Tag Archives: Mayan Astrology

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

1 Aq’ab’al (12th November 2020)

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1 AqabalThe energy of the number 1, of novelty and birth, combines with the nawal of the new conception today, providing an excellent day to start a new project or phase of life.

When we consider the nawal Aq’ab’al as the dawning of the new day, the energy of 1 Aq’ab’al can be seen as the very first moment of realisation that a new day is coming. It is far from light, in fact it is only just distinguishable. Somewhere in the darkness, light begins to make its presence known. This is the beginning of beginnings, it is the first spark of the fire. The first spark needs tending, gentle use of breath and material in order to grow it into the fire it will become.

The spark may represent a new idea that you have, but this is the first thought of this idea. It is something that comes in the waking moment, fresh from the dream world. It has started to emerge into this world, but is still uncertain, hidden and yet to take much form. This is the moment where it needs support and tending, just as the spark, or the newborn needs care and attention. This is where the input and encouragement of family, friends and community can help that spark to become the fire, or that newborn to grow.

Aq’ab’al can also represent relationships, so this day may be the first glimmer of something new, or the rekindling of an existing relationship in order to start a new “day.” Either way, this should be a rather joyful day of new possibilities.

The day 1 Aq’ab’al is an excellent day for starting new ventures, for getting your ideas out into the world and for receiving the encouragement we need for new projects.

In the Kiche language, the word aq’ab means night. The suffix -al changes the meaning slightly, to hint at change and alludes to the dawning of the day, the time between darkness and light, night and day. Just as birth is the beginning of the mortal journey, Aq’ab’al is the beginning of the day, although the detail of the day may still be obscured. Aq’ab’al is representative of new things, things which are not yet fully formed. While in Santiago Atitlan one day, a friend explained to me the different parts of a weaving in process 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, and 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. Thus, the design has passed from being just an idea, to the beginnings of a woven reality, although it still 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. It is also a perfect day for starting new projects, or at least bringing them into the world of light from the world of dreams and ideas.

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 just needs the correct nutrients and conditions to germinate and develop, just as sometimes we need encouragement to develop our ideas.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

13 Iq’ (11th November 2020)

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13 Iq'Today the number of ancestors and the spirit world combines with the nawal of communication. This may be a day when important messages come through loud and clear, from this world or the other.

The energy of the nawal Iq’ is strong and can be unpredictable. It can bring change into our lives, and this may be sudden and unexpected, changing our direction or blowing something to us without warning. When this energy is combined with the number 13, the strongest of the numbers, this may result in great changes arising, with the power of the spirit world behind them.

Iq’ days are great days on which to make announcements, as your words are empowered and carry more weight. If you have something big to say, today would be an excellent day for it. It is important to recognise the extra force with which your words may arrive today. One of the shadows of Iq’ is anger and on this day, angry words may be far more destructive that you intend them to be. Whilst it is important to express yourself, this is certainly a day to think or count to ten before you react with angry words. They carry the energy of a hurricane with them.

This day can be seen as a powerful day to receive important messages from the spirit world or from your ancestors. If you have questions to ask of them, this would be an excellent day to do it, through divination or a medium. However, the strength of this day may mean that the messages come through whether you are asking or not. It is important to be alert for these, although it is likely that they will be so obvious that you will not miss them. The question will then be whether you choose to listen.

Wind God 1

Nawal Iq’ is another strong nawal. It represents communication and particularly divine inspiration. It is the wind, the breath of life, that which brings the change in seasons.

The communication brought by Iq’ can be enlightening and inspiring. It is the breath of the divine which flows through us all, in fact the word for soul is Saq Iq’ – white breath. When our breath stops, our divine essence leaves our physical body. When we engage ourselves with the divine breath we are able to create, to manifest with our words, to inspire those around us. However, Iq’ also has a destructive side. It has the ability to blow like a hurricane and may level everything before it. It is the angry words which cut down everything in their path.

Hurricane is one of the few English words which is actually derived from a Mayan word- Junrakan, meaning “one footed”. Junrakan is another name for the Heart of the Sky, one of the creator deities. Once again it seems that certain patterns follow through the sequence of the nawales which are interrelated. Imox, the female creative principle, or egg, is fertilised be Iq’, the male principle. Their combination results in Aq’ab’al, the conception and a change in the state, bringing the dream into reality.

