It was a sure bet that, with the tripling of all those numerical powers over the last 13 days in the context of a trecena that is often highly dramatic, the last trecena would be intense. What happened is that “intense” mushroomed into “explosive”, as the wildfires in the west raged across 12 states and sent smoke across the country, reaching into Canada; as two major hurricanes hit the southern US; as more and more despicable information came out about the cover up of critical information pertaining to the pandemic; as the pandemic continued to balloon; and as the trecena ended with the death of the highly venerated US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a national treasure. Energy-wise, in the tradition of this calendrical system, that was the “knife-edged” conclusion to an important cycle, which set the tone for what is to follow, and so we come to a new beginning.

As we go through this Chuwen trecena we are working with the energies that were seen historically (or mythologically) as the “Creation” sequence in the Maya calendar – when the “world” itself was brought into being. As it happened, the last time this trecena was in place was at the beginning of this year – the first full trecena of 2020. Yes it was – and we all know what it brought in.

The first day is One Chuwen – think of this as a day governed by a playful, inventive, agile, and capricious Monkey deity who sits at the centre of the Tree of Life and gets to decide how he’s going to weave together the threads of creation as he orchestrates the proliferation of life. What is he going to create over the next 13 days and beyond – will it be “evil clown” costumes worn by people hell-bent on destruction? Will it be a hodgepodge of hate and derisiveness? Or will this be a day when he begins to weave a harmonious, rainbow- hued pattern of light oriented towards the eradication of fear and the preservation of this planet and all of its inhabitants?

This Chuwen trecena begins with the Day of the Monkey, the key mid-point within the overall 260-day cycle, that marks the beginning of the mythological “Creation” sequence of energies, when all things of heaven and earth were made.

Click here for the Podcast to accompany this post.

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 13 day period, the potential for “reckless abandon” can also be a factor. Certainly that was what happened last time, as the coronavirus was breaking out. Keep in mind, however, that pulque was seen as a medicine as well as a stimulus so “healing through creativity” can also be an important theme. Let’s review what we will be working with.

The first day, the Day of the Monkey, was seen in Maya mythology as the day when the Creator “raised himself to his divinity after he had made heaven and earth”, which coincides at this time with the UN’s International Day of Peace, as the UN marks its 75th anniversary and calls on every person and every country to observe 24 hours of non-violence, so that is a good sign. There are a number of significant events happening at this time, as noted below.

This is followed by Two Eb’, when, mythologically, the first “stairway” was created that descended from the heavens. At this time this will surely be for Ruth Bader Ginsburg (pertinent dates related to her funeral will be added to this as soon as they are published.)

The third through fifth days (3 B’en through to 5 Men), coinciding at this time with Sept. 23-25th, 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 often particularly important as this was the energy in place in 1933 when the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the 32nd President of the U.S. took place. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” policies greatly helped to pull that country out of the Great Depression.

But given the deep divide in the US Congress and the country as a whole at the moment, and the fierce political battle that is heating up about whether or not to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat in the court before the election, it is noteworthy that it was the fifth day of this time frame in 1861 when the opening shots of the U.S. Civil war were fired. During the summer of 1959 it was the same fifth day of this trecena when the first American soldiers were killed in Vietnam.

The sixth day of this sequence, known as Six Kib’, is the point where the “first light” came into being. Two cycles ago, in April of 2019, former Vice-President Joe Biden announced his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election under this influence, when he came to the conclusion that “enough was enough” with regard to the orange menace’s support for violent extremists. On that day a group of psychiatrists completed a report in which they detailed how Trump’s “reckless” response to the Mueller report “shows that he is unable to rationally process risk, making him a danger to the entire nation” as they called for a full evaluation of his mental state by a non-governmental, independent and non-Partisan panel that would include psychiatrists, neurologists and internists.

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 and even “earth-shaking”, as it was two cycles ago when Trump announced that the US would withdraw its support from the UN treaty that regulates the multibillion-dollar global arms trade.

Another important 10 Ajaw Burner Day comes in on Sept. 30th, which also has a tendency to be intense as this energy was seen traditionally as being oriented around the idea of “taking the fire”, in conjunction with Ajaw’s “full sun” energy. This day has an almost mythic quality to it, and more about this will be included in the Podcast.

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 is often a day when important information is revealed.

