As we crawl our way forward after one of the most intense and terrifying shake-ups ever delivered by the Ix trecena, the world, indeed, is not as it was when that trecena began a mere 13 days ago. All has been turned upside down so severely that it seems that everyone everywhere is having to re-think the very nature of reality.

Many have referred to this U.S. election as a unfathomable flashpoint that has rocked the world, with potentially horrifying implications. Acclaimed journalist Neal Gabler put it bluntly when he said that by chosing a candidate who has shredded American values, morals, tolerance, decency, ideals, sense of purpose, and very identity “America died on Nov. 8, 2016, not with a bang or a whimper, but at its own hand via electoral suicide.” Within the context of this election mainstream media and objective journalism took such a tremendous beating under a tsunami of false and misleading information that Gabler doubts that it will ever fully revive. Among the more creative takes on the whole mess was the story about the Statue of Liberty swimming back to France.

And although the U.S. election drew the attention of much of the world it is not the only region going through a seismic shift. This is happening in many places, not the least of which is South Korea, where an historic one million people protest took place a few days ago to demand the resignation of the president over governmental corruption.

As we make the shift to this new trecena the challenge now for millions of people is “how to find new footing” on this new ground. So here we are with a new energy sequence, one that, traditionally, was seen as being oriented around the idea of restoring harmony. This Manik’ trecena is symbolized by a Deer or Stag, a powerful but gentle and adaptable creature. The overall theme for this 13-day time frame is Sacrifice and Reconcilation, which suggests that a considerable amount of “give-and-take” may be required in order to become oriented to a new reality or gain grounding within a new context. No doubt there will also be a lot of head-butting this time through.

At the opening of this trecena during the last cycle the Republican party was in great disarray as a result of the Super Tuesday primaries. Much scrambling was going on as Mitt Romney warned that their candidate was not only unfit for office but a danger to both the nation and party itself. Much negotiation was required to set a course. And now, with a nation in complete disarray and many people in a state of both disbelief and outright panic the energies of this trecena may be needed more than ever to help people come to terms with the situation and find ways to move forward. Once again this trecena opens with the Republican party scrambling, in this case attempting to sort out how to transition to the new presidency.

As we journey through this 13-day period of “negotiation” we will see the return of many significant forces, not the least of which are many that were in place three Calendar Rounds (3 x 52 years) ago shortly after the election of Abraham Lincoln . It was a time of great turmoil, with a great deal of rioting, as seven states declared secession from the union and civil war was brewing.

Amazingly, the Calendar Round energy in place on the day of this current 2016 election was precisely the same as what was in place in 1808, at the time when Andrew Johnson was born. It returned 52 years later (of course) just after Lincoln’s election, so Johnson would have been newly-minted as vice-president at the time of his New Fire birthday.

The following four years were the civil war years, and then came the assassination of President Lincoln, at which time Johnson became president. (Note that a Maya calendar anniversary of the energy in place at the time of the assassination returns on Nov. 28th during this current trecena). Referred to as the “lamest of the lame-duck presidents”, Johnson was such a disaster in this position that he became the first U.S. president to be impeached (for violation of the Tenure of Office act and for bringing disgrace and ridicule on Congress – see his Biography).

Fast forward two Calendar Rounds and we find Johnson’s birth energy in place during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency, who was born under the same daysign influence as Andrew Johnson, and who also became president after a presidential assassination. This Calendar Round return coincided with a key phase of the civil rights movement energy, with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. receiving a Nobel Peace Prize shortly after this energy was in place (see 11 Kab’an below re the specific CR anniversary of that event).

Fast forward one more Calendar Round and we arrive at Nov. 8th of this year with an election that turns everything upside down and foments dis-ease in every direction. So let’s see what we have to work with during this time frame.

Indeed, this is a trecena that has put a heavy emphasis on negotiation at times, as could be seen in 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis. At that time Soviet submarines were in the mid-Atlantic en route to Cuba, fighting their way through a huge storm in the Sargosso Sea (mid-Atlantic), and tens of thousands of armed soldiers were already in Cuba. The final day of this trecena brought the highest level of warning regarding the nuclear threat from the Soviets at that time, and has been seen as a “game-changing” moment for President John F. Kennedy. Fortunately for us all that crisis was averted. In 1989 this same energy saw the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, and in 1991 it brought the end of the Soviet Union as all official Soviet operations ceased after the Soviet Union was declared dissolved.

