Holding hands – it seems such a simple, common gesture, and yet – in these seemingly endless “social distancing” – days, when so many people are in need of assistance and support, even this simple act of comfort is too often denied or withheld due to the global pandemic. But hands can send signals, hands can write messages, hands can create images, hands can build things, and hands can create objects of both wonder and practicality even if person-to-person touch is denied. And in terms of Maya calendrics, it is a hand holding a sun that serves as the symbol of this Manik’ trecena.

Click here for the Podcast to accompany this trecena.

Sometimes this manifests as people taking a stand and calling for change, as they did last June during the large rallies that followed the death and interment of George Floyd, when many statues that were seen as symbols of racism were toppled. During the trecena a number of important court actions were also taken such as the Supreme Court ruling against the dumpster’s bid to end the Deferred Action for Children Arrivals (DACA) program. That ruling upheld the lower court rulings that found his bid to be in violation of the federal act that says a government action cannot be “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with law” or “unsupported by substantial evidence”. This is a ruling that affected an estimated 700,000 young people who entered the US without documents as children.

Such actions are illustrative of the tendency within this trecena to see differing “forces” often involved in a struggle between opposing ideas or even ideologies, as they work together to find ways to reach agreement over courses of action. The emphasis is often on cooperation and negotiation as people work together to search for solutions.

The theme generally involves Sacrifice and Reconcilation, with some capitulation being required in order to make progress. The idea of a “life or death” encounter between deer and hunter is part of this metaphor, with the deer or stag often used in various Mesoamerican cultures to represent this day. Will the deer surrender its life for some greater good? Will it escape? Will the hunter take unfair advantage? Will the hunter honour the deer’s life and hunt only with a camera rather than a gun? What will be the nature of the negotiation? Will there be sacrifice and reconciliation or just one or the other?

As in the metaphor of the deer and hunter, the nature of the “encounter” that requires resolution during this period is often of a “high stakes” nature, as it was two cycles ago when millions of hearts and hands and voices banded together in the call for action under this trecena’s influence to address the global warming crisis. This time millions of hearts and hands and voices will be working together to restore the infrastructure in Texas, and in many other places, after the deadly ice storm that had that state, and several others, in its grip through much of the last trecena.

Six cycles ago, in late November of 2016, this was the trecena in place when people were frantically attempting to sort out how to move forward after the “shocking” U.S. election, with large numbers of high level firings and resignations taking place during that time.

Five cycles ago (in the summer of 2017) this trecena saw major “head butting” between the dumpster and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, involving a blustery “nuclear brinksmanship” exchange of threats between the two of them. Another critical standoff that took place during this period was the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. At that time the final day of this trecena brought 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. It was a “game-changing” moment for President John F. Kennedy as this crisis was averted. Other crisis 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.

Of particular note at this time is that we are now in the “energy return” zone of the exact “number + day” plus “number + month” energies that were is place three Calendar Rounds ago (3 x 52 years, less 39 days) at the time of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln near the end of this trecena in April of 1865. The pendulum at that time had definitely swung towards “sacrifice”.

Often there are there are many, many “high stakes” issues in play during this period, and at the moment, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic is still very high on the list. As this trecena begins over 112 million cases have been identified worldwide, including nearly 30 million in the US, where the death toll has climbed to over 500,000. One cycle ago (last June) the global number was 7 million, with over 2 million in the US, where the death toll was just over 110,000. At that time the timeframe for the development of vaccines was still highly uncertain. Fast forward to now and we find that millions have already received vaccinations and millions more doses are on their way. And with Joe Biden and his team now overseeing the battle against the pandemic in the US, the potential for “reconciliation” in this regard is now much, much higher than it was one cycle ago. Most certainly the push to find resolutions to massive issues such as the pandemic and climate change is much stronger now than it was last year, so it is possible that considerable progress and many important agreements could be made during this period.

As always, it is never possible to predict the exact nature of the “Sacrifice and Reconcilation” that may unfold during these 13 days, but there has already been a great deal of “sacrifice” so now would be the time to tip the seesaw in favour of “reconciliation”. Hopefully the number of covid cases will continue to drop as greater numbers of vaccinations are given. In the US, if President Biden’s Covid relief package is approved, millions will receive long awaited assistance on many levels.

Over the past few weeks President Biden has not only set in place significant programs and procedures for tackling the pandemic, but has also overturned many of the debilitating policies and orders give by his predecessor. Within the past few days he had affirmed that the US “is back”, is ready to “re-engage” with Europe, is once again fully committed to the NATO alliance, and has officially returned to the Paris climate accord, adding that it is returning “with a lot of humility” after “the agony of the last four years”. President Biden has pledged “unshakable” US support for the transatlantic alliance in what he portrayed as an epoch-defining struggle to safeguard democracy. As he put it, “Democracy doesn’t happen by accident. We have to defend it, fight for it, strengthen it, renew it.” He also announced that the US is ready to re-enter multilateral nuclear talks with Iran.

