After Hurricane Ida dumped “mountains” of water throughout a huge swath of the U.S. during the Muluk (Water) trecena, one might well be wondering what to expect from this Ik’ (Wind) trecena. Well – wind would be a good bet, particularly since this trecena is highly aligned with wind, and there is already a powerful hurricane out in the Atlantic now threatening the U.S. and Canadian east coasts.

Another aspect of this pertains to Breath – which brings us back to things of the air, and to communication.   Click here for the Podcast to accompany this trecena.

Forty days ago, on Maya day 13 Ik’ (“transformational wind/breath/spirit”), the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago opened its doors to some 385,000 mostly-unmasked people, 90% of whom were vaccinated. That was in late July, at a time when people were beginning to feel optimistic about the pandemic dissipating. But, unfortunately, dissipation did not happen, and the fact that large numbers of people kept trying to ignore or deny COVID-19’s existence seemed be a major factor, as could be seen when cases increased in the Dakotas after last month’s Sturgis Motocycle rally.

So now we are in the throes of a raging 4th wave, and in many places the pandemic is completely out-of-control. In many ways we are again seeing some “echoing” from the last time this trecena was in place, late last December. The day that this trecena opened at that time the US registered over 200,000 new cases on that day alone, a trend that continued throughout the trecena, reaching as high as 234,000 new cases a day towards the end of this time frame. By then the US death toll was over 350,000 . . . but since then more than 300,000 more people have succumbed to it in the US, with over 4.5 million deaths worldwide. The US still leads the way with over 40 million cases, but the numbers elsewhere are climbing rapidly. Both the UK and Russia just surpassed 7 million cases each.

So as we embark on this Wind, Breath, Spirit-oriented time frame, this question of how to control or quarantine something that is both airborne and deadly – and rampantly spreading – is still high on everyone’s mind. On one hand, this is early September, normally a time to return to school and to work after summer “vacation”. But nothing is normal these days, and the issue of how to prevent the spread of this virus is influencing decision-making on multiple levels as people come to the realization that resurgence of the pandemic requires that people become more vigilant than ever in the battle to overcome it.

In the context of this, and in light of the smokey skies that have characterized much of this past summer, we could all reflect again on the preciousness of clean, fresh air – something that most people used to take for granted – but no more. Having access to clean, fresh, unpolluted air . . . . having access to oxygen . . . . is fundamental to the sustaining of healthy life. And with the global number of coronavirus cases now quickly approaching 222 million, almost triple the number from one cycle ago (last December), and cases continuing to rise (at an astonishing speed in some areas), the need to get a handle on this is more imperative than ever.

We have now been through one full 260 cycle since vaccination programs really got going in a number of countries, but for many countries those programs are still in their infancy. Thailand, for instance, didn’t begin a widespread progam until 3 months ago, after an earlier attempt stalled, which was almost a year and half after the first case was detected there, and cases there have been skyrocketing. Misinformation and vaccine hesitancy has compounded the issue in many places, resulting in slowdowns in many vaccine programs. So communication – and how information is transmitted – is also a major factor. And this is one of the themes associated with this Ik’ (Wind, Breath, Spirit) energy frame.

Symbolically, this is the trecena associated with Ehécatl, the “Wind/Breath/Spirit” form of the great Feathered Serpent that was often seen as a portal to the heavens. One of the most prominent symbols associated with Ehécatl was a duck billed mask, representative of the wind that blows in all directions. And, of course, as Ehécatl reminds us, one of the most important things we can all do is to wear masks whenever we leave our homes.

The fact that Ehécatl is a variant of the great Feathered Serpent, known as Kukulcan (Quetzalcoatl), is also significant since serpentine energy has long been associated with medicine. As noted earlier, in Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius is a serpent-entwined staff wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicinal arts. This staff is used as a symbol for many health oriented organizations, including the World Health Organization, although sometimes is confused with the caduceus on the staff of Hermes/Mercury. In both cases the serpent is representative of the healing arts. The serpent’s ability to shed its skin and “renew” itself is a key concept here, in addition to its ancient connection with alchemy.

So here we are again with the Ik’ trecena coming into play, with its forces deeply aligned with many of the ideas associated with healing, communication, alchemy, life and death, and even negotiation, which is key to the advancement of such things as the bipartisan infrastructure bill that is greatly needed in the US., particularly with all the rebuilding that will need to be done after the destruction from that last hurricane, and the need to upgrade the infrastructure so it can better withstand climate change events. With the deadline for voting on this bill coming up soon, concerted attention will be brought to these concerns at this time. Similarly there is a crucial need to vote on, and pass, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to address the attacks on voting rights in the U.S.

