Transformation – that seems to be the keyword as the second trecena in the Imix to Ajaw cycle comes into play. During the last appearance of this trecena (last December) hundreds of thousands of people were involved in clean-up efforts from the fierce windstorm that had battered Washington state and parts of British Columbia. On the other side of the Pacific, in Indonesia, clean-up was underway from the effects of a devastating tsunami, triggered by the Anak Krakatau volcano, that destroyed hundreds of buildings.

Currently the focus is on the massive task of sorting out the aftermath of fierce Hurrican Dorian after it demolished large parts of the Bahamas before rampaging along the North American east coast, all the way up to Atlantic Canada. After powerful typhoons then hit the Korean peninsula and then Japan (with landfall near Tokyo) within the past three days, causing widespread damage and massive power outages, restoration efforts will also be needed in those areas. (Note also that The official World Cleanup Day is on Sept. 21st, on the 12th day of this period).

With Ix being representative of the Jaguar, the emphasis at this time often takes the form of people being “called to battle” to deal with things of an earthly nature during this period, in the interest of regaining stability after the “chaos of birth” that is often associated with the previous trecena. As the forces that triggered the instability in the first place are often intense, the nature of the transformation that now has to be shaped and managed is often significant, which is perhaps one of the reasons why the jaguar is emblematic of this time frame.

The Jaguar was seen as a master of navigation, a creature of great strength and agility that had dominion over the “tangle” of the underworld. Through its emphasis on high magic and even mastery over things of an unseen nature, the Jaguar was a peerless survivor, lord of the earthly domain and emblematic of authority, rulership, and ultimate triumph.

In world history the very first day of this trecena has often been a pivotal turning point in terms of the fate of nations, as seen during the French Revolution in the 18th century when some of the most significant events of that era took place under that “initiation of transformation” influence of One Ix.  In 2016 the Paris Climate Change Agreement officially became international law on One Ix at the same time as things were fluctuating dramatically in the last few days leading up to the US presidential election.

Now four cycles later, with the US Congress reconvening after summer recess, things will be heating up on Capital Hill in short order as “damage control” resumes with regard to US politics. After all the shootings this past summer, gun control is high on their agenda. In the UK the Brexit mess has reached another critical stage with a bill to block a no-deal Brexit having now become law, with Parliament now suspended until mid October even though the need to get on with actually “governing” the UK is great, and with the announcement that Speaker John Bercow will step down at the end of October, the word “mess” pretty well sums it up.  In Canada it is likely that the date of the forthcoming federal election will be made known during this period, with the election likely happening in October.

In U.S. history this has often been a highly consequential trecena. Looking back four hundred years we find that this was the trecena in place in 1619 at the time of the first arrival to British North America of enslaved Africans aboard the White Lion, a British privateer. Thirty years ago the beginning of this trecena saw a major earthquake strike the San Francisco Bay area, killing 63 people and causing some $6 billion in damage. And over the last three years in particular this trecena has brought massive changes to the U.S. political arena.

Elsewhere many great shifts have occurred during this period, as in the start of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the start of the London Blitz in 1940, the massive Tibetan uprising against Chinese aggression in Llasa that began under this influence in 1959, and the mass exodus from the city of Aleppo, Syria in July of 2012 when fierce fighting forced thousands of people to flee for their lives. In 2014 this trecena saw the start of the coalition air strikes against terrorist groups in Syria, major climate change rallies, and the historic Scottish referendum vote that resulted in Scotland remaining as part of the UK.

In 2016 it was the disastrous U.S. election, with this trecena coinciding with the 4 day lead-up to the election, the election itself, and the many days of massive anti-Trump protest demonstrations that followed. The crucial day during that time frame was Five Etz’nab’, a “knife edge” type of force that holds the potential to bring things to a definitive conclusion, as in the official surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945. Indeed, in the past many significant events “fateful” to nations have occurred under this Five Etz’nab’ influence, including the massive “Mobilization Peace” demonstrations in Washington, D.C in 1969 where hundreds of thousands protested against the Vietnam War, the attempted assassination of President Nixon in 1974, and the assassination of Lebanese cabinet minister (Minister of Industry) Pierre Gemayel in 2006.

