Having journeyed through a transformation-oriented “jungle” led by the Jaguar during the last trecena where people were often “staking claims” to certain positions – as in China’s encirclement of Taiwan – we are now “stepping forward” into an energy zone that is more about negotiation, which often involves a certain amount of “sacrifice and reconciliation”.

When this trecena came into place last summer it opened on the final day of Pope Francis’s visit to Canada, which he referred to as his “pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation”, to address the “evil committed” and to apologize for role of the Catholic church in perpetuating the highly abusive residential school system in Canada. During that time there was a strong call to rescind the hated Doctrine of Discovery that had wrought so much damage on indigenous nations. It seems that he took this to heart, as eventually an announcement of the repudiation of that doctrine came at the end of March, very close to the completion of one cycle since his visit.

What we are working with during this next period is the energy of Deer, known as Manik’ to the Maya, representative of both harmony with the Earth, as well as Sacrifice-and-Reconcilation. This energy was represented by the Maya, in hieroglyphic form, as a hand holding the sun, symbolizing the idea of the warmth and nourishment of the sun being brought to Earth, where it helps to “shape” things of the earth.

In other Mesoamerican cultures this was represented by a deer, thought be an embodiment of the sun.

Negotiation and compromise are often highlighted at this time as people work towards some sense of harmonization regarding ideologies or courses of action. A considerable amount of “give-and-take” is often required in order to gain some sense of equilibrium. As this trecena opens, this “sacrifice-and-reconciliation associated with sun-in-hand” idea is playing out quite literally in the context of the Holy Fire ritual in Jerusalem as thousands of candle-holding priests and worshipers vie for position in order to have their candles lit from the Holy Fire at the Holy Sepulchre.

Note that the ancient deity known as Tlazolteotl was seen as being the patron of this time frame. Known as the “Eater of Filth”, she was a goddess of purification and curing who was oriented around the idea of erasing transgressions, so there is a sense that this trecena can help with the “righting of wrongs”, and finding ways to move forward.

It’s intriguing to see that this will be in place as the two important court cases get underway. First up is the start of the 5-week trial related to Dominion Voting Systems’s $1.6 billion lawsuit against FOX News, where Dominion is accusing Fox of defamation following the 2020 election. Some analysts foresee this playing out as “the civil lawsuit of the century”. Then, towards the end of the trecena, the trial associated with E. Jean Carroll’s rape lawsuit against the dumpster will begin, as his attempts to delay this have been denied.

As it happens, this trecena has a history of being problematic for “Captain Chaos” (as Michael Cohen refers to him), as could be seen last time when 30 FBI agents carried out an unannounced and intensive (day-long) court-authorized search of Mar-a-lago, during which some 30 or so boxes of documents (including top secret ones) were found. This was the first time a former “president” has even been the subject of an FBI search, signed off by a federal judge, acting on good evidence that he may intentionally have been involved in a crime. Then, on the last day, he appeared for a 4-hour deposition in the New York DA’s office, where he declined (some 450 times) to answer questions because his answers could have been used against him in criminal investigations. Note as well that just two days before this current trecena began he spend another 7 hours in that same office, again being deposed in that same case. So there may be more developments in that regard as this trecena evolves.

It has now been nine cycles since late November of 2016, when people were frantically attempting to sort out how to move forward after the “shocking” U.S. election that brought that unfathomable change in power, with large numbers of high level firings and resignations taking place during that time. In 1962 it was the Cuban missile crisis that had to be negotiated, with the final day of this trecena bringing the highest level of warning regarding the nuclear threat from the Soviets, as Soviet submarines in the mid-Atlantic were making their way to Cuba. That was a “game-changing” moment for President John F. Kennedy as this crisis was averted. Other dissolutions that have taken place during this time frame include the dismantling of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Five cycles ago this trecena began with the first ever UN High-Level Meeting (UN HLM) on Universal Health Coverage – a landmark summit where world leaders made an “historic commitment” to improve global health through the most “comprehensive international health agreement in history”. Two cycles ago the U.S. and China began to work together to tackle climate change issues, including the emissions cuts that need to be made over the next few years. As US negotiator John Kerry said at that time: “You have to look beyond differences sometimes to find a way forward.” It was a perfect way to begin a trecena that is all about cooperation, negotiation, and compromise. They were working to move forward and “shape” directions for the future. Fingers crossed that they can find a way to defuse the high level tensions between China and Taiwan during this current period, as China has been doing these “sabre rattling” drills for one full cycle now. And can we even hope that some way will be found to make progress with regard to the Russia-Ukraine situation?

