Tag Archives: Gathering

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

12 Imox (2nd June 2024)

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12 ImoxThis has the potential to be very light, but also very dark. It is a day of gathering together the dreams, but whose dreams are they? Imox teaches us how to embrace our individuality and escape from the herd.

The nawal Imox connects us with the dream world, that place of visions and creation from which all things come. It is where we all exist together, as do all polarities. Sometimes when we dream we receive inspiration, sometimes we might have a nightmare. When we go to sleep we don’t necessarily know to which aspect we will journey.

Connected with the number 12, it can be seen as a day of powerful experiences within the group consciousness. The 12 can represent the gathering together of all of life’s experiences. Today we can imagine that the hopes, fears, dreams and nightmares of an entire generation are gathering. It can be easier than ever to be caught in strong media images and dragged to the depths of despair, feeling everything from those around you.

One way to help navigate Imox days is to take some time alone. Get away from people, and especially the media. In its most positive aspect, the day 12 Imox can be seen as a day to gather together all the dreams that you have had throughout your life in one fertile and creative bundle. This bundle can then be used to nurture and inspire, yourself and others as you feed it back to the collective.

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 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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

8 K’at (16th May 2023)

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8 K'atEvery day is a good day to be grateful for the abundance you receive in life, but today is of greater importance. It is also a day to give thanks for your freedom and to release anything which is holding you back. Wholly embrace it or set it free.

The eighth day of the trecena is the most common for ceremony.  Today it is combined with the net that gathers the harvest. It is a day to be grateful for your abundance and your liberty. Make ceremonies to celebrate the harvest and to give thanks for the full bellies of our families. It is a day of gathering, of seeds, of people, of ideas. Celebrate the abundance that these things bring to your life.

The nawal K’at also represents capture. Whilst the positive aspect represents harvest and abundance, the darker side represents entanglement and prisons. This is not just those outside of ourselves, but our ability to get caught in our own nets. This is a representation of our own attachment to the physical things which sustain us within our physical body. Whilst this abundance might serve us well, over attachment to physical goods may distract us from our true life path. The same may be true for situations or people. It does not just have to be physical objects that create the net which holds us back. K’at days give us an excellent opportunity to understand what is stopping us from achieving our dreams, and setting ourselves free of it.

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 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

1 K’at (26th April 2024)

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1 K'at The energy of 1 K’at can be seen as gathering together and embracing the new time. Life is a continual cycle of birth, death and rebirth. We have the possibility to reap an abundant harvest, but right now to do that we need unity. It is time to put aside differences and work together to plant a new field if we are to enjoy abundance in the future.

In the cycle of re-creation, the soil of the field has been turned, tilled and fertilised by the wisdom of the ancients. The threads of creation are being gathered ready to join the new to the old on the day of Wajxakib B’atz.

When combined with the number 1, new births and new beginnings are signified. This is the beginning of something new, new growth all around. The previous day, 13 Aq’ab’al, could be seen as a spiritual conception, and here the new process begins. This conception will be gestated through Wajxakib (8) B’atz, until finally the birth process assisted by 3 Kawok leads to 4 Ajpu, the new world, the resurrection of the maize, the birth of Junajpu.

K’at and the Popol Vuh

The nawal K’at is associated with Ixq’ik, Blood Moon or “She of Blood”. In the Popol Vuh, she was magically impregnated in Xibalba (the underworld) by the spirit of Jun Junajpu.  Jun Junajpu and his brother Wucub Junajpu were summoned to Xibalba by the Lords of Death. They would face challenges after they disturbed the Lords by playing the ball game too noisily. Unfortunately, this first pair of heroes went unprepared and were tricked and sacrificed by the Lords of Death. After their deaths, the head of Jun Junajpu was hung in a calabash tree. The tree fruited for the first time and his head eventually blended in with the wizened fruit on the tree.

However, it was known to speak and the news of this dis-incarnate voice in the tree reached Blood Moon. She decided to go an visit the tree where she was asked to hold out her hand. The head spat into her hand and she became impregnated with the Hero Twins, Junajpu and Xbalamque. She was banished from Xibalba and went to meet the mother of Jun Junajpu and Wucub Junajpu, Ixmucane. At first Ixmucane did not accept that Blood Moon was carrying her grandchildren. She set Blood Moon a task to fill a net with corn from the garden. When Blood Moon arrived, there was only one stalk. However, by pulling the corn silk, the plant magically produced an abundant harvest and Blood Moon was accepted.

In this story we see the relationship between Blood Moon and the nawal K’at, the creator of magical abundance and a bountiful harvest. This was the gathering, the bringing together of the family through this harvesting, we also see the seeding.

