Just before the start of this Ok time frame two monumental events took place. The first was the “double” coronal mass ejection, referred to as a “cannibal”, that hit Earth’s magnetic field three days ago, sparking strong geomagnetic storms and brilliant auroras, as if to celebrate, in spectacular style, the Classical Maya New Year. We may have to get used to the solar deity hurling such ejections at us over the next few months and years as we are now advancing towards a solar maximum, when the sun is particularly active. And these current blasts seem to be right on schedule, as the first day of this trecena in 2010 also saw very intense sunspot activity.

The second was an historic event in Rome that was decades in the making, when, following a week of talks at the Vatican with First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations, Pope Francis apologized for the “deplorable conduct” of those members of the Roman Catholic Church who had perpetuated abuses and crimes against thousands of children in the context of Canada’s residential school system between the 1880s and 1996, when that school system was abolished. It is estimated that over 150,000 children had attended those schools.

In some ways if seemed as if that huge blast from the sun was preparing the way for One Ok,the first day of this time frame, which was celebrated traditionally as a Feast Day of Renewal, oriented around the idea of guidance, justice, and the restoration of life. Thought of as being under the influence of Xipe Tótec, the Lord of Renewal, and Quetzalcóatl, Lord of Life, this trecena was seen, traditionally, as a time when a new sense of direction in conjunction with the energies of renewal come into play. The Aztec deity known as Xipe Tótec, who was generally depicted wearing a flayed skin, symbolic of the “sloughing off” of the old and the bursting forth of the new, symbolized this idea. One of the key symbols associated with this time frame is a dog holding a torch, bringing light into the darkness and showing the way, which is exactly what has happened during this period, many times in the past.

Now, as First Nations communities across Canada, and around the world, celebrate that long awaited papal acknowledgement, signalling a huge step forward along the path to reconciliation, we find that the first day of this Ok trecena, this Day of Renewal, marks precisely 12 Tzolk’in cycles since representatives from more than 150 First Nations groups, in 60 canoes and other vessels, took part in an All Nations Canoe Gathering in the first of the several significant Truth and Reconciliation events that took place in Vancouver during Reconciliation Week in B.C. in 2013.

Much progress has been made since then in terms of uncovering evidence of decades and decades of horrendous wrong-doing, but now, with this papal apology and the very recent unveiling of B.C.’s new 5-year, 89-point action plan oriented around advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, much more concrete action can be taken on the long road to reconciliation and renewal. In that regard, this time frame will be very busy!

With regard to Ukraine, note that in 2014 the first day of this trecena saw the opening of the 40th G-7 summit in Brussels, at which time the Ukraine crisis related to Crimea was a significant focus for the discussions. In 2018 Russia began its massive Vostok-2018 war games on the first day of this trecena, involving some 300,000 personnel, more than 1000 aircraft, two naval fleets, and some 36,000 tanks and other military vehicles. On that the same day seven large typhoons and hurricanes were threatenening several countries. Last year candlelit vigils took place under this energy influence to mark the beginning of what became known as the “Summer of Direct Action to preserve Democracy in the U.S.” A large part of that involved voting rights activists working to get the “John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act” passed through the Senate (but unfortunately that has not yet happened).

Currently this time frame also encompasses the first of the two full trecenas that will cover the span of Ramadan this year, and the first full trecena in April’s Poetry Month.

As noted before, one of the things that the Maya Calendar offers is the opportunity to look at the evolution of life from the perspective of energy cycles, as “themes” related to events have a way of returning and evolving in a cyclical manner.

During the early 1960’s President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was not only inaugurated as the 35th US president during this energy frame but also assassinated and interred. During the following decade this was the time frame that brought an end to the whole Nixon era, culminating with the Watergate scandal. During the summer of 1974 the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that President Nixon had to turn over the tape recordings of 64 White House conversations, and it was this Ok trecena that accompanied the review of those tapes, including the discovery of “The Smoking Gun Tape” that contained evidence of obstruction of justice. Articles of impeachment were then approved by the House Judiciary Committee, which brought forth Nixon’s resignation at the beginning of the trecena that followed.

Fast forward to the summer of 2016 and we find Hillary Clinton making history during this time period by becoming the first female to be officially nominated as a presidential candidate by a major US political party. And we all know what happened after that. Fast forward to February of 2020 and we find that this trecena was the first full trecena in place after Republicans blocked the impeachment of the dumpster in a sham non-trial by the US Senate. Related issues triggered a HUGE call for A-G William Barr’s resignation, also during this Ok trecena.

