As the Etz’nab’ trecena carries us through the second half of September it seems that we will be witness to high drama on many fronts. Much seems to be in motion at this time, including vast numbers of people attempting to escape from places like Syria and Hungary, massive numbers being forced to evacuate their homes due to such things as heavy flooding and raging fires (floods affecting 2.8 million in Japan, and hundreds being severely affected by wildfires in central California and other parts of the Pacific Northwest).

Traditionally oriented around the general idea of “sacrifice and separation”, this 13-day time frame was thought of as being under the patronage of two deities who seem to have opposing agendas. One of these is the Sun God (known as Tonatiuh to the Aztec), who represents the life-giving, restorative warmth of the sun, while the other is Mictlantecuhtli, who represents the coldness of the Underworld. The tug-of-war between these forces comes into play at this time, with the Sun God wanting to bring forth that spark of life and warmth at the same time as the “Death” God wants to have his way.

For the Maya the Underworld, realm of the Death God, was seen as a foundational realm – the place of “new beginnings”. And what seems to be happening at the moment is that millions of people in many different places are being forced, in very definitive ways, to truly “begin anew”. Everything seems to be shifting as people are being required to adopt new ways of thinking and being. Historically this trecena has had a tendency to bring issues in many arenas into sharp focus, requiring people to face their dilemmas and make important decisions – and often those decisions have to be instantaneous, as in 2010 when the first day of this trecena brought Hurricane Igor to the Maritimes, the worst storm to hit Newfoundland in 75 years.

In 2012 this trecena forced tens of thousands of people on the U.S. east coast to face the daunting task of rebuilding homes, lives, and communities after the onslaught of Superstorm Sandy. Two years later the opening day of this trecena saw the Ukrainian government began to mobilize its military for “large scale anti-terrorist operations” after many of its government buildings were seized by heavily armed, masked pro-Russian activists. That mobilization prompted some 10,000 people to rally in central Moscow to denounce Russia’s aggressive actions at the same time as the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis that was bringing things to “the brink of civil war”.

Very often the events that have taken place during this time frame have been either dazzling or just plain shocking, as was the case during this trecena’s last appearance when the horrific terrorist attack on journalists and cartoonists took place at the headquarters of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, prompting hundreds of thousands of people in cities worldwide to take to the streets to stand in solidarity against the attack. “Je Suis Charlie” became a rallying cry of defiance.

The 11th day of this trecena (11 Lamat -“inspirational star”) is often particularly eventful, and – given the number of high profile events scheduled for that day – there will be no exception during this current pass-through. Indeed, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has earmarked this day as an “historic turning point” day for our world. So – time to really pay attention!

So as we embark on this highly attention-getting time frame we would do well to keep in mind that this is a knife-edged type of influence that has the potential to physically or metaphorically “cut away” that which is no longer working or needed. With this time frame being the “trigger” that can open up major (or even bold) new directions, these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Etz’nab’ (Sept. 15th) – the “initiation” of Flint – a sparkling “shock and awe” type of energy that can dazzle and/or divide and separate, this time coinciding with second and final day of the Jewish New Year known as Rosh Hashanah, the opening of the 70th General Assembly of the U.N., the 75th anniversary of the “Battle of Britain Day” (the turning point day when, in a huge air battle, the Germans lost 61 aircraft and 93 men), and the end of the Jade Helm military exercises in the U.S.

2 Kawak (Sept. 16th) – “dynamic storm”, often manifested as the “generation of a storm of compassion”. An energy that often triggers strong emotions, as things are brought up, examined, and released.

3 Ajaw (Sept. 17th) – the “activation of Enlightenment” – an important Burner Day oriented around the idea of “announcing the fire”, traditionally this is a point where clarity can suddenly break through, with Ajaw’s “full sun” illuminating things that may have been previously hidden. This marks the start of the highly anticipated Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a popular Hindu festival in honour of Lord Ganesha, the Lord of New Beginnings, a festival that spans 10 days (the rest of the trecena).

4 Imix (Sept. 18th) – representative of the sun working with the waters of creation to bring something new into being, this is a “defining” type of energy associated with “birth” (ie. a “whole new world” or a “whole new way of thinking”), as was in place on New Year’s Day of 2015.

