Last week I was fortunate enough to fulfill one of my oldest wishes. I went to Hot Springs Arkansas to meet and spend time with Mike Shore of Mayan Majix. During my stay there, I had many rare conversations with Mike; the kind of talks you can only have with truly switched-on people.
Besides talking about the calendar, and how it facilitates a conscious waking up from the mainstream dream, I wanted to know much more about the late Ian Lungold from someone who worked with him for many years. I had a chance to peruse over Ian’s old photos, paper articles, and notebooks.
It was the final steps in a giant personal cycle, coming full circle. I’m still processing it all behind my mind, as my body tries to get back into sync with the local time zone.
Getting what I wished for is a purifying process, and now I’m slowly coming to terms with a new emptiness. It’s not a negative nor a positive emptiness. It’s just like a fertile field that just got harvested.
Here’s a lesson I recorded on board Mike’s lake boat, which is a short 101 Tzolkin for dummies. At the last 3 minutes of it there’s a song.
This is the Sea
These things you keep
You better throw them away
You want to turn your back
on your soulless days
Once you were tethered
now you are free
That was the River – this is the Sea
- Mike Scott (7-Muluc) and The Waterboys
There’s only so far I can go forward before I begin going back.
When water reaches the sea and becomes ONE it gets as far as it can go. Anything that transpires afterwards is already considered going back. Water will return to the mountains and begin a new journey through the veins of the land and my veins, too.
This is the overall ‘gestalt’ vibe I’m picking up around me and also deep inside. I keep hearing the words ‘critical mass’ and ‘event’ from people and texts here, there, and everywhere. It is the transition from the river consciousness to the Sea allness.
Oh, and please don’t dwell on the word ‘event’. For your own good.
To truly convey this message I sense that my best course of action right now is to stop writing. My experiences away from the keyboard (in the ‘real world’) have all of the sudden turned so engaging and vivid. When I meet friends, when I’m at home having diner – it’s just being there.
Regardless, I love writing, and will keep at it as long as someone out there is reading and syncing with me. Even if words and dissections of thought and language seem to be counter-productive, they remain my link to my past and to the people who wrote before me and with me.
We all tap into the global mind to write, read, and speak; each tracing a path up his/her specific branch of language. This human principal is known as Mercury, or Kukulkan, or Moses, Nabu, Hermes – among many other names.
But now, apart from the Mercury aspect of it, I realize that I tap into the much deeper global heartbeat (Caban) every time I emote somehow, internally or externally. When I watch a moving movie, when I pick a child up in my hands. When I can’t sleep and step outside at 3 AM to watch all those Stars.
No thinking, no wild day-dream imagining – just conversing on the spot with the situation, with that other me out there.
Is it time to put down all speculation, for the sole purpose of dissolving all our respective sequences of causality?
Is it time to begin emoting, acting, and talking under the firm conviction that those are the only factors that create subjective reality?
Is this a complete overhaul of the concept of responsibility?
It is.
1-Imix: Leviathan
Born on this day: Robert McNamara, Amy Smart, Jennifer Aniston, Billy Wilder, Billy Bob Thornton, Alan Watts, Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Nick Cave
“Myths are not untrue. In myth there’s an image in terms of which we try to make sense of the World” – Alan Watts (1-Imix)
So, here we go again.
2-Ik: Spirit
Born on this day: Ezra Pound, Slash (Guns n’ Roses), Kylie Minogue, Cynthia Nixon, Anthony Burgess
“The author’s conviction on this day of the New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music.” – Ezra Pound (2-Ik)
Continuing the discussion about Hermes/Mercury, Ik is the initial appearance of mind and spirit in the standard uinal (20-day period). It blows both ways. Wind begins with the number 2, since the first number that ever appeared in awareness WAS 2. It wasn’t One. It sounds absurd, but the number 1 came right after 2.
This is because in order to even have a concept of number you have to evolve from a unitary consciousness, where all is ONE, to a duality where discernment is possible. So when you realize there can be two of something you also realize that before there was only one.
3-Akbal: Campfire
Born on this day: Dennis Hopper, Jason Statham, Louis C.K., John Williams (composer)
“You gotta be kidding. I mean, you know who this is, man? This is Captain America. I’m Billy. Hey, we’re headliners baby.” – Dennis Hopper (3-Akbal) as Billy in Easy Rider
Akbal is the dark house of the underworld, where we spend the night until dawn arrives. It is the sign of inspiration and intuition – of storytelling. When you meet someone born under this sign s/he’ll always have a story to tell you; something that makes perfect sense, and at the same time – based on profound spiritual truth.
The 3rd stage stands for exuberant action and communication on all levels and in all directions. Thus, 3-Akbal is like an engine of gut-reactions and rudimentary logic that drives the most physical trecena on offer (1-Imix).
4-Kan: Plenty
Born on this day: Shlomo Artzi, Seth Green, Adele (singer), Michael Madsen, Sonny Rollins, Hyman Rickover, Nigel Hawthorne
“That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die.” – Michael Madsen (4-Kan) as Budd in Kill Bill Vol. 2
The darkness and uncertainty of yesterday (Akbal) took some luck and good ideas to negotiate successfully. Now it’s time to set the boundaries for the next time Transformation is called for.
