We have now entered the Twilight Zone – that surreal place where everything is so unfathomable and bizarre that it forces people to shift gears in often unprecedented ways. As this trecena begins many countries (including Australia and many European countries) have closed their borders to all visitors; many have issued stay-at-home orders and the closing of all but essential businesses; and many have issued complete lockdown orders, in a global effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. In the US several states, including California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Connecticut, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Ohio, have shut down all non essential businesses and ordered stringent stay-at-home measures. In essence, the world is shutting its doors, metaphorically putting up “Closed until further notice” signs, and retreating into a “hunker down” state.

As everyone digs in to wait out the passing of this storm, many large questions loom. How long will it last? How severe will it be? What about the supply chains? What will be the economic fallout? While none of these questions can be answered by the Mayan calendar,  it IS possible to look at the crisis through this lens of this system, from the perspective of the energies in play, to see how past events may inform the present.

At this time it is striking to see that it was 52 years ago when a deadly flu pandemic broke out and, over the following few months, killed an estimated one million people globally. We are only three months away from the return of the exact energies that were in place at the inception of that outbreak, and as a pandemic period encompasses a “zone” of several months rather than a single day, we seem now to be feeling the echoes of those same energies that were in play at that time. Again, keep in mind that these energies are cyclical, not linear, and that “52” is a significant number in terms of the “recycling”of energies. This is the number associated with the Aztec New Fire concept, equivalent in years to a Maya Calendar Round return.

Looking more specifically at this current Muluk trecena, we are now at the end of the current cycle of Maya months, and heading into a liminal period that many saw, traditionally, as a potentially dangerous time when the world was “suspended” and structure was in disarray. Many people retreated inside and did not leave their homes until order was restored as the Maya New Year came in. This period was known as the Wayeb’, the five days at the end of the Maya year, which happen to fall, at this time, directly in the middle of this current Muluk trecena. So we have a “52 year” (Calendar Round) return of the energies in place roughly at the time of the 1968 flu outbreak – energies that will carry through the next few months (and into next year before they fully clear), and – currently – this liminal, “suspended” time zone leading to the Maya New Year. Moreover, the first day of this Muluk trecena marks an important 52-day Shift-point within the 260-day cycle, the start of the final 52 days before this current cycle is completed. So there are layers and layers of complexity at this time.

As it happens, the first day of this Muluk (Water) trecena coincides at this time with the 10th Gregorian anniversary of the historic early spring day in 2010 when President Obama signed his Affordable Care Act into law, with a recent poll showing that now, ten years on, more people are in favour of it than even at the time of its creation. Who could possibly have imagined that ten years after that triumphant signing “all hell” would have broken loose with regard to medical care in the US due to the ineptness of an impeached, but still seated, president who is so out of his depth that he can’t even organize the provision of adequate medical supplies in the midst of a global pandemic? As calls for Trump’s resignation continue, phrases such as “grossly incompetent” and “criminally irresponsible” are being used by many as they describe the actions (or inactions) taken by an administration that, over the past two years, has 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. Trump’s initial denial of, and reluctant response to, the current unprecedented health crisis in the US has been compared to Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

While we have a highly unusual set of forces and circumstances in play at this present time, in the past this trecena has brought forth events such as 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 recent “river” of migrants making their way north towards the US border as they fled from the violence in Honduras. The last few days of this time frame can be particularly intense, often bringing forth strong watery events such as severe flooding.

But many inspirational events have also occurred within this period, with 4 Eb’ (the 4th day) often figuring 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 Apollo 8, 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 announcement by President Obama that agreement had been reached on the framework for an 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. Four 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.

Currently this is the energy in place at the start of the Wayeb’ period, so perhaps our passage through this liminal zone will be a little less difficult than it might have been with more intense accompanying forces. We will journey through this zone in the middle of this time frame, with the Maya New Year coming in on the ninth day.

So this is the Muluk (Water) trecena, an important Shift-point within the 260-day Tzolkin cycle, 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 as happened two cycles ago just before the US midterm elections.

This water-oriented trecena was seen traditionally as being under the patronage of a deity depicted as a “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 creative forces that sparked life. These forces have been known to open the door to many new and exciting possibilities.

And although Planet Earth and its inhabitants are undergoing many severe challenges at this time some interesting side benefits have started to appear, such as Mother Nature’s cleansing of the canals in Venice, now that tourists are shut out, and the return of fish and wildlife. In China and in many other places the air is clearing where factories are shut down and where streets and highways are cleared of all but a few essential vehicles. So it could well be that as humans are forced to retreat in this absolutely unprecedented manner, Mother Earth will have a chance to show what she can do to cleanse, heal, and refresh herself as human beings are forced to switch gears.

