Tag Archives: Forgiveness

10 Ajmak (24th April 2023)

23rd April 2023 Mark Elmy Leave a comment

When we are calling the days during a fire ceremony, Ajmak is often referred to as the nawal of redemption, and I feel this is a key element to the energy of this particular day. It is a day to both redeem others within our community and seek our redemption from our community.

An interpretation of the number 10 is that of community. When we combine this with the energy of the nawal Ajmak, we can see two very important ideas emerging. One is asking forgiveness from your community. Occasionally we make a mistake which can impact on our community or our peer group. Our instinct may be to try to cover this up, to paper over the cracks without actually addressing the issue. However, at some level this issue may be still bubbling away beneath the surface, causing disharmony. Often the thought of addressing the issue, of bringing it up for resolution is more intimidating than the actual process itself. The energy of the day 10 Ajmak provides beneficial conditions for going through such a process of redemption within your community.

The other side of 10 Ajmak is about our own ability to forgive society. There is much discontent within society at this present time. Issues have divided communities and families, driving wedges between friends. The disharmony created by this is perceptible, even behind the smiles. This is the day to fix these situations within yourself and forgive your perceived failings of society. It is not possible to come to equilibrium through enmity, only side by side can we work together to resolve the situation for the good of all. To initiate this process, forgiveness must take place, and the energy of the day 10 Ajmak creates the perfect environment to do that. Only then will we truly bring the sweetness back into our society.

The number 10 gives us the sense of the two hands coming together, of cooperation and support. When we combine this with the energy of Ajmak, it could be seen as extending a hand to help those who have fallen get back up again. By choosing to take this action, we start to release our own karmic burden. It is a day of asking forgiveness from our community for the times when we might have acted with less integrity that we normally would. The action of assisting those in need may certainly help to restore our balance.

Therefore, today even more than others, if you get the opportunity to act selflessly to help others, grab it with both hands. You have been handed a gift, the key to your own redemption.

I am sorry

Please forgive me

I love you

Thank you

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 failing to fulfil its true potential, although due to its lovable nature it is easy to forgive. One of the lessons with regards to the Ajmak energy is learning to forgive oneself.

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 people acting in harmony with each other.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

3 Ajmak (4th April 2023)

3rd April 2023 Mark Elmy Leave a comment

The day 3 Ajmak may be a rather frustrating day, and may be one best spent at home, or in seclusion. The forgiving and creative qualities of Ajmak are challenged by its combination with the energy of the number three.

Ajmak days are not always easy to negotiate. They are the days when we learn our limitations, although they are also days which have the potential to restore our faith in humanity. They are days on which we may experience the best, and worst qualities of human nature. 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 what we need to. For example, an action gives rise to a reaction. That reaction may be desirable or undesirable. 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 hold onto our guilt for longer than we need to. It becomes a burden, stifling our creativity and preventing us from achieving our full potential. It can be something which stops us from living the lives we are able to live, filling us with regret.

Looking for forgiveness outside is likely to be an unrewarding task today. This is a day to look inside yourself, where forgiveness begins within your own heart. What you create internally, you project out to the world, and today you have the potential to truly bring the sweetness into your home, particularly through acts of self forgiveness.

I am sorry

Please forgive me

I love you

Thank you

M42, The Great Orion Nebula, by Mark Elmy

There are various myths about the creation which link with the number 3. One is that at the time of creation, three stone jumped out of the fireplace and formed the new world. These three stones are called the hearthstones, and are still seen in many Maya homes today, on the fire supporting the tortilla griddle. From an astronomical point of view, the stones are the stars Alnitak, Saiph and Rigel in the constellation we call Orion, and the Smoky Fireplace is the Great Orion Nebula (M42)

A (slightly crude) montage showing a proposed correlation between the constellation of Orion and the triadic structure of Maya pyramids. This one is "El Tigre" at the El Mirador site. Photo and montage by Mark Elmy — A (slightly crude) montage showing a proposed correlation between the constellation of Orion and the triadic structure of Maya pyramids. This one is “El Tigre” at the El Mirador site. Photo and montage by Mark Elmy

The number 3 is still in the low end of the range of numbers. It does not have much energy yet, and it is also an odd number. It can represent the home, relating to the three hearthstones laid by the creators, and this is probably a good focus for a 3 day. However, it is possibly the most troublesome of the numbers to deal with, it lacks stability and represents challenges and obstructions. The number three brings up internal/external dilemma. The lack of stability in the physical, external world that it brings suggests that the more appropriate action is to look to the internal world, both of the home and of yourself.

The number 3 is still in the low end of the range of numbers. It does not have much energy yet, and it is also an odd number. It is possibly the most troublesome of the numbers to deal with, it lacks stability. It can represent the home, relating to the three hearthstones laid by the creators, and this is probably a good focus for a 3 day.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

9 Ajmak (15th March 2023)

14th March 2023 Mark Elmy Leave a comment

The day 9 Ajmak combines the spirit of forgiveness, pardon and redemption with the number of the divine feminine and life. This is, therefore, a day to ask for forgiveness from the women in your life where it is necessary.

On some days we work and on some days we play. Sometimes we play a little bit too much and need to make up for it. Sometimes we feel guilty about things we would not have done had we known their consequences. We can not always know the consequences of, what we often intended to be, well meaning actions. All we can do is to ask forgiveness and move on. This forgiveness includes the act of forgiving ourselves, which can be one of the hardest acts of forgiveness.

