The waters have been turbulent this year but there is a “safe harbour” ahead. But before we look at that, let’s just see where we’ve been during the last cycle.

The last time this trecena was in place (last spring) people were coming into full realization of the fact that we had all entered the Twilight Zone – a surreal place that forced everyone to shift gears in unprecedented ways in order to adjust to a completely new reality. The borders of many countries were being closed to all visitors, many countries had issued stay-at-home orders and closed all but essential businesses, and many had issued complete lockdown orders, in a global effort to stop the spread of Covid-19. In the US several states had also shut down all non-essential businesses and ordered stringent stay-at-home measures, despite the fact that the White House was trying to play down the virus or pretend it didn’t exist. In retrospect it could be seen as the beginning of the worst phase of what had already been a dumpster fire nightmare of a presidency. It was as if the destructor-in-chief had already poured gasoline in readiness since over the previous two years he had already dismantled the federal government’s entire pandemic response team, dramatically slashed funding to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cut funding to the Complex Crises Fund and other security related services agencies, and called for a $15 billion reduction in health related spending that had previously been approved.

Click here for the Podcast to accompany this trecena

And as the trecena unfolded the calls for the dumpster’s resignation escalated, with phrases such as “grossly incompetent” and “criminally irresponsible” being used by many to describe the ineptness of that administration with regard to the provision of medical supplies and equipment and the overall messaging coming from the White House concerning the pandemic.

At that time the first few days of this Muluk trecena coincided with the transitional days at the end of the Maya year that required special caution, since traditionally the end of the Maya year was seen as a liminal zone during which the world was “suspended” and structure was in disarray. This time it is not the end of the Maya year but it IS the last full trecena of 2020. The next trecena will straddle over into 2021. Further, the first day of this Muluk trecena always marks an important 52-day Shift-point within the 260-day cycle, the start of the final 52 days before the current 260 day cycle is completed. And, it is within the context of this final 52 days that the last nerve-wracking, democracy-torching days of the dumpter’s presidency will be flushed away and a long-awaited shift in power will take place in Washington.

As it happened, back in 2010 it was the first day of this Muluk (Water) trecena when President Obama signed his Affordable Care Act into law, which – after much abuse by Republicans – is still managing to hang in there. Other events of significance that have taken place within this 13-day period include the Black Tuesday crash of the New York stock exchange in 1929, King Edward VIII’s abdication of the English throne in 1936, the beginning of the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, India’s declaration of independence in 1947, the invasion of South Korea by North Korea in 1950, the Detroit race riots in 1967, and the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. It was during this trecena in 2018 when a “river” of migrants began making their way north towards the US border in 2018 as they fled from the violence in Honduras.

Among the many inspirational events that have occurred within this period, 4 Eb’ (the 4th day) often figures prominently. This energy, representative of a solar force in combination with Eb’s “animating vitality”, can create an uplifting, refreshing type of energy marked by a sense of the opening up of new possibilities. This is what was in place in June of 1965 when the first spacewalk took place, and then again in 1968 when the “Earthrise” photo was taken from the Apollo 8 spacecraft, becoming the iconic first photograph taken by a human of Earth from Deep Space.

In 2008 this was the energy in place when Barack Obama became the first African-American to win the U.S. presidential election. In April of 2015, this same energy brought the historic nuclear reduction agreement with Iran, which was seen as a significant political breakthrough, the most important foreign relations negotiation of the Obama presidency up to that point. Five cycles ago, in the spring of 2017, this trecena got underway just hours after former FBI Director Robert Mueller was named as a special counsel to oversee the investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the US election.

So this is the Muluk (Water) trecena, beginning with an important Shift-point within the 260-day Tzolkin cycle, a trecena that holds the potential to be massively life-changing through its potential to promulgate monumental shifts in state. There is often a lot of high – and sometimes even “electrifying” – energy swirling around during this period, and this will no different as vaccination programs get underway in various countries, as the battle in Georgia clicks into high gear over two hotly contested Senate seats, and as people work to find ways to deal with year-end events with the pandemic still in full rampage.

