After one of the fiercest Kawak (Storm) trecena’s ever, the opening of this Eb’ trecena is placing the emphasis squarely on the question of “where do we go from here?”, and in places such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Atlantic Canada, southeast Asia, and the southeastern U.S., the starting point is the assessment of the staggering amount of damage that was rendered by the monstrous weather systems that caused such devastation in those regions over the past 13 days. With flattened neighbourhoods, widespread flooding, washed out out roads and bridges, widespread power outages, debris fields in every direction, and still-untold thousands left homeless, the challenges are monumental. So far the damage estimate is above $60 billion.

Fortunately, the energies associated with this Eb’ trecena tend to be gentler in nature than those that fomented those hurricanes. During this trecena the tendency is more towards healing, path finding, and revitalization. And certainly, as search and rescue operations continue, and cleanup on a massive scale gets underway, hundreds of thousands of people will have to find ways to move forward towards healing, as so many have lost everything. New paths and directions will need to be forged in order to rebuild infrastructures, support systems, and lives. It will be a monumental task, requiring radical shifts in direction, driven by the need to re-assess almost everything in order to move forward.

And it could well be a time for miracles as well, as seen on the first day of this trecena in 1985, that came in a week after the devastating 8.1 Mexico City earthquake, when more than a dozen babies were pulled out of the wreckage of a hospital, having survived without nourishment, water, warmth, or human contact for at least seven days. More than 10,000 people were killed during that horrific event, but the discovery of these babies brought hope, as it represented human resiliency and the re-emergence of life, even in the midst of great trauma. (Click here for a story about those children 25 years later.)

In Brazil an opportunity for revitalization is also being presented as the first round of its presidential elections will take place on the first day of this time frame.This is a big election day for that country as it has the potential to bring much needed change in government, on multiple levels, as hundreds of people are up for election, including the president. At this time more indigenous, women, and Black candidates are running for office than ever before. And it is not only the fate of the politicians and the people of Brazil that is on the line at this time, but the fate of the Amazon as well, as a new leader would provide an important opportunity to curtail the destructive practices that have put that region at such risk. The implications of these elections in that regard could have profound implications with regard to global climate change.

And then there is Russia, where meltdown appears to be the order of the day as people have been leaving in droves (some 200,000 during the last trecena), on their way to building new lives elsewhere, after the chaotic mobilization of, apparently, “anyone they could find” to risk their lives fighting a war that they don’t believe in, at the behest of a madman who is threatening to start World War 3. Given that Russian forces abducted the head of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant just two days before this trecena began, it’s anyone’s guess as to the implications of this act.

In recent years the energies associated with this trecena has been instrumental in highlighting issues of great concern to humanity, as could be seen five cycles ago, in early 2019, when 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 rallied in Madrid to protest against the lack of speed and lack of progress being taken by world governments in tackling the climate emergency. At that time climate change scientists warned, as they called for urgent international action, that the world may already have crossed a series of climate tipping points, posing a risk that was seen as “an existential threat to civilisation”. The EU parliament saw this as a significant “inflection point” and so they responded quickly by declaring a global “climate and environmental emergency”, and 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 period. But . . . . the dumpster was still in office then . . . and then the pandemic began . . .

One cycle later, in the summer of 2020, Joe Biden accepted the nomination as the DNC’s candidate for the 46th president, with Kamala Harris joining him as his vice-presidential running mate, and glimmers of hope began to be seen. Once he was elected, action began to be taken to deal with both the pandemic and the climate crisis, and he is now providing immediate aid to help with relief and rebuilding efforts in regions, including Puerto Rico, that have been so severely affected by the storms.

From the perspective of Mesoamerican mythology, it is the Aztec Goddess Mayahuel, associated with healing, who was seen, traditionally, as the deity who oversaw this time frame, which often brings some kind of rejuvenating change in direction. Often this is when people 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.

As we work through this trecena, when so many new pathways will need to be forged, we will be working with strong regenerative forces that, in the midst of everything, have the potential to bring a resurgence of vitality that will help with the regrouping, healing, and creation of the kinds of paths that will be needed in order to restore some sense of equilibrium. Here are the energies that are coming into play:

One Eb’ (Oct. 2nd) – 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, coinciding at this time with Brazil’s elections to elect the President, Vice President, and National Congress. Leftist former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is challenging Jair Bolsonaro for the presidency and urging citizens to unite against the far-right populist’s “incompetence and authoritarianism”.

When he kicked off his campaign on May 7th Lula said: “I am certain that we are going to manage to stage the greatest peaceful revolution the world has ever seen.” That was the launch of what he refered to as a cross-party anti-Bolsonaro alliance called Vamos Juntos Pelo Brasil, or Let’s Pull Together for Brazil. “We have a dream. We are moved by hope – and there is no force greater than the hope of a people who know they can be happy once more … Once again we are going to care for Brazil and the Brazilian people,” Lula said. Certainly this is a good day for that! Hopefully this “peaceful revolution” will be just that, as this is also the UN’s International Day of Non-Violence, always observed on Mahatma Gandhi’s Gregorian birthday. He was born on this day in 1869.

