Tag: #ancientwisdom

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Tijax

The serpent brought me a lot of wisdom these past 13 days. Wisdom that is seeding knowing. Knowing feels different than believing. The difference is subtle, but profound, much like the energy of Kan. It’s innate and is best understood through experience. Ix Cacao was my chosen experience. I’ve completed 19 days of a 21-day cacao immersion. Traditional preparation and ritual formed our courtship. The Mayan energy of the day informed our meditations. Her magic invited me to feel my innate wisdom. So gentle, so sweet. My heart has been opened in the most delightful way through knowing this sacred plant. Pure bliss. Insights delivered easefully. A joyful practice that I was eager to engage with each morning. Echoing my rib adjustment and the attic excavation, Madame Cacao showed me that healing can feel good. More of that, please!

The trecena of Tijax invites us to put the wisdom we’ve acquired from Kan to use. Tijax purifies and excises whatever creates imbalance. It represents an obsidian blade and embodies the archetypes of both the surgeon and the holy warrior. Its power is best wielded with discernment. Through our presence and experience during the Kan trecena, we embody the wisdom necessary for discernment. Ideally, it tempers our blade.

With the arrival of Tijax, we are nearing the end of the cycle that began in January on 8 B’atz. Discharging and releasing any energies that are not serving us creates space for sustained healing and growth. Healing that liberates and nourishes. Writing is part of my release process. If I can access my vulnerability, my prose teaches me things about my experiences that my mind dismisses. Tuning into how I feel is key. Cacao and her teacher, @sacred_wellness_by_zuli, inspired a new level of feeling within me. It has changed me. I feel softened. A sense of innocence and hope have been restored.

I intend on harnessing the power of the obsidian blade to create permanent space for these new found feelings. Cutting distorted ideas about pain from my psyche. Editing old stories from my mental playlist. Purifying my heart of cynicism. I will be drinking cacao and I will be beginning a creative journey called Dream Weaving with my editor and soul sister, Lee Mayimele. It’s a journey into vibration, attunement and elevation according to her. I can’t wait to see what we create together in the coming cycle. Getting rid of anything that will impede the process with the tenacious energy of Tijax.

Trust yourself, you are so very wise.

Cara xoxo

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Kan

We’ve returned from the journey and we are ready to integrate our experience. Kan represents power and innate wisdom. It is the feathered serpent Q’uq’umatz or Quetzalcoaltl. It is coyopa, the lightning in the blood. Today Kan empowers us to follow the new direction that E’ has offered.  Whether your travels took you away from home or deep into your inner landscape, the seed of a new path has germinated. Now the real work of growth begins.

This gorgeous rattle snake showed up on my hike yesterday to welcome in the energy of Kan.

San Diego was both magical and illuminating. An alchemy of past, present and future. We let the navigation plot our course and ended up at my Dad’s favorite pit stop. It looked just as he had always described it. They still made their own fudge. Fudge he sometimes brought to my sister and me when he drove up to visit us. Fudge was a special treat. “Rocky Road and Chocolate, please.” I filled my mouth with it, immediately tasting the past. I let the tears stream down my face. My Dad was with me. I could feel him everywhere.

Andrew’s birthday wish was a trip to the Zoo. It had been twenty years since any of us had been. That had been on our first road trip together as a family. Two weeks driving up and down the West Coast in a mini-van. Absolutely exhausting. Infinitely expanding. This was our first vacation trip to San Diego as a couple. One week in a sweet little cottage. Lots of decadent food and leisurely sightseeing. Completely restorative. Totally satisfying. The trip went so well we are planning an annual pilgrimage. Andrew and Caroline have the same stars in their eyes that my Dad and my Grandparents had when they were living in San Diego. They are in love and likely to stay a while.