Kan (seed, lizard) is considered the most basic form of abundance. The seed is small, and can be stored in bulk in normal conditions without spoiling for a very long time. When it is needed, it is placed in convenient surroundings and conditions to begin growing. This means that 1 full silo of grain turns into bread for many thousands next year. This is nature’s abundance in its most humble form.
As another southern sun-sign (Eb) teaches, the most humble have the best chances to achieve abundance. I don’t mean humble like a mendicant necessarily. I mean humble like someone who has the gift of listening.
4-Kan draws four lines in the sand and says – these are the minimal criteria for the physical world (Imix).
5-Chicchan: LIFE
Born on this day: Srinivasa Ramanujan, Andy Griffith, Marilyn Monroe, Demetri Martin (comedian), Sylvia Plath, Barbara Marx Hubbard
“Story of my life. I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop.” – Marilyn Monroe (5-Chicchan) as Sugar in ‘Some Like it Hot’
6-Cimi: Going, going GONE!
Born on this day: William Jennings Bryan, Joaquin Phoenix, Ivri Lider
“This is not a contest between persons. The humblest citizen in all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of error.” – William Jennings Bryan (6-Cimi) in his speech ‘Cross of Gold’ 1896
7-Manik: Revival
Born on this day: Wade Boggs, B.B. King, Ricky Martin, Sean Combs (Puff Daddy), Jacques Brel, Allen Ginsberg, Benazir Bhutto, Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Alex Jones, Steve Kroft
“I know death comes. I’ve seen too much death, young death.” – Benazir Bhutto (7-Manik) delivering her prophetic speech ‘Destiny’s Daughter’ 2007
This speech was given 8 months before she was assassinated under mysterious circumstances.
8-Lamat: Harmony
Born on this day: Babe Ruth, Jessica Simpson, Samantha Fox, Saffron (singer), Dido, Cyndi Lauper, Donovan, Emir Kusturica, Kathy Bates, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Me
“… I’m stumbling down the highway on my boots of steel. I should be rolling down the skyway on my cosmic wheels” – Donovan (8-Lamat) ‘Cosmic Wheels’
9-Muluc: Water
Born on this day: Salvador Dalí, Terry Jones (Monty Python), Levi Eshkol (3rd Israeli PM), John Demartini (The Secret), Robbie Williams, Max von Sydow
“Saying ‘We will destroy terrorism’ is about as meaningful as saying: “We shall annihilate mockery.” – Terry Jones (9-Muluc)
The above quote was taken from an interview with Jones that was published on the Daily Telegraph December 1st 2001. This was just short of 3 months following the September Eleventh tragedy. According to the Tzolkin, the publishing date is 9-Ik, which is exactly 13 days after Jones had his Tzolkin birthday.
More Timely insights from Jones:
“Ludicrous concepts…like the whole idea of a “war on terrorism”. You can wage war against another country, or on a national group within your own country, but you can’t wage war on an abstract noun. How do you know when you’ve won? When you’ve got it removed from the Oxford English Dictionary?”
“It took 200 years for the Crusaders to create [this] Muslim fanaticism. It was the exact imitation of Christian intolerance.”
10-Oc: LOVE
Born on this day: J. K. Rowling, Tia Carrere, Vladimir Putin
“There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.” – J. K. Rowling (10-Oc) in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
More from Rowling:
“We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”
11-Chuen: Humor
Born on this day: Shannen Doherty, David Duchovny, Shimon Peres (8th Israeli PM, immediately past President), Stanley Kubrick, Karl von Clausewitz, Lars von Trier, Tracy Thorn
“I will confine myself to reaffirming that Israel will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons to the region.” – Shimon Peres (11-Chuen)
12-Eb: WAY
Born on this day: LeVar Burton (Star Trek TNG), Maurice Ravel, Django Reinhardt, Doug Fister (SP Detroit Tigers), Yitzhak Rabin (5th Israeli PM), Jeff Bridges (a.k.a. The Dude), Chaim Topol (a.k.a. Fiddler on the Roof), David Zucker
“The Dude abides” – Jeff Bridges (12-Eb) as the other Lebowski
“We are destined to live together, on the same soil in the same land.” – Yitzhak Rabin
13-Ben: Family
Born on this day: Joel David Coen, Diana Krall, Menachem Begin (6th Israeli PM), Michael Crichton, R.J. Mitte (Breaking Bad)
“Israel is still the only country in the world against which there is a written document to the effect that it must disappear.” – Menachem Begin (13-Ben)
There’s only so far I can go forward before I begin going back.
When water reaches the sea and becomes ONE it gets as far as it can go. Anything that transpires afterwards is already considered going back. Water will return to the mountains and begin a new journey through the veins of the land and my veins, too.
This is the overall ‘gestalt’ vibe I’m picking up around me and also deep inside. I keep hearing the words ‘critical mass’ and ‘event’ from people and texts here, there, and everywhere. It is the transition from the river consciousness to the Sea allness.
Oh, and please don’t dwell on the word ‘event’. For your own good.
At the same time, to truly convey this message I sense that my best course of action right now is to stop writing. My experiences away from the keyboard (in the ‘real world’) have all of the sudden turned so engaging and vivid. When I meet friends, when I’m at home having diner – it’s just being there.
Regardless, I love writing, and will keep at it as long as someone out there is reading and syncing with me. Even if words and dissections of thought and language seem to be counter-productive at this moment, they remain my link to my past and to the great people who wrote before me and with me.