Iq’ is a day of communication, a day of inspiration. It can be a great day to express yourself through written or particularly verbal means. It is also a day on which changes happen. You can either embrace those changes or resist them, but be aware that the wind blows forcefully and resistance of change requires a great deal of energy. Embracing change helps you to learn to dance like a leaf in the wind.

The number 13 is the final number on the pyramid. It represents the spirit world. It is said that on Halloween, 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, where both the positive and negative aspects of the nawal it is attached to come through strongly. It is a very good day for activities such as divination, however, ceremonies on 13 days are generally only carried out by the most experienced Aj Q’ij who understand how to work with that strength of energy.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

12 Imox (10th November 2020)

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12 ImoxThis high numbered Imox day may amplify both positive and negative aspects of the Imox energy. It is a day of gathering together the dreams, but whose dreams are they?

The energy of nawal Imox connects us with the dream world, that place of visions and creation where all things come from. It is the place that 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. This is one of the issues with the energy of Imox, the uncertainty of what we will encounter in the collective consciousness.

When we connect that with the powerful number 12, it can be seen as a day of powerful experiences when it comes to the group consciousness. The 12 can represent the gathering together of all of life’s experiences, and so here we could imagine that we are gathering the hopes and fears, the dreams and nightmares of an entire generation. This has the potential to be very light, but also very dark. It can be easier than ever to be caught into strong media images and dragged to the depths of despair, feeling everything from those around you. This would also be a day to avoid the use of any kind of visionary plant, the energy of the day is strong enough already.

One way to help navigate Imox days is to take some time alone. Get away from people, and especially the media. Imox teaches us how to embrace our individuality and escape from the herd. 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.

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.

As the water lily, Imox is probably a representative of  Nymphaea ampla, the white water lily. It has been suggested that the white water lily was smoked by the ancient Maya in a similar way to the blue lotus was used by the Egyptians. It was a plant which allowed access to the otherworld, a plant from which visions came if used correctly.

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. When faced with the entirety of creation, the line between sanity and madness may become blurred.

Imox is a day to celebrate the spirit of the times, to understand the collective mind, particularly of humanity. It is a day to dream your creations, your art, your music. It is a day when we may all feel connected, a day when the psychic field between us may be particularly strong. Discernment may be called for, to understand when to dissociate from the collective, to remember your individuality, and to pull yourself back out of the dream world.

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

11 Ajpu (9th November 2020)

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11 AjpuToday you might find yourself almost desperately searching for the divinity in the world, as its  combination with the energy of the 11 may send you on a convincing wandering, even if you don’t know why.

It is as if you can feel it somewhere close. Somewhere out there there is a goodness, a true holiness that can be embraced and experienced. It brings everything into its divine state, yourself, your family and your community. The strong energetic combination with the number 11 gives a drive and purpose to find it, but with no direction of where to go, or possibly even what you are really looking for. It is just better than what you are experiencing now, a better world. This can be difficult to work with, but sometimes you just need to walk for the sake of taking a walk, to open up the possibilities and opportunities. Having no destination in mind, allowing yourself to be guided by synchronicity, but walking with determination, you may make discoveries.

“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.” Raymond Inmon

Today might not bring the exact solutions you are looking for, you might not even understand exactly how the pieces you do find fit into the divine plan. This will take some time to come together and to come to clarity. However, you will not find them at all if you do not follow the impulse to go looking for them in the first place.

Kinich Ahau, the solar deity, lord of space and time. From the Dresden Codex.
Kinich Ahau, the solar deity, lord of space and time. From the Dresden Codex.

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 in turn variously translated into English as lord, hunter, blow gunner, flower and sun. Each one of the translations has it’s 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 Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky. This wisdom enriched both the ruling dynasty and their people, as they would be working in harmony with the gods. Thus the ruler of the city was also the physical embodiment of the divine, and it is to this that Ajpu is so closely related. 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 that moment when you look closely at a flower to see the beautiful detail, the moment when you see the magnificence of the landscape you live within, the beauty in your child’s eyes or in the face of your partner. It is the random act of kindness that restores our faith in humanity. It is the search for the underlying meaning in all situations, 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. Our every action, and every action of others gives us the opportunity to explore ourselves and our reaction, whether we are attracted or repelled by the action of others. However, sometimes 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 Heart of the Earth as we reach to the Heart of the Sky.

