Are you tired of winter yet? Are you feeling like you need an infusion of “fun?” The good news is that this “refreshment”-oriented time frame is offering all sorts of opportunities for immersion in the colour, light, fantasy, and fabulousness of many winter festivals, in addition to still being in the midst of Chinese Lunar New Year season.

This is the Water trecena, and although it has been known to bring floods, dramatic water rescues, and even some of the world’s largest hurricanes, it has also been known to bring important developments that have been significantly “healing” or transformative in positive ways. Keep in mind that water is the ultimate shapeshifter, and as much as it can be turbulent at times, it can also be calm, tranquil and highly supportive of life. It can also be significantly cleansing, with the capacity to “wash away” stagnation and disorder.

The first day of this period, One Muluk, marks an important 52-day Shift-point within the 260-day cycle, signaling the start of the final 52 days before the current 260 day cycle is completed. This is often the point where some major switch-overs seem to take place, when new courses of action can suddenly appear, as happened on the first day of this trecena in 2010 when President Obama signed his Affordable Care Act into law in the US, and four cycles ago (March of 2020) when the UK, Mexico, India, and Australia all began nationwide lockdowns, just after New Zealand and Italy shut down all nonessential services. By the third day of this time frame that March an estimated one-third of the world was in lockdown mode, and people everywhere were scrambling to sort out how to deal with the rapidly changing situation.

By the end of that year, one cycle later, another major shift took place and suddenly vaccine programs were underway, with the very first day of this trecena being V-Day in the UK, the start of the biggest ever vaccination program. That was the day when Joe Biden pledged to distribute 100 million vaccine shots in the first 100 days of his presidency. That was one Gregorian year after one of the first cases of coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China. One cycle after the start of that UK program Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine program was picking up steam after receiving full approval from the US FDA – the first one to be fully licensed in the US.

Such events are reflective of the potential of this trecena to be massively life-changing through the infusion of an often “electrifying” energy sequence that was seen traditionally as being under the patronage of a deity known as Chalchiuhtolin, the jade or “jewelled” turkey, a symbol of magic, abundance, ultimate authority, and even sorcery.

This complex deity has been associated with darkness, disease, and even the plague, but in his turkey form, as overseer of this time frame, he also has the power to cleanse and to eradicate pestilence. The great “watery” Feathered Serpent also provides support, so this creates a generative “firewater” kind of force representative of the original creation forces that sparked life. These forces have been known to open the door to many new and exciting possibilities. They have also been known to trigger major shifts in direction, even to the point of significantly altering personal lives or changing the world, like they did in the spring of 2020.

Currently, on the first day of this time frame, the World Health Organization will be meeting to consider whether Covid-19 should still be classified as a global public health emergency, which will be a strong determining factor in terms of health care and disease prevention guidelines for many countries. Much is still unknown about China, and it was recently reported that the Covid-related death rate in China reached a peak of more than 4,000 per day in early January, that millions had been infected every day, and even that 80% of China’s population had already been infected. But even though it is thought that the peak has passed, Lunar New Year festivities are still underway – through most of this time period – and there is still a great deal of movement and festive interaction in that country. Indeed, the Lunar New Year Lantern Festival, which is a very important part of this celebrational period, isn’t until the 10th day of this time frame.

In other countries there are many events coming up, in addition to Chinese New Year events, that will involve considerable interaction during this period, related to themes such as the beginning of Black History Month and Heart Month, Holocaust Remembrance Week, Candlemas, and Carnevale.

On the political front, it appears that “charges are imminent” in Georgia after the recent release of the grand jury report related to 2020 election interference. And in the US there are major worries after the US government hit its debt ceiling last week, and measures are already being implemented in efforts to avoid default (and potential economic chaos) as Republicans try to thwart efforts to raise that ceiling. Although no one seems to have a clear idea as to how this “game of chicken” might end, this is an opportune time frame for some kind of break-through to take place. Three cycles ago we saw how this kind of “relief” can manifest as the 538 members of the electoral college in the US cast their ballots to officially confirm Joe Biden’s win as President-elect. The last time this trecena was in place the US $39.4 bn bill was passed and signed to provide assistance for Ukraine. And during this current trecena the process of sending battle tanks to Ukraine from the various countries that have recently pledged to help will get underway.

