Here it is again – a return of a ferocious weather situation that is strongly echoing what unfolded the last time this energy was in place. At that time (last January) states of emergency were declared along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard due to a “monster” blizzard called Jonas that affected 16 states. At that time hurricane force winds forced a travel ban that shut down the transit system, roads, bridges, tunnels and theatres in New York and Washington D.C. Thirty-three million people were under blizzard warnings, hundreds of thousands of people were left without power, more than 12,000 flights were cancelled, and thousands were stranded overnight on the I-75.

At the present time it is Hurricane Matthew that is creating havoc on the Eastern Seaboard, after hammering the Caribbean as well as parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina over the past few days. But this seems to be what these particular energies like to whip up, as similar scenarios have played out on the last two appearances of these forces and many times before.

For some reason Lamat is often associated with hurricanes, whether it be the daysign Lamat or the Lamat trecena. As we begin this Lamat (Star) trecena we enter the second to the last of the trecenas in place during the seemingly endless battle for the U.S. presidency.

Round One of the presidential debate coincided with the first day of the last trecena. Round Two of the debate, which many will see as another form of hurricane, coincides with the first day of this current trecena. As throngs of high ranking Republicans are now calling for Trump’s resignation, it remains to be seen if there will even be a third debate, but if there is, this will coincide with the decisive “knife-edged” 11th day of this important period that completes the current 260 day cycle.

And what a completion this is going to be, with that enormous hurricane now battering the Carolinas and much of the southeastern seaboard, with many parts of the Caribbean (particularly Haiti) in need of significant assistance as hundreds of thousands of people deal with the storm and its aftermath – all this happening with just over two weeks left before the world has to deal with the fallout from this very tense and bizarre political free-for-all in the U.S.

As a “signaller” kind of energy, Lamat is a significant attention-getter, often heralding change. The Lamat trecena opens with the Moon Goddess working in conjunction with the “divine” energy of Venus to usher in a time frame that generally calls for strong leadership in order to shed light on new possibilities. And as this gets underway Republicans in the U.S. are facing an unprecedented challenge as they struggle to deal with the management of a deeply perplexing situation that could even involve having to replace a presidential candidate just days before an election. At the same time the energies themselves seem to be saying “enough is enough”, as they call for decisive action at the conclusion of this cycle.

One of the major patrons of this trecena was known to the Aztec as Xipe Tótec, the ancient Lord of Renewal and Liberation. The other was Xiuhtecuhtli, the Lord of Fire and Time – a deity connected with time related change, as in cycle endings. Both of these deities have stripes painted on their faces. Both of these entities are oriented around the idea of setting the stage for new beginnings. So it is amazing to see these energies in place at the time when U.S. voters will have the last opportunity (or the last two, depending . .. . ) to see face-offs between these two contenders.

The end of this trecena on Oct. 21st will bring us to 13 Ajaw (“transformational sun”), the conclusion of the 260 day cycle that began last February.

In the context of all of this we have the reminder that in many Mesoamerican cultures Lamat was also seen as a Rabbit that can signal “warnings”, with the warning at this time being “let’s get ready for the new cycle that will begin immediately after this Lamat trecena concludes”. And with the election taking place just a few days into that new cycle we are being warned that change is about to happen. But at this point the only thing certain is that worldwide a great many people are highly concerned (make that “terrified”) about it, no matter which way it goes.

Given that this is the final trecena in the current 260 day cycle, this is often a “game-changer” that can signal dramatic shifts in leadership, as in the inauguration of Pope Francis I in St. Peter’s Square on One Lamat in 2013, and David Cameron’s majority win in the U.K. elections in 2015, also on One Lamat. In 1918 it was One Lamat that saw the horrific assassination of Czar Nicholas and his family in Russia, and in 1953 this One Lamat energy coincided with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Similarly many people who have been born under the influence of this trecena have become strong leaders or “stars” in various fields, such as Wilbur Wright, a pivotal aviation pioneer; Nelson Mandela, a significant anti-apartheid revolutionary; and the legendary musicians David Bowie and Prince.

Overall it seems that this is a time to really pay attention, as changes can happen quickly under the influences present during these 13 days. “Game-changing” events in the past that have coincided with this energy zone include the discovery of gold in California in 1848; the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, followed by the unconditional surrender of Japan at the end of World War II; the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the U.S. in 1957; the first major Greenpeace event, in 1975; the completion of the deconstruction of the Berlin Wall in 1990; the storming of Baghdad by U.S. forces in 2003; the approval of the sweeping Wall St. reform bill in the U.S. in 2010; the announcement by CERN scientists that they had found the long sought-after Higgs boson “God particle”, in 2012; and the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

And how can we forget the arrival of the Beatles in the U.S. to make their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 (seen as one of greatest rock and roll moments in T.V. history), also during this trecena.

In keeping with the “signalling” aspects of this trecena this has also been the energy zone in which two significant signals from deep space have been detected – the Wow! Signal detected on One Lamat in 1977, and detection last year of the signal spikes from HD164595, a 6.3 billion-year-old star in the constellation Hercules.

With the rampaging hurricane on the east coast, and the “rampaging” debates scheduled for this current time frame, this is going to be a nail-biting conclusion to this cycle that has run from Feb. through to October of this year. Here are the energies that are coming into being:

1 Lamat (Oct. 9th) – the “initiation of leadership”, a heralding type of energy that can point to new directions, this time coinciding with the second presidential debate, at a time when increasing numbers of Republicans are “stampeding away” from their candidate, and Hurricane Matthew is terrorizing the Carolinas. This energy is also coinciding at this time with China’s Double Ninth Festival, a “potentially dangerous” time. Click here to see traditional suggestions for protecting against danger on this day.