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

10 Kawok (8th November 2020)

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10 KawokThe energy of the number 10 highlights cooperation, and today it is combined with nawal Kawok which brings a caring, feminine energy. This can be seen as a particular day of caring and healing within our communities.

The nawal Kawok is the nawal of the female healer. Yesterday, we saw the masculine aspect of healing , Tijax, combined with a feminine energy. Today, the female aspect of healing combined with the number of community and cooperation.

Kawok energy is known for its softness and compassion, even in its storm aspect, often the storms in its life are those of others around it. It is the guiding hand, keeping the boat steady as the storm rages all around it. It brings an energy of helping each other through the storms of life with compassion and love. Whilst Kawok has a connection to Chak, the rain god, it also has a connection to Ixchel, she of the rainbows. She is grandmother, and it is this caring energy of a grandmother which is manifested through Kawok. She is the goddess of medicine, and a midwife goddess, fulfilling the other aspects associated with Kawok.

Kawok helps us navigate through our problems by washing away the things we no longer need in our lives. Nothing can resist the strength of her current as it clears our path of debris. This can seem destructive, but it is purely to allow the new growth, the new birth to emerge.

Today we see this energy combined with the energy of the number 10, that of two hands coming together in friendship and cooperation. It represents community and, as much as agreement through shaking of hands, the offer a hand to those in need. It is a friendly and helpful energy. We see this within the Tz’i trecena, and once again this shows us an essence of unconditional love for those around us, holding their hand as they pass through their storms, providing emotional support.

This is a day of both giving and accepting help, once again particularly from women. This is a day to both offer and ask for a helping hand to steady the passage through the storms of life, bringing new life and growth both personally and to your community. Compassion and understanding bring healing to our communities and allow the new born, or our own rebirth, to emerge and flourish.

Ixchel empties the water jar, washing away the old world in order to bring in the new. From the Dresden Codex
Ixchel empties the water jar, washing away the old world in order to bring in the new. From the Dresden Codex

While most healing roles do not seem to be gender specific, one is. Both women and men may be healers, prayer makers, herbalists and diviners, only women will become midwives. Kawok is the energy of the midwife. Kawok helps to clear the obstructions from the birth process, in some ways it actually represents the birth process. Kawok brings the new into the world. In the Mayan cross, Kawok, the birth process finishes the sequence which starts with Aq’ab’al (conception) and moves through B’atz (gestation.) In the sequence of the calendar, Kawok precedes Ajpu. Ajpu represents the resurrection of the maize lord, also the creation of the world. Kawok creates the conditions for that to happen, the rain which brings forth the sprouting of the maize.

In its storm aspect, Kawok can be destructive, although it is a destruction which allows a new creation to happen. Kawok energy can give rise to some tempestuous situations, it can be a day which can give people a rough ride, although this may be for the eventual good. It is a day to ask for the gentle rain to bless your crops, and for the harsh rain to stop. It is a day which washes away the old and outworn in life, so that the new growth, life and divinity may emerge.

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

9 Tijax (7th November 2020)

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9 TijaxAn interesting combination of the predominantly masculine nawal of Tijax, with the number of the feminine occurs today. This may be seen as a day on which the divided may become united through compassion.

Tijax may be known for many things. It is seen as the crusader, championing the holy, using its fine edge of discernment to cut away that which is out of balance. It is seen as the healer, particularly the energy healer, who experiences the illness in order to heal others. It is the knife, severing the attachments which no longer serve. It is the chisel, creating the divine art from the mundane block of stone or wood. These are all seen as being active, masculine traits, rather than the the passive, feminine side.

However, today pairs Tijax with the number of the divine feminine, the number 9. This is the day where all of those active “masculine” traits are balanced through their association with the more feminine qualities of compassion and nurture. It is a day of the healing women, a day to celebrate in particular their ability to resolve duality through their discernment. This should also be a particularly empowering day for women in general, bringing out the strength and tenacity of their warrior aspect.

