Tz’ikin is the bird, it is the intermediary between the Great Father and human beings, it represents the sacred vision, the acute and panoramic vision of a bird; its energy provides freedom, magnetism and luck. Number 5 is the action energy, the elevation of creation. This day attracts opportunities, use its energy to have positive outcomes in your activities. During the Creation of the Universe everything started to work on a day 5 Tz’ikin.
Momma, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Tourists! Pt.2
This is the second in a series of blog posts that explores the possibility of transforming the way our current civilization leads us to live upon the earth. Can we change from living as though we are tourists in our own home to becoming the responsible co-evolutionary partners we see historically and within many modern Indigenous cultures?
In the last blog post, we explored the way Indigenous inhabitants have been treated in the name of conservation. In many ways, we can consider this conservation approach to be the other side of the same coin that reveals the exploitation of people and the earth in the name of extraction of resources. Both stem from a cosmological belief that the earth itself is in-animate, a non-living entity that hosts resources (above and below ground) that can be exploited. There is a cause and effect relationship between the way we view our place in the world and the world we help to create.
What becomes possible when we recognize that a people’s relationship to the earth arises from a culture and cosmology that recognizes the sacredness of life, arising from a co-evolutionary journey of millennia between people and place?
The following example demonstrates both our disconnected relationship with nature and a return to those who understand it most deeply. Northern California has experienced extreme drought conditions, which has brought with it historic wild fires. Fire conditions have been made worse by decades of fire suppression tactics, caused by a cosmology of control and domination, which had the effect of limiting smaller fires while unintentionally laying the groundwork for the massive fires we have today. As the realization that this approach has failed has spread over the last few decades, more naturally occurring wildfires were allowed to burn, which has led to limited success.
Now officials in California are turning to the Amah Mutsun and North Fork Mono Tribes amongst others to learn and implement pro-active fire management techniques that build the overall vitality of the ecosystem while changing the conditions that lead to the catastrophic fires of recent years. Native forestry practices such as these, which include clearing meadows that serve as fire-barriers and water repositories, have historic precedent in creating the abundant North-American (as well as other places globally) landscape that settlers marveled at. The myth of a pristine environment, with native people living innocently off of its abundance is just that – a myth. Undoubtedly, the cosmological framework embedded in the culture and practices of these and other peoples gave rise to an improved land – and life for the people.
If we take a moment to reflect upon our current cosmologies and how they play out in our culture and practices, are the effects upon ecologies and people’s evident? What is the opportunity we have to transform the foundations of how we view and relate to the world in order to create a different effect?
Native traditional methods revived to combat California drought, wildfires
4 I’x – Creation to Realization for Cholq’ij New Year
I’X is the feminine energy, the feline energy. It represents life being born from the womb of Mother Earth: the water – rivers, lakes, and oceans. It is the plants, fish, trees, and the first phase of the Human Being. It is all of this is guided by the woman, the giver of life, and it is given in a matriarchy. I’x is also the magic, the energy that comes from the strength of nature in balance with the cosmos. It is the magic that we had in the ancient times, when all human beings were connected to the Supreme and to the inner being. It is the time when our vision reached the depths of space, across the entire face of the Earth. Our communication was mental, through images, and our hands had the power to capture the energy of Mother Earth and the Cosmos. We were the creators of our own reality, the travelers of the Najt (space-time). Now that we have reached the Job’ Ajaw our purpose is to recover that wonderful state in which we lived. We ask I’x, the jaguar that overcomes all limitations, for our strength. Its energy will help us break out of all those things that restrain us, so we can seek to enter into this Fifth Dimension that is emerging.
4 I’x – Today’s Maya Day Sign (Ch’umil)
I’x is the jaguar; it represents the feline and feminine energies. It is the strength of Mother Earth, the power of the jungle, the creative forces of the universe; I’x is a day of high magic. Number 4 projects stability; it symbolizes the four cardinal points, the four races of humanity, the four colors of corn, and the four elements. Connect to the magical energy of this day to develop your perception and sensibility.
During the Creation of the Universe, the sky and the earth leaned on each other on a day 4 I’x.
3 Aj – Creation to Realization for Cholq’ij New Year
AJ represents the moment in which the foundations are laid. It represents the moment in which the planetary systems, the galaxies, and everything finds its place in the cosmos, in the Universe. Settling is the essence of Aj. The foundations, what holds up all of creation ―this reality― are the energetic forces that hold up the essence of everything we know. We could call them physical laws of the material universe, but these are also the laws that affect the plane of the mental structure and within them the emotional energy is manifested. The spiritual plane is not ruled by this structure, for the spirit is a free essence connected in itself to all of Creation, however, it can stay in a state of hibernation if we do not restructure our foundations and own our reality.
Aj is the cane, the staff of power. It is our home (where we live). The purpose is to develop this energy, to look into our inner self and to project a connection with our spirit.
3 Aj – Today’s Maya Day Sign (Ch’umil)
Aj, represented by cane and cornstalks, symbolizes the strength of power; it is a pillar that connects the cosmic and the telluric energies, and it means abundance and the renewal of nature. Number 3 symbolizes communication and creativity; it stands for the results of our efforts. Today’s energies give you the spiritual power that allows you to develop and strengthen your inner self. During the Creation of the Universe 3 Aj created all things, the multitude of things, things of the sky, things of the sea and things of the earth.