And now, as this generative, fire-oriented period returns, we see that the committee investigating the January 6th coup attempt has recently learned that, just as there were gaps in the Nixon White House tapes, there are gaps in the White House phone records pertaining to Jan. 6th. The Department of Justice has just announced that it is greatly expanding its criminal probe into the events of Jan. 6 to include preparations for the rally that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors are seeking multiple records and documents related to the rally, including text messages and emails at the highest levels.

It was in the midst of the fallout from that so-called “impeachment acquittal” in early 2020, during this “fiery” period, that we started to see the flames of Covid-19 start to really take hold. Italy was beginning to lock down while the dumpster was flailing around and claiming that he had the situation in the US “very much under control”, even as the CDC’s top official on respiratory diseases warned the American people that “disruption to everyday life might be severe”. And severe it was, as over 238,000 people had died in the US (the highest death rate of any country globally) by the time of the US presidential election one cycle after that, at which time Joe Biden became the president-elect.

By the time this trecena returned in July of 2021 the US had recorded over 35 million cases of Covid and over 4 million people had died from it globally. It was the start of another wave, which began to take a high toll among the unvaccinated. US case numbers began to rise dramatically even as the UK was lifting its last coronavirus restrictions (even though case numbers were still high). Fortunately the daily numbers have now decreased significantly in the US, but remain extremely high (in the 200,000-400,000 new cases per day range) in countries such as South Korea, France, and Germany. And, there are reports that a sixth wave is shaping up in some areas. We have yet to see what that sixth wave will bring.

And then there is Ukraine . . . . .

Looking back at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, on the eighth day of this time period in 1961, Kennedy said that “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility –I welcome it. . . . . The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it–and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.”

That sense of defending freedom and lighting the world with the energy and devotion brought by such an endeavor was a powerful motivator for millions of people in the 1960’s, particularly with regard to the civil rights movement. Now we are seeing that same energy and devotion in action on a daily basis in Ukraine as people everywhere push back against Russian aggression, and fight to save their towns, cities, and countrymen.

During World War II one of the most dramatic illustrations of the power of “ordinary citizens” suddenly rising to the challenge when faced with something truly life-threatening played out at the time when British and Allied forces were knocked back to the beaches of Dunkirk as they became trapped by the German army. For some “still debated” reason the Germans halted their advance on Dunkirk for several days near the beginning of this trecena, which allowed the Allies to organize an evacuation. Over 800 vessels, both large and small, raced to the rescue of over 338,000 Allied troops as the call for assistance went out. It was a seemingly impossible situation that was turned around by the unselfish actions of people who leapt into the breach throughout this trecena to save the lives of all those men who were cornered in a hellish situation.

The bravery and force of intent that went into that operation of rescuing those troops from the Dunkirk beaches became known as the “Dunkirk Spirit”. And it seems that now that same spirit and dedication is clicking in again as Ukrainian people do everything they can to go into areas that have been under bombardment, such as Mariupol, to rescue the thousands of people who have been trapped for weeks under horrendous conditions.

There is MUCH going on right now, but as we move forward with all of this, keep in mind that the energies in place at this time are vigorously oriented towards the unshackling of the old, so this is a prime time to work with Xipe Tótec, the ancient Mesoamerican Lord of Renewal, and Quetzalcóatl, Lord of Life, Knowledge, and Culture who are the patrons of this time frame. These are the kinds of forces that can be called upon to push through the darkness towards new possibilities. With the energy of the first day of this time frame being specifically aligned with Love, Loyalty, Warmth, and Guidance, this is a great time to find ways to do everything possible to bring in that light that John F. Kennedy was taking about. Here are the energies that will be in play:

1 Ok (April 3rd) “One Dog” – the “initiation of love, warmth, guidance”, an energy associated with regeneration, sometimes depicted as a dog holding a torch, leading the way through the darkness. This was an ancient Maya Feast Day of Renewal, the calendrical energy associated with an Aztec deity known as Xiuhtecuhtli, associated with the renewal of time and the creation of life itself. He was sometimes depicted as Huehuetéotl – the Old, Old [Fire] God, whose image was often shown on braziers. Associated with purification, transformation, the regeneration of natural cycles, and even the regeneration of the cosmos,  Huehuetéotl-Xiuhtecuhtli presided over New Fire ceremonies (marking Calendar Round returns, every 52 years) and the lighting of the fires of renewal.

