The winds have shifted and the Eagle is taking flight.

Not only will it be in flight but it will be soaring high as “the biggest open-air show on Earth” gets underway in Paris, as it stages its first Olympics in 100 years. As the opening of the summer Olympics unfolds, many elements traditionally associated with the “Eagle” nature of this trecena, including strength, bravery, lofty vision, transformative action, and wide-ranging creativity will be spectacularly on display. For the first time ever, the opening will not be held inside a stadium, but will take place along the River Seine, allowing more than 300,000 people to watch from the bridges and riverbanks. According to the Guardian, while the athletes parade down the river on boats, more than 3,000 dancers, singers, actors, and other performers will take part in a grand performance “in 12 acts” . . . “tightrope walkers and acrobats will perform daring feats on water, rooftops, bridges and artificial islands using pontoons, floating pianos, helicopters and possibly even submarines, before a vast laser show finale is beamed from the Eiffel Tower”.

As always, this trecena begins just 26 days before the end of the current 260-day Imix-to-Ajaw cycle, and 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.

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 are all tied in with these ideas.

Without doubt a great deal of that energy will be channelled into athletic competition during this period, but with the Kamala Harris for President campaign rapidly picking up steam in the US, a whole new vision for America will also be unfolding during this period. Just two days before President Biden’s historic announcement, political commentator David Brooks wrote in The New York Times that “If Democrats are to thrive, they need to offer people a vision both of the secure base and of the daring explorations . . . That’s where the pessimistic post-Reagan Republicans can’t compete.” Then, as soon as Kamala took over the campaign reins, that “vision both of the secure base and of the daring explorations” began to jet-propel people into action, as some $231 million in campaign donations came in, in just 24 hours, and she was off and running. Although she was already a very strong warrior, she instantly become a central focal point for the cause of justice, freedom, and democracy, and during this period of “high vision” that cause will be significantly amplified, as people find new strength and courage to join the fight and “dare to dream” once again. Groups like Project Endzone are also taking considerable action. Indeed, the pivot has been happening so quickly that the Democratic Convention’s rules committee has indicated that it could begin and complete the nomination process for Kamala through virtual voting that would be done and completed by the end of this time frame in early August.

As is so often evident, these calendrical cycles and energies have a way of often bringing things back “full circle” so that “accountability” is eventually brought forward – not always quickly, but eventually. We could see that three cycles ago (June of 2022), which was exactly two cycles after the Jan. 6th, 2021 insurrection, as the Jan. 6th Committee began holding their telecast hearings after conducting over 1,000 interviews and collecting over 140,000 documents. The first three of those extraordinary sessions took place within this Eagle-related time frame as the committee presented their findings, conducted additional hearings, and presented new and substantial evidence associated with the planning and execution of the insurrection attempt.

It had been the first day of this trecena in early January 2021 when the deceptor-in-chief held a meeting at the White House with a large group of DoJ officials to try to get them to overturn the election. That meeting backfired as hundreds of DoJ officials threatened to resign en masse if he went through with his scheme. And even though the insurrection attempt took place three days later, it was put down and Joe Biden was quickly confirmed as the new U.S. president. He then immediately got to work to bring an end to the insanity of the previous administration, and instantly set in motion whatever was required in order to subdue the raging pandemic. At that time the 117th US Congress was sworn in on the very first day of this period, and Nancy Pelosi made history once again by securing a fourth term as Speaker of the House of Representatives. So things can shift dramatically during this period.

On other fronts, as in the fight against climate change, battles will continue as many regions are experiencing record-breaking heat and horrific wildfires. The iconic mountain town of Jasper, in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, is currently under seige, having already suffered considerable damage, as firefighters battle to save it. Other towns, such as the historic gold rush town of Barkerville, in B.C.’s interior, are also under threat. Similarly, wildfires in California, such as the Park Fire that rapidly grew to over 125,000 acres north of Sacramento in less than two days, and many other fires in California, Oregon, and Washington continue to rage and fire-fighting warriors are being called into action in many areas.

