Arriving on the heels of an enormous underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga at the tail end of the last trecena, this Eb’ trecena’s normal “animating vitality” energy is being amplified significantly as it comes into being at this time, as the entire Pacific region is under tsunami warnings and people are being advised to stay away from shorelines. Meanwhile, in India, a tsunami of another nature could well be underway after hundreds of thousands of Hindu worshippers flocked to the Ganges River to bathe in its holy waters to mark Makar Sankranti, a “holy phase of transition” festival, just before this new trecena began, despite staunch warnings that this could significantly worsen India’s Covid infection rate, which is already the third highest in the world.

These events are happening just as the “road opening” energies of One Eb’ are coming into place, with Eb’ being a “revitalization” type of force that can open up new energy pathways. At this point we can see some interesting numbers regarding the pandemic:

Population of the US:  just over 334 million (as of the end of the last trecena)
Global number of Covid-19 cases:  due to reach 334 million within the first few days of this current trecena

Number of Covid-19 cases recorded so far in the US:   rapidly approaching 67 million, indicating that some 20% of the US population (and 20% of the global number of cases), or 1 out of every 5 people in the U.S., has been afflicated with some variant of the coronavirus, with that percentage increasing every day.

Then, turning to the Maya Calendar, we see that we have reached an important marker in this regard. As this trecena begins the energies that were in place in late November-early December of 2019 (three cycles ago) are now returning. This is the trecena during which the first “glimmer”, the first flickering, of something unusual was beginning to find a foothold. It was small, and virtually unseen and unknown at that time, but it was something that, before long, would eventually become a tsunami that would reshape the world. It came at the end of the trecena when one of the first cases of coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China.

Note that this was three cycles ago, three turns of the Maya wheel of time, three turns of the 260-day count-of-days . . . 780 days, which equates to one Mars cycle of approx. 26 months. Why is this significant? It is significant because often this is how long it takes for particular “themes” to play out in terms of Maya Calendar energies. Often this Mars cycle will bring something to a conclusion, but sometimes it will kick things up a notch, as it appears to be doing now. Given what happened three cycles ago it seems important to pay attention at this time, as this might give us some clues as to where things might go from here. Given the Tonga event and that Makar Sankranti event in India, it certainly seems that things are, once again, notching up, which could bring forth yet another “tsunami” of new coronavirus cases, particularly in India. This is not good news since we have just seen, through the last trecena, record-breaking numbers of new cases in many different countries.

Looking back at the last 260-day cycle, that began at the end of April last year, the global number of cases has more than doubled during this period, as it has in many individual countries, such as the US, India, and some European countries. Those areas in particular saw hair-raising increases in both rate and number of coronavirus cases over the previous cycle. During that period huge numbers of people have been lost, incapacitated, or affected by the pandemic in a variety of ways. But that wasn’t all.

As this trecena begins it is bringing a return of the energies that were in place when we were alerted, three cycles ago, to the early warnings about “an existential threat to civilization”, as environmental scientists warned that the world may already have crossed a series of climate tipping points, putting us into “a state of planetary emergency”. At that time, in late November of 2019, scientists warned that the potential damage from the tipping points was so big and the time to act so short, that “to err on the side of danger is not a responsible option”, and so they were calling for urgent international action. The EU parliament saw this as a significant “inflection point” and so they responded quickly by declaring a global “climate and environmental emergency” as that parliament urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. That was a major “head’s up” that came in on the first and second days of this Eb’ trecena.

And so it began three cycles ago with twin spectres poised to unleash themselves on an unsuspecting world. And no one seemed to be ready. But now we have been through one Mars cycle of all this, and we are much more aware of the frighteningly destructive nature of those spectres. With regard to the coronavirus we also now have a whole battery of disease fighting tools that can be used against it. And if we look at the traditional ideas associated with this trecena, they tell us that the Aztec Goddess Mayahuel, who is associated with healing, is significantly aligned with this energy, which often brings some kind of rejuvenating change in direction. Often this is where people say “enough is enough” and start to really address issues in ways that can help new options to open up just when it may have seemed like all has been lost.