During the last appearance of this trecena the U.S. government was under a partial shutdown due to the lack of a budget deal, people were resigning from key government positions, and the Dow Jones was plummeting by hundreds of points, with top Democrats accusing Trump of “plunging the country into chaos” through his persistent attacks on the Federal Reserve. At that time more than 100 women were sworn in on the floor of the House of Representatives as Democrats took back control of that branch of government. This same trecena brought the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s new far-right president (called the “Trump of the Tropics”) who is currently at the focus of attention over the fires in the Amazon. Partway through this timeframe last December former Republican representative John LeBoutillier published an article in The Hill titled “Predictions: Trump goes, unexpected candidate emerges in 2019”, in which he wrote that it seemed increasingly clear that the Trump presidency is going off the rails, as he predicted that “a spectacular political crash-and-burn” is in the works. It has been one cycle since that prediction (which was spelled out in much greater detail in the article) was made. With a third person (Mark Sanford) having just announced his candidacy to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination for 2020 it remains to be seen if this is that “unexpected” contender. We may learn more about this during the next few days.

So, as we work our way through this often highly eventful trecena once again it might be helpful to keep in mind that it is not unusual for major shifts from one state of being to another to occur at this time. Given the fact that “echoes” of earlier events can often resonate or reappear whenever a given trecena returns, it would not be unusual to see some “follow up” shifts (offshoots of earlier events) manifesting again during this period.

For those who are not involved in disaster relief efforts, but who are just getting on with “everyday” life, this can still be a stressful time as people return to work or school or other such activities after summer vacation. Many forms of transformation can unfold at this time as adjustments are made to new situations. As ever, this uncertainty can precipitate high stress and high expectations – but also high magic as in the widespread Chinese Moon Festival that is coming up, and in the gearing up for UN General Assembly Week and all its related activities, including the UN’s two-day Youth Climate Summit which is sure to be highly motivational for many. And who knows what will happen at the “Storm Area 51” event in Nevada now set for the Sept. 20-22 weekend at the end of the trecena?? Through these energy influences there is a strong possibility that many events could become personally transformative or even world shifting.

As we journey through this volatile, Jaguar-governed, zone of change, at the peak of the hurricane season (according to meteorologists), here are the energies that will be in play:

One Ix (Sept. 10th) – the initiation of the Jaguar’s power of transformation, this time coinciding with some interesting numerical curiosities.

I Ix: 11 after 11:11:11

This day marks 11 cycles precisely since 11:11:11 (Nov. 11, 2011) and as it is sometimes written numerically as 9-10-19 this is the first day of a 10 day Palindrome string in the month-day-year sequence. This is also the 11th Gregorian anniversary of the powering up of the Large Hadron Collider (on the first day of this trecena in 2008), with its goal of probing into the “fundamental nature of the universe”.

Four cycles ago (in Nov. 2016) the 2016 Paris Climate Change Agreement officially became international law on One Ix, and exactly nine cycles ago Justin Trudeau won the leadership of Canada’s Federal Liberal party with 80% support. Currently this is a continuation of Invisible’s “Defund Hate Week of Action” which kicked off the day before this trecena began. This week of activism continues until Sept. 13th This is also the second day of a British Airways pilots’ strike.

2 Men (Sept. 11th) – the “generation” of the Eagle’s “higher vision”, coinciding at this time with the most important day of the Onam harvest festival in India and with La Diada: the National Day of Catalonia. This is also Patriot’s Day in the U.S., on the 18th anniversary of the 9-11 tragedy.