This water-oriented trecena was seen traditionally as being under the patronage of a deity known as Chalchiuhtolin, the jade or “jewelled” turkey, a symbol of magic, abundance, and even sorcery. This complex deity has been associated with darkness, disease, and even the plague, but in his turkey form, as overseer of this time frame, he also has the power to cleanse and to eradicate pestilence. The great “watery” Feathered Serpent also provides support, so this creates a generative “firewater” kind of force representative of the original creation forces that sparked life. These forces have been known to open the door to many new and exciting possibilities. It has also been known to trigger major shifts in direction, even to the point of significantly altering personal lives or changing the world, like it did last spring.

Last spring, even though much was in a tailspin due to the quickly escalating pandemic, there was some notable “cleansing” taking place during this water-oriented time frame, as when the canals in Venice began to appear cleaner and fish and wildlife began to return. In China and in many other places the air began to clear as factories were shut down and streets and highways were cleared of all by a few vehicles. It did not take long before Mother Earth demonstrated how quickly she could begin to cleanse, heal, and refresh herself as human beings were forced to switch gears. It has been one cycle since then but human beings are now starting to think and act differently on many, many levels.  And with climate change issues still needing to be tackled, the lessons learned during this pandemic may well have set the stage for the things that will need to be addressed in the future if this planet is to survive in any habitable form.

Water is the supreme shapeshifter, capable of both purification and destruction. As water beings, humans also have the capacity to miraculously heal or to wantonly create havoc. We have seen very, very clear examples of that over the past 260 days. At the beginning of this trecena last spring, opportunities were presented to make significant choices in terms of helping this planet and its inhabitants. Some world leaders made choices that saved many, many lives. Others made choices that ultimately resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

Now, as we shift into the last 52 days of this current cycle, this would be an excellent time to “go with the flow” and allow for purification and refreshment, whenever possible – go to a river or an ocean, if you can, and give thanks for the waters of this earth, and pledge to protect them. During this watery, shapeshifting, purifying – and potentially even electrifying – time frame these are the energies that will come into play:

1 Muluk (Dec. 8) – “the initiation of water (purification)”, a kind of “double water” day associated with the Moon Goddess (symbolic of the Number One) in conjunction with the purifying, shape-shifting energy of water – and this time this water-oriented timeframe is opening the door for Covid-19 vaccination programs to begin in several countries. The timing for this in the UK is particularly stunning, as this is the day when England, Scotland, and Wales begin administering their first doses of the vaccine, precisely one cycle since the UK began a nation-wide lockdown last spring. That was the day when hundreds of thousands of people took part in a massive People’s Vote and Independence March for the Future rally in London to demand a vote on the final Brexit deal. And now, precisely one cycle later, with less than a month left before the transition agreement ends between the UK and EU, negotiators are meeting once again in a last-ditch effort to reach agreement on a post-Brexit deal, particularly as it relates to governance and such things as fishing rights.

As noted above, this is an important 52-day Shift-point within the 260-day cycle, at the opening of a trecena that often brings forth dramatic shifts in state, as it did three cycles ago (in October, 2018) when Mexico opened the “floodgates” to allow the migrant caravan “river” to stream into Mexico from Guatemala. In 1968 this was the energy in place when the first of two funerals was held for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after his assassination. The last time this was in place the trading floor of the New York stock exchange was closed as the NYSE moved to fully electronic trading, as a safety measure to prevent the spread of the virus.

Right in line with the initiation of these “purifying” forces, today is the “Safe Harbor” deadline with regard to settling contests over electors and electoral votes in the U.S., a date (set by federal law) after which conclusions regarding election results become official and cannot be tampered with – despite how much the dumpster and his cronies have been trying. In Japan this is Bodhi Day, aka rohatsu (fixed in Japan, but commemorated on other days elsewhere), a day wherein Zen monks conduct ceremonies to commemorate Buddha’s attainment of enlightenment.

This is the day when former President Obama’s new memoir A Promised Land will be honoured at the literary and human rights organization’s annual gala (a virtual ceremony this time), at which time Obama and historian Ron Chernow, a former PEN board president, will discuss freedom of expression and the importance of truth in a world of misinformation. This Voice of Influence Award is in recognition of how Obama’s writings “have traversed political, social, and ideological bounds and framed a self-reflective humanism that has marked his influence on public life.”