Sacrificial Death God 1

The nawal Tijax is often thought of as an obsidian blade or knife. How the blade is used depends on the intention of the person wielding it. It can be wielded by a warrior or by a surgeon. These would seem like opposite ends of the spectrum, but where Tijax is concerned the aim is the same – healing.

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. This is their quest, their crusade, and is represented by Tijax. They then sacrifice themselves in the underworld (Kame) and are resurrected with magical abilities (Ix). 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. It has a tenacity to it, it is sometimes belligerent, it will not be stopped in its quest. It is 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. It is a day of alchemy, both internal and external, turning the ordinary into the divine.

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

8 No’j (6th November 2020) – The Return of the Year Lord

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8 N'ojThe nawal No’j representing the brain and logical thought combines with the number of wholeness giving a day to think about all options. This is a day to celebrate our ability to plan and solve problems.

As humans we have been blessed with the amazing gifts of our brain and our mind. We can use them to achieve incredible feats, to advance our lives, and those of our families and communities. We can use them to solve the problems around us to make our world a better place. However, sometimes that intelligence turns against our evolution, as new ways to destroy our planet and ourselves come from the brains of some humans. This of course shows the difference between intelligence and wisdom. Our intellect can also lead us to overthinking situations, it can lead us into such minute details that confusion or inaction occurs.

Today we see these qualities combined with the number which represents wholeness. This can give us the ability to think through every aspect of a situation. It suggests that we are able to use all aspects of our intellect, to resolve what we need to. We are able to use our minds to gain the new inspiration, coming as unexpectedly as an earthquake, combined with understanding of how to bring the idea which forms to completion. This is the day to understand the true scale of problems in our lives and how to overcome them. It is a day on which whole solutions may arrive, complete from inception to execution, a whole package to make the world a better place for all. It is a day to make ceremony to give thanks for our ability to think clearly and develop solutions, and to ask for pardon for the times when we act without fully thinking through the consequences of our actions.

Within the solar calendar, today marks the beginning of a new month as we travel through the solar year. Today is the first day of Takaxepual translated as the season of first sowing. This should mark the point in time where that first sowing of maize, which took place 260 days ago, is ripened and ready, marking the beginning of the maize harvesting season.  It should also mark the point in the year where the rain ceases to fall and we move into the dry months before the new Year Lord takes his seat in 105 days time.

It is particularly interesting that this takes place on the day before astronomical cross quarter day of Samhain (November 7th). This point of the year is exactly midway between the Equinox and the Solstice, and was considered the first day of winter in the Celtic calendar. It is seen as the death of the Sun god, the sun descending into the underworld, where it will remain until Imbolc (Feb 3rd 2021). Regardless of the hemisphere and whether it is seen as the beginning of winter or the beginning of summer, there is a particular alignment which is happening, which is said to be an opening of portals to the otherworld. Perhaps rather than just seeing it as where the sun shines on the Earth, we could think of it as how the sun interacts with our magnetosphere.

This could suggest that the power of the year lord will go through a change at this point of the year, the original strength diminished after being used throughout the growing season. The year lord could be seen as having done his work and now enters a period of retirement, so perhaps the intensity this year lord has been demonstrating may be softened.

A depiction of the Earth Lord, the patron of the day Caban (N'oj). He makes a sacrifice of his own blood so that the maize, sustenance of the people, will sprout. Representative of fertility and abundance through the cycle of life, death and resurrection. From the Dresden Codex.
A depiction of the Earth Lord, the patron of the day Caban (N’oj). He makes a sacrifice of his own blood so that the maize, sustenance of the people, will sprout. Representative of fertility and abundance through the cycle of life, death and resurrection. From the Dresden Codex.

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, No’j the intellectual one. No’j is an energy of masculine, logical thought. No’j is the problem solver, it gives ideas and solutions which work in the real world. No’j gives a different way to understand 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 next No’j year will be the year 8 No’j in 2020.