Two cycles ago this energy was in place when the FBI raided the home, office and hotel room of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who subsequently became the first member of Trump’s inner circle to be jailed (for lying to Congress, campaign finance violations, and tax evasion). After he pleaded guilty to his crimes last December he was given a three year prison sentence. Three cycles ago this was the energy in place when some 200,000 protestors took to the streets of Seoul, South Korea to demand the resignation of President Park Geun-hye over corruption within her government. She went to trial and was found guilty of bribery and abuse of power, and then sentenced to 24 years in jail.

3 Kib’ (Sept. 12th) – an activation energy often associated with the “restoration of order”, as was in place two days before the US election in 2016 when James Comey reported that there was nothing new or incriminating about Hillary Clinton’s emails (but by this time it was too late for damage control). Two cycles ago Mark Zuckerberg appeared before the US Senate judiciary and commerce committees that were questioning the harvesting of personal information from more than 87 million unsuspecting Facebook users by Cambridge Analytical, the data collection agency that worked for Trump’s 2016 election campaign. Currently this is the day when the ten leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination will participate in a primary debate in Texas.

This is the final day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival that began during the last trecena. Known as Anant Chaturdasi, this is the day when Ganesh is immersed in a lake or ocean to help the deity become “formless” once again so the deity can “return home”.

4 Kab’an (Sept. 13th) – a “defining” energy associated with evolutionary movement, the powerful energy carved into the centre of the Aztec Sun Stone, coinciding at this time with the final day of the Onam harvest festival in Kerala, India, and the Chinese Moon Festival (or Mid Autumn Festival), one of the largest festivals in mainland China and East Asia.

This is also known as Moon Cake Day, on the 60th anniversary of the day when the first human made object to reach the surface of the moon (Luna 2) impacted the lunar surface. In addition this is the opening day for the 19th 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.

5 Etz’nab’ (Sept. 14th) – a “pin pointing” type of energy symbolized by “flint”. This is a “knife edge” type of force that can be quite dazzling and attention-getting, an energy that also contains the potential to bring things to a definitive conclusion, as in the official surrender of Japan at the end of World War II in 1945. Fifty years ago this was the energy in place at the conclusion of the trial conducted by Jim Garrison that focused on the conspiracy behind the assassination of President Kennedy. Nine cycles ago the city of Boston was completely shut down under this influence to allow for a massive manhunt for the Boston marathon bombers.

Four cycles ago this was the “shock and awe” energy in place at the time of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Precisely one cycle after that “freak-out” day armed FBI agents conducted a large scale raid on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s home, which ultimately led to his arrest and guilty plea pertaining to witness tampering and conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and finally to his disbarment, sentencing, and imprisonment earlier this year. Manafort’s Maya birth energy is on the 12th day of this current trecena.

Currently this is the time of the Full Harvest Moon, the day of the Monkey King festival in China which often involves spirit mediums putting themselves through dangerous ordeals (like walking through burning coals) to symbolize the trials of the legendary Monkey King. Under the influence of this particular energy this would not be recommended for the faint hearted. In Japan this is the day of the Nezujinja shrine Grand Festival, one of three major Edo festivals in September.

6 Kawak (Sept. 15th) – a “storm everywhere” force; an energy that often has more to do with the triggering of a “storm of compassion or emotion” than a weather related event, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day of Democracy and the Terry Fox Run. This was the energy in place four cycles ago, just after the 2016 election when major anti-Trump rallies took place across the US and in many other locations around the globe.

In Mexico this is the Cry of Dolores day, the eve of Independence Day, with the “Cry of Dolores” representing 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 (from his Studies in Ancient Mesoamerican Art and Architecture). 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 (although 9 Ik’ on Sept. 18th would be a better match for such a phenomenon).

7 Ajaw (Sept. 16th) – “self generating” full sun, a traditional great Aztec feast day devoted to Xochipilli, the “Flower Prince”, the god of flowers, games, music, and dance. With the sun frequently symbolized as a four- petalled flower there is a strong solar aspect to this in conjunction with fertility and maize. At this time this energy coincides with Mexico’s 209th Independence Day, which will be marked by parades, feasting, and fireworks. This is also the UN’s International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, and Respect for the Aged day in Japan.