And then there are the wars, and the staggering crueltry still being inflicted on Gaza. It is long past time for a ceasefire to be put into place so that humanitarian assistance can be sent in. Although officials say that they are in the “final stages” of securing a peace deal, there are still issues to be resolved. The letter sent to the White House by medics who have seen the destruction first hand underscores the dire need for assistance, saying that the death toll was, in reality, more than 92,000. After meeting with Netanyahu on the eve of this trecena, Vice President Harris called for an end to the war, saying “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies, we cannot allow ourselves to become numb to the suffering, and I will not be silent.” While acknowledging the brutality of the Hamas attack last October, she said she made clear to Netanyahu that Israeli forces must withdraw from Gaza entirely, leading towards a permanent end to the hostilities. She also said that the Paelstinian people must be enabled to “exercise their right to freedom, dignity, and self-determination”. She emphasized that “it is time to get this deal DONE . . . let’s provide much-needed relief to the Palestinian people”. She said she is committed to a path forward that will lead to a two-state solution. VP Harris is a warrior, born on the 12th day of this trecena, which is an “equalizing” force, and she will be definitely be leading the charge into action in this regard during this period and beyond.

Although war-related events have often been associated with this time frame, hopefully an actual workable ceasefire deal will be brokered during this period to bring an end to this horrific tragedy.

On an individual level, this trecena will be providing many prompts and opportunities for people to step up and engage in important actions. Some, such as the Olympic athletes, will be pushing themselves to reach new personal heights of achievement; some will be finding new ways to get wind under their wings to join the fight for freedom, and some will be zeroing in on the points of light and sense of “gathering strength” that will push through this period, drawing courage, strength, and the inspiration to deal more effectively with their own personal challenges. Here are the energies that come into play:

1 Men (July 26th) – the “initiation” of a high-flying (Eagle oriented) solar energy, a kind of “pushing for supremacy” type of force that is marking 102 days until the 2024 U.S. presidential election, on the day when Kamala Harris formally receives an official endorsement for her candidacy from Barack and Michelle Obama.

This Eagle energy is currently coinciding with the opening of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which will run through this entire trecena and for several days beyond. The opening ceremony takes place on this day, staged on nearly 100 boats and floats that will parade down the River Seine along a 6 km route. Over 10,000 athletes will participate, and approx. 120 heads of state and government leaders are expected to attend the ceremony.

Currently this day marks 12 cycles since the unexpected death of rock icon David Bowie in January of 2016. It is also the opening day of the three-day David Bowie World Fan Convention 2024 in Liverpool, England. Billed as the world’s biggest Bowie fan gathering, dedicated to “all things David Bowie”, this will include the Bowie Ball, with attendees marking milestone’s and donning costumes and make-up reflecting their favorite eras from Bowie’s illustrious career. The theme is “The Year of the Diamond Dogs”. To boot, this is legendary rock musician Mick Jagger’s 81st Gregorian birthday. Happy Birthday Sir Mick!

Although the emphasis for many, at this time, will be on sports competition (and on celebration, in Liverpool), 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. At this time this “eagle warrior” energy marks 15 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. Currently this is Day 885 of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that began in 2022. It is also Day 292 of Israel’s horrific assault on Gaza.

2 Kib’ (July 27th) – 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 the 71st anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, signed by 22 nations, which ended over three years of fighting on the Korean peninsula.

This is now marking four cycles since the release of the Woodward/Costa book titled Peril, in 2021, that closely examines the tumultuous period spanning the November 2020 election, the January 6 insurrection, and President Biden’s inauguration, shedding considerable light on what CNN called “one of the most dangerous periods in American history.” This was the energy in place in 2021 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.

This would have been producer Norman Lear’s 102nd birthday. He created and produced over 100 popular television shows and won multiple achievement awards over his long career.

This is also the last day of the Maya month of Xul, traditionally associated with Kukulcan (known as Quetzalcóatl to the Aztec), the great Feathered Serpent, who was thought to descend from the heavens to collect offerings at the end of this Maya month.

3 Kab’an (July 28th) – the “activation” of “movement” or “earth movement”, coinciding with Venezuela’s presidential election, with retired diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia showing to be leading. He has promised to build a country of prosperity, democracy and peace if he is elected president, and has vowed to govern for all citizens – including supporters of his authoritarian rival Nicolás Maduro. Currently this marks 100 days until the 2024 US presidential election.

This is also World Nature Conservation Day, dedicated to raising awareness about the need for the protection of nature and its resources. The theme this year is: “Connecting People and Plants, Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation”. In Lyon, France, this is the opening of ICCR 2024, the 4-day International Conference on the use of Computers in Radiation Therapy.

The Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower will be on view overnight.