Two cycles ago (in August 2020) this “hope springs eternal” idea took the form of Joe Biden accepting the nomination as the DNC’s candidate for the 46th president, with Kamala Harris joining him as his vice-presidential running mate. This happened right after the Senate Intelligence Committee released the final volume of its report on the Russia investigation, in which it essentially confirmed the key findings from the Mueller investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 US election. After four long years of rampage and devastation perpetuated by the dumpster and his administration, finally there was a glimmer of hope. One cycle before that (in late 2019) the Eb’ trecena was the last full trecena that was in place before the dumpster was first impeached by the US House of Representatives.

One of the finer points of note related to this trecena is that the symbolism works in more than one way. The maguey plant associated with the Goddess Mayahuel who serves as the overseer for this period, has many different uses. The sap from this plant not only has strong medicinal qualities, but can also be fermented and made into an alcoholic aphrodisiac called pulque, which is symbolic of the idea of “intoxification and excess” that is sometimes associated with this time frame. Sometimes the sense of new directions or possibilities can be so strong that things can get a little “heady”.

Sometimes the nature (or flavour) of the revitalization is evident right from the start of this trecena, as happened seven cycles ago when millions of people raised their voices to make known their objections to the results of the 2016 U.S. election during the historic Women’s March that took place in hundreds of cities across the U.S. and in some 673 cities around the world, on all seven continents. At that time millions stood in solidarity to support equal rights and humanitarian principles worldwide.

Four cycles ago (in early 2019) this trecena brought forth the Global Climate Strike, known as Youth Strike 4 Climate, which was a coordinated global school walkout involving an estimated 1.4 million young people in 2233 cities in 128 countries, in a massive effort to call for political action regarding climate change. That opened up a pathway for action that continued on for most of the year, picking up steam throughout the entire cycle as hundreds of thousands of students and their allies continued the fight for climate change action. One cycle after that strike, near the end of that year, more than 500,000 young people were rallying in Madrid to protest against the lack of speed and lack of progress being taken by world governments in tackling the climate emergency. It was a huge push attempting to address one of those frightening spectres before it got too out of hand – but then Covid appeared . . .

This time, with climate emergencies so prevalent, with Omicron rampaging around the globe, with the massive collapse of integrity within the Republican party in the U.S. threatening to derail democracy itself, and with the economic insecurities associated with the pandemic, things are precarious, to say the least. The questions uppermost in the minds of most are : “Where do we go from here? Where is the road going to take us?

There are no simple answers, of course, and as we work through this trecena we may find that we are going further down a road that we have been on for awhile, or – in keeping with the nature of these energies – new directions may open up unexpectedly, oriented around revitalization and refreshment. In any case there are strong generative powers at work at this time, so “hope springs eternal” that there will be a resurgence of vitality that will help us to regroup, heal, and forge the kinds of paths needed to keep those spectres at bay and restore some sense of equilibrium. Here are the energies that are coming into play:

1 Eb’ (Jan. 15th) – 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 the energy influence as was in place in 1789 when George Washington was unanimously elected as the first US president.

In recent years this energy has been instrumental in highlighting issues of great concern to humanity, as it did three cycles ago when climate change scientists warned (in late November, 2019 – right before the pandemic began) that the world may already have crossed a series of climate tipping points, posing a risk that is “an existential threat to civilization”. It has now been two cycles since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris called for a nationwide mask mandate, as the daily death tolls in the U.S. were again climbing. That mid August day in 2020 was when The Washington Post ran an OP Ed by WAPO columnist Paul Waldman that highlighted how the dumpster’s attack on the Postal Service had become “a national emergency”.

2 B’en (Jan. 16th) – a dynamic type of energy aligned with the “generation” of personal authority, marking three cycles exactly since the EU parliament declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” in response to the warning given the day before by climate change scientists about the “threats to civilisation” that are being caused by climate change. That was when the EU parliament urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. However, the recently released Don’t Look Up movie is making many wonder if that timeline is much too late.

3 Ix (Jan. 17th) –the “activation” of transformation, coinciding with the Full Wolf Moon and Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S.