Similarly, human beings will be forced to think and act differently on many, many levels so it will be interesting to see what kinds of changes will manifest during this intense shape-shifting period. Indeed, this would be an excellent time to tie in with the shapeshifting potential of water, and work with these forces to help bring about the changes that are needed on so many levels. Let’s not forget that water is the supreme shapeshifter, capable of both purification and destruction. As water beings, human also have the capacity to miraculously heal or to wantonly create havoc. During these surreal times, the nature of our choices will determine the fate of the planet.

During this trecena you will see a number of events connected with both Maya calendar energies and with Gregorian dates connected with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., all oriented around that magic number of “52”. Here are the energies that will come into play at this time:

1 Muluk (March 23rd) – “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, coinciding at this time with a conjunction between Mars and Pluto, with Mercury at its greatest elongation west, on the 10th Gregorian anniversary of the historic day when President Obama signed his Affordable Care Act into law. This is the New Fire (Calendar Round anniversary) of the One Muluk 17 Kumk’u day in 1968 when the first of two funerals was held for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., attended by some 1300 people, followed by a 3 ½ mile procession from Ebenezer Baptist Church to Morehouse College in Atlanta, which was observed by over 100,000 people. The procession was silent, led by King’s immediate family as well as Rev. Jesse Jackson who held the flag of the United Nations; John Lewis, who went on to become a leading Congressman; and Andrew Young, who was at one time the Mayor of Atlanta and also Ambassador to the United Nations. It was accompanied on occasion by the singing of freedom songs.

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 two cycles ago (in October, 2018) when Mexico opened the “floodgates” to allow the migrant caravan “river” to stream into Mexico from Guatemala. On that same day 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.

Unfortunately, as the world battles against the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be a time when many more will succumb. There will likely be many more shutdowns in various countries as more and more stringent measures are taken. After the closing of the New York stock exchange’s trading floors last week to prevent the spread of the disease, this day will mark the beginning of fully electronic trading in that sector. For those seeking extra comfort at this time this is also International Puppy Day, a day to help save orphaned puppies around the globe.

2 Ok (Mar. 24th) – a dynamic yin/yang type of force relating to love, warmth, guidance, and loyalty (associated with the Maya glyph for Dog), as Venus reaches its greatest elongation east at the time of the New Moon

3 Chuwen (March 25th) – the “activation” of creativity; an important “time-weaving” type of energy that can often bring forth powerful shifts, on this New Fire (Calendar Round anniversary) of the 3 Chuwen 19 Kumk’u National Day of Mourning in 1968 in honour of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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.  This is also the 55th Gregorian anniversary of the day in 1965 when, after their long march from Selma, 25,000 civil rights marchers arrived at the Alabama State Capitol to call for voting rights, which led to the establishment of the federal Voting Rights Act several months later.

As this energy coincides with the Catholic Feast of the Annunciation, Pope Francis is calling on the heads of all Christian churches to lead people in the recitation of the “Our Father” prayer at noon, local times, on this day. As of this day it has been exactly twelve Tzolk’in cycles since the premier of the 2011 action thriller movie titled Contagion that depicted the rapid spread of a virus to cities around the globe .

4 Eb’ (March 26th) – the “defining of animating vitality”; an uplifting, refreshing type of energy that often brings a sense of new possibilities, often highly eventful. At this time, as Venus reaches the highest point in the evening sky, this energy coincides with the “seating” of the Wayeb’, the first of five transitional days leading to the start of the Maya New Year. Although, as noted above, some traditionally saw this liminal period as “dangerous” or at least a time zone that required special vigilance or caution, others saw them as transitional days or “days of rest”, a good time to fast, meditate, and purify to eliminate toxins and cleanse one’s spirit in order to prepare for the new year. In general this is a good time for “cleansing”, for shedding the “burdens” of the past in order to prepare for a new cycle. As it happens, this coincides at this time with China’s Double Third (or Shangsi) Festival that involves the invocation of cleansing rituals to prevent disease and get rid of bad luck. The festival is also known as The Banquet of Peaches of Immortality.

This is also rock star Steven Tyler’s 72nd Gregorian birthday and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 80th Gregorian birthday.

5 B’en (March 27th) – the “blessing of personal authority”, on the New Fire (Maya Calendar Round) anniversary of the April 9th day in 1968 when the second of two funerals were held for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., at the time of his burial in Atlanta.

