There is a lightness to it, a softness to it, a refreshing gentleness – and at the start of this writing this feathery precipitation is filling the atmosphere with a sense of “revitalization”. This is the essence of itz, that idea of “animating vitality” that often manifests as dew or mist, a quality that is highly aligned with Eb’. So questions at this time might be: How does this tie in with all this late November darkness? How does it tie in with all the bleakness in the world these days? What does it mean if you are caught in a storm rather than in mist- like conditions such as this?

Indeed, it would be easy to succumb to all this dreariness, easy to retreat and just not engage. But from the perspective of the Maya calendar, this is a time frame that can tap you on the shoulder and say “up you get”, time to get moving; there is still life to be lived.

This can be seen symbolically in representations of the Eb’ hieroglyph that suggest a jawbone with grass growing out of it, referencing the idea that even though something might look “dead as a doornail”, looks can be deceiving; there is still a chance that “new life” can spring forth. The core idea is that deep within there may still be a vital essence that, given the right conditions, would have the capacity to bring forth new growth. Given the right conditions that essence will do everything it can to find the “path” to “renewed vitality”. For this reason both “Road” and “Grass” are often used as representations of this energy. Aligned with these ideas, the Eb’ trecena often has a tendency to open up new pathways, highlight new opportunities, inspire people towards action, and even push towards healing – and yes, even if you are caught in a winter storm that potential is still there.

This could be seen clearly four cycles ago (in Jan. 2017) on the very first day of this trecena when massive numbers of people began banding together during this time frame to make known their objections to the results of the 2016 U.S. election and the subsequent inauguration. At that time some 500,000 women and their allies rallied in the historic Women’s March on Washington D.C. to protest the Trump presidency and stand in solidarity in support of equal rights and humanitarian principles.

At the same time over 670 “anti-Trump” sister marches took place in other U.S. cities and around the world, with some five million people participating. It was seen as the largest single-day protest in the U.S. and one of the largest global human rights demonstrations in history. This worldwide event became the inspiration for a whole new era of resistance not only against the current presidency and its agenda but also against other human rights issues. Indeed, thoughout the entire Eb’ trecena at that time many different protests took place, oriented around a variety of issues such as resisting and rejecting Trump’s climate denial, protesting his rejection of Obamacare, and pushing back against his travel bans.

Three cycles ago (in late 2017) further protests took place against issues such as the lack of White House support for the hurricane related disaster in Puerto Rico. The MeToo Movement against sexual harrassment was also gaining momentum at that time.

Two cycles ago (in June of 2018) a massive “Families Belong Together” protest rally against the Trump administration’s child separation immigration policy and the treatment of children was held in Washington D.C. of the fourth day of this time frame, during which nearly 600 women were arrested. It was just one of some 750 such rallies against this cruel policy that took place across the U.S. All this action unfolded just two days after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history when she defeated a high-ranking congressman in the New York primary, before going on to infuse new life into the US House of Representatives after her consequent win in the mid-term elections. A few days after those rallies the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee released their bipartisan report in which they concluded that the Intelligence Community Assessment was sound and that Russia had indeed interfered in the 2016 election, with the approval of President Putin.

And during the last appearance of this trecena (earlier this year) it was the Global Climate Strike, known as Youth Strike 4 Climate that was one of the key focal points for action.

This was a coordinated global school walkout involving an estimated 1.4 million young people in 2233 cities in 128 countries, a walkout of students worldwide in a massive effort to call for political action regarding climate change. As organizers put it:

“We, the young, have started to move. We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not. United we will rise until we see climate justice.”

So where are we now and what might we expect during this period? As we transition into this period there are already some clues, as seen in the fact that more and more high profile people seem to be finding their courage and their voices as they testify against the atrocities perpetuated by the Trump administration, with even military personnel calling out the implications of White House interference that has been undermining their credibility in the world and causing chaos within their ranks.

With the publication of books such as Crime in Progress and Impeach just before the start of this trecena, and with more information being submitted to investigators that could add weight to the impeachment proceedings, this process will contine to be a major focus for attention at this time. Judge Jackson’s lengthy dismantling (two days ago) of the Trump administration’s argument that the president had the power to compel “absolute immunity” concerning the testimony of White House aides has also opened the door for people such as former White House counsel Don McGahn to testify.

As far as moving forward in other ways, the entry of former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg into the US Democratic presidential race will infuse yet another new dynamic into that arena.

On other fronts, the stunning landslide victory for pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong a few days ago has the potential to open up many new possibilities in that area after many months of conflict.

We have also heard much about the problems associated with abuse of the internet over the past few years, which appears to have been duly noted by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, whose great World Wide Web invention celebrated its 30th anniversary on One Eb’ earlier this year. And now, just three days before the return on this Eb’ trecena we learned that Sir Tim has launched a global action plan to save the web from political manipulation, fake news, privacy violations and other malign forces that threaten to plunge the world into a “digital dystopia”. His Contract for the Web, published by the World Wide Web Foundation, requires endorsing governments, companies and individuals to make concrete commitments to protect the web from abuse and ensure it benefits humanity. It seems that Sir Tim is not just an incredible scientist, but must also be intuitively “in synch” with the Maya calendar to have timed the launch of this plan so perfectly.

