It’s been a brutal start to the year for many, with winter weather causing widespread havoc. Mid January is bringing in Blue Monday, and there are still weeks to go before Spring . . . and yet, even now, many harbingers of Spring can be seen. Indeed, the first day of this Kib’ trecena is coinciding with a major festival in India, associated with an astrological “holy phase of transition” event that marks the end of winter solstice period and the return of the sun. Similarly, Chinese New Year – which is a Spring Festival – is coming in early this year, with the first few days of celebration also aligning with this trecena.

Given the various world events that will be taking place at this time it is intriguing to see how different symbols associated with Kib’ tie in with these events. One of these is the idea of “candle”, and light, symbolically a piece of the sun that can help to restore hope and light the way. Another is the symbol of the Vulture, the high-flying bird that is often highly revered for its resourcefulness, intelligence, adaptability, and perceptive abilities, and for its connection to death and rebirth. And this is the theme of the Kib’ trecena, with One Kib’, the first day of this time frame representing the “initiation of the restoration of order”, marking the beginning of a time frame often oriented around the idea of “getting down to business” in order to resolve problems.

In the Maya calendar Kib’ is often symbolized by a vulture that is tasked with “cleaning things up” after some kind of carnage. The emphasis during this period tends to be on fomenting “new thought” and shifting towards “new kinds of action” in order to find solutions. Traditionally there has been a strong emphasis on ingenuity, industriousness, practicality, and learning to “think differently” during this period. This can be a time when important transmutations take place, often triggered by dramatic events that demand change.

During this energy sequence there is often an emphasis on duality, sometimes involving paired events or paired ideas struggling to maintain equilibrium or overcome obstacles. Often there is a kind of “teetering” between two polarities, reflective of the “sun close to the earth” or “fire in the earth” kinds of forces associated with the patron energies of this period, energies that have been known to foment havoc for the purpose of transmutation, often as part of a push towards the birthing of a new type of order. In the past one of the most vivid manifestations of this duality in action was the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 2001 when hit by two planes intent on wreaking havoc on the Western world. That world-shifting event brought massive changes in terms of national and international security practices.

Indeed, in the past we have often seen how ingenuity and “quick thinking” have been called into play during this period, requiring large numbers of people to make huge adjustments to their lives. This was vividly in play four cycles ago, in March of 2020, when the whole of Italy was quarantined to prevent the spread of Covid-19, at the time as thousands of flights were being cancelled worldwide. That was when the World Health Organization formally declared a pandemic and called for governments to take “urgent action”.

Immediately thereafter countries around the world began going into lockdown, some completely, and some only partially. By the middle of this trecena the director of the US Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy was calling it the beginning of a “coronavirus winter”, and indeed, life did seem to be going into suspension as people retreated and hunkered down, often with large stashes of toilet paper and non-perishables, in efforts to wait it out, in hopes that things would soon “transmute” and they would be able to re-emerge before too long.

Despite these efforts, however, by the end of this trecena one cycle later (November of 2020) worldwide case numbers had reached an astonishing 67 million, and the scramble was on to develop vaccines to tackle the problem. Now, as we begin a fifth cycle, we see that there has been a ten-fold global increase in those case numbers, bringing the global total to over 670 million. Thankfully, case numbers have decreased significantly in most countries, but there is an enormous unknown – China. After one of the biggest and longest lockdowns in history, China has been unleashed, at a time when hundreds of millions will be on the move to celebrate Chinese New Year. Compounding the issue is that China has stopped releasing “official” figures, but there are reports from various sources that millions have already been infected, many parts of the country have low vaccination rates and limited medical supplies, and now “Chinese New Year” has to be factored in. Indeed, people have been warned against travelling to visit their elderly relatives because of these concerns. So it remains to be seen how this trecena’s “fire in the earth” tendencies will play out in that regard. Will people be adaptive and resourceful enough to be able to deal with this?

On yet another level, adaptabilty and resourcefulness will be called into play in a very big way in California as this trecena is set to bring much more rain to this state that is already dealing with massive flooding. Similarly, Western Australia is being inundated with what has been termed its “worst flooding in history”. As we have seen in the past this trecena tends to play an important role with regard to enhancing awareness about the health of the planet, and is now marking six cycles (6 x 260 days) since the 2018 release of the UN’s “final call” Climate Change report, and ten cycles since 196 nations involved in COP21 in Paris voted to approve an historic global accord to fight climate change, with the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and limiting temperature rises.

