“Notre Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicentre of our lives . . . so I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together.” These were the words of French President Emmanuel Macron on the evening of April 15th, 2019 , as the horrific fire that gutted Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was still in the process of being extinguished. As it happens this pledge to rebuild fits in very well with the nature of this Chuwen trecena, as this is the “Creation” sequence, the energies specifically aligned with the building of a new world. Aligned with both creation and play, this is an energy frame oriented around the “weaving together of the threads of time”, where almost anything is possible. And for Paris, this is exactly what will be needed as reconstruction plans will have to honour the past while simultaneously taking into consideration the needs of the future.

We will rebuild . . . even more beautifully”, vowed President Macron.

Four cycles ago (during the summer of 2016) this trecena opened with the news that Russian officials had hacked into the DNC and stolen documents that were subsequently released by Wikileaks, which brought forth disastrous consequences in terms of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. During this same time frame that June the Brexit vote was taken in the U.K., followed by the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron. Since then major shifts have taken place with regard to these issues, including the trial of Paul Manafort one cycle ago. And now new chapters are opening up with regard to those same themes. One cycle ago climate change issues were also gaining much attention as this trecena was in place last year at the time of an intense heat wave, with deadly forest fires raging in many regions, and severe flooding in others.

From the perspective of Maya calendrics the key figure (or force) at this time is the playful, inventive, agile, and capricious Monkey deity who sits at the centre of the Tree of Life and weaves the threads of creation together as he orchestrates the proliferation of life. It is this deity’s special Day of the Monkey, the key mid-point within the overall 260-day cycle, that begins this Chuwen trecena, marking the beginning of the “Creation” sequence of energies, when all things of heaven and earth were made.

Generally this tends to be a highly creative time frame, where almost anything is possible. At times it can be highly play oriented, but with the God of Pulque as the principal patron of this trecena, the temptation to go too “far out” can also factor into the picture. As a deity associated with the fermented sap of the maguey plant, this deity (this “concept”) was often associated with “intoxification” and even “reckless abandon”. So while the Monkey deity provides the reminder that play, art, and celebration are all important aspects of life, the patron of this time frame can sometimes push the envelope and keep people “on their toes”.

So here we go again, embarking on a 13-day journey through a very special time frame that was seen traditionally as encompassing extraordinary productive power. This is the energy sequence that magically created the winal (a 20-day cycle that is a fundamental part of the 260-day Tzolk’in), so it associated with great artistry and creativity. Thinking differently” or “going beyond the norm” might even help to open up the possibilities for the emergence of “new hope” in many different areas.

As always, this trecena opens with the Day of the Monkey, seen in Maya mythology as the day when the Creator “raised himself to his divinity after he had made heaven and earth”. This was followed by Two Eb’, at which time the first “stairway” was created that descended from the heavens.

The third through fifth days (Three B’en through to Five Men, coinciding at this time with April 22nd to 24th) were the days in the mythological creation sequence when many of the other things of the heavens, the seas, and the earth were made. Three B’en is particularly important as this was in place in 1933 during the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the 32nd President of the U.S., the individual who brought in the “New Deal” policies that so greatly helped to pull that country out of the Great Depression. But it is also the Maya birth energy of the renegade leader who is currently pushing his forces towards Tripoli in an attempt to oust the current government.

The sixth day of this sequence, known as Six Kib’, is the point where the “first light” came into being. This idea was illustrated vividly in October of 2010 during the rescue of the Chilean miners when a drill first broke through to the trapped miners in their underground chamber after they had been imprisoned by the earth for 66 days, signalling that rescue was very close at hand.

Seven Kab’an was thought of as the day when honey was first created. Translating as “self-generating movement”, this is an Earth-oriented energy that often can be highly action-oriented, as seen when the Global Work Party – the “largest day of environmental activism in history” – took place on a Seven Kab’an day that aligned with 10/10/10. At that time 7,000 communities in 188 countries participated in campaigns to plant trees, collect rubbish, and rally against pollution.

On April 29th we have another important 10 Ajaw Burner Day coming in, which can be intense as this one was traditionally aligned with the idea of “taking the fire”, in conjunction with Ajaw’s “full sun” energy. Click here for the Revisiting 10 Ajaw article that describes a significant event that happened under this influence in 2010.

In deep mythology the day known as Twelve Ik’ was seen as the day in which the breath of life was created. This is a “collecting together” type of force associated with Wind, Breath, and Spirit, which can be strongly aligned with communication. This was the energy in place on May 1st in 1893, the first day of the Maya year, at that time of the opening of the Chicago World’s Fair which showcased the first major display of AC lighting – precisely 19 cycles, to the day, after Thomas Edison managed to get an electric light bulb to glow for a sustained period.