What is promising is that this trecena tends to be highly favourable for the advancement of positive democratic agendas, as could be seen in 2020 when the Supreme Court ruled against the dumpster’s bid to end the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program, and in 2021 when the historic, bipartisan, $1 trillion infrastructure bill was signed in the US.  It was this trecena, that same year, when the director of the United Nations’ World Food Programme laid out a plan to spend $6.6 billion to combat world hunger.

The last time this trecena was in place, last summer, President Biden signed into law the CHIPS and Science Act to boost investment in domestic high-tech research and manufacturing, and the PACT Act to expand and streamline health care for around 3.5 million post-9/11 combat veterans who were exposed to toxins while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the same time intense negotiations were taking place throughout the trecena to advance the Inflation Reduction Act.

Note as well that in 1787 this was the trecena in place when the phrase “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” was being drafted and added to the US Constitution, becoming Article II, which provides that “the President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Overall, history tends to reveal that, as much as it is never possible to predict the exact nature of the “Sacrifice and Reconcilation” that may unfold during these 13 days, the seesaw often weighs in on the side of “reconciliation”. Here are the energies that will come into play:

1 Manik’ (April 15th) – aka “One Deer”, the “initiation of reciprocity”, symbolized by the Moon Goddess (the Number One) working with the Deer/Stag, the “carrier” of the sun on Earth. This is coinciding with the “Holy Fire” ritual in Jerusalam, National ASL Day (American Sign Language Day) and with North Korea’s Day of the Sun, the start of a three-day public holiday and Sun Festival to celebrate the 111th birthday of Kim Il-Sung, the founder and first leader of that country. In addition, this is UNESCO’s World Art Day, the opening day for China’s 40th Weifang International Kite Festival, and the final day Thailand’s Songkran festival.

This is the day when Germany shuts down its three remaining nuclear power plants, with cheering from those who support renewable energy sources and protests from those who do not. In France President Macron is signing his government’s pension reforms into law on this day, raising the state pension age from 62 to 64. Although there will be protests over this signing, on this fourth anniversary of the devastating fire that so severely damaged Notre Dame Cathedral, many will be celebrating the progress that is being made on the reconstruction of this historic ediface, as they look forward to its completion next year.

It has now been one cycle since Pope Francis completed his historic visit to Canada last July.

2 Lamat (April 16th) – a “dynamic heralding” (or leadership) type of energy, generally referred to as “Star” by the Maya. As two Lamat was seen as the birth energy of an Aztec deity known as Ometochtli (Two Rabbit), associated with pulque, the fermented sap of the maguey plant, this day was seen as having a connection with intoxication. This is also the Maya birth energy of Elvis Aaron Presley.

3 Muluk (April 17th) – the “activation of water”, often a powerful “shape-shifting” type of force, coinciding with the possible launch and first orbital test flight of SpaceX’s Starship.

This is the opening day for a 5-week trial related to Dominion Voting Systems’s $1.6 billion lawsuit against FOX, where Dominion is accusing Fox of defamation following the 2020 election. In February a Washington Post media critic said that this lawsuit could become “the civil lawsuit of the century”, the results of which could affect the future of Libel Law.

This is also the opening of the 127th Boston Marathon.

Sunset brings the beginning of ceremonies associated with Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, which continues into the following day.

This day marks precisely two cycles since a deal was reached at the end of the UN’s COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow in November of 2021, and 20 cycles since the first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th US president, in 2009.

