After the extraordinarily explosive energies that have played out over the past 13 days, particularly in China (which suffered both a devastating typhoon and the gargantuan blasts in Tianjin) the Eb’ trecena holds the possibility of bringing some much needed relief – at least at the beginning. Affilated traditionally with renewed vitality and fertility, the healing potential of this Eb’ time frame was often recognized through feasting, dancing, and general celebration.

In the past the forces in play during this energy frame have brought forth many new ideas, new visions of possibilities, and new opportunites, as seen in 1789 when George Washington was unanimously elected as the first president of the United States on the first day of this Eb’ trecena; in 1861 when President Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated on the fifth day of this period; and in 2007 when Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the U.S. presidency on the eight day of this time frame.

With Eb’ being representative of the “dew of life” there is often a “refreshment” aspect to this time sequence, a kind of “go with the flow”, or even path-finding type of energy that can bring forth new opportunities or initiatives. This can be seen in the lives of many leaders who have been born during this trecena, such Queen Elizabeth I, who turned her country into a major political and economic power during the 16th century, and John F. Kennedy, who infused new vitality into the presidency of the United States.

One never knows how this trecena will signal its arrival, but two cycles ago that arrival was accompanied by a fireball (likely an extra-bright meteor) that shot through the early morning sky over Eastern and Atlantic Canada. It was described as a great flash of light that lit up the sky; and a “great big orange ball . . . like the sun dropping out of the sky”. That sun also drew attention near the end of the trecena at that time as it shot forth twin M2 class solar flares as well as a brief but intense X1-class flare. This is the same trecena that was in place in 2007 when Comet Holmes unexpectedly increased in magnitude by a factor of about half a million in the largest known outburst at that time. Many saw this comet as one of the candidates relating to the “Blue Kachina” prophecy of the Hopi that suggested that a blue sphere such as this would mark the end of time.

As occurs quite often as the energies increase over the 13 days there is the potential for things to get a little “heady” towards the end of the time frame. This time it seems that 9 Ajaw will be a key day for many as one of the largest consumer electronics shows in the world opens in Berlin on that day, which will likely trigger a frenzy of anticipation in the interest of gaining access to the latest gadgets.

In India the focus will be on celebration as this is a key time for participation in the Onam festival.

And then there is Burning Man – that great annual celebration of life, creativity, and wild abandon in a Nevada desert. This year this event coincides with 11 Ik’, the same energy that was in place on Jan. 1, 2000 when millions of people celebrated the coming new millennium.

This will be followed by 12 Ak’b’al, which was the force that triggered the 9.1 earthquake in 2004 that ripped apart the ocean floor off the coast of Sumatra and sent a humungous wall of water crashing into 14 countries in Southeast Asia, killing over 230,000 people and washing away entire villages. On its last appearance (last December) this same force brought a massive weather system to California that triggered major mudslides, exactly one cycle after doing something similar to Hong Kong.

As this trecena begins many eyes may be watching the progress of Tropical Storm Danny that just formed on the last day of the Kawak trecena (Aug. 19th). It seems that it is due to carry over into this new time frame, but only time will tell whether or not it becomes a hurricane as it tracks towards the Caribbean. Over this thirteen-day period these are the energies that will unfold:

1 Eb’ (Aug. 20th) – the “initiation” of “animating vitality”, the refreshing stream-of-consciousness, “find your own path” type of force that influences this 13-day time frame

2 B’en (Aug. 21st) – a dynamic type of energy aligned with the “generation” of personal authority, as was in place at the birth of Queen Elizabeth I in 1533. At this time Venus begins her ascent as the Morning Star.

3 Ix (Aug. 22nd) – the “activation” of mystery and magic, as was in place last December when NASA’s Orion deep-space capsule made its first test flight – a big step in its preparation for the journey to Mars

4 Men (Aug. 23rd) – a “defining” energy related to the “high vision” of the Eagle; a double solar “Burner Day” associated with “running with the fire”, an energy that can sometimes bring a great deal of “firepower”

5 Kib’ (Aug. 24th) – a “blessing” or “precision” type of energy associated with the “Vulture’s” high- flying ability to survey and its ability to “clean things up”, this time in conjunction with Ukraine’s 24th Independence Day

6 Kab’an (Aug. 25th) – a “movement (or earth movement)” type of energy combined with the “all directions” force of the number six, as when Russia held its first democratic elections in 1991

7 Etz’nab’ (Aug. 26th) –“self-generating flint” – an energy that sparked major solar flares in 2005; also representative of the “knife-edge” of discrimination as was in place on the Global Day of Action in 2007 that involved anti-war demonstrations in cities across the U.S. and in many other countries. Two cycles ago 53 international delegates met under this influence in the Hague to discuss the reduction and security of nuclear supplies (particularly against terrorism)

8 Kawak (Aug. 27th) – “resurrecting storm”, sometimes associated with strong weather and other upheavals, as when Austria-Hungary declared war against Serbia under this influence in 1914, triggering the beginning of World War I. This time this energy coincides with the 60th anniversary of the first publication of the Guinness World Record Book.

9 Ajaw (Aug. 28th) – an “outwardly projecting”, double-fire type of force associated with the full sun, as manifested in the eruption of the Grimsvötn volcano in Iceland in 2011. This time this energy coincides with the opening of the IFA electronics show in Berlin – one of the largest consumer electronics shows in the world (to Sept. 2). Also the “focus” day for the 10-day Onam harvest festival in India where the ground in front of homes is decorated with wonderful floral carpets called pookkalams, and people celebrate with feasting, new clothes, games, and snake boat races.

10 Imix (Aug. 29th) – a “source” based energy aligned with birth, this time in conjunction with the Full Moon (first Supermoon of 2015) and the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

11 Ik’ (Aug. 30th) – “inspirational” wind/breath spirit; the energy that was in place on January 1, 2000 when millions of people celebrated the coming new millennium; this time this energy coincides with the start of the Burning Man festival at Black Rock, NV

12 Ak’b’al (Aug. 31st) a “grouping together” type of energy associated with darkness, as was in place at the time of the 2004 Sumatra tsunami and again in 2011 when the ash cloud from the Grimsvötn volcano grounded about 500 flights in the U.K.

13 K’an (Sept. 1st) – transformational “generative vitality”; a powerfully exuberant force that can instigate a great deal of action on many fronts, as in 1992 when a massive fire broke out at Windsor Castle, damaging or destroying over 100 rooms and many priceless treasures, and in October of 2012 when Hurricane Sandy churned off the coast of Florida en route to the New York/New Jersey coast. This time 13 K’an coincides with the 300th anniversary of the death of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, who reigned in France for 72 years.

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[Please note that the brief descriptions of the days provided above are only “thumbnail sketches”. Much greater detail can be found in Manual for the Soul: A Guide to the Energies of Life.]