This energy is coming in two days after that historic apology from Pope Francis, and precisely 12 Tzolk’in cycles after that All Nations Canoe Gathering in 2013, that marked the start of those Truth and Reconciliation events in B.C. It also comes in just 4 days after the unveiling, by the BC government, of an historic 5-year, 89-point action plan to advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, seen as a first for any government in the world.

This is also an anniversary of the One Ok energy that was in place in 1991 when the Act of Declaration of Independence (from the USSR) was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament, thereby establishing Ukraine as an independent state.

Currently this is Day 39 of the Russia-Ukraine war, and also the day of the parliamentary elections in Hungary, at which time Viktor Orban’s right-wing government will face a democracy-oriented united opposition coalition, the biggest challenge since he became prime minister in 2010. Considering that he is seen as pro-Kremlin, he may very well be defeated on this day by those who are more aligned with Europe and the West.

In 1974 this was the energy in place when the US Supreme Court ruled that Richard Nixon had to turn over the recordings that included “The Smoking Gun Tape” which contained evidence of his obstruction of justice. Three days later the first of three articles of impeachment against him were passed, and Nixon resigned shortly thereafter. Given that evidence has recently revealed a gap of nearly 8 hours in White House phone records from Jan. 6th, 2021 it seems that a kind of parallel situation is prompting deeper inquiries, and likely more information on this will come to light during this trecena.

In addition to all this, this is World Autism Awareness Day, the day of China’s Double Third (or Shangsi) Festival that involves the invocation of cleansing rituals to prevent disease and get rid of bad luck, a festival also known as The Banquet of Peaches of Immortality, and the day of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

2 Chuwen (April 4th) – a dynamic type of energy traditionally aligned with creativity, often involving some kind of “intense heat”, coinciding with a Mars-Saturn conjunction, and a lineup of Jupiter, Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the pre-dawn sky, precisely one Calendar Round since the April 17th, 1970 landing back on Earth of Apollo 13, after its aborted mission to the moon. Note that 2 Chuwen is a solar force within a fire-oriented time frame, so this energy can often trigger intense engagement and action, as it did on the day of that dramatic, but ultimately successful, return to Earth of that spacecraft.

This is World Stray Animals Day, a day to remember that there are many homeless animals who could greatly benefit from human kindness and assistance, including in Ukraine, where the needs are many at this time. One avenue for helping with the rescue and evacuation of dogs in Ukraine can be found through Transform a Street Dog: Global Dog Rescue.

This is coming into place about the time when the First Nations delegates will be returning to Canada after their meetings with Pope Francis in Rome, precisely 12 Tzolk’in cycles after the opening of those Truth and Reconciliation Hearings in B.C. in 2013.

This marks two years exactly since China held a nationwide day of remembrance for the more than 3300 people in China who had died of Covid-19 during the first few weeks of the pandemic, including 14 medical workers. At that time everything came to a halt for a three-minute silent tribute at 10:00 local time. In Wuhan all traffic lights in urban centres turned red and traffic ceased. Incredibly, as of April 1st, just two days ago, most of Shanghai’s 26 million residents were put under lockdown, for “as long as it takes” to stop the spread of the Omicron variant. Residents are also required to undergo nucleic acid testing.

Two years ago in the US the dumpster in the White House was aggressively pushing for Americans to start taking certain anti-malaria drugs — particularly hydroxychloroquine — despite the fact that such drugs had not been approved for treating Covid. By then over 310,000 cases had been reported in the U.S. and that country was in a mad scramble to try to find respirators and protective equipment for medical workers. Now, by contrast, that country has recorded, unfathomably, almost 82 million cases.

3 Eb’ (April 5th) – the activation of “animating vitality”, a pathfinding/stream-of-consciousness type of force, coinciding with China’s Qingming (“pure brightness”) Festival, aka Chinese Memorial Day, Ancestor’s Day, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, an important day for remembering ancestors.

It has now been one cycle since “Freedom Day”, when the UK lifted the last coronavirus restrictions, even though they had registered over 5 million cases by then and case numbers were still sharply rising. NHS representatives were not happy with this “all open” idea, which made England an outlier since restrictions remained in much of the rest of the world. Since then more than 15 million – yes, 15 million – new cases of Covid-19 have been registered in that country and more than 36,000 more people have been lost to it. By that time (mid-July, last summer) the US had registered over 35 million cases and over 625,000 deaths. The number of cases in the US is now close to 82 million, with over one million deaths.