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. Another very high-powered force, this is an energy that can be highly consequential in terms of the fate of the human race as a whole. That was evident in 1968 when North Korean communists launched the shocking Tet Offensive under this influence, by sending thousands of soldiers and Vietcong guerrillas into cities and military bases all over South Vietnam, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties. It was so shocking and so widescale that it began to turn American public opinion against the conflict. This year we have been paralleling (energy-wise) the overall energies that were in place in 1968, often referred to as “the year that shattered America”, as that was the year when civil rights and human rights issues, and anti-war activism “exploded” into being.

Two cycles ago (in April of 2019) the appearance of 13 Ak’b’al was also quite nail-biting for the many who were following the crisis in Washington at that time. It was referred to as the worst constitutional crisis since the civil war, a situation resulting from the stonewalling and obstruction of justice on the part of the White House in response to the release of the Mueller report.

As events of the past have revealed, this Chuwen trecena can often present the kinds of challenges that require individuals to think differently, to try out new ideas, and to push forward into new, and even unorthodox, directions. And the challenges in so many areas have escalated to unprecedented levels during this past 260 day cycle – the horrific on-going wildfires in the west that are causing such destruction, the climate crisis, the pandemic that has fomented over 31 million cases globally (including 7 million cases in the US by the opening of this trecena), and the world threatening actions of a fake US president who does not seem to be capable of doing anything but promulgating hate and division, and whose actions have resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives and incalculable destruction.

Nevertheless, historically this has been seen as a very special time frame that encompasses the kinds of extraordinary powers that are able to weave together the threads of time itself. This is the energy sequence that magically created the winal (the 20-day cycle that is a fundamental part of the 260-day Tzolk’in), so it is associated with great artistry and creativity. As mentioned before, novelist James Michener notes in his book “Mexico”, that maguey (the plant from which pulque was made) provided inspiration for the artists who built the great Mexican pyramids. And it is Patecatl, the God of Medicine and Lord of Pulque, who is a key patron of this particular time frame. So this ties in well with the creative forces that are associated with this sequence of days.

During this past cycle hundreds of thousands of people worldwide have answered the call and found creative ways to contribute by helping others and helping the planet as a whole. The needs are SO GREAT now that many, many more will join the fight. As Jane Fonda has put it, this is a “civilization crisis” – an “all hands on deck” kind of situation. And the energies in place during this trecena are there to help in the forging of a “new world”. But it is capricious and tends to go where the force is greatest. Now is the time for millions to stand up, tune in, and work with that force, to help in weaving the web of light that is so needed at this time; now is the time for steadfast creative action. The rewards could be  miraculous. Here are the energies that will come into play:

1 Chuwen (Sept. 21st) – the Day of the Monkey, an “initiating” day associated with high creativity and the beginning of an important new time sequence, on the UN’s International Day of Peace, with this year’s theme being #Take5For Peace.

This is the day when the UN marks its 75th anniversary with a one day, high-level meeting on the theme, The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism, to be held in a virtual format, with pre-recorded statements by heads of state, due to the pandemic. This is also the start of Climate Week NYC 2020 – a virtual international event.

This is the day when students were scheduled to return to school in New York, and in many other places. However, Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that this will only be done on a rolling basis, over time, as recent attempts to reopen schools has resulted in the deaths of teachers in five states and the number cases of Covid-19 among students has risen considerably. Over 25,000 cases have been reported from colleges and universities in 37 states. For most students in New York and in many other large cities the school year will now begin online.

This is also the start of National Dog Week, oriented around the celebration of all things canine. It is also World Alzheimer’s Day, associated with raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and Dementia. In addition this is Respect for the Aged day in Japan, where new government data reveals that one in every 1565 people is now aged 100 or older, with centenarians now numbering above 80,000 in that country. Japan’s oldest person is 117-year old Kane Tanaka, who had shared that eating good food and practicing math are her secrets for longevity.

By this point it has been six 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 November election. This is the Maya birth energy of former US President Ronald Reagan, and it is also Independence Day in Brazil.

2 Eb’ (Sept. 22nd) – “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 the Fall Equinox and the opening of the first “virtual” UN General Debate at the 75th UN General Assembly. This is International Rabbit Day and Elephant Appreciation Day.

This day marks 100 days since the death of George Floyd.

3 B’en (Sept. 23rd ) – the “activation” of personal authority, coinciding at this time with Puerto Rico’s Independence Day and the Speech from the Throne in Ottawa at the opening of a new session of Parliament, at least part of which will involve virtual, rather than in-person, participation.

As of this day it has been 6 long, gruelling cycles since the orange menace announced his candidacy for the US presidency in June of 2016.