This first day of the Eb’ trecena coincides with the opening day for Mental Illness Awareness Week, dedicated to education and increasing awareness about mental health. Given the challenges that are facing so many people as they reassess their lives during this period, it will be particularly important to pay attention to mental health at this time.

This is also the Gregorian day which the Catholic church commemorates as the Feast of the Guardian Angels or the Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels.

2 B’en (Oct. 3rd) – a dynamic type of energy aligned with the “generation” of personal authority, at the start of the US Supreme Court’s new term. This marks four 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 civilization” 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.

As Hurricane Ian fizzles out, and rescue and cleanup efforts continue through many parts of the southeastern US, there is no doubt that this will be the focus for discussion by many world leaders, particularly since this is the UN’s World Habitat Day. The theme for this year is “Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind”, which is placing the spotlight on inequalities in living conditions around the world, with the issue of how to help vulnerable populations in the context of climate chaos being a central topic.

In South Korea this is the Foundation Day public holiday, known as the “Festival of the Opening of Heaven”, Tangun Day or Gaecheonjeol, commemorating the traditional founding of Korea by Tangun in 2333 B.C. The holiday is celebrated with ceremonies on the summit of Mount Manisan on Kanghwa Island, about 25 miles west of Seoul. This is where tradition says that Tangun offered sacrifices to heaven.

3 Ix (Oct. 4th) –the “activation” of transformation, coinciding with a National Day of Action in Canada for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit people (MMIWG2S).

In China, and for Chinese communities elsewhere, this is the day of China’s Double Ninth (Chongyang) Festival, aka Height Ascending Festival or Chrysanthemum Festival, aka Seniors’ Day – the day when many will visit the graves of ancestors to pay respects and clean the stones. As chrysanthemums are considered to have cleansing qualities these flowers are also prominent at this time. The Chinese pronunciation for the word “nine” is similar to that for the word “forever”, symbolizing longevity. Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, begins in the evening.

This is World Animal Day and the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals
and the environment, a time for many Blessing of the Animals events. World Animal Day was initiated in 1931 at a convention of ecologists to highlight the plight of endangered species, and since then has been observed annually as a tribute day for all animals.

Considering that birds and animals are being severely impacted by climate change, as well as people, these glorious beings could use as much help as they can get. Click here for one fundraiser related to saving animals and people impacted by Hurricane Ian. Florida Urgent Rescue (F.U.R.) is another one. Hopefully there are many more.

At this point it has been eight cycles since the US National Day of Climate Action in early 2017 when 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. Four cycles since hundreds of thousands of young people took to the streets in 2300 cities in 143 countries in November of 2019 for the Fridays for Future climate action demonstrations three days before the opening of the COP25 summit.

In 1814 this was the energy in place when the Treaty of Chaumont was signed, when the 4 powers that defeated Napoléon Bonaparte (Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia) all agreed to ally for 20 years to stop France if it ever got too powerful again. Now it seems that some similar action is needed to stop Russia.

4 Men (Oct. 5th) – 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 full day of the Jewish Yom Kippur, and with Dussehra, the final day of Shardiya Navratri, one of India’s most significant Hindu festivals that celebrates the triumph of good over evil. In Indian mythology this was associated with the killing of the King of Demons by the dazzling 10-armed warrior Goddess Durga. In legend the Gods (including the trinity of Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu) pooled their divine energies to give birth to this great Goddess Durga, who was given the power to destroy evil. May she continue to do this important work.

This is UNESCO’s World Teachers’ Day, and the National Day of Prayer for Mental Illness Recovery and Understanding, as part of Mental Illness Awareness week.

Weather permitting, this is the scheduled launch day for the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-5 mission to the ISS. The mission commander, responsible for all phases of flight, will be astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann, of the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, who will be the first Native American woman to journey into space. She will be taking a dreamcatcher that her mother gave her when she was very young.

This is the Maya birth energy of former US president John F. Kennedy.

5 Kib’ (Oct. 6th) – a “blessing” or “precision” type of energy associated, metaphorically, with the “Vulture’s” ability to fly high, survey, and then “swoop down” to “clean things up” – the energy influence that was in place at the time of the inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln. It has now been four cycles since Ursula von der Leyen took over as head of the European Commission, the EU’s top position.

6 Kab’an (Oct. 7th) – a “movement (or earth movement, even “evolutionary movement”) type of energy combined with the “all directions” force of the number six, on the day when winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced. The evening brings the start of Mawlid al-Nabi, the observance of the birthday of the prophet Muhammad in the Muslim calendar.

This day marks two cycles 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 at a critical time in the evolution of the pandemic. That was when U.S. Republican Representative Liz Cheney warned that her party was “at a turning point”, and that Republicans were going to have to decide whether they would 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. Over the past two cycles it became evident that far too many chose the latter, and many are now predicting the collapse of that party altogether.

