The Maya 260-day Tzolk’in cycle consists of five 52-day segments, one of which just ended, with a new one (the final one in the current cyle) just beginning. That last 52-day segment began just four days after the presidential inauguration in the U.S., in January, with an energy associated with “Earthquake” or “Evolutionary Movement” – signalling that there could be some big “shakeups” coming up, with themes such as darkness and ethical issues, and “searching for the light” being emphasized. And, as everyone has seen, that is exactly what took place. But we are once again at a point of transition and there are many indicators to suggest that the tide is turning.

Three days before the end of that last segment there was a total lunar eclipse. It was magical to see the full moon turn red, at the same time as Venus, as the Evening Star, was diving into the “underworld” as it began its transition towards its heliacal rising. This celestial dance took place just hours after two different judges in the US ordered the reinstatement of all fired federal workers, and tens of thousands of people were gearing up for massive protests against the dumpster and Doge in the U.S.

Now, with the next 52-day segment beginning, there are many signs that indicate that some kind of major shift is about to take place, with this current trecena being very instrumental in the turning of that tide. Indeed, winter gives way to spring on the fourth day, and Venus continues its underworld passage and then rises as the Morning Star further along in the trecena. Several New Year traditions will be celebrated during this time period, and the Maya Calendar Wayeb’ (transitional zone) will coincide with the final five days of this period, concluding with the New Moon and a partial solar eclipse, just before the Maya New Year. All this will be taking place during the Muluk (Water) trecena, during which a number of important water-related events will also take place.

Certainly many (millions likely) may be feeling like they need to spend a long, long time in a shower or under a waterfall, or soaking in a hot tub, to cleanse off the grime that has accumulated during this past 52-day segment. And, indeed, this Muluk trecena would be a great time to do just that, as this trecena has also been known to bring forth 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. But keep in mind that it doesn’t always do so in a calm and gentle manner. And this time, of course, it has a lot to deal with.

From the perspective of ancient Mesoamerican mythology, this trecena was seen as having the potential 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 when 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 situations being triggered by the global pandemic.

Then, 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 (although emergency use had been granted one cycle earlier). Note, as well, that the first day of this trecena in 2010 was when President Obama signed his Affordable Care Act into law in the US.

Currently, as everyone is aware, an extraordinary amount of darkness has a chokehold on many areas. There is still no breakthrough in the Gaza war, and Gaza is again under seige, with both aid and electricity cut off, with no clear avenue for a continued ceasefire or for a solution to the horrendous situation. While there are on-going negotiations with regard to the Russia-Ukraine war, European countries have basically given up on U.S. support and are now taking it upon themselves to fully support Ukraine and guarantee Ukraine’s future security. The U.S., unfortunately, is in dire straits, as the second day of this time frame marks one full cycle since the landmark Supreme Court ruling that a US president is entitled to immunity for “some official acts”. And then a madman/convicted felon was elected and it has been lawlessness and destruction ever since.

However, keep in mind that, as mentioned, this is the Water trecena, and water has a tremendous ability to “wash away” and cleanse. And indeed, many inspirational events have also occurred in the past during this period, with 4 Eb’ (the 4th day) often figuring prominently. This energy, representative of a solar force in combination with Eb’s “animating vitality”, tends to manifest as an uplifting, refreshing type of power 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. In 2008 that was the energy in place when Barack Obama became the first African-American to win the U.S. presidential election, and masses of people world-wide were feeling buoyant by a wave of “hope” and the whole idea of new possibilities. This time this energy is coinciding with the first day of Spring, which usually helps to boost energies.

Looking back six cycles ago, to Dec. of 2020, this was the trecena in place when the U.S. Supreme Court denied the GOP’s effort to block election results in four states, with that effort to block the results seen by many as being representative of the “moral and ethical bankruptcy of the Republican party”, the “death-knell of decency”. That was the day when Congressman Jamie Raskin hit the nail on the head when he described the Republican party as being “like a massive religious cult surrounding an organised crime family headed by a deranged narcissist”. And that was before the insurrection, before all the indictments against the dumpster and his cronies, before the 2024 election, and before Washington became (as French politician Claude Malhuret put it earlier this month) “the court of Nero, a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine-fueled jester in charge of purging the civil service. . . .”.

But as Monsieur Malhuret also pointed out, “in American history, the freedom fighters have always prevailed. They are beginning to raise their heads.” And this is now being seen in many different ways – with many, many executive orders being rapidly overturned by judges across the country, and individuals and groups pushing back in multiple ways, as seen over the past few days with the large rallies against Doge and its oppressive (and illegal) actions, and in support of veterans and human rights overall. As one of the activism organizers at the Washington DC rally on March 14th passionately pointed out: even the Republicans know that Trump is “a fraud, a criminal, and a coward – totally UNFIT TO SERVE”. At that time this freedom fighter announced the launch of “a nationwide campaign to pressure every Republican to join us in removing Trump from office. . . . . we are organizing in ways that no opposition movement has ever organized before. . . . WE are not going to wait until the next election. We are not going to wait for the courts to save Us. We are taking action NOW!!”