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 One

The number 1 is representative of the seed, of unity. It represents birth and beginnings. It is a low and odd number, which usually represents something challenging. However, the seed can grow into a mighty tree, it is full of potential. It needs the correct nutrients and conditions to germinate and develop its potential. We also may need encouragement to develop our ideas.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

10 Ajpu (22nd April 2024)

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10 AjpuToday’s energy suggests that we look for the positive elements of our community. By extending our love and friendship into our communities, we have the possibility to create something greater than the sum of its parts and more divine than we can create alone.

Isolation may have its beneficial moments, for reflection and introspection. However, for humans to flourish, being part of a bigger community usually benefits all within it. It is often not a perfect solution for all within the community, nothing is one size fits all. There will always be a certain amount of discontent. It is easy to focus on problems. They tend to be the things which cause immediate discomfort and so attract the most attention. They sometimes draw our focus so much that we lose sight of the original reasons for joining a community. Our dreams were of being at peace with our neighbours, and of acting in unity to create a more prosperous environment for future generations.

The nawal Ajpu can represent the search for divinity, the highest form of good. However, this search can begin just by remembering to see the everyday good in what is around us. Today, the number 10 brings this focus onto community. Whilst we may see problems within our communities, the energy of Ajpu helps us look for the good side today.

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 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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 K’at (17th March 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

10 Q’anil (1st March 2024)

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10 Q'anilWhen a community comes together to work, this also helps to ripen the community. It brings out the best in people and shows us what we are capable of when we cooperate. We are reminded of how much we all benefit from each other’s light.

Getting some help from the people around you today may bring your plans to fruition. Q’anil, the nawal of ripening combines with the number 10 representing cooperation and community.

The energy of 10 Q’anil is a beautifully powerful combination. Q’anil is strongly associated with abundance. It bestows a talent with the plant kingdom whether it is associated with food crops or with medicinal herbs. A way with plants is not the only benefit though, Q’anil has much more to offer. Outside of an agrarian society, our abundance comes from our ideas and plans and Q’anil brings these to maturity too.

Abundance brings lightness to our lives, it helps us to relax as our day-to-day needs are satisfied. When we are relaxed our mood and spirit are lifted and this is certainly something we see with Q’anil. It is a day of abundance and pleasure. Today that could be particularly enhanced through interaction with your community. It is possible that working together not only increases the speed your project comes to readiness, it may also enhance the yield you receive.

With so much abundance available, and the community gathered around, you may find the desire to celebrate equally strong. Whilst celebrating achievements and bonding with your community is always a great idea, be aware of Q’anil‘s love of intoxication. It might be all to easy to get really carried away if alcohol is involved, the energy of the following day 11 Toj might see you paying for the consequences.

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 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.

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

6 K’at (26th February 2024)

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6 K'atThis is an inspired day to gather that which creates stability in our lives and those of our families. Knowing what to hold on to and what to let go of is an important part of that.

It is said that the nawal K’at multiplies all it comes into contact with. This is probably a reference to its association with Ixk’ik who magically filled her net with corn from the barren milpa of Ixmucane. The corn was planted by Jun Junajpu, the son of Ixmucane, which proved Ixk’ik was carrying his children. She was then accepted as part of the family. This day, 6 K’at, particularly emphasises that sort of experience. Not just an abundance that appears from nowhere, but its ability to stabilise your family.

Of course, we don’t all plant food, but we do receive sustenance from the seeds of ideas or plans we plant. Today, check the progress of your plans. How are they coming along? Are they coming to fruition or do they need a stabilising influence? It is possible that if you are not taking the harvest today, the energy put in today may bring stability to the abundance you gather at a later date. Will one of the properties of the four directions – strength, wisdom, spirit or healing – help to stabilise your plan? Perhaps it will take inspiration from the Heart of the Sky or compassion from the Heart of the Earth instead? All are available to assist you and today you can gather all six qualities together and reap the benefits.

Today is the day to gather your abundance in preparation for the new journey ahead. If you are planning a trip, this is an ideal day to ensure you have what you need, and to gather your travelling companions.

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 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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

12 K’at (6th February 2024)

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12 K'at

Today is an excellent day to gather your life experience together. This can be used to guide others and find direction in life, to help all to multiply. It is also a good day to release life’s burdens.

This could be an excellent day to gather together with people from all parts of your life, a day of reunions. You may have to be aware of how many commitments you make. The energy of nawal K’at may bind you into overburdening yourself.

Some nawales are associated with particular numbers, the number representing a similar energy to the nawal. 12 K’at is one of these with both K’at and 12 representing bundling or gathering together.