And then there is Ukraine, where intense fighting continues to transform a once peaceful countryside into “hell on earth”. Again we can ask: Will the current shakeups in Russian military command help to bring in some rationality and level-headed thinking towards putting an end to this brutal war? In this regard it seems that much is in flux at the moment and that sense of “teetering” between two polarities is palpable.

Similarly, after the farsical demonstrations of disunity and inability to lead by Republicans in the US House of Representatives during the last trecena, many people are now feeling highly sceptical about what the future may hold with regard to U.S. governance over the next two years. It is possible, however, that significant developments could be forthcoming during this period with regard to ongoing investigations into wrongdoing at the highest levels, which could shed light on how things could be eventually “cleaned up” in the U.S. after all the carnage of the past few years. The Georgia grand jury report will likely play a large role in this regard.

Let’s keep in mind that the first day of this trecena in 1987 was when President Reagan challenged President Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, and in 2009 this trecena was in place when the U.S. and Russia mutually agreed to reduce nuclear arsenals, which set the course to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. In 1972 this was the trecena in place when the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam, and again in 2021 when the U.S. pulled out of Afghanistan. Currently it is looking like Ukraine will be receiving a great deal of military aid from other countries during this period, which could help to turn the tide in that war.

As always, this trecena holds great potential for illumination, pathfinding, and for the development of practical approaches towards finding solutions to even the most challenging of problems – all oriented around transmutation and the “restoration of order”. Here are the energies that are coming into play:

One Kib’ (Jan. 14th) – the “initiation” of the transmutation force that leads towards the
restoration of order, on this first day of India’s Makar Sankranti festival, a Hindu astrological “holy phase of transition” event that marks the end of winter solstice period and the return of the sun – and light – and wisdom. One of the main activities during this festival is kite flying by day to send prayers to the Lord Sun, and the flying of stunning sky lanterns by night, in order to send hopes and aspirations skyward. Hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers flock to the Ganges River, and other rivers, at this time to bathe in its holy waters.

In the spring of 2010 this was the energy in place when The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law in the US by President Obama. In March of 2020 the first day of this trecena was the significant “turning point” day when Joe Biden won several state primaries as it became clear that he would become the Democrats’ presidential nominee.

Two cycles ago the Canadian government announced that more than $180 million was being pledged for new programs to help address items on the action plan drawn up in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

2 Kab’an (Jan. 15th) – a “dynamic” type of energy related to the earth, or “earth movement”, now marking four Tzolk’in cycles exactly since the WHO declared a global pandemic in 2020 and called for governments to take “urgent action” against the coronavirus.

In 1968 this was the energy in place when Douglas C. Engelbart gave a 90-minute demonstration at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco that included the world’s first mouse and word processor – key to our huge transition into the now ubiquitous use of computers.

3 Etz’nab’ (Jan. 16th) – the “activation” of a sparkling, “knife-edged” type of energy that can dazzle, shock, and/or begin a separation process, marking four cycles exactly since “America shut down”, as theatres, museums, restaurants, entertainment venues, colleges and school districts across the US closed up; and many other events were cancelled or postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic.

Currently this is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S. It is also Blue Monday, often thought of as “the most depressing day of the year”, calculating in such factors as weather conditions, debt levels, and low motivation levels at this time of the year.

4 Kawak (Jan. 17th) – a “defining” type of energy aligned with “storm”, representative of the sun working together with the energy of intense rain, which can sometimes manifest as a “storm of compassion”. This is one of the five key energies located at the centre of the Aztec Sun Stone.

This is also Hope Tuesday (the day after Blue Monday), and the sixth National Day of Racial Healing in the U.S., which will feature events across the country that will focus on building the relationships necessary “to create a more just and equitable world”.

This is the Catholic Feast Day of St. Anthony the Abbot, often commemorated with “Blessing of Domestic Animals” ceremonies.

