Tag Archives: Ancestors

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

New Video – The Mam 13 Iq’

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The bearer of the new solar cycle, which begins on 18th February 2025, is the Mam 13 Iq’. The Iq’ energy may bring a blustery year of strong, unforeseen changes, so it’s a good time to get ourselves prepared. It will be important to remember to stay grounded and breathe before we react, as our words may be more powerful than expected. Seeking counsel from the words of the ancestors may provide the best guidance.

You will find my written detail about my ideas of the energy of this year here https://thefourpillars.net/mam-13-iq/

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 17th – 21st March 2025. There are currently spaces available. For more information, please go to https://thefourpillars.net/?page_id=1120. 

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. See this link ‎for details on how to get your pdf  https://thefourpillars.net/2025-calendar/

Printed versions, in English, are available locally in Guatemala in San Marcos at Lava Love Cacao and Palo Santo, and in San Juan la Laguna at the candle shop of Nana Maria Feliciana. They are also now available in the USA through Soul Lift Cacao through this link https://bit.ly/4etcGZl

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 https://thefourpillars.net/google-calendar-plugin/

Worthwhile Recipients of Your Donations

When I mention programs within my videos, it is because I know the people involved and can vouch that your donations will go towards helping the people for which they are intended.

Bringing Water Stability to Families

A wonderful, highly active project to bring water stability to families is Water4Life Global. Jenna MacEwan and her team have been making a difference to peoples’ lives since 2018. They provide water filters to local families throughout Guatemala, thereby giving direct access to clean drinking water. Additionally, they are directly involved in action which helps to clean up the local sources of water. This is achieved through greywater treatment projects, reforestation and education. To learn more or donate, please visit: https://water4lifeglobal.org/donate/

The Midwife Project

In their words: “Our Mission is to offer safe, dignified and culturally appropriate health care to women in Guatemala by empowering indigenous midwives through education. We focus on revaluing the Mayan ancestral knowledge while integrating modern medical practices. With the creation of Holistic Clinic(s) & Birthing Center(s) as a meeting ground and model project. Our Vision is that every woman has access to humane, respected and safe birth care. The midwives and women are empowered to lead the creation of a thriving community where those who are most vulnerable have their needs met, and men support the women in creating this healthy and vibrant family and community structure.”

You can check out their site and donate here: https://www.midwifeproject.net/donate 

Konojel

I mention the Konojel program and their work in San Marcos la Laguna. They have turned from a basic, “let’s make sure bellies are full” program to one of much more social development. You can check out their programs and donate here https://konojel.org/donate

Odim

Within the village of San Pablo la Laguna, there is an organisation doing great work. They are called ODIM and specialise in medical and educational services. However, during the pandemic restrictions, they helped feed many people, but this is in addition to their regular, long-term work there. You can find out more about them through this link http://www.odimguatemala.org/donate

Please click here to see the video:

https://youtu.be/jNCFaHoClDw

[https://youtu.be/jNCFaHoClDw]

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 Toj (5th February 2025)

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13 TojThis is a day to resolve any ancestral debt. The day of payment and sacrifice joins with the number which represents the ancestors and the spirit world.

The energy of the nawal Toj can feel rather challenging. Payment and sacrifice are things we might choose to avoid if we could. However, these are the actions that keep us in balance, the things which keep us healthy and harmonious. Life is a continuous cycle of receiving and giving. However, sometimes we inadvertently allow this to fall out of balance. We take and we forget to give back. Toj days remind us to redress that balance, sometimes through sickness.

Today, this energy is combined with the strongest number 13, representing the ancestors and the spirit world. Today we have an opportunity to resolve any outstanding debts with our ancestors. This applies not only in this world but in the distant past. Perhaps there is a recent physical debt that needs payment. However, this may also involve a debt to your more distant ancestors. This is a day to say thank you to your lineage for what they have provided for you.

Sometimes our ancestors acted in a manner we would not choose today. They may have incurred debts which have been passed to the next generations to repay. This is a day to resolve any of these types of debt. Make amends for what your ancestors may have taken without payment.

Days carrying the number 13 are said to be when the spirit world is close and are good days for divination. This could also be a very good day for a divination to ask what is outstanding, and how to pay it off. This could apply to both your own personal debts and ancestral debts.

Worthwhile Recipients of Your Donations

When I mention programs, it is because I know the people involved and can vouch that your donations will go towards helping the people for which they are intended.