This is also the 40th Gregorian anniversary of John Lennon’s assassination, and the Calendar Round (52 year) return of the exact day + month energies that were in place in 1968 at the time of the launch of Apollo 8, the first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon.

2 Ok (Dec. 9th) – a dynamic yin/yang type of force relating to love, warmth, guidance, and loyalty (symbolized by the Maya glyph for Dog), coinciding with the UN’s International Anti-Corruption Day. It has been one cycle exactly since the US Surgeon General strongly urged everyone to stay at home as the pandemic was firmly taking hole. Currently this is Dame Judi Dench’s 86th Gregorian birthday. Stay safe dear Judi!

3 Chuwen (Dec. 10th) – the “activation” of creativity; an important “time-weaving” type of energy that can often bring forth powerful shifts, coinciding at this time with the UN’s Human Rights Day and its International Day of Neutrality, on the 72nd Gregorian anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations. This is the day when 27 members of the EU begin a two-day summit.

In 1929 this was the energy in place on Black Tuesday, when investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day at the time of the Wall Street crash. As of this current day it has been exactly thirteen Tzolk’in cycles since the premier of the 2011 action thriller called Contagion that depicted the rapid spread of a virus to cities around the globe.

This is the Maya birth energy of famed fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen (more about this in my forthcoming podcast). And for fans of the indomitable Emily Dickinson, this would be her 190th Gregorian birthday (her Maya birthday is coming up in early January).

This evening brings the start of Hanukkah, the Jewish “festival of lights” that features the lighting of menorahs over eight consecutive nights.

4 Eb’ (Dec. 11th) – the “defining of animating vitality” – an uplifting, refreshing type of energy that often brings a sense of new possibilities, often highly eventful, on the first full day of Hanukkah, and the second day of the EU summit. This is the UN’s International Mountain Day, with the theme of Mountain Biodiversity.

This energy marks one Calendar Round precisely since the Dec. 24, 1968 “Earthrise” photo was taken from Apollo 8 as it orbited the moon. This was the first photo of Earth taken from the perspective of the moon – one of the most famous photos ever taken; according to Al Gore, the modern environmental movement began within 18 months of this 1968 photo.  Five cycles earlier, in 1965, Ed White made the first space walk by a U.S. astronaut under this same energy influence.

5 B’en (Dec. 12th) – the “blessing of personal authority”, coinciding with the UN’s International Universal Health Coverage Day, dedicated to promoting collective action to build more equitable health systems for everyone on the planet.

This marks one cycle since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that not only were people fighting the “common enemy” of the coronavirus but also a “growing surge of misinformation” about the disease. He spoke at the first joint video briefing for the 193 U.N. member nations that also included the presidents of the Security Council, General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, as the U.N. launched the COVID-19 Communications for Solidarity Initiative to rapidly inform people about the facts and science, “and promote and inspire acts of humanity around the world.”

This is the Maya birth energy of Dr. Li Wenliang, the Chinese doctor who issued the first warning about the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak, who later died of it. He is now honoured as one of the Heroes of the pandemic.

This is the Feast Day for Tonantzin, Our Lady of Guadaloupe (Patroness of all the Americas), which is celebrated in Mexico and in many other Latin American communities. In conjunction with this feast day many churches in Canada honour this with a National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.

This marks one cycle since the discovery of Comet Neowise (last March), on the day when Congress finally passed a $2 trillion stimulus package to help people in the US affected by the pandemic, and four cycles since the first dramatic launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket (the world’s largest), carrying a payload of Tesla’s roadster on its journey towards Mars.

6 Ix (Dec. 13th) – the energy of the six directions in conjunction with the jaguar (and Jaguar Warrior) and the fate of the earth, on the American Horse Council’s National Horse Day, a day to celebrate the economic, historic, and cultural contributions made by horses over hundreds of years. This is the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, (known as the “king of meteor showers”), associated with the 3200 Phaeton asteroid – named after Phaëton, the son of the Greek-named sun god Helios – that travels closer to the sun than any other asteroid . . . going into the early morning of the following day.

It has been two cycles since the International Lights for Liberty vigil that was held to protest the incarceration of children in US concentration camps on the Mexican border, and four cycles since Nancy Pelosi’s record-setting 8 hr. 7 min. speech to the US House of Representatives in support of a legislative solution to the plight of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. But processes move slowly in Washington and it has taken almost four cycles exactly to get to the point (4 days before this trecena began) where a US judge ruled against the restrictions that the dumpster’s administration was trying to impose on the DACA program.

