Feminine and Masculine on the crossbar
Click here for part 1
In this installment I’ll learn with you about the Mayan cross crossbar – the Masculine and Feminine nawals of the heart (center) nawal. Now, the first thing to clarify is the way in which these polar terms are used in this system. Along with the mundane view of males being masculine and females being the opposite, we need to take on board additional considerations.
Gender in the Mayan cosmovision takes on a broader sense, which somewhat parallels the Taoist approach of Yin and Yang. Yang, for example, can manifest regardless of the individual’s sex, as an activity, as molding energy which strives to change and apply itself. While Yin is more receptive, hidden and encompassing, a yearning to be fertilized by someone or something.
When I look at the masculine (right-hand, diagram’s left) side I find the nawal which allows a person to “be the change s/he wants to be in the world”, to move, act, interact, and invoke miracles. This nawal determines what is noted, focused upon, worked on and shaped. The fertilizer.
The feminine (left-hand, diagram’s right) side is the lens through which awareness to the world is gained. Attention, absorption, digestion and contemplation. Whether male or female, the feminine nawal is the nourishing and protecting one. It can also be viewed as a balancing, invisible counterpart to whatever I am aware of. If the masculine occupies the foreground, the feminine is the background, border, lighting and everything else that’s usually taken for granted.
10-Imox Mayan Cross
The heart nawal: 10-Imox (30 January 2017)
“I used to be you, then I evolved.” – Woody Harrelson (10-Imix) as Mickey Knox in “Natural Born Killers” (1994)
In 1994, Oliver Stone (6-Cib) released his music-video feature film ‘Natural Born Killers’, which was written by Quentin Tarantino (11-Ben), David Veloz, and Richard Rutowski. Being met with this neck-break cultural roller-coaster at the formative age of 21, I got a strong gut feeling the world is turning weirder by the day.
Today I can see that the reason I still carry the effect that movie had on me is mainly because of its epic soundtrack, which was artfully arranged and created by Trent Reznor (13-Men) of NIN. Very much like an older movie I also love (The Wall), this was a 90-minute, non-stop music video. But that’s a tangent, to be expediently shot down.
The movie’s story revolves around a young couple, Mickey (Woody Harrelson, 10-Imox) and Malory (Juliette Lewis, 6-Eb) Knox, who drive around the unsuspecting American Southwest in a vintage convertible car on an orgiastic murder spree. And much like Bonny and Clyde, these two charming killers are lauded in the media as rock star rebels, on the run from an oppressive system.
Jumping to an altogether different culture (and back to my point), the Mayan nawal Imox is often associated with craziness and genius. It is also a symbol of the Ocean, its immeasurable strength and unforgiving nature, and of the primordial forces that always underlie reality. Some say it is linked to the collective unconscious, our psychic fuel.
So here is an example of a 10-Imox-born male actor, playing the part of an unhinged human predator, who is at the same time preaching on prime-time TV a philosophy of life which resonates enough to spark a full-blown prison riot. A killer’s point of view which cuts through much of what a decedent society has taken for granted about what ‘violence’ and ‘murder’ means. The applause of the cheering crowds in the movie is echoed by the movie audience, who identifies with the protagonists, whatever happens and whoever they may be, and especially when they are caught and stand accused in trial.
Was Harrelson a good casting choice as Mickey Knox?
About 10-Imox
The end of every road is the beginning of the next. Imix (the crocodile) is the first sun-sign, since everything begins and ends in the womb of creation – the primordial swamp that is the crocodile’s domain.
The previous day (Ahau) is also called “the Master”, and in this respect, every master eventually becomes a novice of the next higher level of evolution.
Therefore, 10-Imix means that the one true road (1-Eb) manifests when I find myself back on square one. But this is scarcely a regression, since the journey itself has transformed me. Equipped with the nurturing instincts of Imix, and the responsibility that stage 10 invokes – it is now time to go “back to school” to guide and show my fellow companions how the Road of Life can be chosen and traveled.
The masculine nawal: 4-Men (24 January 2017)
“Sex alleviates tension. Love causes it.” – Woody Allen (4-Men) taken from A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (1982)
Moving back 7 nawals, from one Woody to another, we have to imagine a whole other kind of male. In most of his films, Woody Allen’s character is a very passionate person, longing to be accepted and loved; to be at least half as self-assured and as dominant as a 10-Imox male like Harrelson could be. Instead, Allen is helplessly trapped inside his own mind, clinging to a false sense of intellectual superiority, unable to recognize that his own unconscious fears, neurotic insecurities and giant ego are all standing in the way between himself and any kind of happiness.
He is nevertheless brilliant and sophisticated, funny and full of life. The Eagle nawal represents a warrior spirit, a crusader of light and truth; generous, open, and at times combative. It operates within the material realm, and is the symbol of money and physical wealth.
All these represent the masculine aspect of Imox.
About 4-Men
The sun-sign Men is the Eagle that soars high above the road and sees dead-ends and insurmountable barriers that cannot possibly be foreseen by its predecessor – the Jaguar – at ground level. The 4th stage of the journey is when boundaries are placed and the entire process is stabilized as a result. The eagle’s vision on this day helps to avoid taking the wrong turns on the Road, and teaches me that, although there are always countless roads to take, I must use vision to define and stabilize my overall destination, and as a result – maintain my freedom of movement.
The feminine nawal: 3-Manik (5 February 2017)
“Hollywood to me is what it is to you. It’s something other than what I am. I sit outside it.” – Meryl Streep (3-Manik) taken from James Mottram, “Meryl Streep: Movies, marriage, and turning sixty,” The Independent, 24 January 2009 (7-Ben)
On the feminine side of Imox we find Manik – a powerful, stable nawal. According to Kenneth Johnson:
“It is a day of power, authority, hierarchy, force, and the four cardinal points… The natives of Kej have a strong masculine energy regardless of their own gender. They are strong and brave, but often very refined at the same time… Kej women are agile and strong; they are able to assume great responsibilities and occupy important positions. They are affectionate and appreciative, but must often make sacrifices to achieve their goals.”
To exemplify 3-Manik in particular, I offer the indestructible, charming Mrs. Meryl Streep. Most would agree she indeed carries a masculine energy, and that she’s agile and strong in whatever role her career takes her to. Being refined can also be attributed to her, perhaps in the way she carries herself. As the feminine side of Imox, she offers refinement of the raw Imox energy, along with providing the tools and skills required to manifest Imox’s brillient ideas and creating drive.
About 3-Manik
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.
Another Time 