Fortunately, this is the trecena that was thought of, traditionally, as being under the patronage of Chantico, the Goddess of Terrestrial Fire, associated with the warmth and nourishment of the hearth fire – protecting the “home fires”. As usual, she will be busy during this trecena helping people to protect their homes, health, and livelihoods. Associated with “high magic”, earthy treasures, and domesticity, Chantico provides the reminder that this would be an opportune time to turn towards things that can inspire and uplift, and to look for moments of “high magic”, especially close to home.

As it happens this time, we can look to India for assistance, as one of India’s most important celebrations will be running concurrently with this trecena at this time. That is the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in honour of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, giver of good fortune, patron of the arts, letters, and knowledge, and Lord of New Beginnings.

In terms of the third element – “Spirit” – this trecena has a tendency to be aligned with important “energy pushes” as people rally behind particular causes, as could be seen during this energy zone in 2018 during the midterms when the Democrats took back the US House of Representatives and 102 women were newly elected. Two cycles ago US citizens began receiving direct payouts from a $250 billion emergency relief package, and one cycle ago Senate Democrats and Republicans finally agreed on the parameters for another pandemic relief bill that provided $900 billion in additional funding to help Americans who were on the brink of financial disaster.

Currently, the focus will be on providing assistance with whatever is needed to help those who were so severely impacted by Hurricade Ida, particularly in Louisiana and the Northeast. And hopefully Hurricane Larry will stay well away from the coast so that people won’t have another wind disaster to deal with. There are also celebrational opportunities coming up at this time, aligned with such things as Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year, Mexico’s Independence Day, and National Hispanic Heritage month.

During this time communication will be important, particularly if it is “solution” oriented, inspirational in tone, aligned with light, and collectively dedicated to overcoming the widespread darkness that caused so many issues over the past few years. These are the energies that are coming into play:

One Ik’ (Sept. 7th) – the “initiation of wind/breath/spirit”, coinciding with Back-to-School (including universities) in many areas, with mask-wearing and other health-related restrictions being either mandatory or recommended in most places as the battle against the coronavirus continues on. This is the day when fully vaccinated foreign nationals who meet certain conditions will be able to enter Canada for non-essential purposes.

This is the full day of Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year and the 81st Gregorian anniversary of the start of the London blitz in 1940.

On this 199th anniversary of Brazil’s independence from Portugal a series of mass rallies will take place in Brazil, in support of President Bolsonaro, whose ratings have plummeted as a result of the huge numbers of coronavirus cases in that country (approaching 21 million – the world’s 3rd highest – with over 580,000 deaths) and corruption allegations involving his family and government – yet another illustration of the deep divide in that country. Since Bolsonaro often incites hatred and violence, many fear that this could become an attempt to seize dictatorial power, a situation similar to what happened in Washington DC on Jan. 6th.

As this “Wind” trecena gets underway Hurricane Larry, which is looking fierce, continues to churn its way across the Atlantic, with “strong swell” warnings being issued for Bermuda, the Northeast Coast, and Atlantic Canada.

It has now been one cycle since last December when the US Congress voted to pass the new $900 billion pandemic aid relief bill to help US citizens and business to cope with the pandemic. That was the day when EU leaders held a “crisis” meeting to discuss a coordinated approach to the spread of the then-newly-detected delta variant of the coronavirus that had been found in south-east England. By that time the number of global cases was nearing 78 million, up from just over a million global cases one cycle earlier. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to help much, as the global number is now quickly approaching 222 million, almost triple the number from one cycle ago.

This day marks precisely nine cycles since Hillary Clinton announced (in the spring of 2015) her campaign to become the Democratic candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. If she had won the 2016 election through her popular vote win there can be no doubt that the world would have been significantly different by this time.

This is the Maya birth energy of French President Emmanuel Macron, and of former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice in the U.S.

As of this day it has been five cycles since the 2018 launch of the Never Again Movement in the US to advocate for gun control, after the horrific Florida school shooting, and the beginning of nationwide rallies by students across the US in a call for stricter gun regulations.

2 Ak’b’al (Sept. 8th) – a “dynamic” type of energy associated with the temple or “house” of deep esoteric mysteries – as the International UFO Congress begins five days of Live-Streamed presentations.

This is the day when much of New Orleans is expected to regain power after Hurricane Ida left the city in the dark for several days. It is also Senator Bernie Sanders’ 80th Gregorian birthday. This marks five cycles since Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted 13 Russians for election interference (for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for aggravated identify theft).