We all tap into the global mind to write, read, and speak; each tracing a path up his specific branch of Language. This human principal is known as Mercury, or Kukulkan, or Moses, Nabu, Hermes – among many other names.
But now, apart from the Mercury aspect of it, I realize that I tap into the much deeper global heartbeat (Caban) every time I emote somehow, internally or externally. When I watch a moving movie, when I pick a child up in my hands. When I can’t sleep and step outside at 3 AM to watch all those Stars.
No thinking, no wild day-dream imagining – just conversing on the spot with the situation, with that other me out there.
Is it time to put down all speculation, for the sole purpose of dissolving all our respective Sequences of Causality?
Is it time to begin emoting, acting, and talking under the firm conviction that those are the only factors that create subjective Reality?
Is this a complete overhaul of the concept of responsibility?
It is.
For my own part, I’m going to look into how the Tzolkin works when it is measured backwards. I mean, I always wanted to build a time machine, and you’re welcome on board!
Under the hood
The closing (1-Lamat) and opening (1-Imix) trecenas each has just one portal day: the former ends on a portal day, while the latter begins on one. There is only one other pair of trecenas that have this unique quality:
1-Manik has only one portal day – at the end (13-Cauac)
1-Ik has only one portal day – at the beginning (1-Ik)
Look at the Tzolkin “map” and tell me – can you see a pattern taking shape?
Important Note: If you get this post via email, stay tuned online and come back soon for more updates on this post in the following days, leading up to 1-Ix and beyond!
Updated through: 4-Kan
1-Imix: Leviathan
Born on this day: Amy Smart, Jennifer Aniston, Billy Wilder, Billy Bob Thornton, Alan Watts, Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Nick Cave, Scott Kazmir
“Sooner or later everyone needs a haircut.” – Billy Bob Thornton (1-Imix), The Man Who Wasn’t There
Portal Day
Here we go again ’round the World-Tree Bush (unless you visited Momostenango and switched to 8-Chuen along with Kenneth).
This time, I’m reflecting on yesterday, too – 13-Ahau, which was also a portal day. Then, I’ll proceed to count days forwards and backwards, and under each day you’ll see today’s kin (big) next to the corresponding day counting backwards (small). I’ve only just began using this method, and can already see some interesting patterns evolving.
Keep in mind that in about 65 days there would be a max/min convergence of the two counts, and between 13-Oc and 1-Chuen the counts will flip over. That’s just math.
1-Imix is a like cooking a full meal that’s based on a bunch of ancient recipes – for the first time ever. Here’s the deal:
You found these recipes filed in a forgotten cache somewhere.
Some of the preparation methods and tools are outlandish and alien to you. There’s plenty to learn.
Some of the quantity statements in the recipe seem a bit vague, maybe even in units you don’t know. You might need to dial grandma’s number later.
Most importantly – all the ingredients are in front of you.
At the very least, you know that this small cache can turn into a dynamite dinner – if you can only decipher these recipes. Along the way, you’re bound to enhance your culinary skills and knowledge in a very unique way – by tracing an old cultural and familial landmark that is very near and dear to you.
=
Now, the recipes are 13-Ahau, stashed away by your forbearers, in desperate hope that someday their gifts will surface for the benefit of all the juniors. “Maybe through these amazing dishes the kids will forgive our misgivings.”
Just cut the Hair
In this trecena there are several personas involved in making the postmodern masterpiece that is “The Man who Wasn’t There” (2001). The first (naturally) is the leading role of Ed Crane, played by Billy Bob Thornton (1-Imix). In this next scene he’s in a dialog about extra-terrestrial conspiracies, leading to a mysterious assassination of a thriving (and conniving) businessman.
“Perhaps this will bring it out finally. Perhaps NOW it’ll all come out!”
– Ann Nirdlinger Brewster, acted perfectly by Katherine Borowitz (what’s her birthday?)
2-Ik: Spirit
Born on this day: Ezra Pound, Slash (Guns n’ Roses), Kylie Minogue, Cynthia Nixon
“I recognized my own creative voice filtered through those six strings, but it was also something else entirely.” – Slash (2-ik) biography by Anthony Bozza & Mason Segal
2-Ik, resonating with 12-Cauac.
Continuing the discussion about Hermes/Mercury, Ik is the initial appearance of Mind and Spirit in the standard uinal (20-day period). It blows both ways. Wind begins with the number 2, since the first number that ever appeared in awareness WAS 2. It wasn’t One. One came right after.
Back to the kitchen, 2-Ik is when I start thinking – who am I going to subject to experimentation trying these old recipes? Which dish should I start with – the most familiar or the experimental one? Should I do it this weekend or wait for the holidays? All these questions are reflected against friends and other trusted advisers, as the energy of Ik brings good communication and ideas.
All this inquiry right at the kick-off sounds very logical and basic. It seems to carry a lot of weight when it is under consideration, but inquiry gets replaced by action and done decisions soon after. However, I know I’m going to look back on those actions and decisions after they play out. So it is very important to experience this practice in basic mental duality thoroughly, and maybe to take down some notes for future reference.
==
12-Cauac is like the last time you had a real good spa and shower, so to speak. It’s when all the good ideas for next time came to mind, as the body sang and purified itself in Water. Cauac also ties in nicely with Mercury and its learning/teaching aspect.