Bringing Water Stability to Families

A wonderful, highly active project to bring water stability to families is Water4Life Global. Jenna MacEwan and her team have been making a difference to peoples’ lives since 2018. They provide water filters to local families throughout Guatemala, thereby giving direct access to clean drinking water. Additionally, they are directly involved in action which helps to clean up the local sources of water. This is achieved through greywater treatment projects, reforestation and education. To learn more or donate, please visit: https://water4lifeglobal.org/donate/

The Midwife Project

In their words: “Our Mission is to offer safe, dignified and culturally appropriate health care to women in Guatemala by empowering indigenous midwives through education. We focus on revaluing the Mayan ancestral knowledge while integrating modern medical practices. With the creation of Holistic Clinic(s) & Birthing Center(s) as a meeting ground and model project. Our Vision is that every woman has access to humane, respected and safe birth care. The midwives and women are empowered to lead the creation of a thriving community where those who are most vulnerable have their needs met, and men support the women in creating this healthy and vibrant family and community structure.”

You can check out their site and donate here: https://www.midwifeproject.net/donate 

Konojel

I mention the Konojel program and their work in San Marcos la Laguna. They have turned from a basic, “let’s make sure bellies are full” program to one of much more social development. You can check out their programs and donate here https://konojel.org/donate

ODIM

Within the village of San Pablo la Laguna, there is an organisation doing great work. They are called ODIM and specialise in medical and educational services. However, during the pandemic restrictions, they helped feed many people, but this is in addition to their regular, long-term work there. You can find out more about them through this link http://www.odimguatemala.org/donate

The Nawal Toj

The nawal Toj represents offerings and payment. It is part of the name Tojil, a Mayan god who gave fire to the people. However, this was not a gift. Tojil asked in return for a sacrifice to be made. This is a day of payment and sacrifice, a day to resolve debts, both in the physical and spiritual realms. Toj is the nawal of the sacred fire where we make offerings to burn away karmic debts. In this way we restore balance, and we bring our accounts back to zero.

It is through selfless acts that we can access the divine protection that Toj carries. Naturally, these acts might involve a sacrifice of our time or energy to strengthen our community. We can choose to act or we can choose to ignore. However, ignoring an opportunity to make a payment on a Toj day might bring the removal of the protection. We should always make our payments with an open heart. However, thanks might not be quickly forthcoming, and may not come at all. Your sacrifice could be something as simple as picking up litter in your neighbourhood. It doesn’t have to be something elaborate.

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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 Ajmak (23rd January 2025)

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13 AjmakThis is a very powerful day of ancestral redemption. Not only can this relate to the living ancestors, but also to those in the spirit world.

Sometimes the burdens we carry are not only our own. They are those of our society.  Energies persist through generations, patterns are passed through families long after the initial event. Something was created that we are so far removed from, we may not even realise we are carrying it. The day 13 Ajmak gives us an opportunity for absolution, not only for ourselves but for our ancestral past.

As the nawal of “being human”, sometimes the energy of Ajmak teaches us how to get back up on our feet after we have “fallen.” However, to learn this we have to make a mistake. The energy of today may bring some strong lessons in this regard. This day has the potential for some of the greatest acts of forgiveness, but it also has the potential for some almighty mistakes to be made. It is certainly a day to exercise caution in your decision making process.

Ajmak brings us the opportunity to “bring the sweetness into life” and we do this through true forgiveness. This is the day to make peace, particularly with those who are now in the other world. If there is an unresolved issue, a broken promise or apology to make, today is a day to resolve it, even if that is at a graveside. It is a day to exonerate guilt, blame, shame and remorse, and to release the associated burden so that we can move freely into the creation of the new world.

I’m sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

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 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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 Aq’ab’al (10th January 2025)

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13 Aq'ab'alToday can be seen as the passing of ancestral concepts into our world. It gives us the pattern for the joining of the old world with the new.  This is a potent day to revisit ancestral teachings and understandings, to bring their concepts into modern life.

We are already in the 20-day countdown towards the day 8 B’atz, one of the most important days in the sacred calendar. 13 Aq’ab’al features very strongly in this period.

In the “Maya Cross” form of astrology, one of the positions represents conception. This is a day 8 days (or 268 days) before the birth date. Today, the day 13 Aq’ab’al represents the conception day of 8 B’atz, the reweaving of the world through the joining of the old fabric with the new.

Aq’ab’al represents conception in itself. It is a joyful day when new concepts are proposed for creation into the physical world. In this way, Aq’ab’al acts as a bridge between the dreaming potential of all that is, which we see in the nawal Imox, and the physical world. It has moved into our physical reality, but it is hidden within the mother. In some senses it is between the worlds, we cannot see it in its own right but we know it is there, we know the new life is on its way.

