One cycle – and counting – since the release of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report last October, produced by 90 scientists from around the world, with the message that an unprecedented political commitment is needed to slash the use of coal, oil, and natural gas, and to rapidly deploy technology that can remove carbon dioxide from the air. The report came with the warning that this is “the final call” – the most extensive warning yet on the risks of global warning and the need to limit warming to no more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels; to do so will require “rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”. Since then we have seen massive calls for action from young people around the world and very little commitment on the part of many world leaders. A recent article on “plastic wrapped in plastic” in America’s grocery stores underscores the enormity of the problem.

And now, as this trecena begins, Europe is bracing for a potentially record-breaking heatwave with temperatures expected in the 38-40C range in some areas, with the forecast predicting that this could be “remarkable for its momentum and intensity”.

One cycle ago the crime-ridden city of San Pedro Sula, in Honduras, became a rallying point as 160 desperate people gathered at a bus terminal as they prepared to begin a journey north, in search of a better life. News of this gathering spread quickly and by the time they actually set off early the following morning the group had grown to over 1000 who then began a monumental march towards Mexico and the US border, with several thousand more joining the caravan as it continued on. Some made it through the ordeal; many did not. For many, the ordeal worstened when borders were reached.

So here we are again with the Kib’ trecena, which always seems to have its work cut out for it. With the first day of this trecena representing the “initiation of the restoration of order” (with Kib’ often symbolized by a vulture that is tasked with “cleaning up” after some kind of carnage), this is a theme that continues its influence throughout this time frame. And as past events have shown, this is a 13-day period that can foment “new thought” and shifts towards “new kinds of action”, sometimes involving revisions to earlier plans or reactions to major recent events.

Two cycles ago (January 2018) the first day of this Kib’ trecena coincided with the first anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, with an official shut-down of the U.S. due to the inability of lawmakers to reach a deal as to how to fund the government. It was the first modern government shutdown with both Congress and the White House controlled by the same party. That was the day of the second annual Women’s March when millions of women across North America and around the globe denounced Trump’s policies on such things as immigration, racial issues, and healthcare; voiced their solidarity with regard to the #MeToo movement; and stood up for human rights and women’s rights. It was a gargantuan mobilization that is currently pushing forward towards the 2020 election.

One cycle ago Congress (and everyone else) had to deal with the unfathomable fact that, despite an avalanche of opposition (including a joint statement by 2400 law professors; a statement from the National Council of Churches representing some 100,000 congregations and 45 million churchgoers across 40 denominations; and a raft of ethics complaints against him that were filed with the 10th Circuit by a group of US judges), the US Senate voted to advance Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court.

So what tends to transpire during this period is that various issues that present themselves during the previous trecena (and even earlier) suddenly have to be dealt with. During this past Ak’b’al trecena those issues included the massive protest demonstrations in Hong Kong over the extradition bill; the nationwide strike in Brazil that shutdown much of the country; the growing tensions between Russia and Georgia; the massive call for the resignation of the prime minister in the Czech Republic; re-ignition of the Trans Mountain pipeline issue in Canada; and the continuing scandals and on-going chaos in the White House, including the bone- chilling ineptitude in response to recent provocations from Iran which have just brought things within a hair’s breadth of starting another full blown war.

The US-Iran situation brings to mind that terrifying movie called “The Day After” that was televised on One Kib’ 26 years ago, which shocked millions of people (including President Ronald Reagan) into the realization of the consequences of a nuclear war. Exactly five cycles later, on One Kib’ in 1987, President Reagan challenged President Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. In 2009 this same energy was in place when President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev mutually agreed to reduce nuclear arsenals, which set the course to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. And then, of course, there was One Kib’ in 2010, the historic day when The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law by President Obama. Given the present circumstances it seems that many need another reminder of the importance of “Common Sense”, as emphasized by Thomas Paine when the first edition of this work was published in 1776 under this One Kib’ influence.

Thankfully, there has often been a strong emphasis on “restoring order” or “getting down to business” during this energy frame, with the emphasis tending to lean towards such things as transmutation, ingenuity, and practicality – frequently triggered by dramatic events that demand change. During this energy sequence there is often an emphasis on duality, sometimes involving paired events or paired ideas struggling to maintain equilibrium.

