Straddling the end of the old year, and the beginning of the new, this Men (Eagle) trecena begins just 26 days before the end of the current 260-day Imix-to-Ajaw cycle. As the cycle nears its conclusion it is not unusual to see events of a “high stakes” nature unfolding during this period. This often becomes a “call to action” type of period, oriented around the idea of “taking a stance” or standing up for particular convictions. It is an energy zone that is often oriented around power, high vision, military strength, and determined action, as symbolized by the eagle. Ideas such as “pushing for supremacy”, “sabre-rattling”, and even outright combat are often connected with this time frame.  And indeed, as hundreds of thousands of people are being hit with severe weather conditions, such as major flooding events, massive mudslides, and intense blizzard conditions, they are being required to armour-up and engage in an intense battle to restore order.

As it happens, this highly stressful year is ending under the same energy influence as was in place at the time of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection in the U.S., so the first 3 days are paralleling those days when everyone was wondering what would happen as congress was getting ready to certify Joe Biden’s election as president. Then came the fourth day – insurrection day, on 4 Etz’nab’ – with that same energy coming in on New Year’s Eve this year. The rest of the trecena will be echoing what was in place after the election certification was complete, when everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the transition to the Biden administration got underway. There was a sense of “promise” in the air at that time, a sense of “possibilities”, as Biden liked to say.

Things have changed dramatically since then, as everyone knows, but at the same time there is a sense of a new intent – as there was in early 2021. At that time it was Joe Biden and his colleagues who were at the vanguard of the change – at the helm of “righting the ship of state” so to speak. Everyone was aware that a great deal needed to be done at that time, as the world was still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, and Trump 1.0 had done a lot of damage, but something had shifted, and the world seemed a little brighter.

Now, five years (seven cycles) on, after 11 months of widespread destruction, blatant corruption, and unthinkable savagery under Trump 2.0, it has become evident that “letting someone else” fix the problem is inadequate. This time the requirement is “all hands on deck” for the people of the country, and the people of the world. And, fortunately, many have been practising for this through much of 2025, and many creative and highly effective forms of pushback have made an apprearance. In addition to protest marches, such as those under the banner of “No Kings”, there has been “tactical frivolity” (as in the use of whimsical inflatable costumes to defuse tension), noise counteroffensives to chase away ICE agents, boycotts from companies and subscription cancellations to pull away from anything that supports the Trump administration, add campaigns to highlight the corruption, and a great deal of community based action to organize against the regime.

Traditionally, the Aztec saw this time frame as being under the patronage of two deities, one of whom was Tezcatlipoca, the awesome and often fearsome “smoking mirror” deity aligned with fire, strength, “supremacy”, and transformation. The other was the goddess Xochiquetzal (Flower Feather), aligned with artistry, creativity, household arts, fertility, and female sexual power. As a protector of young mothers and a patroness of childbirth, she was a “warrior” in her own right, aligned with the idea of “women as warriors”, particularly those who died in childbirth who were esteemed for their bravery.

So there is a kind of a double layer of “warrior-like” influence during this time zone, with bravery, strength, creativity, ingenuity, and transformation all tied in with these ideas. During this period the awesome Tezcatlipoca may even blow away the smoke from his “smoking mirror” to reveal more clearly than ever the nature of the beast that has been running amok. And no doubt Xochiquetzal will be donning her armour.

Given that an avalanche of long-hidden materials associated with the Epstein scandal in the U.S. is in the process of being released, and that there are reportedly some 1200 female victims associated with this case, it would seem that a considerable amount of long restricted, pent-up female power is posed to be released. Xochiquetzal’s influence at this time could be very advantageous for those who are tenaciously seeking transparency and justice in this regard.

At this particular time, given the aggressive, combative, and outright cruel nature of the current administration in the White House, including those in charge of the U.S. Departments of Defence, Immigration, and Justice, the need for powerful counter forces to be brought into action is greater than ever. But again, many have been practicing, and over the past 260 days (since mid-April) those counter forces have been gaining strength as courts, educational institutions, and many other organizations have fought back against the tyrannical forces that have been trying to overwhelm them. And now that the battle lines have been drawn, this trecena is set to bring a number of opposing forces into direct confrontation. Congress will be returning to session in Washington, but Republican support for the administration is fracturing as many have announced their departure, and many are already leaving. DOGE fizzled out after torpedoing a number of critical government origanizations, MAGA is splintering, Republicans are bracing for a trouncing during the midterm elections, and the DoJ has been ordered to release all of the infamous Epstein files – which includes “over a million more”.