With regard to the many inspirational events that have occurred within this period, 4 Eb’ (the 4th day) often figures prominently. This energy, representative of a solar force in combination with Eb’s “animating vitality”, can create an uplifting, refreshing type of energy marked by a sense of the opening up of new possibilities. This is what was in place in June of 1965 when the first spacewalk took place, and then again in 1968 when the “Earthrise” photo was taken from Apollo 8, becoming the iconic first photograph taken by a human of Earth from Deep Space. Three cycles ago this was the energy in place when the US FDA granted emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine, which enabled widespread vaccination programs to begin.

In 2008 the Maya energy of 4 Eb’ was in place when Barack Obama became the first African-American to win the U.S. presidential election. In April of 2015, this same energy brought the historic nuclear reduction agreement with Iran, which was seen as a significant political breakthrough, the most important foreign relations negotiation of the Obama presidency up to that point.

In December of 2015 it was the first day of this trecena that brought the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, on the findings from several years worth of investigation into the residential school abuses inflicted on tens of thousands of indigenous children in Canada. That was when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would work with leaders of First Nations, the Métis Nation, Inuit, provinces and territories, and other key partners, to design a national engagement strategy for developing and implementing a national reconciliation framework, informed by the Commission’s recommendations. Since then a number of important legislative actions have been taken, including support for many justice-related and community-led initiatives, and the provision of $60 million for a permanent facility for this long term work.

So as we go through this period we have another opportunity to tune in to the life-enhancing energies of water, and to “go with the flow”, to allow for purification and refreshment. As always, this would be a great time to go to a river or a lake or an ocean and give thanks for the waters of this earth, and pledge, once again, to protect them. During this watery, shapeshifting, purifying – and potentially even electrifying – time frame these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Muluk (Jan. 27th) – “the initiation of water (purification)” – a kind of “double water” day associated with the Moon Goddess (symbolic of water and the Number One) in conjunction with the refreshing shape-shifting energy of water, marking three cycles exactly (780 days) since One Muluk opened the door for Covid-19 vaccination programs to begin in several countries, in December of 2020. That was the day when England, Scotland, and Wales begin administering their first doses of the vaccine, precisely one cycle after the UK and several other countries began nation-wide lockdowns in March of 2020. On that day in 2020, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, appealed for an immediate global ceasefire, calling for an end to all armed conflicts so that the world could instead focus on fighting the rapidly advancing coronavirus. Obviously that appeal fell on deaf ears.

The last time this energy was in place (last May) the White House hosted the second Global Covid-19 Summit, in virtual conference with representatives from various countries and both regional and international organizations, and alliances. At that time the flag over the White House was flying at half-mast at this time, to commemorate over one million deaths lost to Covid in the U.S. Currently this is the day when the World Health Organization meets to consider whether Covid-19 should still be classified as a global public health emergency.

Within the 260-day cycle, One Muluk is an important 52-day Shift-point that often brings forth dramatic shifts in state and sometimes even a sense of relief, as new pathways for action begin opening up, as can be seen by these kinds of past events. Two cycles ago this energy saw thousands of people being rapidly evacuated from Kabul airport in Afghanistan. That was the day when the Jan. 6th committee in the US Capitol got down to business with its investigation and issued its first demands for documents relating to the Jan. 6th attack.

Currently this is Family Literacy Day and Holocaust Memorial Day, at the start of the UN’s Holocaust Remembrance Week, with the theme this year being “Ordinary People”.

This is the sixth day of Chinese New Year, known as “Ma Ri”, the Day of the Horse”, the day when, traditionally, families visit temples and send away the ghost of poverty. It is also the Maya birth energy of Rishi Sunak, who was appointed as the UK’s new PM last Oct.

In Canada this marks 10 cycles since the release of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (in 2015), which involved documenting the history and lasting impacts of the Indian residential school system. Since then considerable progress has been made.

2 Ok (Jan. 28th) – a dynamic yin/yang type of force relating to love, warmth, guidance, and loyalty (symbolized by the Maya glyph for Dog), coinciding at this time with Renri (People’s Day in China), the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, in celebration of the Day of Humans, in recognition of the “creation” of human beings.

Four cycles exactly since the US Surgeon General strongly urged everyone to stay at home as the pandemic was firmly taking hold.