In 1933 this was the energy in place at the time of the first inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt as the 32nd U.S. President, during which he uttered the immortal words: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance”. This will be the first of two days for the beloved human rights advocate, “warrior for gender equality”, and “national treasure” Ruth Bader Ginsburg to lie in repose at the Supreme Court so that members of the public can pay their respects. The day will begin with a private ceremony for her colleagues, family, and friends in the Great Hall of the court. The personal authority aspect of this day ties in perfectly with the “supreme authority” that will always be associated with her memory and legacy.

The last time this key “authoritative” energy was in place the issue of an impeachment trial in the US Senate was heating up and tensions in the Middle East were escalating with regard to Iran. That was the day of General Soleimani’s funeral in his home town of Kerman, after his assassination via a US drone strike that was ordered by Trump. Emotions were running extremely high and governments worldwide were calling for restraint.

Undoubedly this day will bring forth some extreme rhetoric as a fierce political battle is now underway over the issue of whether or not to replace Justice Ginsburg before the election, particularly given the “grotesque hypocrisy” being exhibited by so many Republicans who had previously vowed that they would never do this.

4 Ix (Sept. 24th) – 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 World Maritime Day and Remember Me Thursday, a day that is the focal point for a global campaign to increase awareness of pet adoption organizations around the world, a campaign to help orphaned pets to find forever homes. There is no doubt that this year the need for assistance in this area is great.

This is the second of two days for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to lie in repose at the Supreme Court.  At this point there are 40 days remaining until the election.

5 Men (Sept. 25th) – a “targeting” or precision-oriented type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”, coinciding at this time with Native American Day in California and Nevada, and the first day of the Virtual One Planet Peace Forum. This is also Playing for Change Day, completely online at this time.

This was the energy in place in 1958 when the first women took their seats in the House of Lords in the UK. Currently this is the day when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a passionate advocate for women’s rights and civil liberties, becomes the first woman to lie in state in National Statuary Hall at the US Capitol, in a tribute reserved for the most distinguished government officials and military officers, after a formal ceremony in the morning. There will be a private internment for her next week at Arlington National Cemetery.

Currently this is the day when yet another hearing will take place relating to the bid by Trump’s lawyers to overturn the subpoena that would grant Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s Office access to Trump’s tax returns, two months after the Supreme Court rejected the argument that the orange menace was immune from grand jury requests. It has been one cycle since the New York City Bar Association sent a letter to urge Congress to investigate US Attorney General Bill Barr with regard to various ways in which his conduct was compromising “the fair and impartial administration of justice” through political bias and violations of the rules and ethical guidelines that govern his position. Since then those types of allegations against Barr have intensified as his actions appear always to be politically motivated.

In 1861 the opening shots (at Fort Sumpter) that started the “main events” of the American Civil War took place under the influence of this energy.

6 Kib’ (Sept. 26th) – 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 in Maya mythology – coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

It has been two cycles since Joe Biden announced his candidacy for the presidency on April 25, 2019.

This is the Maya birth energy of Yusaku Maezawa, the Japanese billionaire, entrepreneur, and art collector who is to become the first commercial passenger to fly a single circumlunar trajectory around the Moon aboard a SpaceX Starship.

At this time the Canadian Walk for Veterans event takes place across Canada, to bring attention to – and in support for – veterans who suffer from PTSD. This will be virtual this year.

7 Kab’an (Sept. 27th) – “self-generating movement”, an energy that, in the past, has accompanied a great deal of Earth-oriented action and movement, on the second day of the Canadian Walk for Veterans event.

This is World Rivers day. Note that a report was released last year at the SETAC Europe Environment conference that revealed that some of the world’s best-known rivers (including the Thames and the Danube) are now contaminated with dangerously high levels of antibiotics, so this will likely be a focus for concerted attention at this time. In 2010 this energy coincided with the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, the “largest day of environmental activism in history”, as 7,000 community events in 188 countries became “environmental campaigners” who planted trees, collected rubbish and “rallied against pollution”.

Currently this is the start of Banned Book Week, and, in the evening, the start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement. Traditionally this was seen as the day in the creation sequence when honey was first created.

8 Etz’nab (Sept. 28th) – the “resurrection of flint” – a knife-edged energy that can often be quite divisive or decisive, coinciding with the UN’s International Day for Universal Access to Information and World News Day, which aims “to raise public awareness of the critical role that newsrooms and journalists play in helping people make sense of — and improve — the rapidly changing world around them”. David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail said that this year World News Day “will be an occasion to tell the story of how 100 newsrooms from across the planet responded to this global crisis and played a role in keeping our societies well informed, as well as bringing our communities together, so critical in these testing times.” World News Day is about supporting journalists and their audiences who work together, using facts and understanding, to make the world a better place. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will be part of this.