It has now been four cycles since the Senate Intelligence Committee released the 5th and final volume of its report on the Russia investigation, in which it laid out “a stunning web of contacts” between the dumpster, his top election aides and Russian government officials, in the months leading up to the 2016 election, largely supporting the key findings from the Mueller investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 US election – and since then, much, much more corruption has been exposed relating to almost every realm of influence that the dumpster has been associated with.  As of last month, an ethics report has detailed that the dumpster has been credibly accused of committing at least 55 criminal offenses since he launched his campaign for president in 2015, and that only reflects allegations relating to his time in or running for office. It doesn’t include the crimes that were committed related to his fraudulent business dealings.

This is the 96th Gregorian birthday of Opal Lee, the feisty activist who fought long and hard to make Juneteenth a federally-recognized holiday.

7 Etz’nab’ (Oct. 8th) –“self-generating flint” – a “knife-edge” type of energy associated with the power of discrimination, coinciding with Mawlid al-Nabi, the observance day (until sunset) for the birthday of the prophet Muhammad in the Muslim calendar.

This is World Migratory Bird Day, the second of two this year, with the focus at this time being “ Dim the Lights for Birds at Night” as part of this year’s “Impact of Light Pollution on Migratory Birds” theme.

This is political activist and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson’s 81st Gregorian birthday, and the Maya birth energy of Olivia Newton-John, who would have turned 74 on Sept. 26th .

This energy is marking four 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.

It has now been three cycles (780 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”. And now, at long last, after the accumulation of wide-ranging evidence of a multitude of crimes, it appears that the dumpster could be served with a number of indictments in the near future.

One cycle ago, last January, this was the energy in place when a massive cyber attack against Ukrainian government websites sounded the alarm about the increased possibility of a Russian military offensive against Ukraine, not long before the actual attack took place.

8 Kawak (Oct. 9th) – “resurrecting storm”, sometimes associated with strong weather or some strong “push” towards enlightenment, coinciding at this time with the Full Hunter’s Moon, and –in the evening – the start of the Judeo/Christian Feast of the Tabernacles, aka Sukkot.

This was 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.

9 Ajaw (Oct. 10th) – an “outwardly projecting”, double-fire type of force associated with the full sun and “enlightenment”, coinciding with Thanksgiving in Canada and World Mental Health Day, on the final day of Mental Illness Awareness Week.

In the U.S. this is Indigenous People’s Day, celebrated in New Mexico, Oregon, Alaska, and many other states and cities, instead of Columbus day. In many places this is known as El Día de la Raza (“The Day of the Race”) or Hispanic Heritage Day to highlight the heritage and cultural diversity of Latin Americans wherever they may live and to recognize their resistance to the infiltration of Europeans. In Venezuela it is specifically known as El Día de la Resistencia Indigena (The Day of Indigenous Resistance). In Spain this day is celebrated as Hispanic Day, a national public holiday that commemorates the day when Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas and “claimed for Spain” a land that has been estimated to have been inhabited by over 100 million people in 1492.

In North Korea this is Party Foundation Day, the celebration of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea in 1945, an annual public holiday that includes mass events and military parades. This day also marks seven cycles since the massive rally in 2017 that brought the start of the Me Too Movement.

10 Imix (Oct. 11th) – a “source” based energy aligned with birth, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day of the Girl, marking the 10th anniversary of the celebration of this day that promotes the human rights of the girl child in all areas, and helps to support their development.

This is also National Coming Out Day, and the release day for Michael Cohen’s new book called “Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized The US Department Of Justice Against His Critics”.

11 Ik’ (Oct. 12th) – “inspirational” wind/breath/spirit; the energy that was in place on January 1, 2000 when millions of people celebrated the coming new millennium. This tends to be a point within this trecena when some major announcement or proclamation is made which needs to be heeded. Eight cycles ago (Jan. 2017) 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.” Six cycles ago Special Counsel Robert Mueller completed his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and submitted his report to the DoJ. As as result of this 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.

Along these same lines, two cycles ago (May of last year), WAPO published an article titled “The biggest threat to America is the Republican break with reality”, that included the warning that the loss of this year’s midterm elections was “simply not an option” for Democrats if democracy itself was going to be preserved. Given that those elections are now only three weeks away, it could well be that some other related announcement or warning could surface on this “11 Wind” day that could influence the trajectory of those elections.

12 Ak’b’al (Oct. 13th) a “grouping together” type of energy associated with darkness and deep mysteries, coinciding at this time with the World Health Organization’s World Sight Day and UN’s International Day for Disaster Reduction. Given the number of hurricane disasters that manifested during the last trecena, and the work that has to be undertaken to clear up the devastation, this particular UN international day has its work cut out for it. Indeed, “pulling together” is what is greatly need to provide assistance for the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their homes and livelihoods.

This is the day when the January 6th elect committee will hold its next public meeting, which will reveal much more about what the dumpster “knew and did” with regard to the Capital riot.

It has now been four cycles (1040 grueling days) exactly since 12 Ak’b’al on Dec. 8, 2019 when one of the first cases of coronavirus were detected in Wuhan, China.

13 K’an (Oct. 14th) – transformational “generative vitality”; a powerfully exuberant force that can instigate a great deal of action on many fronts, as was in place in October of 2012 when Hurricane Sandy churned off the coast of Florida en route to the New York/New Jersey coast.

This energy was also in place on June 19th, 1865 day 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.]