Keep in mind as well that, as we move towards spring and summer, we will be going through a Calendar Round return of the exact energies (Maya days, numbers, months) as were in place in 1974 as co-conspirators in the Watergate scandal were being prosecuted and convicted, leading to President Nixon’s resignation to avoid impeachment. And what these calendrical cycles and energies reveal time and time again is that things are eventually brought “full circle” and echoes from the past tend to filter through to the present. Similar kinds of events often repeat, so it will be interesting to see if any Watergate-style forms of “accountability” will seep through over the next few months.

It is also interesting that, with 2026 being the 250th anniversary of the declaration of independence in the U.S., it is the people themselves who are doing the lion’s share of the pushback against fascism in that country. Hopefully they will still be able to celebrate “independence” by the time July comes around. Since the alternative is unthinkable, their work for the first six months of this year is well cut out for them. May the bravery, strength, and high vision of the eagle, that is the hallmark of this trecena’s force, give the people the power to break the constraints being imposed upon them, to carry them through to victory. Here are the energies that are coming into play:

1 Men (Dec. 28th) – the “initiation” of a high-flying (Eagle oriented) solar energy, a kind of “pushing for supremacy” type of force, now marking the start of the final trecena of 2025. Seven cycles ago this marked the beginning of the first trecena in 2021, which brought forth the insurrection in the U.S. On that One Men day in early January Nancy Pelosi made history by securing a 4th term as Speaker of the House of Representatives; the Washington Post revealed how the day before (Jan. 2nd, 2021) the sore loser of the election had “berated, begged, and threatened” Georgia’s Secretary of State Raffensperger to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state; and hundreds of DoJ officials threatened to resign en masse rather than follow said sore loser’s efforts to get them to overturn the election.

Indeed, in the past this energy has often manifested in the form of declarations of war, major battles, anti-government demonstrations and significant calls for reform, and even aggressive actions that have served to advance select interests. In 2003 this was the energy in place when the U.S. declared war against Iraq and began their invasion of that country. In 2014 this was in place when the U.S. launched airstrikes against ISIS groups in Iraq. Currently this is coinciding with the fallout from U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Nigeria, which included a strike on Christmas Day. And then there is the push-pull situation as the U.S. now threatens Venezuela.

As Russia continues its deadly air strikes against Ukraine, President Zelenskyy is scheduled to hold talks in the U.S. on this day, relating to a peace deal, as part of a grueling series of talks that have taken place over the past few weeks. Currently this “eagle warrior” energy is marking 17 Tzolk’in cycles exactly since the start of the 2013 Maidan Uprising in Ukraine, the wave of protest reactions that sprung up when the then-pro-Russian government declined to sign association and free-trade agreements with the EU, which outraged the large numbers of people who saw this as “a big step backwards”. Little did they know at that time that they would be brutally attacked by Russia in subsequent years, beginning with the annexation of Crimea by Russia a few months later, in Feb. of 2014. But still, after almost four years of bitter conflict since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the search for a solution continues. That search also continues in Gaza, where Palestinians are still under seige, despite the so-called “ceasefire”. Almost 20,000 more lives have been lost in Gaza during the last 260-day cycle, bringing the total to over 70,000.

This is also the 52nd anniversary of the day when the Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Nixon.

More in line with that Xochiquetzal (Flower Feather) patron energy noted above, however, is the creative female power force as exemplified by rock’n’roll legend Stevie Nicks, who was born under this influence. She has been named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, and is the only woman to have been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Currently this day marks 14 cycles since the unexpected death of rock icon David Bowie in January of 2016. This would have been Dame Maggie Smith’s 91st Gregorian birthday. She is greatly missed.

2 Kib’ (Dec. 29th) – a “dynamic” type of energy that can “shake things up” but ultimately tends towards being a “getting down to business” type of force that can lead towards the restoration of order, now marking 12 cycles since special counsel Robert Mueller’s announcement in 2017 that Trump was officially under criminal investigation for obstruction of justice. That was when nearly 200 congressional Democrats announced a lawsuit against Trump over his breach of the foreign emoluments clause that forbids federal officeholders from taking foreign payments and gifts. In retrospect, given everything that has happened since, that investigation now seems significantly lightweight.

In 2021 this was the energy in place when President Biden addressed the UN General Assembly to urge world leaders to commit collectively to vaccinating 70% of the world’s population against C-19 within a year.