Overall, there are many positive signs that “virtual” handshaking, rather than “head-butting”, will be the order of the day as we traverse this “negotiation-oriented” time frame. Here are the energies that will come into play:

1 Manik’ (Feb. 24th) – aka “One Deer”, the “initiation of reciprocity”, symbolized by the Moon Goddess working with the Deer/Stag, the “carrier” of the sun on Earth, as the debate is held in the US Congress over President Biden’s Covid Relief bill and hearings continue regarding security failures associated with the Jan. 6th attack on the US Capitol.

It has been two cycles since 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”.

In Canada and a number of other countries this is Pink Shirt Day , part of the important campaign to put an end to bullying. This year the theme of “lift each other up” places emphasis on support programs that encourage healthy self esteem and teach empathy, compassion and kindness. The focus is on working together and treating others with dignity and respect. This year the Pink Shirt organization has masks and other items available to help with this important cause.  Along these same lines – note that it has now been one cycle since the funeral and interment for George Floyd in Houston. It was his death from police brutality (ie “bullying”) that sparked the huge Black Lives Matter rallies last year.

It has been eight long, gruelling cycles since the dumpster announced his candidacy for the 2016 election, at which time his bullying modus operandi was plain for all to see, on both national and international levels. The damage done since then, particularly during his time in the White House, is incalculable, and the need to find measures to counteract that damage has never been greater. Joe Biden and his team are now leading the way, and Congress is in the process of holding hearings to delve into the many issues that require investigation that remain as the shameful legacy of the previous administration. Investigations in other jurisdictions are also underway into other possible crimes such as tax fraud.

2 Lamat (Feb. 25th) – a “dynamic heralding” (or leadership) type of energy, on Lantern Decoration day just before the Chinese Lantern Festival. At the same time Purim, one of the most joyous holidays in the Jewish calendar, will begin at sunset. This is a Jewish celebration of deliverance that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, a official who was planning to kill all Jews in the Old Persian Empire. This festival is in honour of the “miracles” of Purim that were involved in the saving of the people.

In Mesoamerican mythology this is the birth energy of an Aztec deity known as Ometochtli (Two Rabbit), associated with pulque, the fermented sap of the maguey plant. Through these connections this day was sometimes seen as being aligned with intoxication. It is also the Maya birth energy of Elvis Aaron Presley.

3 Muluk (Feb. 26th) – the “activation of water”, often a powerful “shape-shifting” type of force, 17 cycles since the first inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th US president, in 2009.  Currently this is the full day of Purim, which ends in the evening. This is also the day of the Chinese New Year Lantern Festival, the 15th and final day of the Chinese New Year festivities. This is the time when special sweet dumplings (called yuanxiao) resembling the shape of the full moon are eaten, and lanterns are lit to facilitate the return of light.

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 14 cycles ago when a 9.0 earthquake (the most powerful in Japan since records began) struck Japan off the coast of Sendai, NE of Tokyo, triggering a devastating tsunami.

Maya birth energy of both 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 his Maya birth energy.

4 Ok (Feb. 27th) – 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” coinciding at this time with the Full Snow Moon and International Polar Bear Day.

5 Chuwen (Feb. 28th) – a “precision” oriented energy in combination with play or even mischief (symbolized by a monkey); this is a “timeweaver” type of energy that can bring about change through innovation.

6 Eb’ (Mar. 1st) – generally a “stabilizing” type of energy aligned with “restorative vitality”, coinciding at this time with the start of Women’s History Month in the US, with this year’s theme being “Refusing to be Silenced”

This is the day when Judge Merrick Garland is expected to be confirmed as the new Attorney- General of the US. During his hearings he told lawmakers that investigation into the Capitol insurrection would be a top priority.

This is also human rights activist and actor/ singer Harry Belafonte’s 94th Gregorian birthday. In 2015 Harry gave the keynote address for the opening of Stephen Somerstein’s photo exhibit chronicling the 1965 Civil Rights March from Selma to Montgomery at the New York Historical Society.

7 B’en (Mar. 2nd) – a “self generating personal authority” type of energy, coinciding at this time with the opening of the 8th annual World Ocean Summit and Expo, looking at how governments, businesses, and civil society can work together “to create a sustainable blue economy” – fully virtual at this time. This marks three Calendar Rounds exactly (3 x 52 years, returning to exactly the same day + month energies) since the day when Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Army General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in early April of 1965, signalling the “beginning of the end” of that war.

