Tag Archives: Wayeb

New Video – Wayeb and the New Solar Cycle 8 No’j

As we go into the day 3 E’ we enter the final five days of the Mayan solar year, a period known as Wayeb. This is a period of introspection, of retreat, known for its unpredictable energies. Here I share some information about the Mayan solar year and the year bearers, as well as Wayeb.

This is a part of the “Living the Sacred Calendar” presentation I made on 13 Toj (12th February 2020) at Samsara’s Garden, San Marcos la Laguna.

7 E’ 0 Nab’e Mam – The Seating of The New Mam

The Seating of the New Mam is the moment that the Wayeb has ended, when the period of retreat has finished and we can emerge from our “cave” back into the real world. In some communities, this would be celebrated with feasting and drinking, welcoming in the new grandfather who will guide us through the next revolution of the sun.

This year is governed by the Mam 7 E’. In addition to 7 E’ carrying the energy of the day, it is also carrying the energy of this new year. The properties and benefits brought by the nawal 7 E’ are discussed in my post for the day of 7 E’ here. The energy of this day is a representative of the energy which we will be living with for the whole year. The general feeling of this year should be about the completion of a journey, and the choice of which direction to go next.

The new Mam may take a little while to settle in. This is usually the first 20 days. Whilst it is obvious that the “administration” has changed, it takes a little time for all the promises made in the campaign to be adhered to. Nothing in nature moves in a square wave, it is always a gentle transition more akin to a sine wave. This is the first light of dawn, the day is just beginning, but we are still experiencing a little of the cold of the night. It will not be until midday, the height of the cycle that we will experience the fullest expression of the energy of this year lord. We can expect that in around 182 days or so, 7 Ix (21st August 2019).


The last time we experienced an E’ year was 2015, which was the year 3 E’. E’ years are usually seen as being benevolent years. They the years when we might make new discoveries, journey to new places, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. They bring an energy of curiosity, of change, and sometimes a boldness to step out into the unknown, as it is there where novelty awaits us.

Its combination here with the number 7 suggests endings. This year may very well represent the end of the road for some things. We have taken our learning process as far as we could, now we have reached our destination, the top of the pyramid. From that vantage point we can see the new opportunities for learning open to us. It will be up to us to choose which path we now wish to take. This may be a year when many options are laid out in front of us, and it will be essential that we make a choice. There is a  danger that stagnation will arise from indecision, although with all the options available it may be difficult to select one path. This is a great year to finish the study of a subject and begin a new one. The journey of the heart through relationships may also find itself coming to some kind of conclusion. Life and time can be seen as a spiral, and here we have come to a point where we have completed a revolution of that spiral and it is time to begin a new one.

On a grander scheme of things, the cycle of the year bearers repeats every 52 years. Of course, we do not relive exactly the same experiences, but we may see similarities with the last time this year bearer was in office. That was the year 1967, when Mam would have taken his seat on the Gregorian day 5th March. This gives us the opportunity to understand how to engage with the benefits of, and avoid the errors committed during, the previous incarnation of the Mam 7 E’.  For some ideas on major events of 1967, please click here.

6 Kej 0 Nab’e Mam – The Seating of the New Mam

The Seating of the New Mam is the moment that the Wayeb has ended, when the period of retreat has finished and we can emerge from our “cave” back into the real world. In some communities, this would be celebrated with feasting and drinking, welcoming in the new grandfather who will guide us through the next revolution of the sun.

This year is governed by the Mam 6 Kej. In addition to 6 Kej carrying the energy of the day, it is also carrying the energy of this new year. The properties and benefits brought by the nawal 6 Kej are discussed in my post for the day of 6 Kej here. The energy of this day is a representative of the energy which we will be living with for the whole year. The general feeling of this year should be a greater sense of stability that comes through strong leadership.

The new Mam may take a little while to settle in. This is usually the first 20 days. Whilst it is obvious that the “administration” has changed, it takes a little time for all the promises made in the campaign to be adhered to. Nothing in nature moves in a square wave, it is always a gentle transition more akin to a sine wave. This is the first light of dawn, the day is just beginning, but we are still experiencing a little of the cold of the night. It will not be until midday, the height of the cycle that we will experience the fullest expression of the energy of this year lord. We can expect that in around 182 days or so, 6 Toj (21st August 2018).