The number 13, of course, represents the world of the ancestors, the spirit world. When we combine this with the nawal Aq’ab’al we can begin to understand just how auspicious this day could be. 13 Aq’ab’al could be seen as the new conception into this world from the spirit world.

The Nawal Aq’ab’al

The word aq’ab is translated as dark. The suffix -al changes the meaning slightly, alluding transtition and the dawning of the day. It is the time between darkness and light, night and day. Probably our best way to translate it would be as twilight. Birth is the beginning of the mortal journey. Aq’ab’al is just the beginning of the day and of things which are not yet fully formed.

In Santiago Atitlan one day, a friend explained to me the different parts of a weaving on a backstrap loom. Aq’ab’al is the warp (the vertical threads), B’atz is the weft (the horizontal threads) which creates the whole cloth. The newly woven cloth is Kawok. In order for the weaver to create, first she has an idea in her head or a dream. She sets out the dream on her loom by setting up the warp. The design has passed from being just an idea, to the beginnings of a woven reality. Thus, concept requires creative input before it becomes whole. Aq’ab’al can also represent conception. The fertilised egg is far from ready to be born, but has passed from the dream or spirit world into the physical.

Aq’ab’al days are great days for the start of new things, particularly new relationships – Aq’ab’al has a strong affinity with marriage. Also it is a perfect day for starting new projects. It is the time to bring them into the world of light from the world of dreams and ideas.

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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 No’j (15th December 2024)

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13 N'ojThis should be a very interesting day for anyone involved with ancestral knowledge. If there is a problem in your life that you know one of your ancestors would be able to solve, today is the day to ask for their help.

The nawal of the brain and mind combines with the number of the spirit world today. This day has the potential for true genius. No’j is usually known for its grounded ideas, the practicality with which knowledge is applied to problem-solving. However, the strength of the number 13 may give rise to at least a leap of faith within this process. This is a day when the answers being sought after may come through the whispers of the ancestors. They help you to piece together the information you have. This is certainly not to say this is a bad thing. It’s just that it may be rather difficult to give any logical working  other than “it just came to me.”

Veintena Rukub Tumuxux

Within the Macewal Q’ij, today again marks the beginning of a new month as we travel through the solar year. Today is the first day of Rukub Tumuxux translated as the second season of flying ants. Within this season is the winter solstice, the darkest day of the northern hemisphere, from this season, the days begin to lighten as we start to move towards the arrival of the new Mam.

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. 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.

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.

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

2 Kame (4th December 2024)

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2 KameToday’s energy may bring an evaluation of choices, a decision on facing a fear. As we are moving in the Kan trecena, embracing the change may result in the growth of both wisdom and power.

The combination of the nawal of death and the number which represents self-sacrifice sounds rather ominous. However, today could give rise to a fortuitous breakthrough.

The nawal Kame may mean death, but it pertains to the changes we go through in our mortal bodies. Those transformations bring out our better selves. It relates to the moments when we go through an experience that helps us evolve. Sometimes this can be very strong. For example, a near-death experience makes us re-evaluate our place in the world and how we conduct ourselves.

It could be that a choice today is an opportunity to advance on your life path. This may seem like something as fearsome as death, a great challenge to overcome. It is your choice as to whether to accept the challenge or not. This is also a day to recognise the self-sacrifice made by our ancestors, and the wisdom which has come to us as a result.

This choice my seem rather binary in its nature. There is no maybe today, it is yes or no. Do it or do not. Will you face the challenge or avoid it (again?) This could be a very important day to grasp the nettle.

Nawal Kame

Kame relates to death, which often makes people nervous. However, this nawal is seen as an extremely positive day. Birth is the gateway into the mortal life, death the gateway into the eternal. In many shamanistic traditions, the initiate goes through several death experiences during training. This can be through the use of particular herbs, or sometimes through accident or illness. In these experiences the density of the mortal realm falls away and the greater understanding emerges. It can often be described as a spiritual transformation. In the Popul Vuh, the Mayan book of creation, the Hero Twins descend to the underworld, Xibalba, to confront the Lords of Death. They pass the many challenges set for them, but eventually end up being tricked by the Lord of Death. Instead of giving in, the Hero Twins choose to sacrifice themselves.