8 Ix (Mar. 3rd) “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 UN’s World Wildlife Day, devoted to celebrating and raising awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. This year’s theme is “Forests and livelihoods: Sustaining people and planet”, oriented around celebrating “the livelihoods of communities who rely on forests, and the value of these ecosystems for both wildlife and all of humanity”. The UN’s goal is “to raise awareness of the multitude of benefits of wildlife to people, particularly to those communities who live in closest proximity to it” as well as directing attention to the threats they are facing and the urgent need for governments, civil society, private sector actors and individuals to add their voices and take actions to help conserve and sustain wildlife.

This is the Maya birth energy of Kane Tanaka, the world’s oldest living person, who turned 118 on Jan. 2nd.

9 Men (Mar. 4th) – the “outward projection” of vision (as in the high-flying vision of the Eagle – which sometimes manifests as a “warrior” type of energy, in place as Mars conjuncts the Pleiades star cluster). This is March Forth or Do Something Day, which is likely to be a little weird at this time since a number of social media platforms are promulgating the idea that an obscure 1871 act made the United States a corporation and not a federal government, thus rendering any laws passed after that year moot and U.S. citizens not subject to them.

According to this bizarre theory, the United States will revert back to its original form on March 4th, the date when presidents were inaugurated prior to the 1933 passage of the 20th amendment. The belief is that the former Quackanon “president” will be sworn in as the 19th president on that date. Apparently this conspiracy theory stems from the principles of the sovereign citizen movement, an obscure concept predicated on a slew of strange legal interpretations and theories aimed at “proving” that U.S. citizens are not subject to any laws passed after 1871.

Although numerous big tech platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have made public efforts to remove such notions from their platforms, the idea is still “out there”, so things could become a bit “testy” on this day. Note that it has been three cycles exactly, as of this day, since David Laufman, the former Chief of the DOJ’s Counterintelligence and Export Control section, said that the dumpster is a “clear and present danger” to the national security of the US. The evening before Laufman had Tweeted that “Now is the Time for all Good Men (and Women) to come to the aid of their country.” At that time could even he have imagined how much of a danger the dumpster would become – or that such outlandish theories would become so problematic?

Note, as well, that this day marks three Calendar Rounds exactly (3 x 52 years, returning to exactly the same day + month energies) since President Abraham Lincoln’s last speech, the day when he had a premonition regarding his assassination, at which time he expressed his support for black suffrage. In the audience was the Confederate activist who shot him in Ford’s theatre three days later. This was also the energy in place in 1997 at the time of the funeral of Princess Diana, which was watched by millions.

10 Kib’ (Mar. 5th) – a “foundational restoration” type of energy which can fluctuate between the setting up of important foundations for a “restoration of order” (as in the setting up of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty in 1968) to the kind of massive “clean up” that was required in China in 2008 after the Szechuan earthquake.

This is Civil Rights activist and former UN Ambassador Andrew Young’s Maya birth energy (his 89th Gregorian birthday will be on Mar. 12th)

11 Kab’an (Mar. 6th) –the energy of “change” combined with the force of evolutionary movement, in conjunction with the World Day of Prayer, with the theme “Build on a Strong Foundation”, hosted this year by the South Pacific Republic of Vanuatu

12 Etz’nab (Mar. 7th) – a robust “knife-edge” type of force that can bring forth powerful separation (or “sacrifice-related”) events, as was in place exactly three Calendar Rounds ago (3 x 52 years) at the time of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865.

The last time this energy was in place the dumpster held a rally in Tulsa to try to “re-boot” his campaign. That rally was seen as one of the first “superspreader” events that he held to try to downplay (or ignore) the deadly pandemic. Fortunately, attendance was significantly smaller than expected.

13 Kawak (Mar. 8th) – “transformational storm”, marking exactly three Calendar Rounds (3 x 52 years) since the death of President Abraham Lincoln in April of 1865, following his assassination the day before.

Currently this is International Women’s Day, with this year’s theme being “Women in
leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, which celebrates “the
tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and
recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic”.

In addition this is the beginning of Women of Aviation Worldwide Week (to Mar. 14th).

This is the tentative date for the reopening of schools in England, but many are calling the reopening plans “reckless” and are demanding the publication of scientific evidence informing the government’s decision. One of the UK government’s scientific advisers has been warning that the plan could lead to a resurgence of coronavirus. Although case numbers have been dropping recently, the UK has recorded well over 4 million cases of Covid-19, and over 120,000 deaths.

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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.]