The marks four Calendar Rounds precisely since the 2 Ok 3 Pax day in 1815 when Napoléon re-entered Paris and briefly resumed power, before his final defeat three months later, at Waterloo.

3 Chuwen (Jan. 29th) – the “activation” of creativity; an important “time-weaving” type of energy that can often bring forth powerful shifts, coinciding at this time with the eighth day of Lunar New Year celebrations, traditionally aligned with the honouring of food and agriculture.

In 1929 this was the energy in place on Black Tuesday, when investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day at the time of the Wall Street crash.  As of this current day it has been exactly sixteen Tzolk’in cycles since the premiere of the 2011 action thriller called Contagion that depicted the rapid spread of a virus to cities around the globe.

4 Eb’ (Jan. 30th) – the “defining of animating vitality” – an uplifting, refreshing type of energy that often brings a sense of new possibilities, often highly eventful. This is coinciding with the ninth day of the Lunar New Year sequence, which is celebrated as the birthday of the Jade Emperor, Emperor of the Universe, the Supreme Deity of Taoism, a day honoured by all the deities of Heaven and Earth. In the Chinese New Year sequence this is the day of the Stone Festival, the birthday of the god of stone, known as “Shi Bu Dong” (not moving stone). Incense and candles are burned at this time, and stones or rocks are not moved or cut, in the interest of protecting crops.

Back in 1968 this was the energy in place when the “Earthrise” photo was taken from Apollo 8 as it orbited the moon. That was the first photo of Earth from the perspective of the moon – one of the most famous photos ever taken, which, according to Al Gore, kicked off the modern environmental movement. Five cycles earlier, in 1965, Ed White made the first space walk by a U.S. astronaut under this same energy influence.

This marks three years since the WHO declared a global health emergency. By that time the virus has spread to at least 16 countries globally, including Thailand, France, the US, and Australia.

5 B’en (Jan. 31st) – the “blessing of personal authority”, coinciding with another huge day of protests and strikes across France against the government’s plans to push the age of retirement from 62 to 64. This is the launch date for another batch of 56 Starlink satellites, bringing the number already deployed to 3,773. Unfathomably, there are plans in the works to launch thousands more.

This marks four cycles since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke at the first joint video briefing for the 193 U.N. member nations, at the launch of the U.N.’s COVID-19 Communications for Solidarity Initiative to rapidly inform people about facts and science, “and promote and inspire acts of humanity around the world.” This also marks four cycles since Congress in the US passed a $2 trillion stimulus package to help people in the US affected by the pandemic.

This is the Maya birth energy of Dr. Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who issued the first warning about the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak, who later died of it. He is now honoured as one of the Heroes of the pandemic.

6 Ix (Feb. 1st) – the energy of the six directions in conjunction with the jaguar (and Jaguar Warrior) and the fate of the earth, as recently discovered green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) makes its closest pass of Earth, between this day and the next.

This is the first day of Heart Month in Canada and the US and the first day
of Black History month. In Canada the theme for this year is “The Black Family: Source of Perseverance and Resilience”. In the US the theme is “Black resistance: Building Bridges and Navigating Barriers”. This is also the start of the UN’s Interfaith Harmony Week.

This 6 Ix energy, which is now marking three cycles exactly since Covid-19 vaccines first arrived in Canada, is the Maya birth energy of Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett – the immunologist who played a key role in developing the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

7 Men (Feb. 2nd) – a “self-generating” type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”, coinciding at this time with Groundhog Day, at the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

In Mexico this is Dia de la Candelaria (Candlemas), a major fiesta that comes in 40 days after Christmas and heralds the arrival of spring. The lighting of candles is a big part of this celebration. In Puna, Peru this is the start of the colourful 10-day Candlemas fiesta in honour of the Virgin of Candelaria, the patron saint of Puna.

This is one of Peru’s biggest cultural festivals and is strongly associated with pachamama or “mother earth”. In Peru and many other countries Candlemas is celebrated as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and will be another important day for prayers for healing – and hopefully for finding a way to end the intense political strife not only in Peru but in other countries as well.