Thirteen Ak’bal (“transformational temple or house”), the final day of the trecena, is referred to in the Maya creation legend as the calendrical energy that brought forth the creation of the first human. This can be a very high-powered force, an energy that can be highly consequential in terms of the fate of the human race as a whole.

As always this Chuwen trecena can challenge individuals to think differently, to try out new ideas, and to push forward into new, and even unorthodox, directions. Currently these energies will be in play at a critical time when a number of new agendas are being mapped out, including in various countries that have just held important elections, in the UK where an extension has just been given regarding Brexit, in the U.S. where the Mueller report is being closely scrutinized and the implications hashed out at the same time as the demands for Trump’s tax returns are significantly heating up, and in Paris where plans for the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral will begin to take shape. It has already been announced that within the next few days a bill will be introduced in France’s government related to the management of the reconstruction project.

At this time there are also important climate change conferences taking place and a number of large scale social activism events planned as the demands for greater climate change measures increase. It is likely that a new royal baby will also be born during this period. And there will also be opportunities for just plain fun – as in Spring festivals such as Beltane and May day, and in the various worldwide celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. Many exhibitions of his work are already in place, as can be seen at Chambord.

With so many important considerations needing to be addressed at this time there will be many, many opportunities for unfettered creative expression. It could even be seen as a time when even “miracles” are possible as the “Monkey-God” plays with time and opens the door to new possibilities. During this period these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Chuwen (April 20th) – Day of the Monkey, an “initiating” day associated with high creativity and the beginning of an important new time sequence. As it happens, this day marks six Tzolk’in cycles since 3.7 million people participated in the 2015 March for Liberty and Freedom of Expression in Paris and across France in defiance of the horrific attack against Charlie Hebdo journalists and cartoonists a few days earlier. Four cycles since it was reported that Russian government operatives had hacked into the DNC in the US in June of 2016, precipitating the Wikileaks release of confidential documents shortly thereafter, which, in turn, triggered the disastrous upset for Hillary Clinton during the election.

Coinciding with the start of the Easter Weekend this is the day of the huge Surrey (B.C.) Vaisakhi parade and festival in honour of the birth of the Sikh faith and the Sikh New Year (generally held several days after the parade in Vancouver). On this day more “Extinction Rebellion” demonstrations are scheduled to take place in London in locations such as Parliament Square, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus, and Marble Arch. And in Paris gilets jaunes anti-government demonstrators are still planning to protest “in honour of Notre Dame” but also for tax justice and equality. It is expected that sometime during the next few days President Macron will deliver his gilets jaunes speech, where he will address the serious social crises faced by France, which was originally going to be given on the day of the fire.

2 Eb’ (April 21st) – “dynamic animating vitality”, in Maya mythology the energy that was in place when the first “stairway” was created that descended from the heavens, coinciding at this time with Easter Sunday; with the second round of the Ukrainian presidential elections, and with Queen Elizabeth’s 93rd birthday

3 B’en (April 22nd) – the “activation” of personal authority, coinciding at this time with Earth Day,  with this year’s theme being “Protect our Species”.

This is the opening day for the 18th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, with the current theme of “Traditional knowledge: Generation, transmission and protection”, and the opening of the Eighth Global Conference on Global Warming, in Doha, Qatar.

Maya birth energy of Khalifa Haftar, the renegade military leader who is currently engaging his Libyan National Army (LNA) in an attempt to oust the UN-backed GNA in Libya. After fighting was carried out in Tripoli throughout the last trecena, with the death toll rising to over 200, the GNA is now seeking international action against him for launching deadly attacks on civilian areas. In 1933 this was in place at the time of the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the 32nd U.S. President.

4 Ix (April 23rd) – a “defining” energy associated with the jaguar and the mysteries of the earth, one of the 4 energies at the centre of the Aztec Sun Stone, coinciding at this time with the new deadline date given to the IRS to turn over Trump’s tax returns to the Ways and Means Committee in Congress.

5 Men (April 24th) – a “targeting” or precision-oriented type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”, in place at the opening of the Sixth Congress on Climate Change and Global Warming in Vancouver.

Four Calendar Rounds (4 x 52 years) since the birth of American abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe on 5 Men 3 Wo in 1811. An influential author of 30 books, she is best known for her novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852), that depicts the harsh conditions endured by enslaved African Americans. Currently this is also Shirley Maclaine’s 85th birthday.