3 Kab’an (Dec. 30th) – the “activation” of “movement” or “earth movement”, as was in place in December of 2019 when Dr. Li Wenlaing in Wuhan, China issued the first emergency warning to collegues that there were 7 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the city – the first hint of the forthcoming world pandemic.

In the U.S. one cycle ago, this was the day when many strong signs of push-back against authoritarian dictates began to appear, as when Harvard’s president said in a letter that the university would not comply with the Trump administration’s demands to dismantle its diversity programming and to limit student protests in exchange for its federal funding. On that day the Liberty Justice Center, a legal advocacy group, asked the U.S. court of international trade to block Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners, arguing that he had overstepped his authority. This was one of a multitude of high level pushbacks, often through the courts, that continued throughout this trecena, one cycle ago. Since then that pushback has resulted in the filing of nearly 500 lawsuits against his administration in federal courts.

This is also marking two cycles since the Venezuelan presidential election, which authoritarian Nicolás Maduro claimed as a win, even though he has never provided tangible proof of the win.

It has now been five Tzolk’in cycles precisely since the start of the Jan. 6th Committee’s public hearings in Washington D.C. in 2022. On that very first day of testimonies, evidence was put forward to reveal that an “attempted coup” was pre-planned, with that plan being “for all hell to break loose” to prevent Vice President Mike Pence from certifying the election results. Overall during the hearings, the Committee conducted over 1,000 interviews and collected over 140,000 documents associated with the planning and execution of the insurrection.

This is the Maya birth energy of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress – and a true “visionary warrior”. Her 100th birthday would have been Nov. 30th, 2024.

4 Etz’nab’ (Dec. 31st) – a “defining” type of energy aligned with Etz’nab’s flint-oriented, “knife-edged, shock and awe” dazzle, now coinciding with New Year’s Eve, at the end of a highly challenging year, and now marking seven cycles exactly since January 6th, 2021, when that frenzied mob, worked up by a diabolical covey of seditious politicians who were trying to subvert the election results, violently attacked the Capitol building in Washington D.C. at the very time when the Joint Session of Congress was attempting to ascertain and count the Electoral College votes to formally declare the results of the 2020 election.

Note that this is a “firey” energy that can bring sudden change.

Precisely one cycle after that horrific day WAPO published Robert Kagan’s article titled “Our constitutional crisis is already here”, in which he warned that the U.S. was heading into its “greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War”, in which the amateurish “stop the steal” efforts of 2020 would give way to a more organized nationwide campaign. Unfortunately, and tragically, he was absolutely correct!

It might be a good idea to hold tight to the thought that this was the energy in place in 2022 (5 cycles ago) when former Bolivian president Jeanine Áñez was found guilty of orchestrating a coup that brought her to power during a 2019 political crisis. She was convicted of making “decisions contrary to the constitution” and of “dereliction of duty”. The prosecution said that Áñez had violated norms that guarantee the constitutional and democratic order. She is now serving 10 years in prison. And, of course, former Brazilian president Bolsonaro is also now in prison (as of last month) for his role in an attempted coup in that country.

This is the 34th anniversary of the final day of the Soviet Union on Dec. 31, 1991 after being formally dissolved about 3 weeks earlier, and is the 26th anniversary of Putin’s leadership as president of Russia. In addition this is the 34th anniversary of the peace accords achieved between El Salvador’s government and leftist rebels, completed by former UN chief Javier Pérez de Cuéllar during his last minutes in office.

This New Year’s Eve is also marking 6 years since China officially alerted the World Health Organization about the detection of a “pneumonia of unknown cause” in the area surrounding a seafood market in the industrial city of Wuhan, which prompted the Chinese government to lock down that area. Let’s hope that nothing like that is again on the horizon as this is the day when ACA Health Care credits expire for some 22 million Americans, many of whom will no longer be able to afford health care because of the Trump administration’s policies..

5 Kawak (Jan. 1st) – the “blessing” of “stormy” compassion; a precision kind of energy that can stir emotions and trigger important events, coinciding with New Year’s Day and a Global Family Day of Peace and Sharing, which provides a reminder that we are all part of one global village family, on one small planet circling one precious sun. This is the day when Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as the 111th mayor of New York, and the city’s first Muslim and first Indian American mayor. During his Victory speech after he won the election, Mamdani quoted from 19th century political activist Eugene V. Debs who said:

“I can see the dawn of a better day for humanity.”

A good thought to hang onto, especially on the first day of the year, especially THIS year!