Climate change issues, of course, continues to be of major concern, particularly given the publication just two days ago of the UN Environment Programme’s assessment that revealed how countries have “collectively failed to stop the growth in global greenhouse gas emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required” in order to reach the target of not allowing world temperatures to rise by more than 1.5 degrees, in order to avoid disastrous consequences for human, animal, and plant life on Earth. Fortunately these findings were brought forward just before the start of two major climate action forums, so much needed attention will be devoted to this at this time.

As always the first day of this time period is associated with the “initiation” of a “road opening” or “pathfinding” force that can usher in a new sense of hope or inspiration. This is often a healing and “refreshment” type of energy, the type of force that represents new life springing forth. Traditionally this was accompanied by celebration and feasting, making it a “heady” kind of time often aligned with both expectation and abundance. This is a trecena that often has been associated with strong generative powers so it is possible that many new ideas might present themselves within the context of the next 13 days. While there is always unpredictability, with the traditional patrons of this trecena sometimes warning of discord that can be brought about through “excess”, this time frame can still offer a lot of hope through this resurgence of vitality. Here are the energies that will come into play:

1 Eb’ 0 Mak (Nov. 27th) – the “initiation” of “animating vitality”, a refreshing stream-of-consciousness, “find your own path” type of force, which often signals the start of promising new directions. This is coming in just after the New Moon, in conjunction with the start of a new Maya month that is aligned with communication, which seems to add extra punch to this energy shift. As we are also in an Eb’ year within the classic Maya Calendar system, this suggests that Eb’ related forces could be particularly strong at this time. These forces are coming in one cycle and three days after the 30th anniversary of the founding of the World Wide Web. With WWW founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee publishing (just three days ago) his global plan for “fixing” the web and protecting it from abuse this is heartening news that people can begin to work with as this time frame unfurls.
Four cycles (4 x 260 days) since the massive Women’s March in Washington D.C. and in hundreds of other cities in the U.S. and around the world, in January of 2017.

2 B’en (Nov. 28th) – a dynamic type of energy aligned with the “generation” of personal authority,
coinciding at this time with Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., at a time when Venus is at aphelion, its
greatest distance from the Sun. At this time Venus can be seen dancing near the waxing crescent moon, with Jupiter close by.

Two cycles since Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history when she defeated a high-ranking
politician in the New York primary before going on to become the youngest member ever to serve in the U.S. Congress. One cycle since Paul Manafort’s Washington D.C. sentencing, the first time for a presidential campaign manager to be sent to prison.

3 Ix (Nov. 29th) –the “activation” of transformation, on Black Friday and the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, as Saturn conjuncts the waxing crescent moon

Four Tzolk’in cycles since the US National Day of Climate Action during which students from over 50 universities participated in nationwide demonstrations to demand that their institutions resist and reject Trump’s climate denial by divesting from the fossil fuel industry and reinvesting in solutions to the climate crisis. With the COP25 summit opening in three days this will likely be another day for massive #FridaysForFuture climate change rallies.

One cycle since the US House voted unanimously (420-0) to demand that the Justice Department publicly release the full findings of the Mueller report, on the same day as a landmark ruling in New York stated that a sitting president CAN be sued in state court, which cleared the path for the NY Attorney-General to proceed with the case against the Trump Foundation relating to violations of New York state law and campaign finance law.

4 Men (Nov. 30th)– a “defining” energy related to the “high vision” of the Eagle; a double solar “Burner Day” associated with “running with the fire”, an energy that can sometimes bring a great deal of “firepower”, coinciding at this time with the last day of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season and the launch of the first crewed flight for Boeing’s Starliner. One cycle since the global Youth Strike 4 Climate, a coordinated global school walkout that involved an estimated 1.4 million young people in 128 countries in a coordinated global effort to call for political action regarding climate change.

5 Kib’ (Dec. 1st) – a “blessing” or “precision” type of energy associated with the “Vulture’s” high-flying ability to survey and its ability to “clean things up”, coinciding at this time with World AIDS Day, on the day when Ursula von der Leyen takes over as head of the European Commission, the EU’s top position. Pablo Picasso’s Maya birth energy.

6 Kab’an (Dec. 2nd) – a “movement (or earth movement, even “evolutionary movement”) type of energy combined with the “all directions” force of the number six, coinciding at this time with Cyber Monday, the UN’s International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, the Canadian Premiers’ summit in Toronto, and the opening of COP25, the 25th session of the Climate Change Conference that originally was scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile, but has been moved to Madrid. This conference runs from today through to until Dec. 13th. After catching a ride aboard a catamaran for her return trip to Europe, Greta Thunberg will be there.