3 K’an (Sept. 9th) – an “activation” type of energy associated with both germination and opulence, which is Queen Elizabeth II’s Maya birth energy.

One cycle since the dumpster threatened to veto the $900 billion pandemic relief bill that had been passed by Congress. (Instead of signing it he went golfing for several days.)

4 Chikchan (Sept. 10th) – the “defining” of Lifeforce, a Burner Day associated with “running with the fire”, in conjunction with Quetzalcoatl’s connection with Liberation and Higher Consciousness. This day marks the start of the highly anticipated Ganesh Chaturthi festival in India, a popular Hindu festival in honour of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, giver of good fortune, patron of the arts, letters, and knowledge, and Lord of New Beginnings, that spans 11-12 days each year. This is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism. Lord Ganesha’s birth is celebrated on this first day of the festival.

In the UK this is the opening day for the 20th annual Jane Austen festival in Bath as hundreds gather to participate in what is seen as the largest gathering of Jane Austen enthusiasts in the world. In China this is Teachers’ Day, an important national holiday.

This was the energy in place when the 13th Amendment (the abolition of slavery) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in January of 1865.

It has been six cycles ago since June of 2017 when thousands of protestors took part in March for Truth rallies in more than 150 cities across the US and around the world, to call for a fair and impartial investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election. Since this is currently the day of the hearing for Igor Fruman, who helped Rudy Giuliani try to unearth damaging information about President Joe Biden and his son in Ukraine, this is another opportunity for “truth” to come out, as Fruman is expected to reverse his plea from “not guilty” to guilty in a case alleging illegal campaign contributions to US politicians.

5 Kimi (Sept. 11th) – a “precision” type of energy associated with “absolute foundations”, on the 20th anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy. This 5 Kimi energy can sometimes be seen as a “game changing” force, as it can bring things right down to the barest of essentials, prior to regeneration. But that can also mean bringing things down to “pure spirit”, which can be that “game changing” turning point.

In 2018 the energy of 5 Kimi was in place when Democrats won back the US House of
Representatives in the midterm elections and made history with a record number of women winning seats in Congress.

6 Manik’ (Sept. 12th) – the energy of the six directions in conjunction with the reciprocity-oriented (but sometimes “sacrificial”) energy of the deer (traditionally seen as a “carrier for the sun” on Earth).

In 2001 this was the energy in place when the U.S. launched bombs and cruise missile attacks against Taliban targets in Afghanistan, officially launching Operation Enduring Freedom, in retaliation for their role in the 9-11 attack.

In 2019 this was the energy in place when the “notorious” phone conversation between the dumpster and new Ukraine president Zelensky took place in which Zelensky was pressured to investigate Hunter Biden’s involvement in the Ukraine. This became a focal point for the first impeachment trial against the dumpster, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Currently this is National Pet Memorial Day in the US.

7 Lamat (Sept. 13th) – “self-generating star” or beacon; a strong “heralding” type of energy, as well as a force that has been historically associated with strong winds (often tornadoes and hurricanes), as happened two cycles ago when this energy triggered an outbreak of severe weather in the southeast from Texas through to the east coast. That was the day (in April of 2020) when, for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus, all 50 US states were under disaster declaration as the number of cases in the US climbed to over 530,000, with the death toll over 20,000. By this point, currently, there have been well over 40 million cases in the US and over 650,000 deaths.

In British Columbia this is the day when the “proof-of-vaccine” program begins, exactly one cycle since the beginning of mass vaccinations in the European Union. That was the “Smoking Gun” day (late last December) when the dumpster told acting attorney general Jeffrey Rosen to “Just say that the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen”. One whole cycle since that happened and still no ramifications?

8 Muluk (Sept. 14th) – the “resurrection” of water; strongly aligned with rebirth and “purification”, on the opening of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 76) and General Assembly week. This is the day when California’s rather bizarre “recall election” will be held, which could be good news for Governor Gavin Newsom, since he has been gaining a great deal of support and confirmation over the past few weeks. For theatre goers and those associated with theatrics and the performing arts this could be one very happy day as this is the day when Broadway is scheduled to resume performances.

This is Michelle Obama’s Maya birth energy. She is to be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame on Oct. 2nd. It was also recently announced that she will be presented with the National Civil Rights Museum’s 2021 Freedom Award on Oct. 14th.