This also marks three Tzolk’in cycles precisely since the start of the Jan. 6th Committee 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 Mike Pence from certifying the election results.

This is the Maya birth energy of Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress – and a true “visionary warrior”.

4 Etz’nab’ (July 29th) – a “defining” type of energy aligned with Etz’nab’s flint-oriented, “knife-edged”, “shock and awe” dazzle, now marking five cycles exactly since January of 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.

Precisely one cycle later WAPO published Robert Kagan’s article titled “Our constitutional crisis is already here”, in which he warned that the US 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.

But even though that campaign has been nauseatingly nonstop, Democrats have been working on multiple levels to counteract those efforts, as could be seen one cycle after that WAPO article, in the summer of 2022, when Rudy Giuliani was hit with charges of ethics violations over baseless claims he made about the 2020 presidential election being stolen. At the same time former Bolivian president Jeanine Áñez was found guilty of orchestrating a coup that brought her to power during a 2019 political crisis. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Giuliani has since been disbarred in New York for his part in election interference efforts, and is awaiting trial in Georgia on similar charges. He also lost a defamation case relating to his persecution of two election workers, and has been fined $148 million in compensation.

On this day the “White Dudes for Harris” Zoom call will be held, part of a sequence of remarkable fundraising efforts by the Harris for President campaign. In addition, it is anticipated that President Biden will be announcing his plans for Supreme Court reforms at this time.

5 Kawak (July 30th) – the “blessing” of “stormy” compassion; a precision kind of energy that can stir emotions and trigger important events, as it did five cycles ago, in the early morning hours of Jan. 7th, 2021, when members of Congress in the U.S. returned to complete their task, even though they had been under attack for hours. That was when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were confirmed as the new U.S. president and vice-president. On that same day Joe Biden announced that he was nominating Judge Merrick Garland to serve as the next U.S. attorney general. 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). But even now, as a convicted felon awaiting sentencing and further prosecution, he is still the presidential nominee for Republicans, or more accurately for the MAGA party. Totally unfathomable!

Three cycles ago massive “March for Our Lives” demonstrations took place in some 450 cities across the US, to increase pressure on Congress to act on gun reforms. And yet . . . . how many people have died from gun related incidents since then – including at a recent MAGA rally?

6 Ajaw (July 31st) – an “everywhere” type of energy associated with full sun and the power of enlightenment, now marking ten cycles since Emmanuel Macron and his party won the French presidential election. Although he has a presidential mandate until 2027, the naming of a new prime minister will not be determined until after the Olympics, as the new French coalition works to sort out the path forward after the recent election.

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. One cycle 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 (Aug. 1st) – “self-generating” birth, an energy often asssociated with the envisioning of a “new order of being”. 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.

Currently this is Emancipation Day in Canada, commemorating the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire. It is also the opening day for Toronto’s Caribana 2024, North America’s largest Caribbean carnival.

Significantly, this is Earth Overshoot Day 2024 – the day when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services for the year exceeded what Earth could regenerate in that year.

Six cycles ago (early 2020) the dumpster had “one of the worst days in one of the worst weeks” in his so-called “presidency” under this influence as even his closest allies were backing away from his increasingly inane statements about how to deal with the pandemic.

This is potentially the day when the Democratic Convention’s rules committee could begin its nomination process through virtual voting, with the process due to be completed by Aug. 7th.

8 Ik’ (Aug. 2nd) – the “resurrection” of wind/breath/spirit; symbolic of the Corn God working together with the wind/breath/spirit aspect of Quetzalcóatl, coinciding with the opening day for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, referred to as “the greatest celebration of arts and culture on the planet”. This is a festival that dates back to 1947, when eight theatre groups showed up to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival. Since they weren’t officially invited to the Festival they staged their own shows on the “fringe”. The vision of “giving anyone a stage and everyone a seat” continues.

This is the opening day for Adele’s “Adele in Munich” concert residency, for which a 400,000 sq-metre pop-up stadium is being built.  This is also the Maya birth energy of the mesmerizing Josephine Baker, the famed jazz singer who became a spy for the French Resistance during World War II.

9 Ak’b’al (Aug. 3rd) – an “outwardly-projecting” type of force often aligned with the idea of “temple” or “house”, deep esoteric mysteries, and even “darkness”, as was in place nearly 40 years ago when then German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (whose father had fought near Verdun) and French President François Mitterrand (who had been taken prisoner nearby in World War II), stood at the Douaumont Ossuary, holding hands for several minutes in driving rain as a gesture of Franco-German reconciliation, in remembrance of the horrific Battle of Verdun. This gesture became a symbol of the reconciliation.