Two cycles since the nationwide “Families Belong Together” protest in the US against Trump’s horrific family separation policy.

7 Etz’nab’ (Dec. 3rd) –“self-generating flint” – a “knife-edge” type of energy associated with the power of discrimination, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day for Persons with Disabilities, and the opening of NATO’s two-day 70th anniversary summit in London.

This is the energy that was in place in 2018 when Lopez Obrador (a “progressive reformist”) won a landslide victory in Mexico’s presidential election. This is the same force that sparked major solar flares in 2005, and coincided with the Global Day of Action that involved anti-war demonstrations in cities across the U.S. and in many other countries in 2007. In 2014 this was the energy influence in place when 53 international delegates met in the Hague to discuss the reduction and security of nuclear supplies (particularly against terrorism).

Historically this has been a particularly potent mid-trecena marker point, as could be seen five cycles ago (in 2016) when this energy brought the suspension of the powers of Brazilian president Rousseff after she was formally impeached. Four cycles ago precisely, at the beginning of the Trump administration, this energy saw a travel ban imposed against seven Muslim nations that started a backlash across the U.S. that also triggered lawsuits and protests around the world, at the same time as George Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials, a key event in the overall Russia scandal. Given the current impeachment process in the US and various other legal actions that are in the works at this time with regard to Trump this could be another pivotal point.

8 Kawak (Dec. 4th) – “resurrecting storm”, sometimes associated with strong weather and other upheavals, on the day when the House Judiciary committee holds impeachment hearings in the US. This is the Maya birth energy of Manitoba founder and Métis leader Louis Riel. A special edition coin honouring the life of Louis Riel was issued a few weeks ago on the 175th Gregorian anniversary of his birth. This was the first coin to be engraved with Michif, the official language of the Métis nation.

9 Ajaw (Dec. 5th) – an “outwardly projecting”, double-fire type of force associated with the full sun and “enlightenment”, correlating at this time with the opening of Lyon’s spectacular Festival of Lights.

Three cycles since the start of the Me Too Movement as the internet was flooded with testimonies about sexual assault and harassment after actress Alyssa Milano posted a comment about this the day before.

Maya birth energy of Franco Zeffirelli, the Italian director and producer of operas, films, and television who died a few months ago. He is particularly well known for films such as Romeo and Juliet (1968) and Tea with Mussolini (1999).

10 Imix (Dec. 6th) – a “source” based energy aligned with birth, coinciding at this time with the opening of the 3-day Los Angeles Empire Con event, called “the ultimate event for Star Wars fans”, during which there will be a memorial tribute for fans of Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) who died on April 30th of this year (on 11 Imix, 220 days before this). Proceeds from this event will be going to Peter Mayhew’s Foundation. There will also be a display in tribute to Kenny Baker, who played the part of R2-D2, whose departure was in 2016.

11 Ik’ (Dec. 7th) – “inspirational” wind/breath/spirit; the energy that was in place on January 1, 2000 when millions of people celebrated the coming new millennium. One cycle since the “landmark moment” when Special Counsel Robert Mueller completed his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and submitted his report to the DoJ.

During this investigation there were 37 indictments in 22 months (including 13 Russian nationals, 3 Russian companies, and 12 Russian intelligence officers), with a number of convictions, guilty pleas and sentences. Currently this energy coincides with National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, and the UN’s International Civil Aviation Day

In Turkey this day brings the opening of the Konya Whirling Dervishes Festival, an 11-day event in honour of Rumi, a beloved 13th century Persian poet and Sufi mystic.

12 Ak’b’al (Dec. 8th) a “grouping together” type of energy associated with darkness and deep mysteries, as was in place at the time of the 2004 Sumatra tsunami and again in 2011 when the ash cloud from the Grimsvötn volcano grounded about 500 flights in the U.K. One cycle since the massive Peoples Vote March in London to demand a second Peoples Vote on Brexit. Currently this is Bodhi Day in Japan, aka rohatsu (fixed in Japan, but commemorated on other days elsewhere) – a day wherein Zen monks conduct ceremonies to commemorate Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment. It is also the final day of Empire Con in LA.

13 K’an (Dec. 9th) – transformational “generative vitality”; a powerfully exuberant force that can instigate a great deal of action on many fronts, as in 1992 when a massive fire broke out at Windsor Castle, damaging or destroying over 100 rooms and many priceless treasures, and in October of 2012 when Hurricane Sandy churned off the coast of Florida en route to the New York/New Jersey coast. Currently this energy is coinciding with the UN’s International Anti-Corruption Day, and with the opening of the 10th Annual Sustainable Innovation Forum, a 2-day summit on “Accelerating Solutions for Climate Action” that brings together over 600 delegates representing the private sector, governments, and investors to build partnerships around climate action. It is also veteran actor Kirk Douglas’s 103rd birthday.

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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.]