At this time of year in this part of Canada darkness begins creeping in not long after 4:00 p.m. The days are far too short and often atmospherically oppressive, with a constant threat of torrential rain from the heavy cloud covers that seem to hover over everything. This year that cloud cover seems particularly soggy and dense, a big wet blanket of murkiness that seems in keeping with the “heaviness” of thought and action in the world at large.

At such a time it seems that the loss this past year of so many who have brought light to this world (such as David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, Gene Wilder, Leonard Cohen, and many others) weighs  particularly hard. In Brazil this includes the loss of almost an entire soccer team in a plane crash just two days ago. For so many, events of the past few weeks have also shattered hopes and dreams, with the question of “OMG – Now what?” looming large.

Collectively we are desperately seeking answers, desperately searching for beacons of hope, desperately seeking light. Sunshine, when it occasionally breaks through, is heartily welcomed, as is light, in any form. At this moment, perhaps we should be grateful that, at the very least, the Ajaw (Sun) trecena marks the end of November this year, and brings us into early December.

As it happens this particular trecena will be in place at the time of several important commemorations of a sacred nature that will be celebrated in various places worldwide in early December. These include Bodhi Day, in honour of the day when Buddha attained enlightenment; the Feast Day for Our Lady of Guadaloupe, celebrated both in Mexico and in many other places in Latin America, as well as in Latin communities in the U.S.; a National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples in Canada; and the Muslim celebration of Mawlid al-Nabi.

Traditionally this trecena was welcomed as a time for merriment, with One Ajaw observed by the Maya as a “day of flowers”. This was a seen as a very 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.

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 (six cycles ago) Venus was near max. as the Morning Star, and in exactly the same position as it has been in the past at the time of two historic hurricanes. The following spring One Ajaw coincided with the beginning of the rise of Venus 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 its last appearance it coincided with the start of the last full trecena leading up to the Maya New Year. And this time it serves as a marker for the Tun Shift, a key point within the Maya Long Count.

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; and the stoppage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. This past spring it coincided with key primaries in the U.S. election campaign and with President Obama’s visit to Cuba, the first visit to Cuba by a sitting president in nearly nine decades.

At the present time this trecena starts on the last day for the submission of a vote recount petition in Michigan, the last of three states (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan) where such petitions have been submitted. IF a recount proceeds for these three states this process would carry on throughout this trecena, providing a small shaft of hope and light for those still fighting for some kind of miraculous reversal of the results of the U.S. election. While, in theory, this is still possible, it would certainly be a long shot. Nevertheless, given that this is the Ajaw trecena, there is a potential for “something” positive to come out of this situation.

This is one of those times when calling upon the assistance of “Lord Ajaw” is highly recommended. In line with this is the need to bring forth as much artistry and creativity as possible to call forth the light that is so greatly needed these days. As those who have recently passed have shown us, even one person who shines brightly can make a huge difference. How many times have we all watched Bowie, Rickman, Prince, etc. on YouTube over the past few months just for an infusion of light?

Fortunately this is also the lead-up to the winter festival season and Christmas, so many opportunities for “creating with light” and immersion in light-related events will be presented. In addition to One Ajaw there are two other days that are particularly oriented around light and heat. This includes Eight Manik’ on Dec. 7th and 11 Ok on Dec. 10th.

Eight Manik’ (8 Deer) is the traditional 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 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. At this time this important energy coincides with the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Eleven Ok, towards the end of the trecena, is a special Burner Day that serves to “extinguish” a burner sequence that started 60 days earlier, at the time when Trump launched a barrage of attacks deriding high-ranking Republicans for not supporting him. As this energy coincides at this time with International Human Rights Day we will see what this particular Burner Day has in store. 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. As this current trecena unfolds, these are the energies that will come into being:

1 Ajaw (Nov. 30th) – the “initiation of Full Sun/Enlightenment”, the traditional Maya celebrational “day of flowers”, an important “marker” day in the Classical Long Count calendar, when it undertakes a Tun Shift on this day, clicking over to 13.0.4.0.0. This day marks the official end of the Atlantic hurricane season. It is also the last day for the submission of vote recount petitions in states where the results were close. If recounts take place in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan that process will run throughout this trecena. One cycle ago this was the day when five key primaries were held, including Florida, Illinois, and Ohio that represented large numbers of delegates.