The third and fourth days of this trecena have been extremely consequential in world history as Three Muluk was the energy in place at the time of the the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the first inauguration of Hugo Chávez (Venezulela) in 1999, the first inauguration of President Obama (in 2009), and the horrendous earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011. Four Ok, a firey “burner” day, brought the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan (after the tsunami). The intense final day triggered the 9.2 magnitude earthquake that struck Alaska in 1964.

But, as always, it is never possible to predict the exact nature of the “Sacrifice and Reconcilation” that may unfold during the 13 days of this trecena. Certainly it can be a time of “testing” that can require people to deal with important issues, working towards the goal of regaining some sense of balance. Given what is going on currently in the U.S. and elsewhere the challenges in that regard seem now to be more daunting than ever. As this plays out, these are the energies that will exert an influence:

1 Manik’ (Nov. 17) – the “initiation of reciprocity”, as Justin Trudeau visits Argentina, en route to Peru for the APEC summit; one cycle since Justin Trudeau visited the White House

2 Lamat (Nov. 18) – a “dynamic heralding” (or leadership) type of energy, at the time of the closing of the 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech and the 100th anniversary of the ending of the Battle of the Somme (the largest battle of World War 1 on the Western Front, fought over 4 ½ months, with over one million casualties). This is the day scheduled for a hearing with regard to Trump’s request to delay the Trump University trial which was set for Nov. 28th. On this day the Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft departs from the ISS.

3 Muluk (Nov. 19) – the “activation of water”, often a powerful “shape-shifting” type of force, now in place at the opening of the 2016 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Peru. The day designated for continuing massive demonstrations in cities across South Korea to demand the resignation of the president in order to to bring an end to the neo- authoritarian rule that had been imposed upon them.

4 Ok (Nov. 20) – 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;coinciding at this time with Crystal Skull World Day; and GuinnessWorld Record Day 2016 (the 12th annual)

5 Chuwen (Nov. 21st) a “precision” oriented energy in combination with play or even mischief; a “timeweaver” type of energy that can bring about change through innovation. Maya birth energy of veteran actor Robert Vaughn, who died on Nov. 11th

6 Eb’ (Nov. 22) – generally representative of “restorative vitality everywhere”

7 B’en (Nov. 23) – a “self generating personal authority” type of energy; the energy in place in April of 1865 when General Robert E. Lee’s surrendered the Confederate army to General Grant, precipitating the conclusion of the U.S. civil war (during which 620,000 – 750,000 soldiers were killed)

8 Ix (Nov. 24) – “resurrecting Jaguar” – this is Santo Mundo, a special Maya day devoted to the Celebration of the Earth and its sacred mysteries, as the Moon + Jupiter are conjunct. This time this energy coincides with Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., and the 47th National Day of Mourning by Native Americans of New England.

9 Men (Nov. 25th) – the “outward projection” of vision (as in the high-flying vision of the Eagle); an “Eagle warrior” type of energy, coinciding at this time with “Black Friday” in the U.S. Given the situation in the U.S., and the fact that this will be the beginning of one of the most important holiday weekends of the year in that country, there could be significant grass-roots political action underway at this time, which could build exponentially over the next few days. South Korea will likely be dealing with something similar.

10 Kib’ (Nov. 26th) – a “foundational restoration” type of energy which can fluctuate between the setting up of important foundations (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. Potentially another day of massive protest in South Korea if their president has not resigned by this time.

11 Kab’an (Nov. 27) –the energy of “change” combined with the force of evolutionary movement; Calendar Round return (“New Fire”) of the day in 1964 when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

12 Etz’nab (Nov. 28) – a powerful “knife-edge” type of force that can bring forth powerful separation (or “sacrifice-related”) events, as in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and the naval quarantine of Cuba in 1962.

13 Kawak (Nov. 29) – “transformational storm”, a Maya calendar anniversary of the energy in place when Andrew Johnson took office in 1865. Three years later he became the first president to be impeached. Also a Maya calendar anniversary of the energy in place at the opening of the 1948 Olympics in London, the first one held since 1936. At this present time this energy coincides with the New Moon.

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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.]