They give instructions to a pair of seers to convince the Lords of Death to grind the Twins’ bones to dust and throw the dust in the river. Everything went according to plan and five days later the twins appeared as catfish in the river. They then transformed into vagabond “magicians”. In this way we see a literal transformation from the crusader (Tijax) through death (Kame) to the higher self (Ix). This is the potential of the Kame day, to face ones fears and attain a higher perspective, to advance the journey of your soul. This is also a day to remember your ancestors and friends that have passed into the other realm, to remember what they taught you, and to thank them for their wisdom that helped you to grow.

The Number Two

The number 2 is representative of duality, of polarity. Although a low number, it has surprising strength. It is said to be able to call upon both aspects or polarities of what it is attached to. It is said to be the number of lovers, it signifies relationships and self-sacrifice. Whilst it can lend itself to mediation, seeing both sides of the story, it also can be indecisive.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 K’at (2nd December 2024)

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13 K'atToday is the day to embrace ancestral traditions and to remember to thank your ancestors for their blessings which bring your current abundance.

K’at is usually associated with physical abundance and quite rightly so. It represents the net into which the harvest is physically gathered. So, today is perfect to ask for the blessings of our ancestors on our future harvest.

However, there is another aspect to it. K’at also represents the burden, the net in which we become entangled. Today it is linked with the spirit world and suggests something otherworldly may slow down our progress. Our ancestors provided both our material and cultural foundations. We exist because of them and we are deeply grateful for both their wisdom and our worldly goods.

Many of our ancestral traditions also serve us well. For instance, our ancestors knew how to increase the yield of our harvest and keep us in abundant health.

However, sometimes patterns which they started are no longer relevant and sometimes we cling to those traditions too. For example, tribal rivalry may have been useful when we were hunter gatherers, but now it holds back our progress. The day 13 K’at could represent burdens passed on to us from our ancestors. Today is a day to recognise how we are held by those old patterns and break free of the ones which  no longer serve us.

The Nawal K’at

Blood Moon, mother of the Hero Twins being sent away from Xibalba after becoming pregnant. <yoastmark class=

K’at signifies a net and represents gathering together or bundling. In the Western Highlands of Guatemala, to this day many crops are harvested and carried in nets – oranges, lemons, avocados to name but a few. Through this we see one of the positive meanings of this nawal, that of abundance and harvest. K’at is a great day to draw things together. This could mean gathering your harvest, collecting ideas for your projects, or inviting people to a social event. It is a day of prosperity and the bounty which comes from the Earth, a day of gardeners and merchants.

However, K’at also has its more challenging side. An abundant crop will fill the net, but it will also slow you down. K’at is also the nawal of prisons and burdens, as the net which gathers, can also ensnare us. When candles are purchased for the fire ceremonies, they come in bundles held together by little strings. When the nawal K’at is addressed during the fire ceremony, these strings are put in to the fire,  with offerings, to ask K’at to help us release ourselves from our burdens, from the ties which bind us.  These ties can also be seen as excessive attachment to material things.

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.

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 B’atz (19th November 2024)

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13 B'atzToday you may gain inspiration from ancestral creations. Your distant ancestors may communicate something vital to incorporate into your new weaving through their ancient patterns.

The energy of the nawal of creativity combines with the influence of the ancestors to bring forth a powerful day for creative activities, especially when they bring in elements from the past.

We all draw our inspiration from somewhere as we create our beauty into the world. Today very much highlights communication with our ancestors, or receiving inspiration from them that you weave into your creation. It may be the words or ideas of our grandparents, or even further back in time that we hear today, which bring the final touches to our masterpiece.

We often have the idea that the new ideas are the most important, but each idea and each new thing is built on the foundation of the old. When we make ceremony, we call in all the altars and shrines we have worked at before, each ceremony builds on the energy of the previous ones. Each ceremony is different, but they share the same foundation.

Of course the creation of beautiful art or your reality can be seen as a serious business, but the energy of nawal B’atz can often make light work of it. The creative energy flows so easily that it is a happy and fun experience,  you might find yourself remembering granddad’s jokes or grandma’s laugh as you work on what you are creating.

This is not just a day about creating art, B’atz represents the weaving of  time to create the sacred calendar. This was the legacy of the ancestors here in Central America, and we may expect some intuition to pass from them through their work, through their creation, to illuminate our understanding of the movement of time itself.

The Nawal B’atz

Images of weaving using a backstrap loom, from the Madrid Codex

There are two nawales which bestow genius talents, one of which is B’atz, the other being No’j. B’atz is the nawal of artisans and of weavers. This is not just creation and weaving on the Earthly level. It weaves the threads of time together to create reality. B’atz is the nawal of the sacred calendar. The calendar could be considered to be the fabric created from these individual threads of time.