This 5 Kawak energy is now marking seven cycles since Jan. 7th, 2021, when members of Congress in the U.S. returned to complete their task, in the early morning, even though they had been under attack for hours during the insurrection. That was when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were confirmed as the new U.S. president and vice-president. That was the day, as the mess from the insurrection was being cleaned up in Washington, when newspapers around the world ran headlines such as “ ‘Trump blows up US democracy’: the world watches in horror” (The Guardian) – – – and the world has been watching in horror ever since as he set fire to the entire governing and judicial infrastructure of his own country; attacked free speech; dismantled or reversed decades worth of human rights, health related, education related, and scientific advancements (including those related to environmental protections); isolated the US from the rest of the world; destabilized global trade; and began waging wars. The question remains, on this New Year’s Day – when and how is it going to be brought to an end?

6 Ajaw (Jan. 2nd) – an “everywhere” type of energy associated with full sun and the power of enlightenment, coinciding with World Introvert Day and National Science Fiction Day, in honour of the birthday of renowned science fiction author Isaac Asimov, who wrote and edited more than 500 books. A great day for introverts to curl up with a good science fiction novel.

This is the Maya birth energy of Bernard Lyot, the French astronomer who invented the coronagraph to study the sun’s corona and its prominences without having to wait for a solar eclipse. Three cycles ago, Deep Space Optical Communications technology, or DSOC, achieved what engineers called “first light,” the feat of successfully sending and receiving its first data from far beyond the moon.

7 Imix (Jan. 3rd) – “self-generating” birth, an energy often asssociated with the envisioning of a “new order of being”, coinciding at this time with the Full Super Wolf Moon and the peak of the Quadrantids meteor shower, one of the strongest meteor showers of the year (Jan. 3-4th).

This “mid-point of this trecena” energy was in place when Hernán Cortés and his Spanish conquistadores arrived at Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) in 1519, marking the beginning of a “titanic” struggle for power that involved the Spanish siege of Tenochtitlan and its ultimate defeat two years later. And now the U.S. is in the midst of its own “titanic” struggle for power, which is becoming more and more intense as the days go by, and will ramp up again in the U.S. Congress when it returns to session in three days.

This is Sir David Attenborough’s Maya birth energy. His 100th birthday will be on May 8th. Last October 17th he became the world’s oldest winner of a Daytime Emmy when he recceived that award for his documentary on Secret Lives of Orangutans.

8 Ik’ (Jan. 4th) – the “resurrection” of wind/breath/spirit; symbolic of the Corn God working together with the wind/breath/spirit aspect of Quetzalcóatl, on the final day of the Winter Festival of Lights in Niagara. This is National Ribbon Skirt Day in Canada, honouring Indigenous culture, resilience, and identity. Indigenous communities, schools, and organizations will host events, encouraging people to wear ribbon skirts or shirts and share messages of cultural pride.

This is also World Braille Day, which has been celebrated since 2019 and is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of braille in acknowledgement of rights for the blind and visually impaired. It is also World Hypnotism Day, with its mission of promoting the benefits of hypnotism.

9 Ak’b’al (Jan. 5th) – an “outwardly-projecting”, longevity-related, type of force often aligned with the idea of “temple” or “house”, deep esoteric mysteries, and even “darkness”, coinciding at this time with Twelfth Night, traditionally a day of “feasting and merriment” as Christmas trees are taken down on the eve of Epiphany.

In China, this is the official opening day for the spectacular Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, the largest of its kind in the world.

In 2016 this was the energy in place at the beginning of a 4-day nuclear war drill in Russia that involved some 40 million civilians, tens of thousands of emergency workers and troops, and more than 50,000 vehicles, which was a major “head’s up” with regard to Putin’s warmonering, and the darkness that was to come. And even now the actual Russia-Ukraine war still drags on.

It has now been seven cycles since that Jan. 11th, 2021 “incitement of insurrection” article of impeachment (against Trump) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a growing number of Republicans were declaring that the dumpster was unfit for office. At that time Republican Senator Toomey said that Trump had “descended into a level of madness and engaged in activity that was absolutely unthinkable and unforgivable.” At the same time Senator Mitch McConnell met with two longtime advisors, at which time he said: “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us . . . If this isn’t impeachable, I don’t know what is.” But at that time too many Republicans were too spineless to actually vote to impeach. If they had done what needed to be done at that time, how much turmoil and grief would have been spared? How many millions of lives would have been saved? And now, as midterm elections are approaching, a record number of congressional members have declared their intention to leave, including Marjorie Taylor Greene who resigns from Congress on this day, a full year before her term was set to expire.