In Russia this will mark the 80th Gregorian anniversary of the USSR’s victory over the Nazis at the end of the 5 month Battle of Stalingrad where over a million people are estimated to have died in one of the bloodiest battles of WWII. While this may have been one of the reasons behind Putin’s intent on causing such misery for Ukraine in a brutal war that has been going on for almost a year, Russia has nothing to celebrate on this day – only a shameful legacy of hatred, violence, and deceit (as in the lie about trying to “defeat Nazi’s” in Ukraine). Indeed, Germany’s recent agreement to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and to support similar donations by other countries, will not give Russia anything to celebrate. Indeed, one cycle earlier Putin had sacked several top commanders for “underperforming” in the Ukraine war, a problem that he’s had from the beginning.

This also marks three cycles since the Electoral College in the US voted to formalize Joe Biden’s win as President-elect. That was the day when coronavirus vaccines began to be distributed and administered in both the US and Canada.

8 Kib’ (Feb. 3rd) – the “resurrection” of the transmutation oriented force that can lead towards the restoration of order, coinciding with National Wear Red Day in the US, in support of heart health.

This marks two cycles exactly since Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy first met with President Biden at the White House, and one cycle since Sweden and Finland officially applied to join NATO.

This is the opening day for Winterlude, Canada’s popular winter festival in Ottawa-Gatineau and the opening day for the Ottawa Ice Dragon Boat World Championships.

9 Kab’an (Feb. 4th) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in connection with the earth and evolutionary movement, where there can be long range implications for actions. This is World Cancer Day, dedicated to raising awareness and promoting positive action, with this year’s theme being “Close the Care Gap”.

This is also Lantern Decoration day just before the Chinese Lantern Festival (part of Lunar New Year). It is also the opening day for the early events of the spectacular Carnevale Di Venezia (Venice), one of the oldest and most spectacular carnivals in the world (to Feb. 21st), and the opening day for the Sapporo Snow Festival.

10 Etz’nab’ (Feb. 5th) – foundational “flint”; an intense sparkling, “knife-edged”, “flash-point” type of energy that can either dazzle or divide and separate, coinciding at this time with the Lunar New Year Lantern Festival, the 15th and final day of Chinese New Year festivities, on the First Full Moon – the Full Snow Moon. This is the time when special sweet dumplings (called yuanxiao) resembling the shape of the full moon are eaten, and lanterns are lit to facilitate the return of light.

The day of the 65th Grammy Awards.

This was the energy in place four cycles ago when UN Sec-General Guterres said that the Covid-19 outbreak was the biggest challenge for the world since World War II and could bring a recession that “probably has no parallel in the recent past”.

11 Kawak (Feb. 6th) – inspirational “storm of compassion”, marking four cycles precisely since early April of 2020 when the global number of Covid-19 cases passed the one million mark. By the time 11 Kawak returns this time the global number of cases will be roughly 675 million, with the global death toll over 6.75 million, not including the untold millions who have been affected in China.

This was the Maya birth energy of Richard Arvin Overton, an American supercentenarian who lived for 112 years and 230 days. At the time of his death in 2018 he was the oldest verified surviving U.S. World War II veteran and the oldest man in the United States.

12 Ajaw (Feb. 7th) – a “gathering together” force aligned with the full sun and “enlightenment”, a day that often sheds light on human conditions, coinciding at this time with President Biden’s State of the Union address.

It has now been one cycle since the day-long Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Le Estcwicwéy (The Missing) memorial commemoration in Kamloops that marked the first anniversary of the discovery of the graves of 215 indigenous children at the former Kamloops Indian residential school, triggering further investigation and more searches across the country. Since then many more discoveries have been made, and many are on-going.

It has now been four cycles since the head of the IMF called the coronavirus epidemic “humanity’s darkest hour” as we witnessed the world economy grinding almost to a standstill. The issue of high food prices (among other things) still looms large. This marks three years since the death of Dr. Li Wenliang, the doctor who issued the first warning to colleagues that there were 7 confirmed cases of coronavirus in China.

13 Imix (Feb. 8th) – “transformational birth”, another force that can be highly intense, coinciding at this time with the Buddhist Parinirvana or Nirvana Day, one of two days that celebrate Buddha’s achievement of Nirvana or full enlightenment (this is the one celebrated by most Buddhists.

This is the 91st Gregorian birthday of the celebrated composer John Williams.
It is also the Maya birth energy of Eleanor Collins, the 103-year-old music legend and “Canadian first lady of Jazz” who was honoured with a commemorative postage stamp last year.

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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.]