“Sun close to the earth” – this is one of the key concepts associated with this 13 day time frame, as exemplified by its traditional “patron” energies, and given the heat waves and fiery conditions in so many places, that is certainly how it feels.

This is arriving “hot on the heels” of a trecena that seemed to place emphasis on “earth traumas” relating to both fire and water as historic floods inundated Louisiana and wildfires tore through Portugal, Spain, and California . In addition, as anticipated, Obsidian Butterfly helped in the exposing of many “hidden secrets”, such as the sports governance issues related to the Olympics, and the on-going issues that are plaguing the US presidential race.

With many major warnings issued and drops in poll numbers with reference to the Republican nominee, words such as “Meltdown” (Time magazine), “Rock bottom”, and “Rats Deserting the Sinking Trump Ship” are now heralding the demise of that campaign. Complicating an already hard-to-believe scenario is the fact that someone who has been called “the most dangerous political operative in America” has just been appointed (on the final day of the Ak’b’al trecena) to head that campaign, which is sure to make the remaining weeks of the race even more of a fiery circus.

So now we come to the Kib’ trecena, with much of its emphasis on such things as transmutation, ingenuity, and practicality, all oriented towards the restoration of order – all of which is greatly needed in places like the flood ravaged Deep South as tens of thousands begin the tremendous task of assessing damage and cleaning up as the waters recede, and coming to terms with how to proceed with their lives.

With some 40,000 homes damaged and 70,000 people registered for federal disaster assistance in Louisiana the challenge of housing is of significant concern. Indeed, dealing with devastating losses will be the top priority in many, many places, including southern California, where over 82,000 people have been forced to evacuate within the last 24 hours due to raging wildfires.

During this period there is often an emphasis on duality, sometimes involving paired events or paired ideas struggling to maintain equilibrium, with one of the most dramatic manifestations being the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 2001 when hit by two planes that exploded upon impact on the sixth day of this time frame. As everyone is aware, that was a world-shifting event, and massive changes in national and international security have come into being as a result of the fiery forces that were in motion on that day.

Incredibly, an echo of this event could be seen precisely 16 Tzolk’in cycles after 9/11, in 2013, when a blast collapsed the lower floors of the headquarters of Petroleos Mexicanos in Mexico City, crushing 33 people beneath tons of rubble. This building was an iconic 52-storey tower similar in style to New York’s former World Trade Center, and was originally designed as a pair of 26-storey buildings. (Note: 26 and 52 are key Maya Calendar numbers.) In an eerie replay of the scene from 2001, people covered with dust rushed away from the buildings, as white smoke billowed out.

These kinds of events are suggestive of the “sun close to the earth” or “fire in the earth” kinds of forces associated with the patron energies of this period, energies that have been known to foment havoc for the purpose of transmutation, often as part of a push towards the birthing of a new type of order.

Sometimes these forces draw people together in dramatic ways around issues of monumental importance, as was seen in 2003 at the time of the world’s largest peace rally (involving millions of anti-war protestors). The last time this trecena was in place, in December of last year, much attention was given to the intense negotiations taking place in Paris at the Climate Change Conference as 196 nations worked to develop and approve an historic global accord to fight climate change, signalling an end to the fossil fuel era. This was seen as a decisive point in time as they committed, for the first time, to a universal agreement that has the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and limiting temperature rises. None too soon as NASA just released a report that revealed that this past July was the hottest month ever recorded.

So even though there may be monumental challenges to face, such events reveal that focused attention CAN bring forth important results. Indeed, in 2010 it was the first day of this trecena that saw President Obama sign into law The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in the U.S. Three years later that same energy was in place on the day when thousands of people participated in a March on Washington in support of stricter gun control.

As evidenced by the efforts involved in bringing about the climate change accord, this trecena can often manifest as a real “work horse” kind of time frame, with strong emphasis on clear thinking and industriousness, as well as “getting down to business”, all oriented around transmutation, as symbolized by the BEES that are so stongly associated with Kib’s energy. And, as it happens, National Honey Bee Day in the U.S. falls on the third day of this trecena at this time.

Within this current 13 day period there are two points related to the Maya Calendar that are of particular interest, the first coming in on the fifth day (5 Ajaw on Aug. 23rd). Hundreds of years ago in Mesoamerica this day would have been celebrated as Xochipilli’s birthday, a day associated with the arts, beauty and games. Xochipilli (the Aztec name meaning Flower Prince) was often depicted surrounded by flowers, immersed in the pleasures of life. Aligned with fertility, agricultural abundance, and feasting, this deity knew how to engage in the pleasures of life – sometimes to excess.