Cauac and Ik have an interesting link between them. 4-Ik takes place in the 1-Cauac trecena, meaning that the Wind defines the boundaries in which the Storm moves and acts. The wind is actually the main force that creates, drives, and dissolves Storms.
A Virginal
By Ezra Pound (2-Ik). Read by unknown.
3-Akbal: Campfire
Born on this day: Dennis Hopper, Louis C.K., John Williams, Jason Stathem
“The meal is not over when I’m full. The meal is over when I hate myself.” – Louis C.K. (3-Akbal)
At this juncture we arrive at the first burner-day match between the two sun-signs (Akbal and Edznab). We’ll have two more before this trecena is done. Can you guess at what stages?
Akbal is the dark house of the underworld, where we spend the night until dawn arrives. It is the sign of inspiration and intuition – of storytelling. When you meet someone born under this sign s/he’ll always have a story to tell you; something that makes perfect sense, and at the same time – based on profound spiritual truth.
The 3rd stage stands for exuberant action and communication on all levels and in all directions. Thus, 3-Akbal is like an engine of gut-reactions and rudimentary logic that drives the most physical trecena on offer (1-Imix).
===
Edznab shares many traits with its quad member Akbal, and adds its own special touch to them. A good story must have its own internal integrity of background and plot. This is what Edznab gives the stories I tell to others, and especially those I tell myself. Reflected in reality, the story that I’m a great husband (let’s say) must make sense. Reflected within myself and my values – integrity must be maintained.
However, 11-Edznab is an anti-climax kind of reality, so it doesn’t mean that all those reflections indeed make up a true story.
First and foremost, in order to be a true story it must be true also for my wife. That’s where the anti-climax might be lurking – when I actually ask her to find out.
Truth must be universalized (see tomorrow).
4-Kan: Plenty
Born on this day: Seth Green, Adele, Michael Madsen, Nigel Hawthorne, Sonny Rollins, Shlomo Artzi
“Minister, Britain has had the same foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years: to create a disunited Europe.” – Nigel Hawthorne (4-Kan), Yes Minister season 1 episode 5
The darkness and uncertainty of yesterday (Akbal) took some luck and good ideas to negotiate successfully. Now it’s time to set the boundaries for the next time Transformation is called for.
Kan (seed, lizard) is considered the most basic form of abundance. The seed is small, and can be stored in bulk in normal conditions without spoiling for a very long time. When it is needed, it is placed in convenient surroundings and conditions to begin growing. This means that 1 full silo of grain turns into bread for many thousands next year. This is nature’s abundance in its most humble form.
As another southern sun-sign (Eb) teaches, the most humble have the best chances to achieve abundance. I don’t mean humble like a mendicant necessarily. I mean humble like someone who has the gift of listening.
4-Kan draws four lines in the sand and says – these are the minimal criteria for the physical world (Imix). To illustrate what I mean, I’ll go back to the Kitchen. It seems like one of the last bastions of the physical world within my home setting (that and the bedroom, of course.)
Thinking about the banquet I’m preparing, based on those ancient recipes – here are some examples of convictions I come across on the 4th stage of my project:
This meal should be planned with up to 9 people dining.
I found a couple of exotic ingredients in the recipes, and decided to go out of my way for some of them, and substitute the rest with ingredients on offer. Note: I know I stated back on 1-Imix that I have everything I need, but that’s indicative of Imix and stage 1. Reality calls for constant adaptation.
I’ve set a date and some very special people I expected to be at the dinner called in to tell me they cannot make it. Alright, next time.
I’ve figured out preparation methods and quantities.
The bottom line message is that there’s only so much food myself and my family needs, the rest should go where it can do some good for others. This is 4-Kan.
====
The mirroring combination is 10-Caban, what I dubbed “Manifested Heartbeat” on the 1-Lamat trecena. Now, Kan and Caban have a special link between them, since the 1-Kan trecena is immediately followed by the 1-Caban trecena.
Let that sink in for a moment.
This coupling of kins demonstrates to a certain extent that the Tzolkin structure can be used to count time both forwards and backwards. Two opposing stages (4 and 10) yielded a resonance in trecena sequence harmonics.
Caban is the living Earth that receives the seed (Kan) in order to manifest abundance. It is the field of space and matter which creates the conditions for any seed or idea to be implemented in the physical world.
10-Caban is the last 10th stage of the previous round. Its message requires that truth and moral be universalized in order to make sense to anyone and everyone.
5-Chicchan: LIFE
Born on this day: Srinivasa Ramanujan, Andy Griffith, Marilyn Monroe, Demetri Martin (comedian), Hayim Nahman Bialik, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Daz Dillinger, Sammy Ofer
“An equation for me has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God.” – Srinivasa Ramanujan (5-Chicchan)
The fifth stage is a time for organization and precise forward movement. It always resonates closely with the intent from which the journey began, since the sun-sign appearing on it has the same cardinal direction as stage One. Here we have 1-Imix leading up to 5-Chicchan four days later. This can be interpreted as an intention to initiate and nourish something new on day one, leading up to that something taking on a life of its own by day five. 5-Chicchan is an autonomous and dramatic force of organization which actually governs the pace and timeline of the process it’s involved with.