So a great deal is in the works, and – to assist them – many generative, life-enhancing forces will be in play, “battling” against the darkness, and opening up new avenues to bring forth purification and refreshment. So, as much as 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, this is also a very, very critical time to work WITH them, to push back against those dark forces, and do everything possible to help bring forth the cleansing that is so badly needed. During this watery, shapeshifting, purifying – and potentially even electrifying – time frame these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Muluk (March 17th) – “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 often refreshing, but sometimes devastating, shape-shifting energy of water, which is coinciding with St. Patrick’s Day and the beginning of Social Work Week in many areas (part of Social Work Month).

Large “Musk or Us” protests are also taking place at this time, and are scheduled to continue through to March 23rd.

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 could be seen five cycles ago when thousands of people were being rapidly evacuated from Kabul airport in Afghanistan. As that was happening the Jan. 6th committee in the US Capitol was getting down to business with its investigation of the Jan. 6th attack.

Currently this marks the day when, according to a March 13th court order, all fired federal workers in the US must be reinstated. It remains to be seen exactly how that will be managed, but there is sure to be a lot of movement and shape-shifting happening at this time. By this time the Ides of Trump postcard mailing campaign should be flooding the White House – perhaps drowning the occupants in pink slips?

This marks six cycles exactly since Covid-19 vaccination programs began in England, Scotland, and Wales and several other countries. That came precisely one cycle after the UK and many other countries began nation-wide lockdowns in March of 2020. That was when António 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.

Four cycles ago, as the White House hosted the second Global Covid-19 Summit, the flag over the White House was flying at half-mast in remembrance of the more than one million deaths lost to Covid in the U.S. It also marks one cycle since the eve of the “death of democracy” at the hands of the dumpster and the Supreme Court.

2 Ok (March 18th) – 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 World Social Work Day, with this year’s theme being “Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing”.  This is the day when the two astronauts who have been stranded at the ISS are scheduled to return to Earth.

This is the day for the celebration of the birthday of Guanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, the most revered of Buddhist Bodhisattvas. Given the global challenges, this Goddess (sometimes depicted with “a thousand arms”) will surely receive the prayers of millions at this time. The Iranian fire festival known as Chaharshanbe Siri is also celebrated at this time, just before Nowruz. Fortune telling, rituals associated with purification and protection, and the eating of wish-granting snacks are all part of these celebrations.

This day marks seven cycles exactly since the US Surgeon General strongly urged everyone in the US to stay at home as the pandemic was firmly taking hold. It was a time for people to make many radical changes as so many adjustments were needed in daily lives in the interest of keeping people safe.

It has now been one cycle exactly since the US Supreme Court rendered what might be considered its worst decision EVER – the landmark ruling that said that a US president is entitled to immunity for “some official acts”, the first time any form of presidential immunity from prosecution had ever been granted. And, as predicted by almost everyone, the orange felon in the White House has been riding on the coattails on that ruling ever since. As Justice Sotomayor, who wrote one of the dissents said, “The president is now a king above the law” . . . they have “let him use his official power for evil ends”. Sen. Adam Schiff added that this ruling fundamentally reshaped the presidency, because it fully authorized the president “to commit crimes”. As President Biden said at the time: “It’s a dangerous precedent, because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law . . . . the only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone. . . . .”  And if the president is seriously deranged . . . . . the evidence of what can happen can now be seen
everywhere.

By contrast, on that same day (one cycle ago) the dumpster’s former advisor and campaign manager Bannon was required to report to prison, after his appeal was denied. He was one of many who have had to serve time in prison while the dumpster was enabled to escape punishment, even for convicted crimes.

In 1815 this was the energy in place when Napoléon re-entered Paris and briefly resumed power, before his final defeat three months later, at Waterloo. So what will be the Waterloo moment for the current “pretend emperor”?

3 Chuwen (March 19th) – the “activation” of creativity; an important “time-weaving” type of energy that can often bring forth powerful shifts, coinciding at this time with 12th anniversary of the inauguration of Pope Francis I in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. Although he has been ill recently, Pope Francis has now recovered to the point where he has approved a new three-year reform process for the Catholic Church, indicating that he has plans to continue with his papacy.

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. Currently, the stock market has been plummetting dramatically, losing well over $1 trillion in value on March 10th, and continuing downward ever since, after the dumpster began the trade war with other countries. It has been reported that Musk has lost over $100 billion since Telsa stocks began crashing, and now his dealerships are being trashed by protesters, not only in the US but worldwide.

