The snow falling outside on this day is signalling that summer is definitely over.  Nevertheless, things seem to be heating up rapidly, especially given the indictments that are now appearing with regard to the Russia probe in the U.S., and the “civil war” types of rallies that are currently being planned.

To boot, we now have the Etz’nab’ trecena coming into place, which has a tendency to bring issues into stark focus in dramatic ways. Sparks tend to fly at this time and there can be a great deal of “shock and awe”, as the cold sharp flint edge associated with Etz’nab’ often prompts people to make hard decisions.

This is an energy sequence that is highly aligned with decisiveness, the separation of “right” from “wrong”, “good” from “bad”, “sick” from “healthy”, and other such opposites. The metaphor is that of a knife edge that can be used to cut away whatever no longer “works” in the interest of promoting healing. This concept is even reflected in the nature of the patron energies, with one representing the warmth of the sun and the other representing the coldness of the Underworld.  Etz’nab’ is an energy that can cut through or cut away issues and provide the “spark” that can initiate new forms of thought or action.

All of this was certainly in play last February, during the last appearance of these energies. At that time there were anti-Trump strikes throughout the trecena, including the F17 general strike, the “National Day of Action to Push Back Against Assaults on Democratic Principles”; the nationwide “Not My President’s Day” protest marches; and the massive “A Day Without Latinos, Immigrants, and Refugees” demonstrations. And now it appears that not only is something similar starting to shape up, but the intention seems to be to keep it up until the Trump-Pence regime is ousted. Some are even calling Nov. 4th (the second day of this time frame) the “potential start date of an apocalyptic showdown”.

All this is taking place precisely two cycles since the historic day in June of last year when Hillary Clinton was confirmed as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, at which time the momentum appeared to be firmly in her favour. Since then we have had two roller coaster cycles during which much has spun out of control, both in the U.S. and worldwide.

Historically this trecena has had a tendency to present situations that require people to face their dilemmas and make important decisions. Often those decisions have to be instantaneous, as in 2010  when Haiti was struck by a devastating 7.0 earthquake, and again in 2012 when this trecena forced tens of thousands of people on the U.S. east coast to face the daunting task of rebuilding homes, lives, and communities after the onslaught of Superstorm Sandy.

Very often the events that have taken place during this time frame have been either dazzling or just plain shocking, as was the case four cycles ago when the horrific terrorist attack on journalists and cartoonists took place at the headquarters of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, prompting hundreds of thousands of people in cities worldwide to take to the streets to stand in solidarity against the attack. “Je Suis Charlie” became a rallying cry of defiance.

Overall, it appears that, once again, this highly attention-getting time frame will be particularly intense. Much more information will likely be forthcoming with regard to the Russia investigations, with the possibility of more indictments. Social action has the real possibility of escalating as people learn more and more about the conspiracies that threw last year’s presidential election off course, and fomented the current political nightmare. Many are now digging in and dedicating themselves to the cause of fighting the forces that brought forth that travesty, working to “unleash a process of continuous protest” as one of the organizers of Refuse Fascism points out, towards the achievement of the unseating of the Trump administration. No doubt many sparks will fly as this trecena picks up speed. These are the energies that will be in play:

1 Etz’nab’ (Nov. 3rd) – the “initiation” of Flint, a sparkling, attention-getting “shock and awe” type of energy that can dazzle and/or divide and separate. The last appearance of this energy coincided with the massive “Day Without Immigrants” strike by foreign-born residents of the U.S., at which time hundreds of restaurants (including McDonald’s), food trucks, grocery stores, and other businesses and services were shut down in many large cities as protestors took to the streets in a strike that highlighted the contributions of immigrants. On the same day Trump held a press conference that was seen by many as an unhinged “marathon rant”.

2 Kawak (Nov. 4th) – “dynamic storm, catalyzation”, often manifested as the “generation of a storm of compassion” – a highly cause-oriented energy often fueled by strong emotion or great passion, coinciding at this time with the Full Moon. Although the rumour mills are warning that anti-fascist groups will begin “a civil war” against the far right on this day, it appears that at the very least there will be some major social action as Refuse Fascism is promoting a number of anti-Trump events in cities across the U.S. As it happens, it was exactly one cycle ago (last February) when 2 Kawak brought forth a nationwide General Strike in the U.S. – the F17 Strike, aka a “National Day of Action to Push Back Against Assaults on Democratic Principles” that included lawyers, legal workers, and other members of the legal community protesting in front of Federal buildings in many major cities. On that day The Washington Post unveiled their new slogan: “Democracy Dies in Darkness”, a phrase often used by Washington Post editor Bob Woodward, after Trump called mainstream media outlets the “enemies of the people” (not unlike the kind of remarks that both Stalin in Russia and Mao in China used to make).

One year since the historic day when the Paris Climate Change Agreement officially came into effect as an international law.  Maya birth energy of solar astrophysicist Eugene Parker who developed the theory of supersonic “solar wind” and proposed the spiral shape of the solar magnetic field in the outer solar system; NASA’s Solar Probe Plus, due to be launched next year, was renamed the Parker Solar Probe, in his honour.