6 Kib’ (April 25th) – a “stabilizing” type of energy that can force one to “think differently”, often triggering some kind of “restoration of order”; the energy that brought in the “first light” during the creation sequence. Currently this energy coincides with World Malaria Day, with Anzac Day and with the final day of The Eighth Global Conference on Global Warming, in Doha, Qatar.

This is also Al Pacino’s 79th birthday. He is now taking the lead role in King Lear, a British film adaptation on this Shakespearian play, now in pre-production.

7 Kab’an (April 26th) – “self-generating movement”, an energy that, in the past, has accompanied a great deal of Earth-oriented action and movement, coinciding at this time with Arbor Day.  This is the day when the US Attorney’s office is due to sentence Russian operative Maria Butina, one of the people connected with the covert actions related to Russian interference in the 2016 election

8 Etz’nab (April 27th) – the “resurrection of flint” – a knife-edged energy that can often be quite divisive or decisive, coinciding at this time with this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, “Celebrating the First Amendment”, which often includes a “roast” of the president, who traditionally attends – although the current president has never been involved. This is the centre point in a series of events called the Correspondents’ Weekend. This is also the last day of the Jewish celebration of Passover, as well as Independent Bookstore Day, and King’s Day in the Netherlands.

9 Kawak (April 28th) – “outward projecting storm”; a possibility for significant weather events or for situations requiring great compassion, coinciding at this time with International Workers’ Memorial Day, oriented around raising awareness regarding hazards in workplaces. Maya birth energy of Herbert Kalmbach, Richard Nixon’s personal lawyer, who went to jail for crimes associated with Watergate. It is noteworthy that tomorrow is the Maya birth energy of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, who will be starting his prison sentence next month.

10 Ajaw (April 29th) – “foundational Sun” – an important Burner Day aligned with “taking the fire” in conjunction with Ajaw’s “full sun” energy, coinciding at this time with the massive International Horticultural Exhibition in Beijing, China that will run until early October. 16 million visitors are expected to visit during that period.

Four long cycles since the Brexit vote in the UK in 2016. This is the Maya birth energy of both Michael Cohen, as noted above, and James Comey, the former FBI director who has been one of the key figures in the controversies relating to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Click for the Revisiting 10 Ajaw article describing a significant event from 2010 that happened under this influence.

11 Imix (April 30th) – “inspirational new birth” (realm of all potential), coinciding at this time with the final day of the reign of Japan’s Emperor Akihito, as he abdicates in favour of the Crown Prince, the first such abdication in Japan in 200 years. This marks the end of the Heisei period. This is the day of the modern version of the
Beltane Fire Festival in places such as Glastonbury and Edinburgh (Scotland’s largest fire festival), marking the change in seasons.

12 Ik’ (May 1st) – a “dedicated” type of force associated with wind, breath, and spirit, coinciding at this time with the beginning of the reign of Crown Prince Naruhito as the new Emperor of Japan at the start of what will be known as the Reiwa (“fortunate harmony”) era. This marks the beginning of a long festival season leading up his his enthronement ceremony in October. He will be known as Emperor Reiwa.

This is also May Day, and International Worker’s Day. At this time there will be “Debt is a Hurricane/Puerto Rico Contingency May Day” demonstration in New York.

This is also the due date given by the US House Judiciary Committee for A-G Barr to turn over the full unredacted version of the Mueller report and underlying evidence, after he was subpoenaded for this at the end of the last trecena.

In general this is an excellent energy for conferencing or “putting heads together” to develop or share ideas, to “rally round” an idea or issue, and to make voices heard.

13 Ak’b’al (May 2nd) As the last day of this “creation sequence” trecena, this is a powerful transformation-oriented energy aligned with “darkness” and deep esoteric mysteries – a force that can be highly consequential. As this was the energy in place when Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr sent his 445 page report on the investigation of President Clinton to Congress in 1998, prior to it being released to the public 2 days later, it is intriguing that this again in place just as people are attempting to process the 448 page Mueller report.

Currently this is the date scheduled for Julian Assange’s extradition hearing in London. It is also World Password Day, providing a reminder that if you want to keep something hidden, your passwords would be the best choice.

In addition this is the day when Leonardo lovers the world over will be marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, a celebration that has been in the planning stages for the past several years. One of the most elaborate overviews can be seen here: Celebrando Leonardo: In the World with his Genius.

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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.]