2 Imix (Dec. 1st) – a dynamic type of energy often aligned with “world-making”, coinciding at this time with World AIDS Day. On this day court hearings associated with the “Sixties Scoop” (relating to First Nations children being taken away from their families during the 1960’s) will resume in Ontario.

3 Ik’ (Dec. 2nd) – the “activation of Wind/Breath/Spirit”, this time in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the day when Elvis Presley opened his final Las Vegas show

4 Ak’b’al (Dec. 3rd) – a “defining” day associated with night, darkness, dreaming, and the subconscious. Sometimes referred to as “house”, this is also associated with earth-oriented mystery, abundance, sorcery, and secrecy, this time in conjunction with a massive rally in Seoul, South Korea calling for the impeachment of the president over corruption . This also correlates with the UN’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities, the U.S. president-elect’s Maya birthday, and a memorial ceremony in Brazil for the Chapecoense soccer club that died in a plane crash a few days ago.

5 K’an (Dec. 4th) – a “blessing” type of energy associated with youthful vitality and prosperity, but can also involve “recklessness”, this time in conjunction with the funeral for Fidel Castro in Santiago. Also the day of a referendum vote on constitutional reform in Italy, the result of which could be problematic for the EU.

6 Chikchan (Dec. 5th) – a “six directions” type of energy associated with Lifeforce and Higher Knowledge. This would have been the 89th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who was the world’s longest-serving contemporary head of state, having celebrated his 70th year of reign (his platinum jubilee) on June 9th. However, he died on Oct. 13th.  One cycle since President Obama began his historic trip to Cuba last March, the first visit to Cuba by a sitting president in nearly 9 decades. The start of this visit came precisely one cycle + 3 days after he announced the opening dates for the Cuban and U.S. embassies in each country.

7 Kimi (Dec. 6th) – “self-generating death” or “self-generating foundations” – a “return to Source” type of force that can draw attention to “absolute foundations”, this time in conjunction with the start of the Geminids meteor shower (known as the “king of meteor showers”). One cycle since President Obama’s meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro.

8 Manik’ (Dec. 7th) – the Day of the Lord Deer in Maya tradition, a “resurrection” type of energy aligned with reciprocity, this time in conjunction with the UN’s International Civil Aviation Day and the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbour

9 Lamat (Dec. 8th) – the “outward projection” of leadership (associated with Venus), this time in conjunction with the opening of the Lyon Festival of Lights (to Dec. 11); Bodhi Day, a commemoration of the day when Buddha attained enlightenment (note – if you have a ficus tree, this is the day to decorate it); and the meeting in Ottawa with provincial representatives to address climate change strategies.

10 Muluk (Dec. 9th) – “foundational water”, often a powerful “shape-shifting” force, this time in conjunction with Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to Ottawa and the UN’s International Anti-Corruption Day

11 Ok (Dec. 10th) – “inspirational love (or guidance)” – an “extinguishing” Burner Day representative of heart, love, fire, and passion, this time in conjunction with International Human Rights Day and the day of the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm when Bob Dylan will receive his prize (but will not attend)

12 Chuwen (Dec. 11th) – “dedicated” play; a “timeweaver” type of energy than can have a kind of “anything is possible” aspect to it, on a Maya calendar anniversary of the day when A Christmas Carol was first published (Dec. 19, 1843). Also, in the evening, the beginning of Mawlid, a celebration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.

On this day the Juno space probe will perform a 22-min. engine burn to shift into a two-week orbit around Jupiter (originally scheduled for Oct. 19th). The final day of Bob Dylan’s art exhibition at London’s Halcyon Gallery (perhaps the reason he isn’t in Stockholm picking up his Nobel Prize?).

13 Eb’ (Dec. 12th) – “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 Feast Day for Tonantzin, Our Lady of Guadaloupe (patroness of the Americas); a National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples (Canada); and the Muslim celebration of Mawlid al-Nabi.

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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.]