This was the energy in place at the start of the Cuban missile crisis in late October of 1962, in place at the time of the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, and in place 12 years ago when an enormous 9.0 earthquake struck Japan off the coast of Sendai, NE of Tokyo, triggering a devastating tsunami.

This is the Maya birth energy of both Sir Mick Jagger and Prince Louis, Diana’s grandson, who was born precisely 29 Tzolk’in cycles after the death of Diana. For Harry Potter fans, this would be Harry’s Maya birth energy.

4 Ok (April 18th) – a “defining” Burner Day representative of fire (or heart-fire), an energy that can often stir the emotions as this is a “double-fire” type of force (the sun plus fire working together), seen as an energy that “runs with the fire”. This could be seen vividly in the powerful M7.3 class solar flare that shot out from the sun on a 4 Ok day in October of 2014, and in the warning given by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on 4 Ok last summer when he warned that “humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.” His remarks came at the opening of a conference for countries signed up to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

At this time this energy coincides with World Artisan Day, and with World Heritage Day, aka the 41st anniversary of International Day for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), with this year’s theme being “Heritage Changes”.

This is also coinciding with the full day of Yom HaShoah, aka Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, Israel’s day of commemoration for the approx. 6 million Jews who perished during the second world war’s holocaust. At 10:00 am an air raid siren will signal the start of two minutes of silence across the country. At that time cars stop, and people stand at silent attention in remembrance. One of the traditions associated with this is the lighting of special yellow candles that include Star of David logos. Special celebrations are usually held near the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial park in Kyiv, Ukraine at this time.

5 Chuwen (April 19th) – a “precision” oriented energy in combination with play or even mischief (symbolized by a monkey), coinciding at this time with the New Moon.
This is the day when former CFO Allen Weisselberg becmes eligible for release after serving over three months in the infamous Rikers Island jail in New York after pleading guilty to 15 felony counts related to a tax evasion scheme carried out by the Trump Organization, but it is thought that he could face further charges related to the hush money payment case for which the dumpster has been indicted.

It is anticipated that on this day Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will make a formal announcement of his candidacy for president, although he made his candidacy filing on April 5th. Although he is an environmental activist, he is also a staunch anti-faxxer and conspiracy theorist, which prompted Steve Bannon to comment that RFK Jr. could become a “useful chaos agent”. Overall this will likely be seen by many as a monkey-in-the works type of announcement.

This can also be seen as a “timeweaver” type of energy that can bring about change through innovation, as was in place when the historic, bipartisan, $1 trillion infrastructure bill was signed in the US. two cycles ago, in 2021. Then, one cyle ago, the US Senate voted to pass long-sought bipartisan PACT Act bill to expand health care benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law.

6 Eb’ (April 20th) – generally a “stabilizing” type of energy aligned with “restorative vitality”, coinciding at this time with a Total Solar Eclipse, on the 5th anniversary of the huge 2018 National School Walkout against gun violence in the US. Unfortunately, that walkout did not prompt the legislative action needed, and more and more of these kinds of protest demonstrations are taking place across the U.S. as students demand tougher gun regulations.

This evening coincides with the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

7 B’en (April 21st) – a “self generating personal authority” type of energy, coinciding at this time with the full day of Eid al-Fitr (the festival of “the feast that breaks the fast”), the final full day of Ramadan (which began on March 22nd)

This is the UN’s World Creativity and Innovation Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development.

In 1974 this was the energy in place when seven of Richard Nixon’s top aides were arraigned in court. This energy was also in place when Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Army General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in early April of 1865, signalling the “beginning of the end” of that war.

8 Ix (April 22nd) “Resurrecting Jaguar” – this is Santo Mundo, a special Maya day devoted to the Celebration of the Earth and its sacred mysteries, coinciding at this time with the peak of the Lyrid meteor shower, and with Earth Day 2023, with this year’s theme being “Invest in Our Planet”.