2 E – Today’s Maya Day Sign (Ch’umil)
E symbolizes the path of destiny, it is the strength, power and energy a person possesses for undertaking journeys that will lead to self-realization. Number 2 represents the polarity of the positive and negative energies. Ask for the guidance of E to find the right path and to have the strength to overcome any difficulties that you may encounter. During the Creation of the Universe the day 2 E created the first stairway for the supreme energy to come down through the sky and through water. There was no soil, no stones, and no trees.
Twenty Days of Creation – Cholq’ij New Year
According to the Maya, the world was created in one Mayan month (twenty days). The process of creation begins on Jun (1) B’atz and ends on the day Wuqub’ (7) Tz’i’, completing the first twenty days of the Cholq’ij (Calendar of Life). After this final day of creation, the day Wajxaqib’ (8) B’atz’ arrives, which is considered the Cholq’ij New Year. When Maya people celebrate the Cholq’ij new year, they are celebrating that the creation of the world has been fulfilled, and the beginning of a new cycle of 260 days.
We are living in the time of the Job’ Ajaw, or Fifth Sun which we entered on December 21, 2012. This epoch is related to the element Ether and to the fifth dimension. We have entered a time of greater awareness, in which we are witnessing socio-economic changes – but these changes don’t happen overnight. We are only now beginning to see them. The energy of the Ch’umilal, or signs of the Maya Cholq’ij Calendar, have the same meaning we have been sharing, but now their energy resonates more with the spiritual power that comes with them. The concatenation of the energies that each of the Ch’umilal represents is the guide of the Creation. It influences us throughout the cycle of our life and the cycle of Mother Earth. By working with each of the days we will connect to the spiritual energy of the twenty Ch’umilal to be in harmony with each of them.
You can follow Carlos’s guide to more deeply understanding and connecting with the energies of the twenty days leading up to the Cholq’ij New Year in the Daily Ch’umil section of the website, or by subscribing to the newsletter or following Saq’ Be’ on social media.
1 B’atz’ – Today’s Ch’umil & Trecena Prayer
B’atz’ symbolizes the thread with which we weave the story of our life; the way we evolve as human beings. Number 1 represents the beginning and unity. The energies of this day offer you the possibility of reinventing yourself in this new cycle. This is the first day of the B’atz’ trecena (thirteen days) and it is also the first day of Maya creation.
The book of the Chilam B’alam of Chumayel explains the creation of the universe. It tells that the world was created in one Maya month (20 days). The process of creation begins on the day 1 B’atz’ and ends in a day 7 Tz’i’, when the first 20 days are completed. After the last day of creation -7 Tz’i’- comes the day 8 B’atz’ (Cholq’ij Maya New Year). When Maya people celebrate their new year, they celebrate that the creation of the world has been fulfilled. The Chilam B’alam of Chumayel says: “…Anciently when the world had not awakened, the month was born and it started to walk on its own… the name of the day was also born… The day 1 B’atz’ used its own divinity to crate the sky and the earth.”
Prayer from Don Pedro Ixchop
 Oh Ajaw, Heart of Sky and Heart of Mother Earth, you are my life, you are the thread of life of every being. Over the face of Mother Earth you are the thread of love, the thread of my happiness and my joy, the thread of my faith and of my solitude. You are my thread of destiny, the thread of my path, and the thread of life of my sons and daughters. You are the thread of my Chak Patan, you are the thread of my law, you are the thread of my Choq’, you are the thread of the veins in my heart, of my internal organs and the tissues of my body. You are the thread of my joyfulness and the thread of my marriage. You are the thread of my freedom and my work. You are the thread of my job and business activities that help me satisfy my needs, Ajaw.Oh Ajaw, don’t allow the golden chain of my business to break, because only you can maintain the sales and prosperity of my business. I will commit my work to you, Heart of the Sky and Heart of Mother Earth. I will tie myself to your spirit Ajaw, and I ask you to untie me from the hands of my enemies forever, Ajaw Heart of the Sky and Heart of Mother Earth. I tie myself to your spirit so that I can develop my intelligence and succeed in my daily activities. I accept you Healing Heart of the Sky, for you are the one who heals and rejuvenates the threads that hold my body. I am you follower Ajaw. I make you offerings through the scent of this Ceremony, which has the scent of the ocote, of the candles, of the floral water, of the pom, of the Tzam Xik’ay, of the Rijche’, and of incense, Ajaw Heart of the Sky and Heart of Mother Earth. As your follower, Ajaw, I know I have the blessing of your Spirit. Maltiox, Maltiox, Maltiox, and four times Maltiox. Ajaw Supreme Being, Great Father Chak Patan Spiritual and social work Choq’ Quartz Stone Ocote Resinous pine-wood Pom a type of incense Tzam Xik’ay a type of incense Rijche’ a type of incense Maltiox Thank you |
1 B’atz’ – Creation to Realization for Cholq’ij New Year
B’ATZ’ is the origin, it is the moment of creation. It is the moment when from nothingness, from emptiness, from darkness (which have a value and an energy) leads to an explosion from which everything arises and the expansion of contained matter begins. It is when a light enters darkness; the exact point from where everything expands to form the light lines that create the interweaving of the Najt (space-time). It is the lines that connect the universe and which are woven by B’atz’. It is the circles and the spirals that are formed when everything starts to revolve.
This vision indicates that now we must begin our path of life in full awareness. We must walk the path of our purpose of life, of a life that expands our spirit without limits. It is delineating and taking a real control over our life, to become one with all of creation. It speaks to us about organizing and directing our purposes to reach and develop our inner powers.