If the intention on stage 1 was to build a house, on stage 5 I already know what kind of house it’s going to be, how much it’ll cost, what materials I’ll be using, etc. Most probably, the house plans have already been finalized by stage 5, and on-site work is already underway.
When wood is piled and gasoline is poured
the next thing you need is a spark
Since all the gasoline originates in the Persian Gulf
that's where the spark should occur
otherwise Fire will not catch hold
Ironically, the typical spark happens at sea
A navy ship is struck without provocation
A surprise blow, an act of terror and piracy
At first it's scary,
but after looking closely you realize
This happened many times before
and it succeeded as many times as it failed.
Miserably.
Look up USS Liberty during the 6 day war
or the incident in the Gulf of Tonkin in '64
Realize that piracy happens everywhere.
In the middle of the ocean you raise someone else's flag
and no-one knows any better until it's too late
It used to be the Skull and Bones...
Death engenders Fear, of Life
The ritual of Death is something I always come across when lecturing about the Mayan civilization and calendar. It is one of the things most people think about when discussing this culture, especially having Mel Gibson’s film Apocalypto in mind. The fact that many heads used to roll down those step pyramids before Hernán Cortés came along can be enough reason to dismiss any wisdom that the Maya might have to offer posterity.
However, when I began researching the Mayan calendar and culture I realized how deep their ancient wisdom goes. This, by the way, is not unique to central American cultural research. Whenever the surface of any unknown subject is scratched away – dualistic prejudices are cut through, as pure interest and curiosity replace complacence and ignorance.
According to the Mayan philosophy, Death and Life take Place in Time all the time. Endings and beginnings are essentially human definitions, which in turn serve to obscure the endlessness of Time and Space.
Therefore, the concept of Death, according to the Mayan philosophy, as well as many other ancient traditions – should be viewed through the bird’s eye, using a wide perspective. Why? well, the unknown should be investigated on all levels, not just the particular. It’s not just the End, just the yawning grave, just Judgement, or just whatever. Death is mostly perceived as that Other Side – the proverbial unknown.
Death Is underneath Everyday
I went through a death ritual and lived to tell the tale. It was during a masonic ritual during which I was made a Master Mason. It was quite harmless, and I was never in any danger of actual death. This doesn’t say I didn’t experience some facet of it.
Two months ago I went to an intense weekend workshop, where we did some role-playing and guided imagination. One of the most memorable and powerful experiences I had there involved an imagined life and death situation, which I lost (i.e., I died).
Going back to what I wrote above about the Persian Gulf and the pirates – it is scary to live and nurture a family when my house is located several hundreds of miles from where all the gasoline is, and where the spark could possibly take place. It really tries my spiritual stamina to accept it somehow and take the bus to work.
The forces that are pushing the world towards the edge of the precipice are the same forces that rolled the heads down the pyramid. These forces represent a warped version of purification (“cleansing”) and control. The basic assumption in the ritual of Death is that some sort of sacrifice must take place in order to usher in something New. What’s missing from this seemingly sound logic is – who is going to step up to the plate and be sacrificed?
Spiritually – it is always a personal sacrifice, of ego and old skin.
Materially – it is the psychopathic massacre of the proverbial Other.
1-Chicchan - from the Libido out to Space
Under the Hood
The 260-day Tzolkin round can be divided into 5 equal periods of 52 days each. Each period begins with the first day of an eastern trecena, like 1-Chicchan, which begins today. The first 52-day period in the Tzolkin begins on 1-Imix, then 1-Ben, 1-Chicchan, 1-Caban, and finally 1-Muluc. As such, an eastern trecena marks a period of initiation and new beginnings, to various degrees.
To continue the previous discussion, there are four eastern sun-signs in the 1-Chicchan trecena (colored red), and three of every other cardinal direction. The dominant and nurturing eastern energy of 1-Chicchan, 5-Muluc, 9-Ben and 13-Caban is balanced by three western sun-signs (blue) that provide transformative energy: 3-Manik, 7-Chuen, and 11-Men.
What’s obviously special in 1-Chicchan is that there are ten consecutive portal days between 2-Cimi and 11-Men (indicated by asterisks). During this period it is recommended to consider and reconsider how the outside world can be interpreted (if at all), and more importantly – how to react (if at all). This powerful sequence of potent days will be experienced one more Time in this Tzolkin round: during the 1-Kan trecena, as the flip-side of the Tzolkin unravels.
Pop-quiz hot-shot
This trecena’s riddle is: “What is the Matrix?”
The keys to solve this riddle are: 4, 5, 7 and 13
1-Chicchan: Kukulkan’s Kundalini
Born on this day: Oscar Wilde, Natalie Imbruglia, Hillel Slovak, Rutherford B. Hayes (19th US president)
"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful." - Oscar Wilde (1-Chicchan) The Picture of Dorian Gray Ch. 2
Imagine you’re playing tennis against Andre Agassi, and he’s serving. Somehow, you manage to return one of his super-fast serves. This is the energy of Chicchan (The Serpent) in action. Had you been thinking about returning the serve chances are the ball would be by you before you’d know it. Rather than from the pondering mind – this is an instinctual energy which knows exactly what to do as it travels from the Base chakra up the spine.
Chicchan is also known as Kundalini. The Sanskrit word “Kundalini” means “coiled”, as the Serpent lies coiled in potential at the base of the spine.