Four cycles ago this was in place when PM Justin Trudeau announced sweeping steps to tackle the coronavirus outbreak in Canada, and Canada began going into lockdown. In 1918 newspaper this energy was in place when a Madrid newspaper ran a story about a “fever” that had infected 80,000 people. This is what came to be known as the “Spanish flu”, which became the second deadliest pandemic in human history.

It has now been one cycle since the grand jury was impanelled in the Fulton County, Georgia case last May, pertaining to the dumpster’s attempted meddling with the results of the 2020 U.S. election. We now are in that “echo” zone as the results of that investigation were offically filed several days ago, and a hearing is set for Jan. 24th (also within this  trecena) to determine whether the report will be made public. This report will factor into the determination of possible indictments.

5 Ajaw (Jan. 18th) – the “blessing of enlightenment”, a “full sun” day, coinciding with the day of the Buddhist oriented Laba Festival, when memorial ceremonies are held to pray to ancestors and deities for good fortune.

In ancient Mesoamerican mythology this is the energy associated with Xochipilli’s birthday – a deity associated with the arts and beauty and games. Click here for a remarkable drawing of this deity by artist Richard Balthazar.

This energy, aligned with the sun, often manifests as “enlightenment breaking through” in some way, but it can also bring forth a great deal of heat – as happened five cycles ago, in 2019, during a sweltering heatwave in Europe when southern France was on emergency red alert as temperatures reached an historic high of 45.9C, and Spain hit a new record of 43C as hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires in Catalonia.

6 Imix (Jan. 19th) – an “everywhere” type of energy associated with “birth”, which can often bring chaos as some new order of being is manifested, marking six cycles exactly since huge migrant caravans began trekking north from Central America towards the U.S. border in 2018.

At this point it has been 30 Tzolk’in cycles exactly since the terrorist attack on, and demolition of, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City in 2001.

This marks the completion of President Biden’s second year in office.

7 Ik’ (Jan. 20th) – “self-generating” wind/breath/spirit, coinciding at this time with the final day of the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, and the start of International Green Week 2023 in Berlin (to Jan. 29th).

This is former astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s 93rd Gregorian birthday. He is the last surviving crew member of the Apollo 11 Lunar mission, and one of the first two people to walk on the Moon. This is also the day when he is honoured as a Living Legend of Aviation, and when he gets married for the fourth time!

Buzz Aldrin on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Photo taken by Neil Armstrong. NASAIn the U.S., this day marks three cycles exactly (780 days) since former US Attorney-General Barr said that there was no evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, a statement that preceded his resignation and the concoction of the Big Lie on the part of the dumpster and his allies that led to the Jan. 6th insurrection and its aftermath. At that time Georgia’s voting systems implementation manager angrily admonished Republicans for spreading these lies, and specifically called upon the dumpster to “stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence”. This eventually led to the impanelling of that Georgia grand jury to investigate these issues, with further developments due to unfold during this current trecena.

8 Ak’b’al (Jan. 21st) – a “resurrection” type of energy associated with “temple” or “house”, “darkness”, and deep esoteric mysteries, coinciding at this time with the New Moon and the Eve of Chinese New Year. In 1909 this was the energy in place when the first National Women’s Day was celebrated in the U.S.

This marks four cycles exactly since Dr. Michael Osterholm (Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy, and author of “Deadliest Enemy”) said (in March of 2020) that that was the first day of a “coronavirus winter” – which, he said, could last for months (a significant underestimate!)

9 K’an (Jan. 22nd) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in association with germination, coinciding at this time with Chinese New Year, the most auspicious holiday in China – an important day for celebration, including family reunion dinners.

This is the start of the Year of the Water Rabbit in the Chinese calendar, and the start of the Spring Festival in China, which lasts until Feb. 5th. The giving and receiving of “lucky money” in red envelopes is one of the highlights of this day.

In Chinese tradition it is forbidden to sweep or clean at this time, so that good fortune does not get swept away. This is also Vietnam’s TET (Tet Nguyen Dan), Lunar New Year, the most important festival and public holiday in that country, celebrated as a public holiday between this day and Jan. 26th.

This is Leonard Nimoy’s Maya birth energy – and he will always be remembered as Star Trek’s iconic “Mr. Spock”. Nine K’an could also  translate as “Live Long and Prosper”, Spock’s famous Vulcan salute, that has now become a meme.