Given the situation with Iran and the tugs of war over power in so many other areas, that duality is vividly observable in hot spots worldwide as the forces of corruption, abuse of power, and revolting self-interest continue to dig in their heels while those aligned with truth, justice, freedom, and human rights continue to garner support. These days there are many mighty battles taking place along these lines.

This kind of “teetering” between two polarities is reflective 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.

In the past one of the most vivid manifestations of this duality in action was the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 2001 when hit by two planes, orchestrated by forces that were in stark opposition to what was represented by those towers. 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 at that time. As it happened, the exact same energy that was in place when those towers came down was also in place when the massive migrant caravans began making their way north from Honduras one cycle ago, so that 6 Imix energy can be hugely consequential.

In December of 2015 these were the kinds of forces that were in play at the time of the intense negotiations taking place in Paris 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. The fact that the US continues to be the lone hold-out, the only country that did not agree to be part of that accord, continues to be unfathomable, as that “plastic wrapped in plastic” article attests.

However, despite the dualities that are often highly overt, this trecena can often manifest as a real “work horse” kind of time frame, with strong emphasis on industriousness and “getting down to business”, all oriented around transmutation, as symbolized by the BEES that are so strongly associated with Kib’s energy. During this time there is often a lot of “clean-up” needed, often associated with some sort of catastrophe. These days, the situation in Washington seems more and more dire with each passing day, and the messes that have now been exposed seem more and more like a bottomless pit (or “swamp”) but as each crisis appears more and more people are getting a clearer sense of what needs to be done and many are stepping up to offer their services.

During this current timeframe the Democratic campaign debates will begin, so people will start to get a better sense of “who is who”. As this trecena begins the position of US Secretary of Defense will finally be filled, which “should” help with the Iran situation; the G20 summit will take place in Osaka, which “hopefully” will bring some positive results; and the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) conference is continuing in Germany, after opening midway through the last trecena.

With the Kib’ trecena often revolving around the theme of “practicality”, with Kib’ often providing the impetus to “think differently” in order to address challenges, it is not unusual to see significant changes in direction at this time.

So, again it may be helpful to keep in mind that this particular time frame does hold the potential to engender glimmers of light, as old patterns go through the process of change 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 new approaches to dealing with critical matters. During this current time frame these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Kib’ (June 24th) – the “initiation” of the transmutation force that leads towards the restoration of order, coinciding with the opening of the UN’s 41st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Two cycles since the massive MARCH ON demonstrations across the US and around the globe early last year, to demand political change, with that initiative gearing up now for the 2020 US elections. One cycle since the release of the UN’s “final call” Climate Change report that emphasized the imperatives associated with the current state of global warming.

Currently this is the day when the Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft brings Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jaques of the CSA, American astronaut Anne McClain of NASA, and Flight Commander Oleg Kononenko back to its base in Kazakhstan, after their six and a half month mission aboard the ISS. This is the day when Mark Esper assumes the position of US Secretary of Defense (a position that has been vacant for the past six months) at the same time as additional sanctions imposed on Iran by the US are due to come into effect (a tactic that has done nothing except increase tensions in the past).

In Peru this is the Inti Raymi, the Inca Festival of the Sun, where a great ceremony will be held to honour the Sun God and Pachamama (Mother Earth).

 It is also International Fairy Day.

2 Kab’an (June 25th) – a “dynamic” type of energy related to the earth, or “earth
movement”; Maya birth energy of US “Founding Father” Thomas Jefferson.

3 Etz’nab’ (June 26th) – the “activation” of a sparkling, “knife-edged” type of energy
that can dazzle, shock, and/or begin a separation process, coinciding at this time with the first day for the Democratic campaign debates in the US. Opening day for the Glastonbury Music Festival in the UK, and Canadian Multiculturalism Day.

4 Kawak (June 27th) – 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 was the energy in place when the UN climate change talks resumed in 2017, with a focus on how to implement the Paris Agreement. Currently this energy coincides with the second day of the Democratic campaign debates and the last day of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) conference in Bonn, Germany which opened 10 days earlier. One of the five key energies at the centre of the Aztec Sun Stone.

5 Ajaw (June 28th) – the “blessing of enlightenment”, coinciding at this time with the opening of the G20 summit in Osaka, the first to be hosted in Japan. This is also the
start of the three-day Worldwide Pride celebration (and New York’s 50th, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising; the Stonewall riots are now seen as “the Rosa Parks moment for gay rights”.