If you have been holding guilt over, or blame towards, any particular woman, today is the day to forgive and move on. After all, the energy of your lack of forgiveness is probably having a greater effect on you rather than her, holding you back from progressing. This applies not just to the women in your life, but the feminine aspect of life in general. This is the day to ask forgiveness and forgive yourself, for the times when you could have embraced more feminine qualities such as compassion and nurture. Sometimes we have forgotten the feminine nature of where we all came from, whether it is the body of our mother or of Mother Earth herself. This is often caused by imbalance within the generally male dominated society. This is a day to recognise the times when we allowed ourselves to become part of that imbalance, and ask forgiveness for them. After all, as we progress through this trecena of ripening, the trecena Q’anil, how can we reach full and abundant ripeness if we are carrying these imbalances?

It is a day to forgive yourself for the things in life you would rather leave in the past. Light a candle and allow the flame to burn away any guilt surrounding any past actions. As the candle burns and cleans your life, feel the other aspect of Ajmak arriving – allow Ajmak to bring the sweetness into your life.

I’m sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

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 failing to fulfil its true potential, although due to its lovable nature it is easy to forgive. One of the lessons with regards to the Ajmak energy is learning to forgive oneself.

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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

2 Ajmak (23rd February 2023)

22nd February 2023 Mark Elmy Leave a comment

The day 2 Ajmak empowers both the ability to forgive and to be forgiven, particularly in connection with lovers or relationships. This is a day to heal any wounds and ask forgiveness.

Of course, we get these wounds by falling over, and Ajmak days do sometimes bring the opportunity for us to make mistakes. What seemed like a good idea at the time can often look very different with hindsight. The way we choose to deal with the mistakes we make is what is highlighted today. Sometimes we hide things, we protest our innocence, we try to get away with things and then we get caught. This can often end up with a greater grievance than the initial error would have cased. The number 2 also represents self sacrifice, which would suggest that today is a day on which to hold our hands up to our errors, acknowledge our failing and ask forgiveness. By choosing to act voluntarily we initiate the forgiveness process, which in itself can bring goodwill.

I’m sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

It is a day on which to ask for forgiveness for our conduct within relationships should we need to. It is also a day on which to forgive not just current, but previous partners. It is a day to free yourself from the burden of what might have happened in the past and move forward. Whether you have something to ask forgiveness for or not, it is an excellent day to give flowers (or chocolate) to your lover and bring the sweetness of life into your relationship.

Ajmak is the nawal of pardon and forgiveness, the nawal of redemption. It is the energy of being human, of falling down and getting back up again, and giving those chances to others.

Ajmak is a sensual energy, which creates some of the reasons for it’s 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 failing to fulfil it’s true potential, although due to it’s lovable nature it is easy to forgive. One of the lessons with regards to the Ajmak energy is learning to forgive oneself.

The number 2 is representative of duality, of polarity. Although it is a low number it has surprising strength as 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

8 Ajmak (3rd February 2023)

2nd February 2023 Mark Elmy 1 Comment

The combination of the nawal of forgiveness and pardon with the number of ceremony gives rise to a day for powerful work in the area of redemption.

Ajmak day 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 what we need from it. For example, an action gives rise to a reaction. That reaction may be desirable or undesirable. 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 hold onto our guilt for longer than we need to. It becomes a burden, stifling our creativity and preventing us from achieving our full potential. It can be something which stops 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 have wronged us in our perception. Holding grudges takes a huge amount of our creative energy away, again preventing us from being all we can truly be.

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. This is the day to energetically wipe the slate clean, and move forward without guilt or resentment to hold you back. Embrace your creativity and allow yourself and others to be human.

Ajmak is the nawal of pardon and forgiveness, the nawal of redemption. It is the energy of being human, of falling down 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 it’s 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 failing to fulfil it’s true potential, although due to it’s lovable nature it is easy to forgive. One of the lessons with regards to the Ajmak energy is learning to forgive oneself. The number 8 is considered to be a number of wholeness. It can be seen as birth (1) and death (7) combined to represent the whole cycle of the soul. It can also 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 become whole. It is the most common day for ceremonies to be made, it is still in the balanced range of numbers and is an even number, which is also considered fortunate. As 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 ceremony.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

1 Ajmak (14th January 2023)

13th January 2023 Mark Elmy 1 Comment

Today begins the trecena of Ajmak, which can be seen as a period of redemption and reconciliation. It brings the possibility to bring happiness, the sweetness, into the world through forgiveness.

The day 1 Ajmak can represent a day of turning over a new leaf. It is a day to start a process of peace, to make the first move in resolving any issues with others, particularly long standing ones. However, this process may require some encouragement from others before it becomes realised.

With Ajmak accompanied by the number 1, we also see the internal process highlighted. We carry a seed within us, the first spark of pardon for both others and, perhaps more importantly, ourselves. Ajmak days give us the opportunity to resolve issues through forgiveness, and here there is also a suggestion to dig deep within yourself to see if there is anything you are holding onto which can now be released. It may be easier to forgive others once you have brought the sweetness into your life, by first forgiving yourself and your own actions. Today is an excellent day to start that process.