In 2011 this was the energy in place when the action thriller called Contagion was released, depicting the rapid spread of a virus to cities around the globe.

4 Eb’ (March 20th) – the “defining of animating vitality” – an uplifting, refreshing type of energy that often brings a sense of new possibilities, often highly eventful – coinciding at this time with the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.

This is the day when some 300 million people will begin celebrating Nowruz, (meaning “new day”), the Persian New Year, a universal celebration of new beginnings, marking the first day of the first month that begins the year 1404 in the Persian calendar. This joy-filled day is the first of 13 days (covering the rest of this trecena, and into the next) of “merriment”, involving family gatherings, special foods, and many different kinds of festivities. “Haftsin” tables or altars will be festooned with seven symbolic items starting with the Farsi letter “S.” This will include herbs, dried nuts and fruits, wheat grass, vinegar (for wisdom, age, and patience), candles (representing fire and light), mirrors, and coins, all of which relate to hopes for the new year, such as health, wealth and abundance. The Holy Quran or poetry books are often placed on the table to represent education and enlightenment, and goldfish are frequently included for good luck. In some areas this begins on this day, but the UN marks this on March 21st.

This is also the UN’s International Day of Happiness, the UN’s French Language Day, and World Storytelling Day, when live storytelling events take place worldwide in a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling, this year around the theme of “Deep Water” – perfectly aligned with this trecena’s energies” and, seemingly, tuned in with the energy of the US at the moment.

This is also the 19th annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness day, dedicated to increasing awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on First Nations populations.

Back in 2015 this was the energy in place when “The Force” awakened, with the release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.

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. In 2009 this was in place when a particularly special Solar Eclipse took place, due to its totality. In 2014 this energy brought forth an agreement on the framework for an historic nuclear reduction agreement with Iran, seen as the most important foreign relations negotiation of the Obama presidency.

Three cycles (780 days) ago, early in 2023, New York prosecutors began presenting their case to a grand jury with regard to the dumpster’s falsification of records relating to hush money payments. He was found Guilty on 34 criminal counts in that trial, last May 30th, and was due to be sentenced during this trecena, but he got away with that one as well.

5 B’en (March 21st) – the “blessing of personal authority”, marking one cycle exactly since Sir Keir Starmer was elected as Prime Minister of the UK.  Back in 1796 this was the energy in place at the time of George Washington’s farewell address but these days many in the US seem to have forgotten the meaning of what Washington was fighting for. Hopefully there are enough who DO remember, as the battles rage on.

This is the UN’s International Day of Nowruz (celebration of the 3,000 year old festival of Nowruz), due to its focus on “peace and solidarity between generations and within families”.

During this period there is an emphasis on reconciliation, neighborliness, and friendship among diverse peoples and communities, and the giving of gifts to those in need. In addition to participating in many different festivities during this time, many people use this period to do deep spring cleaning, buy fresh clothing, bring in fresh spring flowers, and generally “refresh”, as they celebrate “victory over darkness”.

This is also the UN’s 77th anniversary of its International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, with this year’s theme being “The 60th anniversary of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms Racial of Discrimination (ICERD)”. It is also the final day of the UN’s 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

It is also UNESCO’s World Poetry Day, with this year’s theme being “Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion”, and the UN’s International Day of Forests, with this year’s theme being “Forests and Food”.

In the UK this is Red Nose Day, a major fund raising day through comic relief, at which time people wear red noses, give special performances, and raise funds for charity.

This day is also marking a special anniversary for world telecommunications as this is the Maya Calendar Round (52 years less 13 days) anniversary (aka “New Fire”) of the energy in place when the first cell-phone call was made, by inventor Martin Cooper. This pioneer in wireless communications is now 96 years old.

It has now been seven 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 six cycles since Congress in the US passed a $2 trillion stimulus package to help people affected by the pandemic. Let’s pray that there won’t be another pandemic while the current regime is in power.

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 (March 22nd) – the energy of the six directions in conjunction with the jaguar (and Jaguar Warrior) and the fate of the earth, coinciding at this time with World Water Day, which celebrates water and advocates for the sustainable management of fresh water resources. The goal of this day is also to raise awareness of the global water crisis, with this year’s theme being “Glacier Preservation”.

This is Earth Hour day, when households and businesses around the world are encouraged to switch off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30-9:30 pm as a sign of commitment to the planet. At this time NASA’s pioneering Parker solar probe will be making its second close pass to the sun. This is William Shatner’s 94th birthday.

7 Men (March 23rd) – a “self-generating” type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”, marking six Tzolk’in cycles since the Electoral College in the US voted to formalize Joe Biden’s win as President-elect in 2020. That was the day when coronavirus vaccines began to be distributed and administered in both the US and Canada.