The last time we experienced a Kej year was 2014, which was the year 2 Kej. Kej years tend to have the reputation of being strong, forceful years, driven and determined. Kej is a bold energy, drawing its strength from the natural world. Yet it is the nawal of the higher level Maya spiritual guides, those who are truly tuned in to the natural world, and who use this ability to bring true leadership to the people. While it may be extremely determined, sometimes to the point of stubbornness, it has the best interests of its people at heart

This is then combined with the number 6, a number with a reputation for stability. It is in the middle of the range of numbers, bringing a sense of balance with it. This is possibly one of the best combinations for the nawal Kej, the strength and determination being tempered by the balanced and stable energy of the number 6. The number 6 also implies the influence of the upper and lower realms – heaven and Earth – being drawn into our middle realm. Perhaps it is this influence of the divine masculine and divine feminine which bring the particular balance to the energy of the number 6, and as we apply it to the spiritual leadership aspect of the nawal Kej, we can expect stability coming through spiritual leaders during this year. The number 6 is also related to the values of the family, and with Kej representing strength, could be a great year for strengthening your family, bringing balance to their lives.

On a grander scheme of things, the cycle of the year bearers repeats every 52 years. Of course, we do not relive exactly the same experiences, but we may see similarities with the last time this year bearer was in office. That was the year 1966, when Mam would have taken his seat on the Gregorian day 5th March. This gives us the opportunity to understand how to engage with the benefits of, and avoid the errors committed during, the previous incarnation of the Mam 6 Kej.  For some ideas on major events of 1966, please click here.

Old Man Possum drew 4 streaks on the sky and is seen here delivering the new Mam, representing the new solar year. The first column of glyphs on the left hand side of the page, from the top to the representation of possum are all Kej. From the Dresden Codex.

5 Iq’ 0 Nab’e Mam – The Seating of the New Mam

The Seating of the New Mam is the moment that the Wayeb has ended, when the period of retreat has finished and we can emerge from our “cave” back into the real world. In some communities, this would be celebrated with feasting and drinking, welcoming in the new grandfather who will guide us through the next revolution of the sun.

This year is governed by the Mam 5 Iq’. In addition to 5 Iq’ carrying the energy of the day, it is also carrying the energy of this new year. The properties and benefits brought by the nawal 5 Iq’ are discussed in my post for the day of 5 Iq’ here. The energy of this day is a representative of the energy which we will be living with for the whole year. The general advice for the energy of this year may be to strap in and prepare for turbulence.

The new Mam may take a little while to settle in. This is usually the first 20 days. Whilst it is obvious that the “administration” has changed, it takes a little time for all the promises made in the campaign to be adhered to. Nothing in nature moves in a square wave, it is always a gentle transition more akin to a sine wave. This is the first light of dawn, the day is just beginning, but we are still experiencing a little of the cold of the night. It will not be until midday, the height of the cycle that we will experience the fullest expression of the energy of this year lord. We can expect that in around 182 days or so, 5 K’at (21st August 2017).


The last time we experienced a Iq’ year was 2013, which was the year 1 Iq’. Iq’ years tend to have the reputation of being blustery, unpredictable years, years of change and harsh words. Change is what drives life; without it, stagnancy and true death occur. However, sometimes change is difficult to resolve, we have to learn to adapt, which when we were in a space we had grown attached to may bring up fear and possibly anger. This may be a year where we will need to learn to adapt quickly. The influence of the number 5 suggests work, which usually brings results, but when you are labouring you may find it difficult to understand what you are working towards. It may be that adapting will be harder work than anticipated.

The energy of the number 5 also has a reputation for rushing into things. In combination with the nawal Iq’ this could cause many problems, possibly with harsh words spoken in haste. Communication issues could come to the fore this year, both personally and in society. There is room, of course, for the inspirational words to be delivered by nawal Iq’, although these may seem more elusive than usual; Once again the 5 bringing the idea that they may be hard work to come by.

On a grander scheme of things, the cycle of the year bearers repeats every 52 years. Of course, we do not relive exactly the same experiences, but we may see similarities with the last time this year bearer was in office. That was the year 1965, when Mam would have taken his seat on the Gregorian day 5th March. This gives us the opportunity to understand how to engage with the benefits of, and avoid the errors committed during, the previous incarnation of the Mam 5 Iq’. For some ideas on major events of 1965, please click here.

Old Man Possum drew 4 streaks on the sky and is seen here delivering the new Mam, representing the new solar year. The first column of glyphs on the left hand side of the page, from the top to the representation of possum are all Iq’. He is accompanied by K’inich Ahau in the two frames below, the benevolent solar deity. From the Dresden Codex.