Back in 2016 this was the energy in place at the beginning of a 4-day nuclear war drill in Russia involving 40 million civilians, tens of thousands of emergency workers and troops, and more than 50,000 vehicles. Looking back it is frightening to speculate on why such a drill was even deemed to be necessary. How many Russian and Ukrainians have been killed since then? How many lives have been destroyed? How many cities have been reduced to rubble? Complete madness!!

Currently this is marking the start of Vancouver’s Pride Festival weekend, at the same time as Toronto will be showcasing wildly costumed masqueraders as they take part in the Caribana Grande Parade. Following suit, Edmonton kicks off its Heritage Festival, a three-day multicultural celebration.

It has now been five cycles since that Jan. 11th, 2021 “incitement of insurrection” article of impeachment (against Trump) was introduced in the US 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 the dumpster had “descended into a level of madness and engaged in activity that was absolutely unthinkable and unforgivable.” At the same time 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.” That was 1300 days ago – but who’s counting? If Republicans had had any backbone or principles, and had actually voted to impeach at that time, it would have saved the whole world a considerable amount of angst and grief!

10 K’an (Aug. 4th) – “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 the New Moon and the start of Ghost month in China, Taiwan, and many other places, with this day being Ghost Gate Opens day. Traditionally it is believed that this is the day when departed spirits are free to return to this realm and wander about for a month. Food and offerings are provided during this time, to please the ghosts. (The Hungry Ghost festival takes place on Aug. 18th).

This is the 110th anniversary of Germany’s invasion of Belgium at the start of WWI, and Britain’s declaration of war against Germany. It is also Barack Obama’s 63nd Gregorian birthday.

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 US Bill of Rights) was inaugurated for his second term as US President.

11 Chikchan (Aug. 5th) – inspirational Lifeforce, aligned with Liberation and Higher Consciousness; 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 2021 on Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, aka Orange Shirt Day. Currently this is coinciding with civic/provincial holidays in several provinces, including B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.

This was the energy in place in 2001 when the Patriot Act was passed by the U.S. Congress, giving federal agencies wide ranging powers in order “to intercept and obstruct terrorism”.

It has now been seven cycles exactly since August of 2019 when an unidentified whistleblower sent a credible complaint (“an urgent concern”) to the inspector general of the US intelligence community, which (eventually) led to the dumpster’s first impeachment trial in early 2020. Two cycles after that, precisely, the US House of Representatives impeached Trump for the second time (the first time that had ever happened), via a bipartisan vote.

Currently this is the day when Vice-President Kamala Harris will formally accept the Democratic party’s nomination as their presidential candidate, one day before her Maya birthday.

12 Kimi (Aug. 6th) – 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 11 cycles since this energy brought one of the “most insane and consequential news days in US history”, just before the 2016 election.  That was the day when the dumpster’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 Ted Kennedy in 2009. In 2021 this energy coincided with former president Jimmy Carter’s 97th birthday, and last November it coincided with President Joe Biden’s 81st Gregorian birthday. Given all that, it is intriguing that this is also the Maya birth energy of US Vice-President (and now presumptive presidential nominee) Kamala Harris. It is also intriguing that this is the publication date for Nancy Pelosi’s new book, titled “The Art of Power”.

13 Manik’ (Aug. 7th) – “transformational deer” (which could translate as “transformational harmonization”), coinciding at this time with the final day of Caribana in Toronto.

In 1969 this same energy was in place when some two million demonstrators (many wearing black armbands) took part in “Moratorium Peace” rallies across the U.S. to protest against the Vietnam war, the largest march in U.S. history up to that time.

In 2016 this was in place when a rapidly growing number of Republicans were calling for Trump to step down from his candidacy (just prior to the US election) and were (as some noted) “stampeding away from him”. Unfortunately far too many have been subsumed by fear and/or corruption in the succeeding years, having lost their backbones and all sense of decency and honour, and the downhill slide has been terrifying to behold. It remains to be seen what they will do in the final months leading up to the November election.

This is also a good day to exercise caution as this can be a highly 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.

This is the Maya birth energy of Sir Keir Starmer, who became the UK’s Prime Minister on July 5th (6 Ix) after a landslide victory in a very fast election.

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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.]