previous incarnation of the Mam 7 E’. For some ideas on major events of 1967, please click here.
The Gregorian date of 21st December 2012 held great significance for many people. Here in the Maya lands, a great many people had gathered to participate in ceremonies marking the completion of a very long cycle of time and the beginning of a new baktun within the long count calendar.
The long count calendar was used to calculate much greater cycles of time than could be recorded by the Chol Q’ij (260 days), the solar calendar (365 days) or the calendar round (52 years less 13 days). Through extension it can be used through periods of time up to thousands, and even millions, of years. In general, long count dates are given using five numbers. These numbers represent periods known as baktun, katun, tun, uinal and kin. The smallest unit is kin, which represents 1 day. The next unit, which could in a way be seen as a month, is a uinal consisting of 20 days. Moving into a larger scale, the next number represents the tun. 1 tun is made up of 18 uinal, a period of 360 days, and so is seen as a vague year. From there, the long count moves on in factors of 20. 20 tuns (7200 days) are equal to a katun, which will be 20 Gregorian years less 100 days. Finally, the greatest unit here, a baktun, a period of 20 katuns (144000 days), or roughly 394 Gregorian years. Other units extended this by further factors of 20.
Stela C at Quirigua which shows a creation date of 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajpu 8 Kumku. Photo by Mark Elmy
Reference is made to the beginning of an age, a time of creation approximately 5125 years before 2012. This is seen on Stela C at Quirigua, which shows a date of 13 baktun, 0 katun, 0 tun, 0 winal and 0 kin, often written 13.0.0.0.0, followed by the day 4 Ajpu (Ajaw) 8 Kumku. This correlates to a date of 13th August 3114BC, although another correlation is 11th August 3114BC. For one reason or another it became a belief that a great cycle of time consisted of 13 baktun, so the completion of a 13 baktun period was seen as having special significance. Regardless of theories or ideas with regards to that significance, the completion of a cycle such as a katun or baktun was seen as a time to be marked with ceremonies to welcome a new period. When the thirteenth baktun was completed in 2012, the corresponding long count date would have read 13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajpu 3 Kankin, although it is sometimes also represented as 0.0.0.0.0. One day later, 22nd December, would then be 0.0.0.0.1, twenty days later the first uinal is complete, giving 0.0.0.1.0 and then 360 days later, 16th December 2013, would mark the completion of the first tun, giving a long count date of 0.0.1.0.0
These periods have continued through the years in the following sequence:
21/12/2012: 0.0.0.0.0 4 Ajpu 3 Kankin
16/12/2013: 0.0.1.0.0 13 Ajpu 18 Mak
11/12/2014: 0.0.2.0.0 9 Ajpu 13 Mak
06/12/2015: 0.0.3.0.0 5 Ajpu 8 Mak
30/11/2016: 0.0.4.0.0 1 Ajpu 3 Mak
25/11/2017: 0.0.5.0.0 10 Ajpu 18 Sej
20/11/2018: 0.0.6.0.0 6 Ajpu 13 Sej
A new period begins today. We completed the sixth tun after the beginning of the new baktun, yesterday on 5 Kawok. The new tun will always begin on an Ajpu day, and today on 6 Ajpu we mark this new tun. The long count date will become 0.0.6.0.0 (6 Ajpu 13 Seh). Once again we see the turning over of a cycle, and should be seen as a great time for a renewal. Perhaps we can understand the theme of the next tun to be carried by the properties of 6 Ajpu, to create the divinity into the physical world through our connection with both the divine masculine and the divine feminine.
If a stela was carved for today, this would be how it would look. 0.0.6.0.0 6 Ajpu 13 Sej Image created using Bob Makransky’s Mayan Astrology Program
The cycle of Venus was of great importance to the ancient Maya, and often used to time ritual activities including warfare and sacrifices. 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. These victims are often leaders. This turmoil is affecting all of us on the planet, not just the leaders. Who ever holds “high position” would do well to avoid rushing into impassioned decisions or judgement during the first few days of the Morning Star.
Lord of the Heliacal Rise with his spear ready to strike down his victims, from the Dresden Codex
However, there is a more positive way in which we can look at it, which I highlighted here in a recent video about Venus. In order to do this, we have to jump cultures a little and refer to the story of Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl was an Aztec deity, the Maya equivalent would be Kulkulkan in the post-classic Maya civilisation, Q’ukumatz is another variant.