This is Blue Monday often thought of as “the most depressing day of the year”, calculating in such factors as weather conditions, debt level, and low motivation levels at this time of the year – which it would be for many unless they can pass that legislation. But it’s also the Catholic Feast Day of St. Anthony the Abbot, often commemorated with “Blessing of Domestic Animals” ceremonies, which would certainly help to mitigate depression.

This would have been veteran entertainer (and staunch animal rights supporter) Betty White’s 100th Gregorian birthday, which she would have celebrated royally had she not made her departure on New Year’s Eve. In her honour, the producers of Betty White: 100 Years Young are releasing this film on this day.

At this point it has been seven cycles since the US National Day of Climate Action in early 2017 during which students from over 50 universities participated in nationwide demonstrations to demand that their institutions resist and reject the dumpster’s climate denial by divesting from the fossil fuel industry and reinvesting in solutions to the climate crisis. And three cycles since hundreds of thousands of young people took to the streets in 2300 cities in 143 countries in November of 2019 for the #FridaysforFuture climate action demonstrations three days before the opening of the COP25 summit.

This marks four Calendar Rounds (4 x 52 years) since the signing of the Treaty of Chaumont agreements, when the four powers that defeated Napoléon (Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia) all agreed to ally for 20 years to stop France if it ever got too powerful again.   (Note that there are two possible dates noted for this – this is one of them, and the other is the final day of this trecena – but both of these energies had a transformational component to them.)

4 Men (Jan. 18th) – 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 Hope Tuesday (the day after Blue Monday), and the National Day of Racial Healing in the U.S., which will feature virtual events across the country. If they can get the new Voting Rights bill passed on this day, after they go into debate in the Senate over this legislation, that will really be something to celebrate.

This day marks four Tzolk’in cycles since the Youth Strike 4 Climate, a coordinated global school walkout that involved an estimated 1.4 million young people in 2233 cities in 128 countries, in a coordinated global effort to call for political action regarding climate change, in March of 2019. This was the precursor to the massive #FridaysforFuture demonstrations that took place almost exactly one cycle later (see 3 Ix, above).

This is the Maya birth energy of former US president John F. Kennedy, and the legendary composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim who is so deeply connected with some of the greatest Broadway theatre productions of all time such as Gypsy and West Side Story.

5 Kib’ (Jan. 19th) – 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 with Orthodox Epiphany (Russia, Eastern Europe), aka The Feast of Theophany, at which time many Christians submerge themselves in ice-cold lakes and rivers – to “wash away their sins” and commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. This is the energy influence that was in place at the time of the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. It has now been three cycles since Ursula von der Leyen took over as head of the European Commission, the EU’s top position.

The last time this energy was in place (last May) some fifty major corporations joined with more than 180 other businesses and community leaders in forming a coalition known as Fair Elections Texas to speak out against proposed voting rights restrictions in that state.

6 Kab’an (Jan. 20th) – a “movement (or earth movement, even “evolutionary movement”) type of energy combined with the “all directions” force of the number six, at the start of the UN’s Holocaust Remembrance Week, with the theme this year being ”Memory, Dignity, and Justice”.

This day marks one cycle since WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the Biden administration for supporting global vaccine equity and prioritizing the
expansion of vaccine manufacturing and distribution. This was a critically important development since Dr. David Nabarro, the WHO special envoy, was warning that worldwide infections were accelerating faster than ever. Dr. Tedros added that US support for vaccine equity was “monumental”.

Under this energy influence last May U.S. Republican presentative Liz Cheney warned that her Party was “at a turning point”, and that Republicans were going to have to decide whether they will choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution or join the dumpster’s crusade to delegitimize and attempt to undo the legal outcome of the 2020 election. It has become evident over the past 260 days that most have chosen the latter, and that truth, integrity, and fidelity to the Constitution by that segment of Congress have almost completely disintegrated.

This is former astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s 92nd Gregorian birthday. He is the last surviving crew member of the Apollo 11 Lunar mission, and one of the first two people to walk on the Moon.

