Last summer, at the time when “50th anniversary” celebrations were taking place relating to Neil Armstrong’s landing of a little spacecraft named Eagle on the lunar surface in 1969, with very little fuel to spare, I noted that his “The Eagle has landed” comment has come to be used as an indicator for a successful completion of an objective. “The Read the full article…

As we embark on this new year we find that the first full trecena of 2020 is the “Creation” trecena introduced by the playful, inventive, agile, and capricious Monkey deity who sits at the centre of the Tree of Life and weaves together the threads of creation as he orchestrates the proliferation of life. This Chuwen trecena begins with the Read the full article…

One cycle – and counting – since the release of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report last October, produced by 90 scientists from around the world, with the message that an unprecedented political commitment is needed to slash the use of coal, oil, and natural gas, and to rapidly deploy technology that can remove carbon dioxide from the Read the full article…

It had been seen as “the eternal city” for hundreds of years, the centre of a mighty empire that must have seemed like it would endure forever, and yet – this city “which had taken the whole world was itself taken”. When St. Jerome wrote this in the early 5th century he was speaking of Rome after it was sacked Read the full article…

In the world of ancient Mesoamerica, the first day of this energy period was celebrated as an ancient 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 is a time when a new Read the full article…

It’s cold; it’s dreary; it’s mid-winter, and in many places it’s even blizzardy, and much has been spiraling into a tailspin as the government shutdown in the U.S. goes into its 29th day as this trecena begins, with no sign of abating, and the U.K. faces a whole lot of fog as the Brexit situation gets murkier and murkier. The Read the full article…

It is mid-December and 2018 is getting ready to pack its bags and retreat into the annals of history. For many this has been a year fraught with enormous challenges, many of which were directly linked to severe events associated with environment-related disasters. From the perspective of the Maya calendar, we have just come through one complete cycle of the Read the full article…

Pick up your paint brushes, tune up your flutes, and strap on your dancing shoes as this is the arts-oriented Ajaw trecena, traditionally an auspicious time for merriment. During the last appearance of this trecena it was most definitely the sun that triggered “solar-brations” as hundreds of thousands of people gathered in strategic places to witness the “Eclipse of the Read the full article…

After another round of startling events brought forth by the Ix trecena, we now come to the Manik’ trecena, with its emphasis on Sacrifice and Reconcilation. Symbolized by a Deer or Stag, a powerful but gentle and adaptable creature, this 13-day time frame often centers around interactions between two “forces” that will need to negotiate in various ways in a Read the full article…

Last December, just as the old year was ending, the Kimi trecena brought an unfathomable new reality to the Philippines as the survivors of Super Typhoon Nock-ten surveyed the ruins of homes, villages, and livelihoods and began assessing their losses. The behemoth that had hammered them the day before was the most intense tropical cyclone in 56 years. And now, Read the full article…