2 Muluk (Oct. 10th) – the “dynamic shape-shifting” energy of water, this in conjunction with a number of celebrations including Canada’s Thanksgiving Day, World Mental Health Day, and a variety of approaches to the concept of Columbus Day or its antithesis.

 Celebrated as Native American Day/ Indigenous Peoples’ Day in some areas as a counter to Columbus Day (as in Denver, Albuquerque, Portland, and several others), many Latin American countries celebrate this day as the Dia de la Raza [“day of the race”], with some nations (such as Venezuela) celebrating it as the Dia de la Resistencia Indigena (Day of Indigenous Resistance) as a tribute to indigenous peoples’ resistance to European infiltration. In Spain this day is celebrated as a Hispanic Day or National Day.

3 Ok (Oct. 11th) – a Burner Day representative of the “activation of fire” or (heart-fire), coinciding at this time with the U.N.’s International Day of the Girl. Nelson Mandela’s Maya birthday. Six cycles since the announcement that CERN had discovered the Higgs-Boson particle.

4 Chuwen (Oct. 12th) – a “defining” day associated with play (and sometimes mischief); a “time- weaver” type of energy that can be quite eventful, as it was 98 cycles ago when it ushered David Jones (later known as David Bowie) into this realm, precisely one Calendar Round (ie. “New Fire”) after the birth of Eva Jessye, the first black woman to receive international distinction for her work with musical theatre. On this day early voting takes place in Ohio.

5 Eb’ (Oct. 13th) – the “blessing” of restorative vitality, this time coinciding with World Sight Day.

6 B’en (Oct. 14th) – representative of “personal authority everywhere”, this time coinciding with the 950th anniversary of the historic Battle of Hastings in Britain, a pivotal moment in that country’s history

7 Ix (Oct. 15th) – a “self generating transformation” type of energy, as was in place in 2013 at the time of South Africa’s national memorial service for Nelson Mandela. Maya birth energy of former professional boxer and activist Muhammad Ali, one of the most celebrated sports figures of the 20th century who died in early June.

8 Men (Oct. 16th) – a “resurrection” type of energy associated with the high vision of the Eagle at the time of the Full Moon (The Hunter’s Moon) and World Food Day. In 2006 this energy accompanied the formation of the huge North American Blizzard that dumped heavy snow on eastern coastal states through to Atlantic Canada. Two cycles ago this was the energy in place when a mysterious deep space signal was heard by SETI investigators.

9 Kib’ (Oct. 17th) – an expansive, “restoration of order” type of energy, sometimes associated with making “adjustments”, often with long term implications. Opening of the Habitat III summit in Quito – the U.N.’s Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (only the third such conference in 40 years)

10 Kab’an (Oct. 18th) – a foundational type of energy associated with the earth and evolutionary movement. Maya birth energy of the activist Latino poet Martin Espada.

11 Etz’nab’ (Oct. 19th) – an “inspirational flint” type of force that can be quite dazzling and attention-getting, this time coinciding with the third and final presidential debate. In 1325 this energy was in place at the time of the founding of Tenochtitlan, the axis of the Aztec empire. In 1955 a young Elvis Presley gave his first professional performance under this influence in his hometown of Tupelo.

During the summer of 2012 Venus achieved her greatest brilliance under this influence in conjunction with an “extreme” X1.4 solar eruption. At the present time the planet Mars will see the landing of the ESA’s Schiaparelli space module on its surface. This is also the day when two Chinese astronauts are scheduled to dock their Shenzhou-II spacecraft with the Tiangong 2 prototype space station, precisely 4 cycles after China successfully landed its Chang’e-3 lunar probe on the moon.

12 Kawak (Oct. 20th) – the “gathering storm” energy that can provide a final big PUSH toward enlightenment, this time coinciding with the Bioneers conference, and the day scheduled in many countries for The Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. Prince’s Maya birth energy.

13 Ajaw (Oct. 21st) – “transformational Full Sun”, a day often filled with high drama and great change – and sometimes even great light, at the conclusion of the Imix to Ajaw cycle, on the last day of the Habitat III summit. On this day the United Nations will officially appoint Wonder Woman (the comic book heroine) as an honorary ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls. Tzolk’in anniversary of the awarding of the contract for construction of the Space Shuttles Atlantis and Discovery in 1979; eight cycles exactly since the “moment of transition” in Egypt in 2011 when hundreds of thousands waited for the president to step down.

On the last appearance of this energy more than $13 billion was raised at the donors conference for Supporting Syria and the Region London 2016, co-hosted by the UK, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, and the UN and attended by representatives of 70 nations to address the needs of the millions of Syrians whose lives have been seriously affected by the civil war. The situation was referred to as the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis, with the goal of this conference being to raise funds and agree on a plan for economic and educational projects to assist the refugees. The amount pledged on this day was the largest ever raised for a humanitarian cause.

Given the unthinkable, and still continuing, situation in Aleppo it would be phenomenal if world leaders could find some way to bring an end to the wretched war by this day, at the  end of this cycle, so that the poor people in that beleaguered city can be liberated. (Click here for the story about the seven year old girl who tweets daily from that city, in her calls for help.)

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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.]