4 B’en (April 6th) – a “defining” energy associated with personal authority, one cycle since Jeff Bezos and several others made their journey into space aboard his Blue Origin company’s first crewed mission, 9 days after Richard Branson made a similar journey.

This 4 B’en energy has often been highly consequential in world and U.S. history, as seen at the time of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. This was also the energy in place when the first article of impeachment was approved against Richard Nixon in 1974, and in place when Hillary Clinton made history in 2016 by becoming the first female to be officially nominated as a presidential candidate.

One cycle ago came the release of I Alone Can Fix It, a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, which chronicles the dumpster’s final year as president. CNN noted that in that book there is a description of how General Mark Milley, the top Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and other top officials were informally planning different ways to stop the dumpster and his allies if they attempted a coup or any such thing after the 2020 election. Because of the insanity at the White House at that time it was General Milley’s view that the U.S. was facing a “Reichstag moment” because Trump was preaching “the gospel of the Führer”. Although no longer in the White House, he is still “out there” preaching the same kind of things. However, the wheels of justice ARE now turning, and many of his past actions, and the actions of his cohorts, are now being termed “criminal”, so it will be interesting to see what develops in this regard over this next cycle, which will take us into late December.

5 Ix (April 7th) – a “precision” type of energy associated with mystery and transformation, and even rulership, coinciding at this time with World Health Day, with this year’s theme being “Protecting Health for Climate Change”.

Two cycles ago, in November of 2020, this is the energy that was in place on the day of the US presidential election, when Joe Biden had to “battle for the soul of America”, a battle that he has had to continue to fight, given all the deception and obstruction that he has been up against with regard to “the big lie” and its entanglements.

In 1919 this was the energy in place at the opening of the Paris Peace Conference for negotiation of treaty settlements after World War I, and then again in 1939 when Canada declared war on Germany. One cycle after that, in May of 1940, just under 82 years ago, this energy was in place at the start of the huge efforts to undertake evacuations from Dunkirk beaches during World War II.

6 Men (April 8th) – a “stabilizing” type of energy associated with the high vision of the eagle. As of this day it has been four cycles since the release of a 1200 page document titled “Reclaiming Power and Place”, complied by the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), based on 24 hearings across Canada that detailed the decades of violence experienced by Indigenous women across Canada. That report delivered 231 Calls for Justice in this regard. This also marks 12 cycles since at least 10,000 people braved the pouring rain on a late September day in 2013 to take part in a four-kilometre Reconciliation Walk through downtown Vancouver to bring attention to the legacy of the dreadful residential schools issue in Canada.

7 Kib’ (April 9th) – a self-generating type of energy, often associated with engendering the kind of thought that can lead towards the restoration of order, coinciding at this time with Vimy Ridge Day, which commemorates the deaths and casualties of members of the Canadian corps in the Battle of Vimy Ridge during World War I. President John F. Kennedy’s state funeral and burial took place under this same 7 Kib’ energy in 1963, after he was assassinated several days earlier.

Currently this day marks one Calendar Round (52 years less 13 days) since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 when over 20 million Americans poured into the streets to demand environmental justice. 52 YEARS!!!! To this day, it remains one of the largest single day protests in human history.

8 Kab’an (April 10th) – a “resurrection” type of energy associated with “evolutionary” movement, on Palm Sunday, at the beginning of the Christian “Holy Week”, and also the day of the French presidential election

In 1961 this was the energy in place at the time of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy, when he called for “high standards of strength and sacrifice”, and for “invoking the wonders of science”, as he called for unification to “undo the heavy burdens”. Near the end of his speech were the immortal words: “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”.

Two cycles ago, when this energy was in place, the states that were still finishing up with vote counting all flipped in Joe Biden’s favour, as everyone awaited the final tally. That was when Washington Post columnist Peter Marks tweeted, with regard to the dumpster: “. . . .  He will never have another good day. Loser label will haunt him. The law will pursue him. Mental illness will hobble him. His properties will bankrupt him.”

9 Etz’nab’ (April 11th) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” flint, a “spark-oriented” (and even knife-edged) type of energy that can be quite dramatic and consequential – sometimes bringing something to a definite conclusion.

In 1963, this energy was in place five days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, at which time President Johnson gave an address to the joint session of Congress when he strongly advocated for the earliest possible passage of JFK’s civil rights bill.