The second is 10 Chikchan, on Aug. 27th, a Lifeforce oriented Burner Day that coincides at this time with an Epoch conjunction between Venus and Jupiter, at the same time as the Juno probe takes its first high resolution close-up images of Jupiter.

So, even though the challenges at this time are great, this particular time frame does hold the potential to engender glimmers of light, as old patterns go through the process of transmutation and new imperatives come into view. With its emphasis on such things as illumination, ingenuity, vigilance, forgiveness, and even practicality, this trecena can provide important opportunities for the formulation of viable approaches to dealing with pressing, critical matters. During this current time frame these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Kib’ (Aug. 18th) – the “initiation” of the transmutation force that leads towards the restoration of order in tandem with a Full Moon/Sturgeon Moon, a preumbral lunar eclipse, and Mercury in very close proximity to Jupiter. An important day in Australia as this marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan where 108 Anzacs fought against a Viet Cong force of over 2000, inclurring the largest number of Australian casualties of any engagement during that war.

 2 Kab’an (Aug, 19th) – a “dynamic” type of energy related to the earth, or “earth movement”, one cycle since the opening of the First Session of Canada’s 42nd Parliament

3 Etz’nab’ (Aug. 20th) – the “activation” of a sparkling, “knife-edged” type of energy that can dazzle and/or begin a separation process, this time in conjunction with International Homeless Animals Day, National Honey Bee Day in the U.S., and the opening of the first Vancouver Mural Festival.

4 Kawak (Aug. 21st) – a “defining” type of energy aligned with “storm”, representative of the sun working together with the energy of intense rain, which can sometimes manifest as a “storm of compassion” – this time in conjunction with the closing of the Olympics in Rio

5 Ajaw (Aug. 22nd ) – the “blessing of enlightenment”; 16 cycles since the death of Karol Jósef Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II). In ancient Mesoamerican mythology this was known as Xochipilli’s birthday (see above). Publication day of the New Yorker issue that depicts Barry Blitt’s cover image of a rain-soaked Trump (titled “Donald’s Rainy Days”), seeming to suggest that some “blessed relief” might be in sight as his bombastic campaign continues its downslide

 6 Imix (Aug. 23rd) – an “everywhere” type of energy associated with “birth”, which can often bring chaos as some new order of being is manifested. At this time President Obama is scheduled to visit Baton Rouge to assess the flood damage.

7 Ik’ (Aug. 24th) – “self-generating” wind/breath/spirit, this time in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence. Maya birth energy of Heitor da Silva Costa, the Brazilian civil engineer and co-builder of the 98 ft. tall Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro (in collaboration with sculptor Paul Landowski and engineer Albert Caquot)

8 Ak’b’al (Aug. 25th) – a “resurrection” type of energy associated with “temple” or “house”, and deep esoteric mysteries; the energy under which the first National Women’s Day was celebrated in the U.S. (in 1909).

9 K’an (Aug. 26th) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in association with germination, as when the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed in 1990; this time in conjunction with National Dog Day.

As Leonard Nimoy’s Maya birthday, this energy could also translate as “Live Long and Prosper”.

10 Chikchan (Aug. 27th) – a Burner Day associated with “Foundational Lifeforce, Liberation, and Higher Consciousness”. At this time the Juno probe will take the first high resolution images of Jupiter at a time when there is an Epoch conjunction between Venus and Jupiter, shortly after sunset. The 240th anniversary of the Battle of Long Island.

11 Kimi (Aug. 28th) – “inspirational” new foundations, at the Start of the Burning Man festival at Black Rock, NV, with the Art Theme this year being Da Vinci’s Workshop. This is the one year mark since six NASA recruits began a year-long isolation experiment to simulate life on Mars.

12 Manik’ (Aug. 29th) – a “gathering together” type of energy associated with reciprocity, at the time of the U.N.’s International Day Against Nuclear Tests. Maya calendar anniversary of the Rolling Stones first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show (in 1966)

13 Lamat (Aug. 30th) – “transformational star”, an intense “heralding” type of force. Which begs the question – what will it be heralding at THIS time?

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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.]