Quetzalcoatl arrived as a teacher of the people, a civilising influence that taught astronomy, mathematics and agriculture. As the world became a better place, his popularity and influence grew, which attracted the jealousy of his brother, Tezcatlipoca. It is said that Tezcatlipoca disguised himself as an old man and gave Quetzalcoatl pulque, an alcoholic drink made from maguey. He became intoxicated and ended up “cavorting” with a celibate priestess (who may also have been his sister). Shamed, he then either sets himself on fire and rose into the sky to become the morning star, or sailed to the east on a boat of snakes, depending on which version we hear.
It is this aspect which can be seen as being particularly interesting. The rise and fall of Quetzalcoatl mirror the the “rise and fall” of Venus as the morning star. Today, Venus will return as the morning star, and it will get higher and brighter in the sky for the next 60 days, reaching it’s greatest western elongation (height above the Eastern horizon) around the day 2 Q’anil in early January of 2019. From our own point of view we can also see this as our own return to brightness, a time to rise and shine again.
After a great deal of deliberation and waiting, I have finally put together the video I have been sitting on for some time. These last few months have proved challenging for many people, on a deeply personal level. We have been forced to look deep within ourselves at patterns and attachments, as they are brought to the fore. It is my belief that the combination of the power of the year lord 6 Kej with the Evening Star phase of Venus, as shown within the Maya calendars, may give us an understanding of this
For Kaypatcha’s description of 2018, the year of alchemical change, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4m9yZq69uU&list=LLQZUKyXMrjabOP_cqCZ24Dg&t=0s&index=14
As we move through the Chol Q’ij, the sacred calendar of the Maya people, we encounter different themes and energies. In addition to my written work at www.thefourpillars.net I have created a new series of videos describing the typical themes we may encounter for each trecena (13 day period). Here, I describe how the energy of the nawal Q’anil affects the coming thirteen days.
Whilst the nawal Tz’i may have a colourful reputation, it also encompasses some of the most desirable traits we can exhibit. It is an energy of faith, loyalty, justice and guidance. Today all of those traits are brought into focus with the energy of the number 9, the energy of life and particularly the feminine aspects of it. As we move through this trecena of Iq’, highlighting changes and communication, this is a day to seek out guidance for your life path, which may come especially from women.
The day 9 Tz’i can be seen as a day about having faith in life. Sometimes in order to strengthen that faith, it may be tested. It is a day of loyalty to the women in your life and a day to show your unconditional love for them. It may also be a day to seek justice, particularly for women or issues affecting them.
The dog sits by the cauldron, from the Madrid Codex
In addition to this energy of faith in life, today is also the day within the Dresden Codex on which Venus returns to the sky as an evening star. Astronomically speaking, Venus has been a theoretically visible for a few days now. Tonight Venus should be the first time when it is clearly visible as an evening “star” for a few minutes, appearing from the glare of the Sun, only to set a few minutes after the Sun.
According to Bruce Scofield in the book How to Practice Mayan Astrology, Venus can represent the rise and fall of leaders. They describe the rise of a great leader, seen as a bright shining light who becomes so bright he gets lost in hedonism. This leads to his downfall and eventual exile, the rise and fall of the morning star. The superior conjunction is seen as a time of judgement and redressing the balance before the leader is born again, this time humble, mortal and obeying the laws of society as the evening star. Eventually he is sacrificed, the inferior conjunction, and once again is born as the rising light in the world.
With the energy of 9 Tz’i combining with the reappearance of Venus, it could signal end end to the trials which began on 10 Ajpu (25th November 2017) with the superior conjunction of Venus. The light travelled through the underworld as the planet Venus disappeared behind the Sun, from the point of view from Earth. Now, the light returns, in the wisdom place of the west, possibly signifying the emergence of a steadying influences as society goes through a profound change. The trials during the preceding 80 days have humbled the false leaders, and now new faith in life emerges.
