Once again a time for joyful celebration, as the day One Ajaw brings in the Ajaw (Sun) trecena. While this was traditionally a very festive time frame in ancient Mesoamerica, it is arriving at this time in conjunction with a number of noteworthy events including Thanksgiving in Canada, Columbus Day in the U.S. (now being commemorated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day in many places, as in Seattle), and Diwali in India and many other parts of the world.

Most certainly the indigenous dancers, singers, song-writers, drummers, storytellers, artists, orators, feast makers, gift-givers, banner-bearers, and flower-bedecked revelers of ancient Mesoamerica would have been ready to fully engage in welcoming in One Ajaw (known as One Flower to the Aztecs), an auspicious and joyful “day of flowers” representative of the initiation of “Full Sun” or “Full Enlightenment”. This was seen as a day to extol the virtues of creativity in all its diverse forms.

There is also an important connection between Venus and One Ajaw as this is one of the important Tzolk’in dates associated with the completion of a Venus Round (a 37,960 day cycle), as when Venus rose as the Morning Star on the One Ajaw Sacred Day of Venus in the spring of 2001. Thus, this day was an important “marker” day to Classic era Maya timekeepers. In the past such events as the landing of Hernán Cortés at Veracruz in 1519 (the beginning of the Spanish conquest) occurred on One Ajaw, as did the defeat of Napoléon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

On this particular Tzolk’in day in 2012 (three cycles ago) Venus as the Morning Star was in exactly the same position as it has been in the past at the time of two historic hurricanes. It was also within two degrees of the position it was in at the birth of First Father (aka Father Sun) in 2360 B.C.

In May of 2013 the Maya day One Ajaw saw Venus as it was just beginning its rise as the Evening Star – at the same time as a 408 ft. spire was being installed atop One World Trade center, bringing it to a height of 1776 feet. On that same day an annular solar eclipse could be seen from Australia.  And now, this October’s One Ajaw is just one trecena away from the Superior Conjunction of Venus, which will mark the beginning of the B’en trecena, which is next in line.Of significance to residents of British Columbia is the fact that One Ajaw 13 Yax (the energy that returns on October 12th), brings the third Calendar Round return (aka “New Fire” anniversary) of the energy that was in place at the time of the establishment of a government for the new colony of British Columbia, at the provisional capital at Fort Langley shortly after the creation of the “Colony of British Columbia” in 1858.

The Ajaw trecena in May of last year also brought the first Calendar Round return of the energy aligned with the day in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy announced his goal to land a man on the moon and bring him home, before the end of the decade. The specific day was 3 Ik’ (“the activation of wind, breath, and spirit”). Amazingly, precisely one cycle (260 days) prior to the New Fire return of that energy in 2013, the world lost Neil Armstrong, the American astronaut who was the first person to walk on the moon.

On 9 Lamat, six days after that 2013 New Fire anniversary the sun sent forth a magnificent X1.7 solar flare – a long whip-like solar filament extending half a million miles in a long arc above the sun’s surface which triggered many spectacular aurora borealis displays on Earth over the next few days, which seemed a fitting way for the sun to acknowledge those ground-breaking  events.

Other major events that have occurred during the Ajaw trecena include the adoption of the U.S. constitution in 1787; Abraham Lincoln’s delivery of the Gettysburg address in 1863; the discovery of gold in the Klondike, in 1896; the opening of Sun Records, that gave birth to Rock ‘n’Roll, in 1950; the putting into operation of the first computer produced for commercial use, in 1951, and the stoppage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

As much as solar flares and aurora displays are strongly in line with the solar-related aspects of this trecena, there are times when this trecena has brought intense heat, as occurred in 1936 when the most severe/intense heat wave ever recorded in the U.S. and Canada manifested under this influence, with a similar situation happening in parts of the UK during this time frame in 1990. This occurred again in 2009 when some of the highest temperatures ever recorded in Australia spawned some of the worst wildfires in that country’s history. A VERY similar situation happened the last time this trecena was in place (in January) when a catastrophic heat wave hit parts of South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales, with temperatures climbing as high as 45° C within this energy zone.

Within this trecena there are several days of particular importance. One of these is Eight Manik’ (Oct. 19th), the Day of the Lord Deer, a “resurrection” type of energy aligned with sacrifice and reciprocity. While this could be seen as a “doubly harmonious” type of influence, representative of a doubling of solar energy, there is yet another strong “fire”/heat aspect to this. This ties in with the mythological link to the ancestral lineage of the Quiché Maya, as this day in the Tzolk’in was seen as the day when one of the ancestral forefathers left the people a “bundle of flames” as a reminder of his continuing presence.

Another day of importance is the “Burner” day 11 Ok (Oct. 22), which comes in this time on the eve of Diwali – at a time when lights and lanterns will be blazing world wide.

Overall, this is a trecena that has brought forth many important shifts or changes in the past, often through the introduction of new ideas or through the taking of some form of positive action, perhaps triggered by all this extra input from the sun. With all the celebratory events going on during this period it should prove to be a very interesting time frame. As this current trecena unfolds, these are the energies that will come into being:

1 Ajaw (Oct. 12th) – the “initiation of Full Sun/Enlightenment”, an important Classical “marker” day

2 Imix (Oct. 13th) – a dynamic type of energy often aligned with “world-making”; this time in conjunction with Thanksgiving in Canada and Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the U.S., and the UN’s International Day for Disaster reduction

3 Ik’ (Oct. 14th) – the “activation of Wind/Breath/Spirit” (see above re events)

4 Ak’b’al (Oct. 15th) – a “defining” day associated with night, darkness, and deep esoteric mysteries

5 K’an (Oct. 16th) – a “blessing” type of energy associated with youthful vitality and prosperity, but can also involve “recklessness”; this time in conjunction with a Cazimi, Mercury’s “heart of the sun” alignment that can signal a “new birth” type of situation, and often initiation into a new way of being. This time this occurs in conjunction with World Food Day, and the day scheduled in many countries for The Great ShakeOut earthquake drill.

6 Chikchan (Oct. 17th) – a “six directions” type of energy associated with Lifeforce and Higher Knowledge, this time coinciding with the UN’s International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

7 Kimi (Oct. 18th) – “self-generating death” or “self-generating foundations” – a “return to Source” type of force that can draw attention to “absolute foundations”

8 Manik’ (Oct. 19th) – the Day of the Lord Deer in Maya tradition, a “resurrection” type of energy aligned with reciprocity

9 Lamat (Oct. 20th) – the “outward projection” of leadership (in alignment with Venus), at the peak of the Orionids Meteor Shower, at the time of the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany

10 Muluk (Oct. 21st) – “foundational water”, often a powerful “shape-shifting” force, on the second day of the peak of the Orionids Meteor Shower

11 Ok (Oct. 22nd) – “inspirational love (or guidance)” – a Burner Day representative of heart, love, fire, and passion; WE-Day celebration in Vancouver in honour of student change-makers involved in local and global actions

12 Chuwen (Oct. 23rd) – “dedicated” play; a “timeweaver” type of energy than can have a kind of “anything is possible” aspect to it; this time in conjunction with a New Moon, a Partial Solar Eclipse (viewable from much of North America), and Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights associated with the lifting of spiritual darkness; a time when festival lanterns and lights are set out to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of happiness, prosperity, and good fortune into homes and other buildings

13 Eb’ (Oct. 24th) – “transformational vitality”; a powerful stream-of-consciousness type of energy reflective of the sun’s intense vitality, a vitality that can sometimes “let loose” at this time; this time this force coincides with United Nations Day and World Development Information Day

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

[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.]