5 Ik’ (Sept. 19th) – the “blessing” of wind/breath, and spirit – an energy that could enhance communication and perhaps even assist with bringing clarity or the idea of “hope” with regard to critical issues or events, this time in conjunction with “Observe the Moon Night”, Playing for Change Day – a global event associated with social change through music, and the start of the 181st Munich Oktoberfest, one of the largest festivals in the world. Two cycles since the Kepler telescope discovered the most Earth-like planet so far (called Kepler 186f) in a galaxy 459 Light-years from Earth.

6 Ak’b’al (Sept. 20th) – a “structuring” type of energy associated with “home and/or sanctuary”, this energy has manifested occasionally as “darkness everywhere”, as when the Eastern Interconnect Power Grid suffered a massive power blackout under this influence in 2003. This time this energy coincides with Terry Fox Day, on the 35th anniversary of the Terry Fox run; the beginning of the “World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel”; the legislative elections in Greece; and (in the evening) the beginning of the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca (which, at this time, is in recovery from the dreadful accident a few days ago where over 100 were killed and hundreds injured when a huge crane collapsed into the Grand Mosque). This is also the Maya birth energy of Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, some of whose ashes are on board the New Horizons space probe that has now left the solar system.

7 K’an (Sept. 21st) – “self-generating germination” or even “self generating opulence”, situated at the pivotal middle point in this “knife edged” trecena, at a time when Venus is at its maximum brilliance as the Morning Star; this time in conjunction with the 31st anniversary of the UN International Day of Peace

8 Chikchan (Sept. 22nd) – the “resurrection of Lifeforce”, this time in conjunction with the opening of the UN General Debate and the World Conference on Indigeous Peoples. On this day Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. after his trip to Cuba, and China’s President Xi Jinping begins his state visit to the US.  A day of significance for the Hajj, with some 100,000 security personnel overseeing the focal point of the pilgrimage in Mecca. Up to 3 million people from around the world are expected to attend.

9 Kimi (Sept. 23rd) – the “outward projection of death/new foundations”, this time in tandem with the Autumn Equinox. Multiple events of significance at this time, including: the meeting of Pope Francis with President Obama at the White House; Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, and the start of the Jewish Jubilee year; the beginning of Eid al-Adha, the Muslim “Feast of the Sacrifice”; and supposedly the Large Hadron Collider’s switch over to “high power”. In 2010 this was the energy in place when Haiti was struck by a 7.0 earthquake.

10 Manik’ (Sept. 24th) – the bare-bones/ foundational energy of “source” combined with that of the sun-carrying Deer; an energy often aligned with reciprocity – this time in conjunction with Pope Francis’s address to the Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress (first pope to give such as address). One cycle since the Charlie Hebdo incident (called “the darkest day in the history of the French press”) that triggered worldwide solidarity against this type of terrorism.

11 Lamat (Sept. 25th) – a “bright light” kind of energy that often heralds something new. This force can sometimes bring a sudden shift, as when Napoléon renounced his throne two hundred years ago and tried to poison himself, or when women received the right to vote and hold elected office in Manitoba in 1916.

At this time this energy coincides with the meeting in Washington D.C. between President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping who is making his first state visit to the U.S. It also coincides with the end of the “500 day limit to avoid climate chaos” discussed by John Kerry and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on May 13, 2014.  Additionally, this energy arrives at the time of the visit by Pope Francis to the U.N. and his address to the U.N. General Assembly as part of the sustainability summit (followed by a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and then Mass at Madison Square Garden), and the launch of the UN’s sustainable development agenda called “The 2030 Agenda” at a major conference in New York. This agenda is being called “the new universal agenda for humanity” aimed at bringing an end to world poverty and biodoversity loss. Eleven Lamat also coincides at this time with the start of the Chinese Mid-Autumn (Moon) festival and the end of the Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.

12 Muluk (Sept. 26th) – a “pulling together” or “grouping together” type of energy associated with water, this time in conjunction with World Rivers Day; a good time for people to find ways to be adaptable, to “put heads together” to search for new pathways or find new solutions to problems

13 Ok (Sept. 27th) – associated with “transformational love” or “transformational fire”, this is an energy that holds the potential to be a real “scorcher”. This energy can manifest as the final big push away from “sacrifice and separation” towards greater freedom, creativity, and integration, as seen in the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution in 1783. This time this energy coincides with a Supermoon/Perigee Moon, the Chinese Moon Festival, the start of the Judeo/Christian Feast of the Tabernacles, the last day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival (called Ananta Chaturdasi), and the final day of the UN’s sustainable development conference. On this day Pope Francis is scheduled to hold Mass for the World Meeting of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, in his final public appearance before returning to Rome. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend.

*********************************

[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.]