With 12 representing the gathering together of all of life’s experiences and K’at representing the gathering of abundance, we can see some very positive meanings to today’s nawal. It suggests that you may be able to finally bring together everything that you have learned into one place and that this will lead to abundance.

However, there is a caution to this. Sometimes we need to be selective over which experiences we choose to include or exclude from our bundle. There are some life experiences which have served their purpose and have now become a burden. Today ask nawal K’at to help us free ourselves of the baggage we have collected in life. Recognise what helps us grow and what holds us back, to release the outmoded or irrelevant attachments to our past. We can then draw together our true wisdom to create a new seed to plant and take us forward.

 

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

11 K’at (28th December 2023)

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11 K'atIt is possible that today you can bundle many different ideas, and that these ideas will lead to an abundant master plan. Be prepared to do some editing at a later date, to cut away the excess before setting out on the journey.

As the energy of the number 11 has strength without direction, and the nawal K’at seeks to bind, this could prove to be a rather hectic day. You might even end up feeling like you have tied yourself up in a knot.

The animal associated with the nawal K’at is the spider, she who sits within her woven net. If caught in a spider’s web, one must consider carefully the course of action. Erratic movement trying to escape the web may lead to becoming even more entangled. Worse they may attract the attention of the spider, even if it seems the correct move to make. This could be a representation of today.

Think carefully about your direction before making your moves, as there may be many possibilities in front of you. What consequence does each possibility bring? Ensure that you do not become to bound to something which ultimately holds you back.

It may be difficult to work out what you need to carry with you on your journey, there are so many possibilities, and each one may have its own sense of importance. Maybe it is OK to carry these for a while, but make sure you understand when to lighten the load a little. A lack of sense of direction may lead to becoming overburdened, using a little discernment could see you lightening your load.

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 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.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

4 K’at (8th December 2023)

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4 K'atGather your physical abundance today. It is a day of collection, but also a day to release physical burdens and attachments.

K’at can be seen as the planting of the seed. It is possibly the planting aspect that differentiates the energy of K’at from the ripening seed energy of Q’anil. Here, with the physical energy of the number 4, we could see a good planting day. Once the crops are planted, they will need tending, which is perhaps the burden that is implied. However, there can be no multiplication, no harvest, no abundance, without this physical preparation and attachment.

If we see Aq’ab’al as the conception point, perhaps we can see K’at as the point of implantation of the blastocyst into the uterine wall. The beginning of the development of a new life, the physical planting of a new human being. K’at can also represent the womb, the first carrying bag.

After the possible confusion of recent days, today things start to settle down. In fact, things may come together very well today. The dreams, potential and energy start to be held together by a binding force, that of the nawal K’at. The brief images and ideas that may have appeared to you are gathered together within the net and grounded into reality. Yesterday I suggested waiting for a more conducive day to start a project. Today the pieces start to fit together to form a coherent picture.

K’at days can be great days to declutter, and today focuses on the physical. What are you prepared to release to bring your new concept to life? Carefully select the physical attributes you wish to gather. Ensure that what you carry with you physically will assist you rather than bind you. Now that you have things straight, you can proceed.

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, but also of 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 Nawal K’at and Ix K’ik

The nawal K’at is associated with Ixk’ik, Blood Moon, who was magically impregnated in Xibalba (the underworld) by the spirit of Jun Junajpu.  Jun Junajpu and his brother Wucub Junajpu were summoned by the Lords of Death to Xibalba to face the challenges after they disturbed the Lords by playing the ball game too noisily. Unfortunately this first pair of heroes went unprepared and were tricked and sacrificed by the Lords of Death. After their deaths, the head of Jun Junajpu was hung in a calabash tree, where it eventually blended in with the wizened fruit on the tree. However, it was known to speak and the news of this dis-incarnate voice in the tree reached Blood Moon.

She decided to go an visit the tree where she was asked to hold out her hand. The head spat into her hand and she became impregnated with the Hero Twins, Junajpu and Xbalamque. She was banished from Xibalba and went to meet the mother of Jun Junajpu and Wucub Junajpu, Ixmucane. At first Ixmucane did not accept that Blood Moon was carrying her grandchildren, and set a task to fill a net with corn from the garden. When Blood Moon arrived, there was only one stalk, but by pulling the corn silk, the plant magically produced an abundant harvest and Blood Moon was accepted as telling the truth.

The Number Four

The number 4 is very important within Mayan mythology. Four represents the cardinal points, the four colours of maize, the four carriers of the year, the two equinoxes and two solstices, as well as midnight, sunrise, midday and sunset. The number four is representative of the four first men, who raised the sky from the sea to create the world we live on. In Mayan myth it is four pillars that support the sky from the Earth. As you can imagine, four is a number which represents stability, a good, down-to-Earth number.