7 Etz’nab’ (Jan. 21st) –“self-generating flint” – a “knife-edge” type of energy associated with the power of discrimination, marking three cycles exactly since early December of 2019 when the US House Intelligence Committee released (and voted to pass) the 300-pg. impeachment report, with its conclusion that there was “overwhelming evidence” that the dumpster abused the power of the presidency and obstructed Congress, and that his White House officals and associates knew of the Ukraine scheme. He was impeached by the House of Representatives shortly thereafter.

Currently this is the day when Igor Fruman, the associate who was working with Giuliani to try to “dig up dirt” on Joe Biden, is scheduled to be sentenced for soliciting foreign contributions for the dumpster’s campaign.

It has now been two cycles (520 days) since President Obama delivered a scathing rebuke of the dumpster during the 2020 DNC, when he referred to him as the “reality show president” as he highlighted the dumpster’s monumental failures. Obama’s speech was seen by many as a “dire warning”, and the “declaration of a national emergency” since the dumpster was “on the cusp of destroying democracy itself”. As always, Obama was absolutely correct since the dumpster and his cronies have continued to seriously chip away at democracy ever since.

8 Kawak (Jan. 22nd) – “resurrecting storm”, sometimes associated with strong weather or some strong “push” towards enlightenment, the energy in place on the final day of the Democratic National Convention in 2020, when Joe Biden accepted the nomination as the DNC’s candidate for president, as he vowed to protect the US. At that time more than 70 former national security officials from multiple Republican administrations along with former Republican members of Congress announced that they would support Joe Biden. But they were from the former GOP, and not from the ranks of those who have sworn loyalty to Major McTreason (as Stephen Colbert has put it), and are now untethered from reality.

Currently this is the date set for longtime Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg’s next hearing. He was charged in July with 15 felony counts including criminal tax fraud, grand larceny, falsifying business records, and scheming to defraud the government. [Somewhere someone must be keeping track of how many of the dumpster’s cronies have been charged with crimes.]

9 Ajaw (Jan. 23rd) – an “outwardly projecting”, double-fire type of force associated with the full sun and “enlightenment”, at the start of several days of Republic Day celebrations in India. This day also marks six cycles since the massive rally in 2017 that brought the start of the Me Too Movement, and three cycles since former EU president Donald Tusk called Brexit “one of the most spectacular mistakes” in the history of the EU.

This is the unstoppable Chita Rivera’s 89th Gregorian birthday. Her Maya birth energy is 2 B’en, the second day of this trecena. She was the original “Anita” in Broadway’s West Side Story.

10 Imix (Jan. 24th) – a “source” based energy aligned with birth, coinciding at this time with
the UN’s fourth International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. The theme for 2022 is “Changing Course, Transforming Education”. As mentioned on their site, there are still hundreds of millions of children and adolescents globally who cannot read or write or do basic math, so the need for strengthening education systems and for global rebalancing is great.

11 Ik’ (Jan. 25th) – “inspirational” wind/breath/spirit; the energy that was in place on January 1, 2000 when millions of people celebrated the coming new millennium. Currently this is Robbie Burns’ Day, the 263rd anniversary of the birth of much loved Scottish poet Robbie Burns.

As of this day it has been seven cycles since Jan. 2017 when John Dean, former White House counsel under President Nixon, warned that the dumpster was “just getting started” on “trashing the presidency”. At that time Dean predicted that it would all “end in calamity. Even Republicans know this.” How very, very correct he was!

It has now been been four cycles since 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.

12 Ak’b’al (Jan. 26th) 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.

Currently this marks India’s 73rd Republic Day (including the day the Republic of India  came into being in 1950). It is also the 11th Gregorian anniversary of the start of both the Egyptian Revolution and the anti-government protests in Syria.

*It has now been three cycles (780 grueling days) exactly since 12 Ak’b’al on Dec. 8, 2019 when one of the first cases of coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, China.

13 K’an (Jan. 27th) – transformational “generative vitality”; a powerfully exuberant force that can instigate a great deal of action on many fronts, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (aka International Holocaust Remembrance Day).

This was the energy in place on June 19th, 1865 when Union soldiers landed at Galveston with news that the U.S. civil war had ended and that slavery had been abolished. In 1960 this was the energy in place when John F. Kennedy won the election to become the 35th President of the US.

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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.]