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

7 Ajmak (5th November 2020)

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7 AjmakToday, the nawal Ajmak, signifying pardon and forgiveness combines with the number 7 representing finality and closure. This is the day to draw a line under past issues.

There comes a point in time when we just have to “drop it.” We cannot continue to walk our path if we are laden down with burdens of guilt or blame. We are humans, we make mistakes, some of us make more than others. These mistakes are how we learn, they are part of why we are here. We have to learn to accept ourselves and each other for who we are, in all our glorious humanity. Ajmak highlights the power of redemption, the ability to be forgiven and to forgive, but is it done in totality, or is it just lip service to an idea. Can you really reset to neutrality, or will there always be something hanging around?

Today gives us the opportunity to do just that, to finally forgive, both others and ourselves. It is the day to let any harmful feelings go. This may not be easy, the number 7 is also said to represent the seven shames, and when in combination with Ajmak may truly represent the greatest of affronts.

If there is a day to muster your energy, to take a deep breath, and to forgive and forget, this is it. After all we are within the trecena of Tz’i, the time to embrace the state of unconditional love and trust. Let it go and enjoy the sweetness that returns.

I’m sorry

Please forgive me

Thank You 

I love you

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 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.

Number Sequence.jpg
The sequence of numbers as they appear with each appearance of a nawal. Here we see that the sequence begins with 1 and ends with 7, giving 7 as a number of finality.

The number seven is the mid-point of the range of numbers. It is known as a number of death and endings, which would seem strange as it is only half way through. It is another representation of the change of state of the soul, showing half of the journey (1-6) in the mortal world and half (8-13) in the otherworld.

The numbers of the days set out as a pyramid.
The numbers of the days as they appear through the trecena. Here they can also be set out as a pyramid, reaching the peak is also the end of a journey.

If we imagine the numbers 1 through 13 as a pyramid, the number seven would be at the top. Seven is the number of balance, it gives the ability to weigh up situations and see all points of view. While this may be very noble, it may lead to indecision.

Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

6 Tz’ikin (4th November 2020)

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6 Tz'ikinThe energy of nawal representing the Heart of the Sky connects with the number joining Heaven and Earth, bringing your vision into a stable and prosperous reality.

The nawal Tz’ikin is seen as a messenger from the Heart of the Sky. It spends its time in the air and on the ground, and in this way it brings us messages from above. When it reaches the great height, it brings the vision, of what is around us and where to proceed, and as such is seen as the visionary. These visions also lead us to potential prosperity. Tz’ikin is usually seen as a fortunate energy, although sometimes it can be rather easily distracted.

Today it combines with the number representing ultimate stability, the physical plane combined with the essence of the Heart of the Sky (the divine masculine principle) and the Heart of the Earth (the divine feminine principle.) It has all the supporting energies working together in one place to make it happen.

Tz’ikin is another day of manifestation, and is particularly associated with the ability to do this through the use of the word. With the stability brought to it by the number 6, this can be seen as a day to ask for what you seek in life. It is a balanced energy, giving rise to stable and sustainable prosperity. If you have a vision for your family, today is the day to bring it to Earth and empower it with your words.

Nawal Tz’ikin is the nawal of prosperity, which sometimes seems odd to people seeking “higher knowledge”. It is not quite seen the same here. If your family is starving, you are more likely to fall off the good road, perhaps into dishonesty or criminal activity. By asking nawal Tz’ikin for prosperity in your life, you are more likely to be relaxed, to be able to help others and to be more constructive within your community. That is not to say that your own input of hard work will not be necessary, just that it is hard work that will pay off.

Tz’ikin has the ability to give visions, it helps people to see the bigger picture within life. It also helps people to focus on details. It has grand aspirations and helps people to rise to the top of their abilities, which of course brings them prosperity.

Just as Tz’ikin can focus, its broad vision can occasionally cause distraction. Sometimes, just when it is heading towards its goal it can be distracted by something “shiny.” This energy gives an ability to create great social networks, but sometimes spends too much time trying to maintain them.

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 neither too strong nor too weak. It is a day frequently used for ceremony thanks to its conducive energy. It represents the four directions with the Heart of the Sky and the Heart of the Earth. It also represents family, relating to the six qualities that nourish and hold families together – health, understanding, property, employment, friendship and actions.