Currently this is the 15th anniversary of the signing into law of the Affordable Care Act by President Obama. It is also National Puppy Day, a day to raise awareness about such things as puppy mills, to help save orphaned puppies around the globe, and to help puppies to find good homes.

Two cycles ago (in October of 2023) the Biden administration submitted a $106bn request to Congress for military and humanitarian aid for Israel and Ukraine and humanitarian assistance for Gaza, insisting lawmakers had an obligation to support US allies standing up to tyranny and aggression worldwide. Congress had to fight among themselves about this for several months before the aid began to be sent, due to the complete disarray and lack of leadership in the Republican party. Those regions have had to endure an untold amount of suffering since then, and STILL no solutions have been found.

At this time Venus will begin its heliacal rise as morning star – a time that the ancient Maya considered to be somewhat “dangerous”, as the morning star deity was thought to shoot darts at people he didn’t like at this time.  This is the final day of the “Musk or Us’ protest campaign.

8 Kib’ (March 24th) – the “resurrection” of the transmutation oriented force that can lead towards the restoration of order, as the House of Commons reopens in Ottawa with Mark Carney as the new Prime Minister.

This marks five cycles exactly since Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy first met with President Biden at the White House, and four cycles since Sweden and Finland officially applied to join NATO. Both countries have now been accepted as full members.

9 Kab’an (March 25th) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in connection with the earth and evolutionary movement, where there can be long range implications for actions. In New York at this time there will be a special election to choose a new member of the House of Representatives.

In the Maya Calendar this is the first day (known as the “seating”) of the short “bridging” month known as the Wayeb’, the first of five transitional (or “bridging”) days leading to the start of the Maya New Year. Although some traditionally saw this liminal period as “dangerous” or at least a time zone that required special vigilance or caution, others saw these five days as transitional days or “days of rest”, a good time to fast, meditate, and purify to eliminate toxins and cleanse one’s spirit in order to prepare for the new year. In general this is a good time for “cleansing”, for shedding the “burdens” of the past in order to prepare for a new cycle. Traditionally it was thought that the world was “suspended” during this liminal period.

10 Etz’nab’ (March 26th) – foundational “flint”; an intense sparkling, “knife-edged”, “flash-point” type of energy that can either dazzle or divide and separate, coinciding with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 85th birthday. Happy birthday Nancy.

Eight-five years ago this was the energy in place at the beginning of the Battle of Britain, in early July of 1940, when intense daylight air raids began. That was when the Vichy state was setup in France, a rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain after the French capitulated to Germany. It was named after its seat of government, the city of Vichy.

Back in 1861, this was the energy in place when President Abraham Lincoln addressed the U.S. Congress in his call for 500,000 militia for the Civil War.

11 Kawak (March 27th) – inspirational “storm of compassion”, marking seven cycles precisely since early April of 2020 when the global number of Covid-19 cases passed the one million mark. Overall the death tally has reached over 7 million. It is also marking six cycles since that looney-tunes, bonkers meeting at the White House in December of 2020 when the dumpster and his cronies were plotting ways to overturn the US election results.

This is the 61st anniversary of the Great Alaskan earthquake that took place on Good Friday in 1964 – the 9.2 shaker that was the most powerful recorded earthquake in US history, and the second largest ever recorded. Tsunami waves from this shaker were felt in 20 countries. The Maya energy in place at that time was 13 Kawak, two “notches” higher than the energy in place at this time.

12 Ajaw (March 28th) – a “gathering together” force aligned with the full sun and “enlightenment”, a day that often sheds light on human conditions, now coinciding with the colourful “Ogoh Ogoh” festivities in Bali when large “Ogoh Ogoh” effigies are “caught”, paraded through the streets, and then ceremoniously burned, followed by dancing and feasting in conjunction with the about-to-be New Moon, prior to Nyepi the next day. This coincides with a ceremony involving the cleansing and purification of sacred objects prior to the start of Bali’s traditional new year.

13 Imix (March 29th) – “transformational birth”, another force that can be highly intense, coinciding at this time with the New Moon and a Partial Solar Eclipse.  This is when a huge Day of Action against Musk is scheduled to take place, with some 500 demonstrations against Tesla expected at their showrooms around the world.

The evening is the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, extending into the following day.

In Bali this is Nyepi, the Balinese “Day of Silence“, which includes fasting, meditation, and self- reflection, in conjunction with Bali’s New Year. During Nyepi shops are closed and there is no lighting of fires, no working, no venturing outside, no entertainment, no traveling, and, for some, no speaking. Lights are kept low and Bali’s streets will be empty. The emphasis is on praying for the purification of humanity, Earth, and the universe. This is also the final day of the Maya Wayeb’, just before the “seating” of the Maya New 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.]