This is the day of China’s Double Third (or Shangsi) Festival that involves the invocation of cleansing rituals to prevent disease and get rid of bad luck, a festival also known as The Banquet of Peaches of Immortality. It is also U.S. astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s Maya birth energy. On his 93rd Gregorian birthday on Jan. 20th he was honoured as a Living Legend of Aviation. That was the day when he got married for the 4th time. He is the last surviving crew member of the Apollo 11 Lunar mission, and one of the first two people to walk on the Moon.

9 Men (April 23rd) – the “outward projection” of vision (as in the high-flying vision of the Eagle – which sometimes manifests as a “warrior” type of energy), currently coinciding with the London Marathon, and with World Book Day.

This was the Maya calendar energy in place in 1997 at the time of the funeral of Princess Diana, which was watched by millions. Currently this is the 5th Gregorian birthday of Prince Louis, Princess Diana’s grandson.

It has now been six long, drawn-out cycles since David Laufman, the former Chief of the DOJ’s Counterintelligence and Export Control section, warned that the dumpster was a “clear and present danger” to the national security of the US.

10 Kib’ (April 24th) – a “foundational restoration-of-order” type of energy, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace, oriented around reaffirming the UN Charter and its principles of resolving disputes and conflicts among countries through peaceful means, through multilateral decision-making and diplomacy – as efforts continue to be made to find a solution to the horrific crisis in Ukraine. This is aligned with this fourth anniversary of the day when Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected President of Ukraine, with 73% of the vote.

This is the start of World Immunization Week, with this year’s theme being “The Big Catch-Up”. Israel’s Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) begins at sundown.

This would have been Queen Elizabeth’s 97th Gregorian birthday.

This was specifically the energy in place in 1787 when the phrase “High Crimes and
Misdemeanors” was added to the draft US Constitution, becoming Article II, as noted above.

11 Kab’an (April 25th) –the energy of “change” combined with the force of evolutionary movement, exactly three cycles since the US Senate passed the $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill, clearing the way for it to be signed into law shortly thereafter. Currently this is World Malaria Day, highlighting the need for continued commitment to malaria prevention and control. The emphasis this year is on “harnessing innovation to reduce the malaria disease burden and save lives” – a reminder that malaria is not only preventable, but is still of concern, even though the pandemic has been the main focus of attention during the past three years.

Israel’s full Yom HaZikaron day (official Memorial Day for the Fallen Soldiers of the Wars of Israel and Victims of Actions of Terrorism) comes in at this time, with Israel’s 75th Independence Day celebrations (Yom Ha’atzma’ut in Hebrew), beginning at sundown, with the ceremonial lighting of twelve beacons (representing the 12 tribes of Israel) at Mount Herzi, Israel’s national cemetery. In addition this is Anzac Day, the national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that commemorates those who served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations. Anzac Day ceremonies will be held throughout those countries, and in many others, on this day. In North Korea this is Military Foundation Day, an annual public holiday that commemorates the founding of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army in 1932. This public holiday often involves a large military parade.

Unless there is some last minute change, this is the start date for the trial associated with E. Jean Carroll’s rape lawsuit against the dumpster – one of the many litigations swirling around him.

12 Etz’nab’ (April 26th) – a robust “knife-edge” type of force that can bring forth powerful separation (or “sacrifice-related”) events, on the 48th Gregorian anniversary of the resignation of President Nixon after the Watergate scandal (which now seems relatively mild in comparison with the unconscionable scandals and atrocities associated with the dumpster, not only over the past few years, but – as recent investigations are revealing – over many decades). In April of 1865 this was the energy in place at the time of the Ford’s Theatre shooting of President Abraham Lincoln.

Currently this is the opening day for the First Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver. It is also Carol Burnett’s 90th birthday, and National Help a Horse Day in the US.

13 Kawak (April 27th) – “transformational storm”, the energy that was in place at the time of the death of President Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865, following his assassination shooting the evening before.

This day marks six cycles exactly since the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington D.C. in 2019, to bring awareness (through speeches, prayers, songs, and dances) to long term injustices against Indigenous peoples in the US.

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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.]