8 Imix (Sept. 17th) – the “resurrection” of birth, this time coinciding with the opening of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74) and General Assembly week. One cycle since Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced that she was considering a presidential run. Snap legislative election in Israel (the second this year).

9 Ik’ (Sept. 18th) – the “outward projection” of wind, breath, spirit – the calendrical daysign of Ehécatl/ Quetzalcóatl, the “feathered serpent” traditionally seen in Mesoamerican cultures as being symbolic of spirit, breath, culture, the arts, and things of a life-giving nature – a very important energy both mythologically and historically. Symbolic of influential, far-reaching communication, 9 Ik’ is also representative of the winds that can “blow” in multiple directions to bring about change. Tornadoes have often manifested under this influence.

This is not only Hillary Clinton’s Maya birth energy, but was the energy in place when Bolsonaro (the “Trump of the Tropics”) took office as the 38th president of Brazil at the beginning of the year, amid wide-spread protests.

This is the opening day for “In The Company of Harold Prince: Broadway Producer, Director, Collaborator”, an immersive exhibition at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to showcase the life and work of Hal Prince, who was the leading force behind so many of the 20th century’s musical blockbusters.

10 Ak’b’al (Sept. 19th) – a combination of the foundational energy of “Source” (the number 10) in conjunction with “darkness”, as in the Temple associated with deep esoteric mysteries. The Jaguar energy that runs through this trecena is very much connected with this force. This is the opening of the 2-day Our Daily Planet Climate Forum 2020 with presidential candidates in conversation with young voters on the issue of climate change.

It has also been just over 530 years since the 10 Ak’b’al day in 1489 when a comet  appeared over Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), a few years prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores. The Aztec ruler Moctezuma II regarded this as an ominous omen.

11 K’an (Sept. 20th) – an “inspirational” type of energy associated with youthful vitality, at the start of the Global Week for Future climate action strike, on the opening day of Moscow’s International Circle of Light festival. Beto O’Rourke’s Maya birth energy.

It seems that “youthful vitality” could be strongly in play at this time as tens of thousands of people have signed up for a “Storm Area 51” event in Nevada, that was triggered as a joke on Facebook. However, it seems that three real festivals are now going to take place there on Sept. 20th (and likely the rest of the weekend, on the final three days of this trecena) – another Woodstock perhaps?  This marks one cycle since the opening of the 116th US Congress when Democrats took control of the US House of Representatives.

12 Chikchan (Sept. 21st) – “dedicated” lifeforce – a powerful force that represents a doubling of the intensity of the lifeforce-oriented Quetzalcóatl energy – a type of influence that can significantly draw people into action for a common cause, which is perfect for this World Cleanup Day, Playing for Change Day (during which musicians and music lovers unite for a global day of action to bring music to children), and the UN’s International Day of Peace, with this year’s theme being: “Climate Action for Peace”.  This is the opening day for the UN’s two-day Youth Climate Summit, and the start of the 186th Munich Octoberfest, one of the largest festivals in the world.

13 Kimi (Sept. 22nd) – “transformational death” (or “transformational foundations”) – a powerful “return to Source” type of force that can often pack a huge punch, as seen in the intense weather systems and even volcanoes that have occurred in the past under this influence. Currently this is World Car Free Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, and World Rivers day. As a report was released earlier this year at the SETAC Europe Environment conference that revealed that some of the world’s best-known rivers (including the Thames and the Danube) are now contaminated with dangerously high levels of antibiotics, this will likely be a focus for concerted attention at this time.

Precisely three cycles since a grand jury was impaneled to hear evidence in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign, evidence that has already lead to several high-level criminal prosecutions, with many off-shoots of that investigation still playing out.

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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.]