If B’atz is clever enough to weave time into order, it is clever enough to create more down to Earth trinkets. B’atz is the master artisan, creating whatever it chooses, at will. It is just as comfortable painting, as it is playing music or writing. The arts come naturally to this nawal. However, this can lead to issues when B’atz has to deal with those less talented than itself. This can lead to a certain arrogance around those who fail to achieve their standard of excellence.

Their talent draws attention, which is something B’atz craves. It is the nawal of the born entertainer, who can sing, dance and play all at once. This nawal is the life and soul of the party, it also makes excellent teachers, who hold the attention of students through entertaining them. It is a particularly fun loving nawal that feeds on the adoration of the crowd that it pleases.

B’atz is a day to create, especially within the fields of the arts. It is also a day to weave your reality the way you see fit. Where Aq’ab’al was the conception, B’atz is the gestation.

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.

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

8 Kame (14th November 2024)

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8 KameCeremonies to honour the ancestors are made today, those who are walking their path in the other world. As the days go, there can hardly be a more representative energy of the cycle of life and possibly the cycle of the soul.

Today we remember our ancestors. We are here because of them, we carry their DNA forwards. They taught us things both through their actions and their words. It is for all of these things that we thank our ancestors, we show our love, and we keep their names alive. We hold them in our hearts, and in our memories they live on. This is a day to embrace joy and allow Kame to burn away our grief.

The number 8 can be seen to represent birth (1) and death (7) brought together. Combined here with Kame, the nawal of transformation, this day strongly represents the turning of the wheel of life. It is not just the physical death of the body. Every change we go through is a death or end of something. Even birth is the end of a cycle of gestation. It is the beginning of parenthood, and the beginning of a new life. This is a day to celebrate those changes.

It is a day when we embrace the changes which happen through the emergence of the new (1) and the death of the old (7) all together in one place. In this Kawok trecena, as we go through our rebirth process, today is the changing point where we become that which our process has brought us to, we step through the veil into our new self.

Nawal Kame

Kame relates to death, which often makes people nervous. However, this nawal is seen as an extremely positive day. Birth is the gateway into the mortal life, death the gateway into the eternal. In many shamanistic traditions, the initiate goes through several death experiences during training. This can be through the use of particular herbs, or sometimes through accident or illness. In these experiences the density of the mortal realm falls away and the greater understanding emerges. It can often be described as a spiritual transformation. In the Popul Vuh, the Mayan book of creation, the Hero Twins descend to the underworld, Xibalba, to confront the Lords of Death. They pass the many challenges set for them, but eventually end up being tricked by the Lord of Death. Instead of giving in, the Hero Twins choose to sacrifice themselves.

They give instructions to a pair of seers to convince the Lords of Death to grind the Twins’ bones to dust and throw the dust in the river. Everything went according to plan and five days later the twins appeared as catfish in the river. They then transformed into vagabond “magicians”. In this way we see a literal transformation from the crusader (Tijax) through death (Kame) to the higher self (Ix). This is the potential of the Kame day, to face ones fears and attain a higher perspective, to advance the journey of your soul. This is also a day to remember your ancestors and friends that have passed into the other realm, to remember what they taught you, and to thank them for their wisdom that helped you to grow.

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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 Tijax (6th November 2024)

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Today is a favourable day for ancestral healing. If you have the opportunity to schedule an appointment for any form of healing, you may find it especially effective today.

The ancestors are guiding your hands as you wield the obsidian blade. Trust in them, but be cautious with your cuts. The energy of the day is strong and may cut deeper than you intended.

Tijax aims to resolve duality, and it is relentless in its pursuit. Whether in healing or warfare, Tijax won’t give up until it has achieved its goals. When combined with the strength of the number 13, it becomes a potent combination. Tijax can be argumentative, and today tempers may flare. It is essential to be mindful of your words. Today they may carry more power than you realise and can inflict deep wounds, even if that is not your intention. While you may be speaking the truth, there are ways to convey your message. Causing confrontation may negate your message.

Alternatively, people may not have complete control over themselves today. Listen for the truth, but do not take things too seriously. Act calmly and think carefully before reacting. On this final day of the Kame trecena, the obsidian blade of Tijax is connected to the spirit world. It frees us from dense energy and transforms us into our higher selves, preparing us for the rebirth of the Kawok trecena.

Today is an opportunity to call upon your ancestors, to give you the strength and determination to remove anything that may hinder you on your life path. However, please be mindful that taking such action may lead to decisive action, not just burning bridges but vaporizing them.

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 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.