The phases of Venus 2017/2018, Starting at the inferior conjunction on 13 Ajmak (26th March 2017). By Mark Elmy
Tz’i is possibly the nawal with the most colourful reputation. Some describe it as the nawal of “sex, drugs and rock and roll” and it has the possibility to live up to that label. One of the functions an Aj Q’ij (Mayan spiritual guide) performs is divination, usually using red seeds called Tz’ite. If a question is asked about a relationship and Tz’i comes up in the reading, it is seen as a sign of infidelity. Tz’i is instinctual, and closes its ears to reason when it gets an idea, particularly when it is hormonally driven. This is the worst possible aspect of Tz’i and when it falls down, it does so spectacularly, which is why it tends to be remembered for those events.
However, what is sometimes forgotten is the other side of Tz’i, which is the side more frequently displayed. Just as Tz’i can represent infidelity, it also represents faith and loyalty, and just as it can be the trouble maker, it also represents law. It is the nawal of police, lawyers and judges. Tz’i is unwavering faith, unconditional loyalty. The totem animal of Tz’i is the dog, and through the actions of dogs we can understand both the loyalty aspect, and the instinctual. Tz’i is also the guide and protector on life’s path, ensuring that it’s charge travels safely. It is a day when your faith or loyalty may be tested, where your instincts are stimulated. The positive traits of this day give rise to to some of the greatest displays of friendship, but be aware that your loyalty may be tested by temptation.
The number nine is very special indeed. It 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 and is a day on which women may wish to give thanks for their gifts.
The Seating of the New Mam is the moment that the Wayeb has ended, when the period of retreat has finished and we can emerge from our “cave” back into the real world. In some communities, this would be celebrated with feasting and drinking, welcoming in the new grandfather who will guide us through the next revolution of the sun.
This year is governed by the Mam 6 Kej. In addition to 6 Kej carrying the energy of the day, it is also carrying the energy of this new year. The properties and benefits brought by the nawal 6 Kej are discussed in my post for the day of 6 Kej here. The energy of this day is a representative of the energy which we will be living with for the whole year. The general feeling of this year should be a greater sense of stability that comes through strong leadership.
The new Mam may take a little while to settle in. This is usually the first 20 days. Whilst it is obvious that the “administration” has changed, it takes a little time for all the promises made in the campaign to be adhered to. Nothing in nature moves in a square wave, it is always a gentle transition more akin to a sine wave. This is the first light of dawn, the day is just beginning, but we are still experiencing a little of the cold of the night. It will not be until midday, the height of the cycle that we will experience the fullest expression of the energy of this year lord. We can expect that in around 182 days or so, 6 Toj (21st August 2018).
The last time we experienced a Kej year was 2014, which was the year 2 Kej. Kej years tend to have the reputation of being strong, forceful years, driven and determined. Kej is a bold energy, drawing its strength from the natural world. Yet it is the nawal of the higher level Maya spiritual guides, those who are truly tuned in to the natural world, and who use this ability to bring true leadership to the people. While it may be extremely determined, sometimes to the point of stubbornness, it has the best interests of its people at heart
This is then combined with the number 6, a number with a reputation for stability. It is in the middle of the range of numbers, bringing a sense of balance with it. This is possibly one of the best combinations for the nawal Kej, the strength and determination being tempered by the balanced and stable energy of the number 6. The number 6 also implies the influence of the upper and lower realms – heaven and Earth – being drawn into our middle realm. Perhaps it is this influence of the divine masculine and divine feminine which bring the particular balance to the energy of the number 6, and as we apply it to the spiritual leadership aspect of the nawal Kej, we can expect stability coming through spiritual leaders during this year. The number 6 is also related to the values of the family, and with Kej representing strength, could be a great year for strengthening your family, bringing balance to their lives.
On a grander scheme of things, the cycle of the year bearers repeats every 52 years. Of course, we do not relive exactly the same experiences, but we may see similarities with the last time this year bearer was in office. That was the year 1966, when Mam would have taken his seat on the Gregorian day 5th March. This gives us the opportunity to understand how to engage with the benefits of, and avoid the errors committed during, the previous incarnation of the Mam 6 Kej. For some ideas on major events of 1966, please click here.
Old Man Possum drew 4 streaks on the sky and is seen here delivering the new Mam, representing the new solar year. The first column of glyphs on the left hand side of the page, from the top to the representation of possum are all Kej. From the Dresden Codex.
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