In everyday hospital dramas the medicinal Serpent on the doctor’s attire represents the physician’s ability to cure illness, as well as the patient’s innate ability to cure him/herself. Therefore, the theme of this trecena is the dramatic nature of life itself. The Serpent gives life but can also take it away.
It is a time of extremes, of exposed secrets and swift justice.
2-CIMI: Pass ON
Born on this day: Andrea Bocelli
"(Cimi is) a good day to tie all loose ends" - Ian Lungold (12-Ahau)
Buckle-up, the 10-day Portal ride is underway!
“To be or not to be?”, or, to put it in the parlance of our times: “To Be or to
Become?” On this day of stark duality the essence of Cimi (transformation)
expresses the fork at the beginning of the winding serpentine path. Choice is the
offspring of separation between self and other, mind and body, evolution and
extinction. Even though Cimi literally means Death and loss, it is also a comforting and guiding force through transitions, which smooths the effects of past choices.
Rather than confronting the arresting dilemmas offered by 2-Cimi head-on, this is a good day for allowing the Serpent to continue creeping stealthily below the surface. Remember that this is just the first of 10 consecutive Portal days, so whatever choice is made today – in retrospect it can always be “meant to be”.
3-MANIK: Healing Drum
Born on this day:Dr. Dre, Guy Ritchie, John McCain, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Eyal Berkovic (Football)
"The track hits ya eardrum like a slug to ya chest. Pack a vest for your Jimmy in the city of sex" - Dr. Dre (3-Manik) taken from California Love
Among many other interesting meanings, Manik (the Deer) represents the acquisition of skills and tools, as well as striving for accomplishment. During the course of life’s drama, skills are perfected and tools are acquired in order to overcome obstacles and accomplish goals. When coupled with the rhythmic and unbridled expression of stage 3, 3-Manik can be equated to a busy handyman with an overcrowded toolbox. He knows what needs to be done, wants to succeed, but has trouble deciding which tool to pick, so he leaves it for tomorrow. Therefore, on this day wisdom can be found in avoiding clutter, indecision, and procrastination.
Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were both born on the Tzolkin day 3-Manik, 11 years apart. In this next clip they are both having dinner together in the feature Julie & Julia. This movie is the only one I’ve found so far in which two actors who were born on the same Tzolkin date are acting side by side.
Maybe you can find others?
4-LAMAT: CompasStar
Born on this day: Laurence Fishburne, Bette Midler, Hugh Laurie, Jennie Garth, Wes Borland
"I found a cab eventually, and told the driver in fluent English that I wanted Wenceslas Square. This request, I now know, is phonically identical to the Czech phrase for ‘I am an air-brained tourist, please take everything I have’." - Hugh Laurie (4-Lamat)
Lamat (Star) is a busy and multi-talented sun-sign which, on this day, meets the stable stage 4 of establishing boundaries. This combination is like the four-hand compass which appears on every map. It provides parameters of orientation, much like the overhead stars which also indicate my actual location. Understanding where I am and where I might go is the essence of this day.
The Serpent’s intuitive power must have established limits in order to be truly free. These limits are the limits of Dreams, wished upon the fertile and sexy Rabbit-Star.
BTW, Laurence Fishburne (4-Lamat) is best known for his depiction of Morpheus in the Matrix trilogy. Morpheus is the Greek god of Dreams. The drug Morphine is named after him.
To illustrate the mystery of this combination, here is Hugh Laurie playing piano and singing, long before becoming known as Dr. House MD.
5-MULUC: The Lion Sleeps near a Stream
Born on this day: David Icke, Bill Clinton, Jarvis Cocker, Bobby McFerrin
"But this is America. There is no them; there's only us. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liber... (you know the rest)" - Bill Clinton (5-Muluc) in his speech "A Place Called Hope"
Water (Muluc) is the medium by which the Serpent’s “body-lightning” courses
through the body and makes it alive. Like the Earth, my body is mostly water, and it is the offering of water which electrifies and empowers me on this day.
All eastern sun-signs express a level of fluidity, from the crocodile (Imix) to the
earthquake (Caban). The Serpent’s movement is known to be fluid and adaptable, but Muluc is the fluid itself. Therefore, 5-Muluc is the empowerment of the life’s ability to adapt itself and rise above limitations.
Speaking of David Icke, he’s the one who tied (for me) the Matrix concept to the bloodline conspiracy fashion/trend of David Wilcock. So, he’s the Five in this trecena’s riddle.
6-OC: Attachment vs. Non-Attachment
Born on this day: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
"Nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed." - Gandhiji (6-Oc)
On the day 6-Oc the extreme nature and drama of the Serpent is refined by the Love and loyalty of the Dog. The title of the 6th stage of the trecena is Flow and
Responsiveness, and thus, through life’s dramatic trials and tribulations, flowing Love and steadfast loyalty seems always to be the answer.
The 6th stage is also considered to be traditional and habitual in nature, and when it is matched with Oc – the territorial Dog, it becomes even more so. Therefore, 6-Oc is a perfect day to spend time with family/friends and guide each other with love through the trials of this period.
Childhood by the Sea
In the home I grew up in, by the shore of the Mediterranean, Gandhi was referred to as “Gandhiji”. He was one of the philosophers who inspired my wonderful, immigrant, academic parents, along with Swami Vivekananda, Krishnamurti, and many others.