10 K’an (Jan. 6th) – “foundational germination” – a force that can be quite volatile, as in the generation of strong weather conditions or in the eruption of strong emotion-propelled action that could “germinate” into new directions, coinciding at this time with a Venus Superior Conjunction prior to its emergence as the Evening Star in February. Venus comes into this position every 584 days.

In the Christian tradition this is Three Kings Day, or Epiphany, a concept that pertains to the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality, or a sudden revelation, as in the appearance of Christ to the Magi.

It has now been one cycle exactly since the passing of Pope Francis, as this energy marks the end of the Catholic Jubilee year, which will involve the closing of the bronze “holy door” in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Jubilee year began on Dec. 24th, 2024.

In Russia and Eastern Europe this is Orthodox Epiphany, aka The Feast of Theophany, at which time many Christians submerge themselves in ice-cold lakes and rivers – to “wash away their sins” and commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.

In New Orleans, this signals the opening of Mardi Gras season. It is also the opening day of the gigantic, and highly influential, Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, “The Global Stage for Innovation” in consumer technologies, that will showcase over 2200 exhibitors over four days.

In a completely different reality, this is the World Day of War Orphans, to acknowledge and spread awareness about the needs of millions of children who are in desperate need of care as a result of losing families in war zones. Given the major conflicts in so many parts of the world, and the unthinkable warmongering that continues, the need for assistance in this regard is greater than ever.

In 1813 this was the energy in place when James Madison (“The Father of the Constitution” and the main force behind the ratification of the U.S. Bill of Rights) was inaugurated for his second term as U.S. President. Unquestionably he would be appalled to see the present-day destruction taking place at the hands of the current occupant of the White House. How many members of congress will think of this when they return to session in Washington on this day?

11 Chikchan (Jan. 7th) – inspirational Lifeforce, aligned with Liberation and Higher Consciousness, this is a Burner Day traditionally associated with “extinguishing the fire” – often signalling some kind of change in direction (particularly of an energy sequence), as was in place in 2024 when Vice-President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic party’s nomination as their presidential candidate, one day before her Maya birthday.

Currently this is coinciding with Coptic Christmas Day in Egypt and Orthodox Christmas (“Old Christmas Day”), a public holiday in many eastern European traditions, but no longer in Ukraine, at the beginning of what would usually be a festive week. The Coptic Church recognizes Jan. 7th as the day when Jesus was born.

It has now been nine cycles exactly since August of 2019 when an unidentified whistleblower sent a credible complaint (“an urgent concern”) to the inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community, which (eventually) led to Trump’s first impeachment trial in early 2020. Two cycles after that, precisely, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached him for the second time (the first time that had ever happened), via a bipartisan vote. There is now ample evidence that could serve as the basis for a third (and very comprehensive) impeachment trial.

12 Kimi (Jan. 8th) – a “gathering together” type of energy associated with “absolute foundations” and “equalization”; a “regrouping type of energy” that could help to lay the foundations for new ideas or ventures.

This marks exactly 13 cycles since this energy brought one of the “most insane and consequential news days in U.S. history”, just before the 2016 election. That was the day when Trump’s campaign almost imploded but was somehow “revived” when the hacked Clinton campaign e-mails were suddenly released by Wikileaks, setting the stage for the forthcoming “election from hell”. Amazingly this was also the energy in place when John F. Kennedy was nominated by the Democratic Party as their candidate in 1960 and it was also in place at the time of the death of Senator Ted Kennedy in 2009. This is the Maya birth energy of former US Vice-President Kamala Harris.

This would have been Elvis Presley’s 91st Gregorian birthday and David Bowie’s 79th Gregorian birthday.

13 Manik’ (Jan. 9th) – “transformational deer” (which could translate as “transformational harmonization), currently coinciding with the Feast of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines. This is a huge annual religious festival that features a life-sized dark statue of Jesus carrying a cross, that dates from the 16th century. On this feast day this figure is carried in procession through the streets of Manila, in one of the world’s biggest Catholic processions, as millions vie to see it and touch it, in the belief that touching it will bring good fortune and miraculous healing. As will play out in Manila on this day, this is a very intense energy, as seen in 1883 when Krakatoa volcano erupted with such force that it blew the island apart, creating a 130 ft. tsunami and a humungus dust cloud that plunged Jakarta, 100 miles away, into complete darkness. A good day to exercise caution.

Currently this is legendary folk singer Joan Baez’s 85th birthday, and the 44th Gregorian birthday for Catherine, Princess of Wales.

************************

[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.]