This is the day when a public memorial service will be held for Lisa Marie Presley at Graceland in Memphis, with the public invited to attend.

10 Chikchan (Jan. 23rd) – a Burner Day associated with “Foundational Lifeforce, Liberation, and Higher Consciousness” that is often quite intense, currently coinciding with the second day of Chinese New Year, the day known as the “Birthday of the Dog”, when dogs are given special treats.

Note that 10 Chikchan is a kind of “seesaw” force that represents a balancing between Death (10) and Life (Chikchan), so the choices made at this time can be highly consequential. This was the energy in place four cycles ago when the dumpster in the White House told journalist Bob Woodward that his first instinct regarding the coronavirus was to “always play it down”. But since then over 103 million people in the US have been infected, and well over a million have lost their lives to it. And even though “playing it down” clearly did not work in the US., China tried to do the same thing, when, at the same time (four cycles ago as of March, 2020), that country reported no new local coronavirus infections for the first time since the initial outbreak. And now, with the easing of restrictions, there seems to be a concerted attempt to hide the numbers of infected cases and deaths. Many have estimated the case numbers to actually be in the millions, and now millions are on the move for Chinese New Year, so it’s anyone’s guess as to what is really happening.

This is the unstoppable Chita Rivera’s 90th Gregorian birthday. She was the original “Anita” in Broadway’s West Side Story.

In 1980 this was the energy in place in 1980 when the World Health Organization announced that smallpox has been eradicated.

Four cycles ago, in March of 2020, the first statewide mandatory restrictions were issued in the US to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, as California’s governor ordered the shut-down of all non-essential services. One cycle later (by Dec. of 2020) Texas, Florida, and California had all registered over a million cases each. Now, four cycles after those restrictions were issued, California alone has registered close to 12 million cases and nearly 99,000 people have lost their lives to Covid in that state alone.

11 Kimi (Jan. 24th) – “inspirational” death/new foundations, coinciding with the UN’s fifth International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. The theme for 2023 is “to invest in people, prioritize education”. As mentioned on their site, there are still hundreds of millions of children and adolescents globally who cannot read or write or do basic math, so the need for strengthening education systems and for global rebalancing is great.

This is the day set for the hearing to determine whether the Georgia grand jury report on the dumpster’s attempted meddling with the results of the 2020 election will be made public.

At this point it has been 10 cycles since 196 nations involved in the COP21 (Climate Change Conference) in Paris voted to approve an historic global accord to fight climate change, signalling an end to the fossil fuel era, as they committed for the first time to a universal agreement that has the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and limiting temperature rises. As we all know, politics, the pandemic, and wars have all played havoc with that goal.

12 Manik’ (Jan. 25th) – a “gathering together” type of energy associated with reciprocity, coinciding with the auspicious fourth day of Chinese New Year, known as “Yang Ri”, the Day of the Goat, a symbol of luck. This is also the day of the Kitchen God Festival (associated with good fortune) – a good time to throw out rubbish and
anything associated with bad luck.

In the spring of 1968 this was the energy in place when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech the day before his assassination.

Currently this is Robbie Burns’ Day, the 264th anniversary of the birth of much loved Scottish poet Robbie Burns. It is also President Zelenskyy’s 45th Gregorian birthday.

This day is marking two cycles since Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine received full approval from the US FDA, the first one to be licensed in the US.

13 Lamat (Jan. 26th) – “transformational star”, an intense and often highly consequential “heralding” type of force, as was in place at the time of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, and at the end of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, when the last remaining U.S. combat soldiers left Vietnam in 1973.

Currently this marks India’s 74th Republic Day (including the day the Republic of India came into being in 1950). It is also the 12th Gregorian anniversary of the start of both the Egyptian Revolution and the anti-government protests in Syria.

This is the fifth day in the Chinese New Year sequence, known as the “Birthday of Ox and Cattle” and the birthday of the God of Wealth (Caishen or Zhao Gongming) in China – a  good time to welcome wealth into one’s home.

Three cycles ago this was in place when the sun released a huge CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) that hurled plasma and magnetic fields towards Earth, causing an increase in auroras about 3 days later. That was when it was announced that Solar Cyle 25, due to peak in 2025, could be one of the strongest on record.

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

[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.]