Imagine that. They actually lived under the rule of a philosopher Prime Minister who made a march to make salt, and fasted almost to Death until his country’s civil unrest subsided.
In tribute to my father Sunny’s infinite curiosity and spirit (12-Ik), and with warm wishes for a long and happy life to my mom Uriel (9-Eb) – here is Gandhiji:
My sincere message to Bashar al-Assad (7-Chuen) is to fast publicaliy, like Lennon and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
7-CHUEN: Just a Ride
Born on this day: Ed Harris, William H. Macy, Christopher Lloyd, Vanessa Paradis, Marcus Miller, Tony Robbins, Bashar al-Assad, Andy Wachowski
"This time-traveling is just too dangerous. Better that I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe: women!" - Christopher Lloyd (7-Chuen) as Doc Brown in Back to the Future Part II
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players” – William Shakespeare (Baptized 1-Eb)“The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are… But it doesn’t matter, because it’s just a ride. And we can change it any time we want. It’s only a choice.No effort, no work, no job, no savings of money. Just a simple choice, right now, between fear and love.” – Bill Hicks (13-Manik, 1-Men trecena)
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At the midpoint of the serpentine rollercoaster ride of Life the artisan monkey Chuen appears just in Time to turn me around and remind me of the true nature of my tenure on the Grand Stage. Although the extreme instincts of self-preservation seem to always get me tangled up in life’s little hospital-dramas, the visionary artist 7-Chuen is ever present. At the very peak, the thrill of the Ride turns from sheer Terror to irony and wholehearted laughter.
To “illustrate” the peaking artisan, here is Ed Harris (7-Chuen) playing Jackson Pollock (6-Manik).
8-EB: Endless Social Networking
Born on this day: Meyer Lansky, Philip Baker Hall, Claude Debussy, Skye Edwards, Mark Zuckerberg
"To be or not to be is not a question of compromise. Either you be or you don’t be." - Golda Meir (7-OC) When questioned on Israel's future, in The New York Times (1974)
How come I mention Golda Meir (7-OC) on 8-EB? Did you notice?
Well, this has to do with a very interesting piece of 70’s history. In 1970 Meyer Lansky (8-EB) flew from Miami Beach to Tel-Aviv and stayed there for a while. After a while he decided to spend his retirement years in Israel, as a returned Jew. Golda Meir (7-OC), who was the Prime Minister of Israel back then, told Lansky to get his retired ass back to Miami Beach, where tax evasion charges where waiting for his return.
Here is the man himself, in an interview he gave to the Israeli television in 1971:
In the Godfather part 2 Lee Strasberg (13-Akbal) played a character based on Meyer Lanski (Hyman Roth).
… and to think that the Jew who owns Facebook was born on the same Tzolkin day as the one who financed arms during the Israeli war of independence in 1948, and prevented arms to reach Arabia…
Dance like Iggy Pop
The human spirit which dwells in the body has the divine ability to adapt to any and every situation. The current Time period of the Serpent (1-Chicchan) serves to remind me of this constant. Chicchan is my pure passion and Lust for Life, which can be manifested both as self-preservation and instinct of survival, but also as sincere service to others. Both traits are expressions of my adaptability, and both are also equally valuable and needed during these escalating times of rapid change.
Here’s the amazing voice of Skye Edwards and the oriental groove of Morcheeba in “Otherwise”.
When i open my mouth thoughts are brutally honest And i can’t expect that kind of love from you When you open your mouth Your teeth are beautifully polished And i can’t extract the pain you’re going through No i can’t explain The pain you’re going throughIt ain’t gonna hurt now If you open up your eyes You’re making it worse now Every time you criticise I’m under your curse now But I call it compromise I thought that you were wise But you were otherwise
9-BEN: Federal/Familial Backbone
Born on this day: Charles Dickens, Judy Garland, Kristin Davis, Barak Obama, The US of A (4 July 1776)
"In love of home, the love of country has its rise." - Charles Dickens (9-Ben) taken from The Old Curiosity Shop (1841) chapter 38
In the Mayan language “Ben” means “Reed” or “Staff”. In the context of this trecena, it can be attributed to the rod/spinal cord on which the serpent coils itself. This rod is the medium which connects Earth to the heavens, and the libido to the brain. Therefore, 9-Ben deals with the basic “mechanics” of life and destiny: whatever’s envisioned by the mind manifests down on earth, and whatever transpires in reality invariably affects the mind and guides the spirit.
In between heaven and earth, dream and reality – there is (still) Time, and stage 9’s title is “Patience”.
Here is Kristin Davis (9-Ben) and Tim Allen (12-Cauac):
10-IX: Don’t Pounce
Born on this day: Ian Holm, Ethan Hawke
10-IX: The Shaman's skills, perfected, hidden and beautiful, ultimately precipitate infinite responsibility and prudence.
Ix can be translated as the Jaguar Shaman or wo/man of deep wisdom who invokes the benevolent spirits of the jungle for the benefit of all. On 10-Ix the Serpent completes its transformation and manifests as a stealthy and skillful Jaguar. While the Serpent is dramatic, ascetic, and tends to allow itself to be cornered before overreacting – the Jaguar is fully aware of its abilities and strengths, so it lies unseen in ambush and knows exactly when to pounce. Thus the journey of life’s drama leads to the perfected Shaman, who responsibly and skillfully combines wisdom and instinct; spiritual enlightenment and basic survival.