The cross at the top of the central hill, Paclom, in Momostenango. Paclom is known as "the six place" and the two armed cross represents the four directions combining with the Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky. This picture was taken on Wajxakib B'atz, February 2010.
The cross at the top of the central hill, Paclom, in Momostenango. Paclom is known as “the six place” and the two armed cross represents the four directions combining with the Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky. This picture was taken on Wajxakib B’atz, February 2010.
Chol Q'ij - The Energies of the Days

5 Ix (3rd November 2020)

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5 IxThe nawal of the spirit of mother Earth and what comes from her combines with the number of work. This suggests that a little hard work on your connection with mother Earth may manifest abundance.

The energy of the nawal Ix helps us to remember that we are all the children of mother Earth. We are all connected to her energy whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. Some of us live closer to her, some of us further away. Some are aware of the interactions we can have with her, others are not. Some show gratitude to her for what she provides, others do not even realise where their sustenance comes from, yet still she gives. When we enhance our connection with her, she rewards us. To strengthen our connection, we talk to her, we ask her for her help and we thank her for what she gives. This show us why Ix days are days of the altars and shrines, days to make our prayers, they are days where mother Earth is waiting patiently to hear from her children.

Of course, like all mothers, she may become overburdened. If the flow is always one way, if we are always receiving and never giving, we may fall out of balance, out of favour and out of harmony with her energy. We all live within her energetic field and if our energy is out of sync with hers, we may fall sick. This can be an important signpost that we need to realign our energy towards a more natural state, possibly that we have forgotten our gratitude for what we have received.

The energy of the number 5 represents work, it also represents the sacred fire. This is where we speak our words, where we ask for mother Earth to help us and where we show our gratitude. This can be an excellent day for making a thanksgiving  fire at a natural shrine. It is a day to work on our gratitude in order to keep the flow of our sustenance steady.

With Ix representing the jaguar shaman, this day is also a day to work on your “magic.” We all have the ability to engage with this energy, but, like any discipline, work is required to reap the benefits. This can be seen as a day to engage with that training, to practice your abilities and to strengthen the magic you carry.

Jaguar Shaman
A dancing shaman transforms himself into a jaguar. From a late classic era vase found at Altar de Sacrificios. Source http://shortstreet.net/Maya/mayapaintedvases.htm

Ix is possibly the most feminine of the nawales. It represents the spirit of Mother Earth and could easily be seen as a Mayan representation of Gaia. Ix can be seen as a mothering energy, nurturing all things, but this should not be confused with weakness – the animal totem of Ix is the jaguar and it is as the jaguar that Ix is often known. The jaguar is, of course, powerful and stealthy. Ix also embodies these qualities. The jaguar is an animal of the night, slipping magically through the darkness, the spots of her back a representation of the milky way. She carries the sun on it’s nightly journey through the underworld.

The connection Ix has with the Earth gives it the ability to manifest material wealth. In the Mayan cross astrological configuration, Kame evolves to Ix. In the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Maya, the Hero Twins sacrificed themselves in the underworld (Kame) and then were resurrected as a pair of catfish, later to become travelling magicians (Ix.) They cut the heads off animals, then resurrected them, they even cut off each others heads and brought each other back to life. In these scenes they are shown with patches of jaguar skin on their clothing, a symbolism denoting that the wearer is a shaman. Thus through the symbolic death or sacrifice, the shamanic power emerges.

Industrialised societies tend to see the Earth as an inanimate source of material wealth. Non-industrialised societies see her as a living entity with whom we can interact, and she carries the nawal Ix. So, it is on Ix days that prayers are offered at her places, the shrines and altars, her ears, to ask for what we need in our world.

The Sacred Mayan calendar is often said to be a calendar of human life, and parts of it can be seen as a microcosm of the human body. The number five is one of these parts. It is representative of the hand with it’s five digits. It is with our hands that we work, and with what we earn for that work that we pay our debts. Five is also a number that relates to the sacred fire where we pay our debts with offerings and prayers. Five might be so busy working that it fails to remember what it is working for. It can also signify that what it is attached to becomes work, or is “hard work”.