Note that it has been two cycles exactly, since April in 2019, since WAPO factcheckers reported that they had found that Trump had made 10,000 false or misleading claims as of that date. That number rose to 20,000 untrue or misleading statements by this past July.

9 Kawak (Sept. 29th) – “outward projecting storm”; a possibility for significant weather events or for situations requiring great compassion, coinciding at this time with World Heart Day and Michelmas, the Feast of St. Michael, and The Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels. St. Michael is seen as a principal angelic warrior, a significant protector against negative forces.

Publication date for Jane Fonda’s new book: What Can I DO? My Path from Climate Despair to Action (in which she addresses the “civilization crisis” that we are all facing). Also the publication date for Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann’s Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation, an inside account of the Mueller investigation.

This is the day of the first presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden.

10 Ajaw (Sept. 30th) – “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 UN’s Summit on Biodiversity, focusing on the theme of “urgent action on biodiversity for sustainable development”. This is also the UN’s International Translation Day, celebrated on the feast day of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators.

This is also International Podcast Day – a good day to spread the word about Navigating the Energies of Life, my podcast that expands on this blog. Please note that I expand on the nature of 10 Ajaw considerably in my podcast relating to this date. A related article can be found here: Revisiting 10 Ajaw

It has been one cycle exactly since a mysterious burst of gravitational waves (distortions in space-time) hit our planet last January. Although it only lasted for 14 milliseconds it baffled astronomers as they have been unable to find the source. Could this be the reason why 2020 has been so incredibly surreal? (:

This is the Maya birth energy of both Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer who was in prison and in now under house arrest, 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. As it happens James Comey will be testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on this day with regard to the origins of the Russia investigation.
Two cycles ago this was the energy in place when Joe Biden kicked off his 2020 presidential campaign with a rally in Pittsburg.

11 Imix (Oct. 1st) – “inspirational new birth” (realm of all potential), coinciding at this time with the Full Harvest Moon and the Chinese Moon Festival (or Mid Autumn Festival), one of the largest festivals in mainland China and East Asia. (This is aka Moon Cake Day, which is celebrated at the start of the festival.) This signals the start of China’s National Day holiday at the beginning of a “golden week”, a national seven day holiday that can often foment massive traffic jams due to the humungous movement of people, which has the potential to be highly problematic during this pandemic year.

This is the 71st Gregorian anniversary of the founding of The People’s Republic of China in 1949.

This is the UN’s International Day for Older Persons, National Poetry Day in the UK, and the 62nd anniversary of the day when NASA became operational (in 1958).
It has been three Calendar Rounds (3 x 52 years) since the Nov. 8, 1864 presidential election when Abraham Lincoln was re-elected.

12 Ik’ (Oct. 2nd) – a “dedicated” type of force associated with wind, breath, and spirit, coinciding at this time with Indigenous People’s Day, and with the UN’s International Day of Non-Violence, with this year’s theme being “Climate Action: Gandhian Ways”, observed on Mahatma Gandhi’s Gregorian birthday. 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. The evening marks the beginning of the Judeo/ Christian Feast of the Tabernacles.

In China this is the day of the Monkey God/Monkey King Festival, which ties in well with this Chuwen (Monkey) trecena.  It has been two cycles precisely since the beginning of the reign of Emperor Reiwa of Japan at the start of what is now known as the Reiwa (“fortunate harmony”) era.

Maya birth energy of highly versatile veteran actor Al Pacino.

13 Ak’b’al (Oct. 3rd) 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. Translating as “temple”, “house”, and sometimes “darkness”, this 13 Ak’b’al force is a powerful earth-oriented energy, as was in place in 1862 when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, exactly one 260-day cycle after the resignation of Robert E. Lee from the Union Army before he become a commander of the Confederate army.

Currently this is the first full day of the Judeo/Christian Feast of the Tabernacles, the end of Banned Book Week, and one Calendar Round (52 year period) since the black power salute at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.

This is the Maya birth energy of Vasili Arkhipov, the Soviet naval officer who was posthumously awarded a “Future of Life” prize for averting global catastrophe, due to his actions in preventing a Soviet nuclear strike during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

In addition to accompanying many important historical events, this is an energy that often brings forth severe weather conditions.

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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.]