I’ve been a science fiction enthusiast for quite some time now. During the roaring 90’s, when I used to read Stephen Baxter and Dan Simmons, one of the movies I loved was The Fifth Element. I liked it because it was all about Love conquering Fear and Sabre-rattling.
“Life, which you so nobly serve, comes from destruction, disorder, and chaos.” – Zorg, as played by Gary Oldman (12-Imix), talking with Father Vito Cornelius, as played by Ian Holm (10-IX)
11-MEN: Disembarking
Born on this day: Daniel Day-Lewis, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), John Deacon (Queen), Karen Majorowski, James Lipton
"The thing about performance, even if it’s only an illusion, is that it is a celebration of the fact that we do contain within ourselves infinite possibilities." - Daniel Day-Lewis (11-Men) in Rolling Stone magazine (1990)
1-Chicchan is a deep process which contains many powerful insights into basic human experience. 11-Men is the last of 10 consecutive portal days, and its message can be phrased as: perfection is never enough; in other words – perfection is relative to perspective (or “altitude”).
The perfect and responsible Jaguar Shaman achieved yesterday might suffice to his/her immediate tribe, but the Eagle (Men) ascends the spiraling winds of the heavens to provide me with a larger perspective. Whatever’s good for the family needs adjustment to be good for the community, and so forth. On the 11th stage the Eagle’s vision is a gift of refinement and resolution, which encourages further transformation and constant learning in expanding spheres of influence.
That’s it? Okay, I’ve had enough of portal days. Let’s go eat.
The Daily Guide to the Mayan Sacred Calendar
Karen (11-Men), along with her partner Stan Majorowski (13-Cib, 1-Kan trecena) have been publishing the daily guide to the Mayan Sacred Calendar for some years now. The first copy to land on my desk came just a couple of weeks ago. Reading the foreward, I came to realize that this issue will be their last, to my dismay. It’s basically a cross-calendar of the Tzolkin and Gregorian, beautifully illustrated and nicely done.
Born on this day: Brad Dourif, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Bob Moses
"It is by will alone I set my mind in motion." - Brad Dourif (12-Cib) as Piter De Vries in Dune (1984)
Life is sacred. The essence of 12-Cib is understanding the sanctity of life as a whole, and accepting life’s promise of both ecstasy and agony. Cib means wisdom, and it is also depicted as a shrine of worship. Imagine you are visiting the far-away ruins of an ancient city. You enter the remains of a temple and place both hands on a pillar. From the depths of time a subtle echo of sacred and forgotten wisdom reverberates through the skin of your fingers. This is the energy of Cib.
I understand that the temple I visit on the day 12-Cib, and on every other day I live to experience on Earth is that most sacred of Temples – my own body.
Muad’Dib and Shai-Hulud
I remember taking my father to see David Lynch’s Dune in our neighborhood cinema when I was about 10 years old. It was a trip. I specifically remember wanting to become Kyle MacLachlan (12-Cauac) and ride the Worm as the desert Messiah. This film also featured Brad Dourif in his early years, playing a unique role (like most characters in the book).
This one film also taught me a lot about time-travelling and using drugs/spices. And about the serpent’s swift retribution.
The SandWorm Shai-Hulud is the Arabian version of Chicchan.
Frank Herbert (10-Akbal) was a genius.
13-Caban: Thank you India
Born on this day: Alanis Morissette, James Baldwin, Carroll O’Connor, The Edge, Ralph Houk (NY Yankee), Rasputin, Benjamin Franklin, Jean Baudrillard
"It is the real, and not the map, whose vestiges persist here and there in the deserts that are no longer those of the Empire, but ours: the desert of the real itself." - Jean Baudrillard (13-Caban) in Simulacra and Simulations (1988)
Cultural referral note: The above quote was paraphrased by Laurence Fishburne (4-Lamat, nine days ago) as Morpheus in the first Matrix film, where he tells Neo “Welcome to the desert of the Real”. Baudrillard’s book (Simulacra and Simulations) appears at the beginning of the film, and serves as a fake book from which Neo takes contraband software disks to sell to people at his door.
So here the story of this trecena’s riddle finally unfolds. The Matrix cages the mind and uses the body, along with its illusive Kundalini. Baudrillard wrote about it, and so did Plato and Jordan Maxwell, while the Wachoski brothers wrote and directed it.
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When the sanctity of the individual is realized, the next immediate step is going global on the path of “Ascending Earth” (13-Caban). The holographic principle “As above, so below” means that whatever hold true for our body and spirit is inevitably true for the Earth itself, and therefore – the universe. The journey of 1-Chicchan began with the subjective little dramas of life and death, climaxed and was turned around with the ironies of the artisan (7-Chuen), and today it culminates in synchronizing with the Earth’s heartbeat (Caban).
Tomorrow, reality will begin to be reflected in the Mirror of Truth (1-Edznab), as the Tzolkin ride enters the Core.
Great Ride! Let’s go again…
How bout no longer being masochistic?How bout remembering your divinity?How bout unabashedly bawling your eyes out?How bout not equating death with stopping?Thank you India!!!Thank you providenceThank you disillusionmentThank you nothingnessThank you clarityThank you, thank you SILENCE
Another Time 