Mid summer and the Sun trecena is coming into place – good timing! But this time this trecena will bring a very special gift, the first total solar eclipse to span the entire continental United States in 99 years. As hundreds of thousands of people busily prepare for this much anticipated spectacle, the path of the eclipse, from Oregon to South Carolina, is receiving most of the attention as cities and towns along this path begin dealing with the vast influx of visitors who are arriving to witness this great celestial display. As USA Today has reported, this “Eclipse of the Century” will bring millions of tourist dollars to these regions, with southeastern Idaho expecting up to half a million visitors and the city of Nashville estimating that 50,000-75,000 are expected to stay overnight in that city alone.

So it seems that this will be a time when many will be putting cares and worries aside so they can just “let go” and enjoy themselves for a few days. Again, the timing is perfect as traditionally this trecena was welcomed as a time for merriment. The very first day, One Ajaw, was observed by the Maya as a “Day of Flowers”.

This was originally a highly festive time when dancers, singers, song-writers, drummers, storytellers, artists, orators, feast makers, gift-givers, banner-bearers, and flower-bedecked revelers would have been fully engaged in welcoming in the auspicious and joyful “One Flower”, representative of the initiation of “Full Sun” or “Full Enlightenment”. It was seen as a day to extol the virtues of creativity in all its diverse forms. No doubt this is exactly what will be happening for many at this time as eclipse-seekers get ready for the main event.

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). Through this association with Venus as the Morning Star, One Ajaw was referred to as the Sacred Day of Venus, an important “marker” day to Classic era Maya timekeepers. Currently Venus can be seen rising before sunrise with the old crescent moon in the early days of this trecena. In the past many events of great significance have occurred on One Ajaw, such as the landing of Hernán Cortés at Veracruz in 1519 (the beginning of the Spanish conquest), and the defeat of Napoléon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

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 give birth to Rock ‘n’ Roll, in 1950; the putting into operation of the first computer produced for commercial use, in 1951; the stoppage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010; and President Obama’s visit to Cuba last year, the first visit to Cuba by a sitting president in nearly nine decades.

In keeping with the nature of this solar energy, this trecena has often been associated with 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. Four cycles ago 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.  At the present time the “heat” appears to be centered on the intense wildfires that are still burning out of control in many areas, as in southern Europe and in British Columbia’s interior (as of two days ago B.C.’s Elephant Hill fire had seared through over 168,000 hectares – a large portion of the nearly 900,000 hectares overall that have been consumed).

It is the heat of rage that is being fanned in the U.S. at this particular time, augmented a few days ago by a revolting white supremacist rally in Virginia that was met with fierce resistance and the declaration of a state of emergency.

Many point to the president’s overt bigoty as being a trigger for this type of situation, with his despicable response (during which he defended the alt-right) bringing widespread condemnation. Many are calling this a “pivotal moment in U.S. history”, evidence of “complete moral failure”, and a flashpoint for a new kind of civil war.

Eerily the “activating” 3 Ik’ energy that will be in place this coming weekend echoes that which was in place just over 100 years ago when the U.S. entered World War I in April of 1917. Disturbingly, alt-right rallies (including the “March on Google”) are scheduled to take place in nine cities on this day, with multiple counter-rallies and anti-Trump protests also planned for this weekend.

The following day, the day before the eclipse, is Four Ak’b’al (a “defining” day associated with darkness), which is Trump’s Maya birthday. The fact that this is so incredibly close to the eclipse is extremely interesting, as many Western astrologers are seeing this as being a sign of “disaster” for him. (Click here for more) Indeed, that disaster is already playing out, as clearly pointed out in David Rothkopf’s “Trump Must Go” article in the Washington Post.

From the perspective of the Maya calendar the wider influences associated with his birth energy reveal a great deal of fire power in conjunction with that “darkness’ aspect in Four Ak’b’al, so the fact that this will be in place just hours before the sun is “extinguished” is fascinating, as this could be seen as a great metaphor for what is currently transpiring, with millions wanting the nightmare of his presidency to be “eclipsed” in one form or another. To boot – and this is really bizarre, all things considered – this was the energy in place in 1962 just after an agreement was reached between the Soviets and the U.S. to end the Cuban missile crisis. At that time many saw that day as the day that might have triggered the start of World War III. As Four Ak’b’al was coming into place at that time millions lay awake thinking that that night could be their last.

Nine years earlier (in July of 1953) this was the energy in place when the U.S., North Korea, and China signed an armistice agreement to end the Korean war. On the last appearance of this energy (last December) a massive rally took place in Seoul, South Korea, calling for the impeachment of the president. Given the intensity of the backlash over Trump’s disgusting behaviour this week (in combination with everything leading up to it), that same type of call is now shaping up in the U.S. as more and more members of Congress join that call.

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 extra input from the sun. With a total solar eclipse happening at this time, tensions between the US and North Korea are at an all-time high, and with nationwide rage ramping up once again in the US, any shifts that are in the works have the potential to be highly consequential.