 3 Ajaw (Nov. 5th) – the “Activation of Enlightenment” – an important Burner Day oriented around  the idea of “announcing the fire”, traditionally this is a point where clarity can suddenly breakthrough, with Ajaw’s “full sun” illuminating things that previously may have been hidden, coinciding at this time with the end of Daylight Savings time. Two cycles since an email was sent to Trump Jr. that revealed that “The Crown prosecutor of Russia . . . offered to provide the Trump campaign with some offical documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to Trump.”

The Calendar Round (New Fire) anniversary of the birth of Len Norris, the “cartoonist of everyday complications”, seen as one of the most outstanding cartoonists of the twentieth century. Also the Maya birth energy of singer-songwriter Fats Domino, one of the great pioneers of rock and roll, who passed at the end of last month.

4 Imix (Nov. 6th) – representative of the sun working with the waters of creation to bring something new into being, this is a “defining” type of energy associated with “birth” (ie. a “whole new world” or a “whole new way of thinking”), correlating at this time with the opening of the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany (the 23rd yearly session).

5 Ik’ (Nov. 7th) – the “blessing” of wind/ breath, and spirit – an energy that could enhance communication and perhaps even assist with bringing clarity or the idea of “hope” with regard to critical issues or events. One cycle since the nationwide “Not My President’s Day” protest marches across the U.S., at which time polls were showing that 46% of the population was calling for impeachment. Maya birth energy of the great African-American educator/activist Booker T. Washington (who died on Nov. 14, 1915).

The 100th anniversary of the armed insurrection in Petrograd, often referred to as the Bolshevik Revolution, referred to as “one of the most explosive political events of the 20th century”, which brought the Communists (Bolsheviks) into power in Russia.

Five cycles since the announcement of the Kepler telescope’s discovery (in a galaxy 459 light-years from Earth) of Kepler 186f, the first planet with a radius similar to Earth to be discovered in the habitable zone of another star.

6 Ak’b’al (Nov. 8th) – a “structuring” type of energy associated with “home and/or sanctuary”, an energy that could also translate as “darkness everywhere”, as was in place in 2003 when the Eastern Interconnect Power Grid suffered a massive power blackout.

7 K’an (Nov. 9th) – “self-generating germination”, situated at the pivotal middle point in this “knife edged” trecena. One cycle since NASA announced that 7 Earth-size planets have been found orbiting a dwarf star (Trappist-1) about 40 light years from Earth, the first time so many planets have been found around the same star; as it is thought that at least 3 of them could potentially harbour life the discovery is seen as “the first real opportunity to search for signs of alien life outside the solar system”. Two cycles since Hilary Clinton became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, a day referred to as an historic milestone for women.

8 Chikchan (Nov. 10th) – the “resurrection of Lifeforce”, coinciding at this time with UNESCO’s World Science Day for Peace and Development, and the 100th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Passchendale (Third Battle of Ypres) during the first world war.

9 Kimi (Nov. 11th) – the “outward projection of death/new foundations”, this time coinciding with Remembrance Day in Canada/Veterans’ Day in the U.S. The opening day for the APEC Vietnam 2017 economic leaders’ meeting, which will be attended by Trump as well as South Korean President Moon Jae-In. In 2010 this was the energy in place when Haiti was struck by a devastating 7.0 earthquake. Two cycles ago it was in place on the first of two funerals for boxing superstar Muhammad Ali.

10 Manik’ (Nov. 12th) – the bare-bones/foundational energy of “source” combined with that of the sun-carrying Deer, coinciding at this time with Remembrance Sunday in the UK.  One of the stunning ways in which such commemorations are marked in the UK is through the extraordinary poppy exhibits that have been put on display over the past few years, one of which is called “Wave and Weeping Window”, that features cascades of poppies representing the blood that flowed during the war. Four cycles since the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris (called “the darkest day in the history of the French press”) that triggered worldwide solidarity against this type of terrorism.

11 Lamat (Nov. 13th) – a “bright light” kind of energy that often heralds something new, at a time when Jupiter and Venus are in close conjunction in the morning sky, coinciding at this time with the opening of the Twelfth East Asia Summit, a meeting of national leaders from East Asia and adjoining countries. This is a force that can sometimes bring a sudden shift, as when Napoléon was forced to renounce his throne two hundred years ago, or when women received the right to vote and hold elected office in Manitoba in 1916. On its last appearance there was a furor at the Academy Awards ceremony over the Best Picture announcement. Three cycles ago this energy coincided with the launch of the UN’s sustainable development agenda called “The 2030  Agenda” which was seen as “the new universal agenda for humanity” aimed at bringing an end to world poverty and biodiversity loss.

12 Muluk (Nov. 14th) – a “pulling together” or “grouping together” type of energy associated with water, a good time for people to find ways to be adaptable and to “put heads together” to search for new pathways or find new solutions to problems. On its last appearance a major river in Chile was contaminated, forcing officials to cut the water supply to Santiago, leaving millions without water.

13 Ok (Nov. 15th) – associated with “transformational love” or “transformational fire”, this is an energy that holds the potential to be a real “scorcher”. This energy can manifest as the final big push away from “sacrifice and separation” towards greater freedom, creativity, and integration, as seen in the Treaty of Paris that ended the American Revolution in 1783. The last appearance of this energy brought an eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, and at least 22 tornadoes that ripped through several US states.

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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.]