In addition, this is the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, marking the official end of World War One. In 1940 this was the energy in place when France signed an armistice with Germany after France fell to the Germans, and in 1972 this energy was in place at the time when North and South Korea signed a Joint Statement that established principles of working towards peaceful reunification. Twenty years ago this energy was in place when nearly 900 bands of First Nations met at the Assembly of First Nations and the National Congress of American Indians to build an alliance between indigenous peoples of Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and South America.

Three cycles since the controversial firing of FBI director James Comey, on the same day as Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to protect the Paris Climate Change agreement.

In ancient Mesoamerican mythology this is the energy associated with Xochipilli’s
birthday, a day associated with the arts, beauty and games.

6 Imix (June 29th) – an “everywhere” type of energy associated with “birth”, which can often bring chaos as some new order of being is manifested, currently coinciding with Armed Forces Day in the UK and the second and final day of the G20 summit in Osaka. This marks 25 Tzolk’in cycles since the terrorist attack on, and demolition of, the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York; one cycle since the beginning of the migrant caravans from Honduras in which people walked for days to reach the Mexican, and then U.S., borders.

Two cycles since January of last year when, due to nuclear threats, climate change, and related issues associated with the Trump administration, scientists moved the “Doomsday Clock” forward by 30 seconds, to 2 min. to midnight, the closest its been to catastrophe since 1953 when the US and the Soviet Union detonated their first thermonuclear bombs. And now there are the tensions in the works since Iran shot down a US military drone in “disputed” air space. Given all this and the climate crisis, among other things, what is the time on that clock at this point?

On this day there will be a memorial service in Los Angeles for the beloved Peter Mayhew, who portrayed the legendary Wookiee warrior Chewbacca in many of the Star Wars films.

7 Ik’ (June 30th) – “self-generating” wind/breath/spirit, coinciding at this time with the final day of the Glastonbury Festival, and with Asteroid Day. Click here for a live broadcast throughout this day)

8 Ak’b’al (July 1st) – a “resurrection” type of energy associated with “temple” or “house”, and deep esoteric mysteries, at the time of a conjunction with Canada Day (Canada’s 152nd birthday) and the start of the popular Gion Festival in Japan. This is the energy under which the first National Women’s Day was celebrated in the U.S. (in 1909).

9 K’an (July 2nd) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in association with germination, as when the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed in 1990 after its launch the day before. At this time this energy coincides with the “Great South American eclipse”, a total solar eclipse at the time of the New Moon.

Apparently this eclipse was first predicted by astronomer/mathematician Theodor von Oppolzer in 1887, through the publication of his great computational manifesto the Canon der Finsternisse.  As Leonard Nimoy’s Maya birthday, this energy could also translate as “Live Long and Prosper”.

10 Chikchan (July 3rd) – a Burner Day associated with “Foundational Lifeforce,
Liberation, and Higher Consciousness”, currently coinciding with the Half Year
Festival in China (associated with the lunar calendar year)

11 Kimi (July 4th) – “inspirational” new foundations, coinciding at this time with
Independence Day in the U.S., with the opening of the Quebec City Summer Festival in Canada, and with Ratha-Yatra in Puri, in the state of Odessa, in northern India, the oldest chariot festival in the world. Millions of devotees gather for this annual event in India, with thousands of people involved in pulling the richly decorated chariots.

One cycle since cannabis became legal in Canada. Five cycles since 196 nations voted (in December, 2015) to approve the historic global accord (the Paris Accord) to fight climate change, signalling an end to the fossil fuel era.

12 Manik’ (July 5th) – a “gathering together” type of energy associated with reciprocity, this time in conjunction with Venezuela’s Independence Day and the opening of the Calgary Stampede, at a time when the Sun conjuncts Sirius, the Dog Star.

13 Lamat (July 6th) – “transformational star”, an intense “heralding” type of force, as was in place at the time of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968; at the end of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam, when the last remaining U.S. combat soldiers left Vietnam in 1973; and when Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Council to oversee the Russia investigation in 2017. This was also in place when The Dawes Act was passed in 1887 which caused American Indians to lose a collective 90 million acres of reservation land.

Currently this energy coincides with the opening of Vancouver’s Carnaval del Sol, the largest Latin Carnaval in the Pacific Northwest and with the London Pride parade, marking the beginning of Pride season in London.

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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.]