Once again this is an opportunity to call upon the assistance of “Lord Ajaw”, to bring forth as much artistry and creativity as possible to call forth the light that is so greatly needed these days. With so much at stake this is a time for everyone to become involved in eradicating the darkness by “being” the light that is needed on this planet at this time. As activist/philosopher Cornel West put it, what is needed is a “grand awakening” by the people, to create a united front in pushing back against the darkness. Now would be the perfect time for that to happen. As this current trecena unfolds, these are the energies that will come into being:

1 Ajaw (Aug. 17th) – the “initiation of Full Sun/Enlightenment”, the traditional Maya celebrational “Day of Flowers”, an important “marker” day in the Classical Long Count calendar. Venus rises before sunrise with the old crescent moon.

2 Imix (Aug. 18th) – a dynamic type of energy often aligned with “world-making”; the day of the scheduled hearing concerning the search warrant that was issued on July 17th by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) against Dreamhost, the website-hosting company that hosted the www.disruptj20.org website that was used to coordinate protests on inauguration day in January. As the warrant not only targeted the owners of the host company but also sought to get the IP addresses and other related information about the 1.3 million people who visited the protest organizers website, this action is seen as an unconstitutional “fishing expedition”.

3 Ik’ (Aug. 19th) – the “activation of Wind/Breath/Spirit”, this time in conjunction with more political rallies in the U.S., on the final day of Elvis Week which has marked the 40th anniversary of his death. This was the energy in place on Apr. 6, 1917 when the U.S. entered World War I.

4 Ak’b’al (Aug. 20th) – a “defining” day associated with night, darkness, dreaming, and the subconscious. Sometimes referred to as “house”, this is also associated with earth-oriented mystery, secrecy, abundance, and even sorcery – in place at this time on the eve of the Total Solar Eclipse, at a time when millions will be contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Also International Homeless Animals Day and National Honey Bee Day in the US.  Donald Trump’s Maya birthday, precisely 77 Tzolk’in cycles after the day (in 1962) that many thought would mark the start of World War III.

5 K’an (Aug. 21st) – a “blessing” type of energy associated with youthful vitality and prosperity, but can also involve “recklessness”, coinciding at this time with a New Moon (aka a Black Moon because of its association with the eclipse) and the Total Solar Eclipse – called “The Eclipse of the Century”, which will not only traverse the United States, but will be visible from Western Europe, Northern and Eastern Asia, North and West Africa, other parts of North America (including the Arctic), parts of South America, and many parts of both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This day marks the start of the 10-day US-South Korea Ulchi-Freedom Guardian joint military drills, and is the day when the bells of Big Ben in London will fall silent (at noon) for four years, for major conservation works, after keeping time for 157 years

6 Chikchan (Aug. 22nd) – a stabilizing type of energy associated with Lifeforce and Higher Knowledge, coinciding at this time with the official opening of the Hill 70 memorial in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. Two cycles since President Obama began his historic trip to Cuba, the first visit to Cuba by a sitting president in nearly nine decades.

7 Kimi (Aug. 23rd) – “self-generating death” or “self-generating foundations” – a “return to Source” type of force that can draw attention to “absolute foundations”

8 Manik’ (Aug. 24th) – the Day of the Lord Deer in Maya tradition, 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 a strong “fire/heat” aspect to it. 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. Maya Calendar birthday of Ram Nath Kovind, who was sworn a month ago as the 14th President of India.

9 Lamat (Aug. 25th) – an “outwardly projecting” type of energy associated with Venus and the idea of leadership, coinciding at this time with a conjunction between the waxing crescent moon and Jupiter  low in the Southwest sky. In 2012 that was the energy in place when 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.

As it happens, a number of very severe hurricanes have occurred in the past on Lamat days, and this one seems to be no exception as it seems that Hurricane Harvey is on track  to deliver a major punch to the Texas coast on this day.

Currently this coincides with the start of the highly anticipated Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a popular Hindu festival in honour of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, giver of good fortune, and Lord of New Beginnings that spans 10-11 days.

10 Muluk (Aug. 26th) – “foundational water”, often a powerful “shape-shifting” force, as may certainly be the case along the Texas coast due to the impact of Hurricane Harvey.  This is also National Dog Day at the time when Mercury conjuncts the Sun. One cycle since the CIA revealed their conclusion that Russia had intervened to help Trump win the election, a conclusion that was reinforced this week by testimonies and documents presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

11 Ok (Aug. 27th) – “inspirational love (or guidance)” – an “extinguishing” Burner Day representative of heart, love, fire, and passion, this time in conjunction with the opening of the Burning Man festival (the 30,000 tickets available for this sold out in just 35 min. last March).

At this time NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will be making its 20th crossing of Saturn’s rings, the third and lowest of the “Final Five” dips into Saturn’s atmosphere during the Periapse phase. This particular Burner Day was seen, traditionally, as being the culmination of the burner sequence that started 60 days earlier (on 3 Ok), at which time worldwide polls revealed that the world at large distrusts Trump even more than Putin.

12 Chuwen (Aug. 28th) – “dedicated” play; a “timeweaver” type of energy that can have a kind of “anything is possible” aspect to it, this time in conjunction with China’s Double Seventh Festival (aka the Qixi or Qiqiao festival)

13 Eb’ (August 29th) –  “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 in conjunction with the U.N.’s International Day Against Nuclear Tests. One cycle since the end of the battle for Aleppo in Syria.

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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.]