It has been two cycles since the first dramatic launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket (the world’s largest ever), carrying a payload of Tesla’s roadster on its journey towards Mars.

6 Ix (March 28th) – the energy of the six directions in conjunction with the jaguar (and Jaguar Warrior) and the fate of the earth, coinciding at this time with Earth Hour, when households and businesses around the world are encouraged to switch off non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30-9:30 pm as a sign of commitment to the planet.

One cycle since the international Lights for Liberty vigil that was held to protest the incarceration of children in US concentration camps on the Mexican border. Three 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 DACA recipients. In 1973 this was the energy in place when the Endangered Species Act passed legislation.

7 Men (March 29th) – a “self-generating” type of energy associated with the Eagle’s “higher vision”. Maya birth energy of Rigoberta Menchu, the K’iche’ Maya political and human rights activist from Guatemala who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1992.

Currently this energy marks the second New Fire anniversary of the 7 Men 3 Wayeb’ energies that were in place when the Easter Uprising leading to the Proclamation of the Irish Republic took place in 1916. It also marks one Calendar Round since the same 7 Men 3 Wayeb’ energies were in place when the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 went into effect in the US.

8 Kib’ (Mar. 30th) – the “resurrection” of the transmutation oriented force that can lead towards the restoration of order, on the final day of the Wayeb’, this time in conjunction with the launch of the USFDA’s new rapid coronavirus test, which reportedly would be able to provide results in 45 min. This is the second anniversary of the start of the “Great March of Return” (of Palestinians to their ancestral homes) weekly protests on the boundary with Israel.

Maya birth energy of South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho who won Oscars for Best International Feature Film, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

9 Kab’an (March 31st ) – representative of “outwardly-projecting” longevity in connection with the earth and evolutionary movement, on the “seating” of the Classical Maya New Year, as Mars pairs up with Saturn in the pre-dawn sky.

This is the day when US Attorney General William Barr is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee where he will be questioned about his “misuse of the criminal justice system for political purposes”.  Until a week ago, this was scheduled to be the day when the US Supreme Court would hear arguments concerning Trump’s bid to shield his tax records from Congress. However, due to the coronavirus situation the Supreme Court has postponed oral arguments but “may” still release opinions. As a federal judge recently froze a House lawsuit that seeks to enforce a subpoena for six years worth of those returns it is still anyone’s guess as to how and when this will proceed.

Currently this is the International Transgender Day of Visibility.

10 Etz’nab’ (April 1st) – foundational “flint”; a sparkling, “knife-edged”, “flash-point” type of energy that can either dazzle or divide and separate, coinciding with April Fool’s Day. This is the day when Nova Scotia’s ban on sales of e-cigarettes goes into effect, as it becomes the first province to make the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes and juices illegal.

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.

11 Kawak (April 2nd) – inspirational “storm of compassion”, coinciding with World Autism Awareness Day

12 Ajaw (April 3rd) – a “gathering together” force aligned with the full sun, at the time of a rare conjunction between Venus and the Pleiades, coinciding with the 52nd Gregorian anniversary of the day in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, in which he said

Something is happening . . . something is happening in our world . . .  only when it is dark enough can you see the stars

Currently this is primatologist Jane Goodall’s 86th birthday, and would have been Doris Day’s 98th birthday.

As of this day it has been two cycles since the founding of the Extinction Rebellion activist group in the UK, two cycles since the US National Archives released for the first time (after 44 years) the factual “Road Map” for Nixon’s impeachment (the report of the indictment evidence), and two 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.

It has been four cycles since a sacred fire ceremony was held in Whitehorse to mark the opening of the first public hearings into the long awaited National Inquiry into some 4000 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in Canada.

13 Imix (April 4th) – “transformational birth”, another force that can be highly intense, at the time of the major alignment of Jupiter with Pluto, a conjunction that only happens every 13 years, but will take place three times this year. At this time there will be a Mass End of Coronavirus Meditation for Global Health, Peace, and Abundance” taking place in cities around the world.

This is the 52nd Gregorian anniversary of the shocking assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, seen as “one of the most tragic, catalytic and meaningful events in American history”.

It is also the day of China’s Qingming (“pure brightness”) Festival, aka Chinese Memorial Day, Ancestor’s Day, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, an important day for remembering ancestors. And let us not forget our animal companions especially at a time of crisis, as this is World Stray Animals Day.

Note that the Muluk trecena will be in place twice this year – with the second appearance coming in during mid December.

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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.]