When this energy was in place two cycles ago Joe Biden had received over 75,500,000 votes in the election, the most votes ever cast for a presidential ticket, and was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election. He then delivered a highly inspirational victory speech in Wilmington, Delaware, during which he called for healing for America. He pledged “to be a President who seeks not to divide but to unify” and said that he “sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of [the US]”. Cities around the world erupted in celebration, reacting as if a dictator had been overthrown and democracy had been saved. Congratulations poured in from leaders around the world. Since then he has demonstrated tireless leadership in his efforts to help western nations to remain united in their response to the horrors being inflicted upon Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

10 Kawak (April 12th) – “foundational storm” – an energy associated with intense catalyzation as often can be seen and felt in major energy pushes or strong weather systems, exactly three cycles since a dozen towns in northern Italy went into lockdown due to the coronavirus in February of 2020. As shocking as that was at the time, who would have thought that two years later major lockdowns, like the one that 26 million people in Shanghai are going through right now, would still be taking place?

This marks one full 260-day cycle since Inuk leader Mary Simon was installed as Canada’s 30th Governor General. That was Earth Overshoot Day 2021 – the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services for that year exceeded what Earth could regenerate in that year.

Currently is the International Day for Street Children, which has been celebrated globally since 2012.

This is the Maya birth energy of Lucile Randon, the French nun known as Sister André, reportedly the world’s second-oldest living person. She is a survivor not only of the 1918 flu epidemic, two world wars, and many other things, but also of Covid-19. She turned 118 on Feb. 11th. This is also the Maya birth energy of Marie Marthe Augustine Lemaitre Brémont who was verified as the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death at age 115 years in 2001.

11 Ajaw (April 13th) – an “inspirational sun” or “inspirational enlightenment” Burner Day, coinciding at this time with the start of Songkran, the Thai New Year national holiday and water-throwing festival (representing purification and the washing away of bad luck). The Dai 3-day Water Splashing Festival is due to begin at this time as well. This is a traditional festival celebrated by the Dai people in China to mark their lunar new year and exchange wishes for good luck, health, and happiness.

This day marks one cycle since the convening of the January 6th special congressional committee that is investigating the Jan. 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. So far they have conducted some 800 depositions, and investigated nearly 90,000 documents. At least 800 people have been charged for taking part in that attack.

This day also marks two cycles since the announcement in November of 2020 that a preliminary analysis showed that the “first milestone” vaccine for Covid appeared to offer at least 90% protection. Pfizer and BioNTech described this as a “great day for science and humanity”. As over 1000 deaths per day were being registered in the U.S. at that time, this news about a vaccine was a great cause for celebration. At that time the CDC was recommending that masks should be worn indoors by everyone in “high number” regions (which were extensive), including the vaccinated, and that masks should be worn by everyone in K-12 schools.

12 Imix (April 14th) – a “gathering together” type of force oriented around new beginnings (often “cosmic”), at the time of a rare Jupiter-Neptune Grand Conjunction.

This marks one cycle since the day when former school teacher and leftist union leader Pedro Castillo was inaugurated as Peru’s 130th president, for a 5-year term. Since then he has faced a steep learning curve in terms of governance, with one significant challenge being how to work with a highly conservative congress.

The same day as that election last July was when the first round of nuclear strategic stability talks took place between the U.S. and Russia, in Geneva.

At this point it has been three cycles since the dumpster claimed the Covid -19 situation in the U.S. was “very much under control”. When he made that proclamation about 80,000 cases had been registered worldwide. That number now is close to half a billion!

13 Ik’ (April 15th) – “transformational wind, breath, and spirit”, this time coinciding with Good Friday and the beginning (in the evening) of the Jewish celebration of Passover. This is the final day of Thailand’s Songkran festival, which ends in the evening, and in Taiwan this is seen as the birthday of the God of Medicine – Baosheng Dadi. This is also World Art Day, National Pet Day in the US, and The Day of the Sun, the public holiday in North Korea that celebrates the birth date of Kim Il Sung, the founder and first leader of that country.

It has now been three cycles since the CDC’s top official on respiratory diseases in the U.S. was warning people to prepare for the inevitability of community spread, indicating that the “disruption to everyday life might be severe”. Italy was coming to a standstill by then . . .and within 260 days (one cycle later) Italy had surpassed one million cases! By the time this current 13 Ik’ day arrives Italy’s case numbers will likely have reached over 15 million, as they were still registering very high daily numbers when this trecena began.

Note that this is the Maya calendar energy that was in place in 1940 during the final day of the enormous Dunkirk rescue operation during World War II. Let’s pray that a similar miracle of evacuation takes place in Ukraine during this period!

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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.]