9 Ok (Sept. 15th) –an “outwardly-projecting” type of energy associated with love, loyalty, and guidance that can have long lasting influence; a “double-fire” type of energy often aligned with “hearth-fire” or even “heart-fire”, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day of Democracy.

This is the 200th anniversary of Central America (including present day Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras) officially declaring its independence from Spain in 1821. This also coincides with Hispanic Heritage Day and the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, on the eve of Mexico’s Independence Day.

Every year on the eve of Independence Day Mexico’s president re-enacts some version of El Grito de Dolores (the “Cry of Dolores”), in a “Viva México! Viva la Independencia! Vivan los héroes!” ceremony broadcast throughout the country, in remembrance of the call to arms that triggered the Mexican War of Independence.

With regard to Sept. 15th, Mesoamerican archaeologist/mythologist Karl Taube has made reference to his experiences in the Yucatan where he was told by Maya locals that “on September 15th every year, giant feathered serpents, the noh kaan, emerge from the sacred lakes of Coba to create havoc where they fly”, a belief that he also heard about related to another district where it was said that the feathered serpent takes to the air on September 15th. So it seems that if one is in the Yucatan at this time this would be not only the eve of a great national festival but also a day to watch out for plumed serpents. It may be that, since feathered serpents are symbolic of freedom and liberation, this could be a variant on the independence day celebrations.

This evening marks the start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

10 Chuwen (Sept. 16th) – “foundational play”; a creative time-weaving type of force, coinciding with Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, and the UN’s International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.

This is Mexico’s 211th Independence Day, which ordinarily would be marked by parades, feasting, and fireworks. However, again this year the grand parade has been cancelled due to the 4th wave of the coronavirus, with Mexico still registering the world’s 4th highest death toll (after the US, India, and Brazil). At this point Mexico has registered over 3.4 million cases of Covid-19, with a death toll of over 260,000.

At this point it has been two cycles since the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a list of 6 criteria that needed to be in place before Covid-19 restrictions could be lifted in various countries, and at that time (April of 2020) the US didn’t have even one of these in place, even though they were registering some 25,000 new cases a day. The dumpster’s response was to order a halt to funding for the WHO, a move which health experts immediately labelled as a “crime against humanity”, “an appalling betrayal of global solidarity”, and a “damnable” act that could cost hundreds of thousands of lives – which it did! The following day (11 Eb’) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed this when she called the dumpster’s act “dangerous and illegal” as she emphasized that by “ignoring global health experts, disregarding science and undermining the heroes fighting on the frontline” he was putting “at great risk” . . . “the lives and livelihoods of Americans and people around the world.”

11 Eb’ (Sept. 17th) – inspirational “animating vitality”, aligned with change and new possibilities, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International World Patient Safety Day. This marks two Calendar Rounds (2 x 52 years) since the 11 Eb’ 10 Ch’en day in October of 1917 when, reportedly, the Virgin Mary made her sixth and final appearance to three children at Fatima, which supposedly took place in front of 70,000 people. This event included the “Miracle of the Sun” during which many people saw the sun go through an unusual zigzag movement, at which time many were cured of afflications.

This is the Maya calendar anniversary of the energy that was in place in 1920 at the time of the ratification of the 19th U.S. amendment, which gave the right to vote to all citizens, including women – but, once again, given the new voting restrictions that Texas has put in place, people are again having to fight for that basic democratic right.

12 B’en (Sept. 18th, 2021) – a “dedicated” type of force aligned with personal authority, a double-Quetzalcoatl type of force, coinciding at this time with the UN’s second International Equal Pay Day (inaugurated in 2020), and with Independence Day in Chile.

This is also World Cleanup Day and the day of the Nezujinja shrine Grand Festival, one of three major Edo festivals in Japan.

It is rumoured that this is the day when a far right “extremist” rally could potentially take place at the Capitol in Washington DC, supposedly to demand “justice” for the 600 or so people who have been charged for participating in the Jan. 6th attack.

13 Ix (Sept. 19th) – “transformational Jaguar” – a double transformation type of energy associated with the Jaguar and earth mysteries, at the start of a three-day Peace Weekend, which will culminate in the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21st.

This is Terry Fox Run day; now referred to as Terry Fox Run: One Day. Your Way. We unite in spirit, not in person! as an invitation to run “wherever” for the cause – registration via the Terry Fox Foundation, an organization that has raised more than $800 million for cancer research.

This is also the last (and biggest and most spectacular) day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival that began on Sept. 10th, called Anant Chaturdashi, the day when the deity Ganesh is immersed in a lake or ocean to help this deity become “formless” once again so he can “return home”.

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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.]