7 Men (Dec. 14th) – a “self-generating” type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”, at the peak of the Geminids meteor shower, at the time of a New Moon and a Total Solar Eclipse, on the day when the Electoral College in the US votes to formalize Joe Biden’s win as President-elect. At that time ballots will be cast for both the President and the Vice-President. This is also the day when early voting begins in Georgia relating to the critical Georgia Senate election runoff.

In Canada, this is the day when the first doses of coronavirus vaccine are expected to be delivered. This is also International Monkey Day, a celebration of “all things simian”.

8 Kib’ (Dec. 15th) – the “resurrection” of the transmutation oriented force that can lead towards the restoration of order, on the last day of the current Maya month. One cycle since the launch of the USFDA’s rapid coronavirus test, which was able to speed up the processing of test results.

This is the Maya birth energy of prominent civil rights and social justice activist Rev. Al Sharpton, whom many see as the most influential civil rights leader in the US.

9 Kab’an (Dec. 16th) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in connection with the earth and evolutionary movement, where there can be long range implications for actions. This was in place last March when state governors who were pleading for federal help for medical equipment found the national stockpile to be in complete disarray. This discovery forced state governors to look to their own resources in their efforts to help medical workers. At the same time the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency announced a new rule that would increase pollution at the same time as the world was wrestling with a respiratory virus pandemic and a climate crisis.

During the evening look for the young waxing crescent moon to glide into close proximity with Saturn and Jupiter.

10 Etz’nab’ (Dec. 17th) – foundational “flint”; a sparkling, “knife-edged”, “flash-point” type of energy that can either dazzle or divide and separate – on the 230th Gregorian anniversary of the discovery of the massive Aztec Sun Stone in the main plaza in Mexico City.  It has been one cycle exactly since the governors of Florida and Mississippi finally issued statewide shelter-in-place orders after weeks of resistance, bringing 87% of the US under this kind of shutdown. That was the day when UN Sec-Gen Guterres said that the Covid-19 outbreak is the biggest challenge for the world since World War II and could bring a recession that “probably has no parallel in the recent past”.

Back in 1861, this was also the energy in place when President Abraham Lincoln addressed the U.S. Congress in his call for 500,000 militia for the Civil War, followed by ratification by Congress.

Currently this is Pope Francis’s 84th Gregorian birthday, as the crescent moon continues to appear near Saturn and Jupiter.

11 Kawak (Dec. 18th) – inspirational “storm of compassion”, on the last day of Hanukkah.

It has been two cycles since the WHO declared the Ebola epidemic to be an international emergency, and one cycle precisely since the global number of Covid-19 cases passed the one million mark, and the global death toll passed 50,000. By the time this trecena opened on Dec. 8th the global number of cases was over 68 million and the global death toll caused by the pandemic had passed 1.5 million. At the current rate of increase, by the time this 11 Kawak arrives the global case total will be over 74 million. Currently this is the UN’s International Migrants Day.

12 Ajaw (Dec. 19th) – a “gathering together” force aligned with the full sun and “enlightenment”, a day that often sheds light on human conditions, as happened last April when the head of the IMF calling this epidemic “humanity’s darkest hour” as we witness the world economy coming to a standstill. On that day in the US nearly 1100 people died from the coronavirus in a single day, the highest 24-hr. period anywhere in the world at that time. But now that rate is often doubled, and there are over 15 million cases in that country alone.

As of this day it has been three cycles since the US National Archives released for the first time (after 44 years) the factual “Road Map” for Richard Nixon’s impeachment (the report of the indictment evidence), and three cycles since a third large group of people in Honduras began forming another migrant caravan, as they began heading north, on foot, from San Salvador, on a perilous journey towards Mexico and the U.S.  Currently this is Veteran actor Cicely Tyson’s 96th Gregorian birthday and legendary rock star Keith Richards’ 77th Gregorian birthday

13 Imix (Dec. 20th) – “transformational birth”, another force that can be highly intense, coinciding at this time with the UN’s International Human Solidarity Day.

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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.]