I initiated my Ixcacao immersion journey on the last day of our trip. Planting the seeds of this heart opening medicine in San Diego. The intersection of my past, present and future. An energetic portal to my healing. My first dose of cacao offered me an image of my grandparents house and then the name of the street. “Can we take a short detour to Rancho Bernardo?” Richard had already typed the street name into the navigation. “I can’t remember the number, but I will remember the house when I see it.”

Every part of my being remembered. It was almost startling. The house had only existed in my mind. Way back in the fuzzy part of my mind. Now it stood right in front of me. Nearly unchanged. My grandfathers citrus trees were immense. One of his roses even remained. It was all still here. The life force of my ancestors is still alive. It lives within me and my children. Kan is this force and it is the wisdom that comes from understanding the power of this force. Investing the power of Kan into your family and your relationships is a wise investment. I highly recommend it.

Happy Investing,

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Q’anil

The Trecena of Q’anil began on April 25th and finishes today. Another Trecena I am studying in retrospect. The Nawal Q’anil represents the ripening of the seed. It is associated with planting, natural cycles, creation and the harvest. It is the Nawal of farmers. For me, it has been an opportunity to reflect and to plant new seeds for the next cycle. The day 1 Q’anil hosted both my niece’s and my new sister’s birthdays this year. Numbers are the language the Universe uses the most to communicate with me. Numbers always have my attention.

The Q’anil Trecena also hosted the one-year anniversary of my sisters passing. It’s strange what we will remember after a traumatic event. I remember that it was the day of the Kentucky Derby. We happened to turn on the television just as the race was finishing. The same thing happened this year. A small reminder of how much had changed during the last solar cycle. I still forget that my sister isn’t here anymore. I will have something that I want to share with her, something she would enjoy or find amusing, and then I remember. I don’t cry every day anymore, but her absence is still noted. There was an ease between us. She saw me in a way no one else did. We were twins.

The closing of one cycle always welcomes a new one. Crafting a plan of study so that my son can become my business partner, not just an employee, are the seeds I have been planting. Intentionally expanding my business to accommodate his blossoming skills has also been part of my sowing.

This year also brought me a new, bonus sister. My step mother reconnected with her foster daughter a number of years ago and last year they formalized their relationship when Linda adopted Maat. Maat organized the tropical vacation during the Trecena of Aq’ab’al and it was love at first meet for me. An only child, Maat welcomed me enthusiastically, as though we had known each other for a lifetime. My wealth, my harvest and my abundance have always been my family. The energy of Q’anil illuminated that for me over these past thirteen days.

Tomorrow will welcome the Nawal of Imox. For some, this represents the beginning of a new calendar cycle. Imox is the Nawal of the oceans and the collective consciousness. It can be seen as the moment before creation. An opportunity for the seeds that we have planted in the last cycle to germinate. A time to visualize a new dream.

Happy Dreaming,

Cara

xoxo

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Tz’ikin

Something I have come to understand about this calendar, the Chol Q’ij, is that the wisdom of it is equally powerful when looking backwards as looking forwards. It’s a wheel. There is no ending or beginning. Just another cycle.

The Trecena of Tz’ikin began thirteen days ago on April 12th. I had intended to write on the 12th, but work beckoned and I felt energized to keep my nose down all the way through to the 15th. It was a tax season finish like none that I had experienced since opening my practice twenty years ago. Every client that brought their paperwork in before the 15th got their returns prepared on time! A new vision emerged. The seeds of a partnership were planted.

Tz’ikin, the bird or eagle, is the visionary of the calendar. It is also associated with prosperity and rules business and money. An ideal trecena to complete my busy season and then take time to REST and REFLECT. Rest began with a profoundly sublime and restorative day at the Spa in Pebble Beach. A Walk in the Forest is what I offered myself and it was absolutely delightful. Reflection followed with a session with my friend and an Elder of the Esselen tribe, Cari Herthel. The theme of RENEWAL emerged and was explored. Celebrations followed for family birthdays and Easter Sunday. Lots of time spent outdoors, followed by two days of deep cleaning my home. I am now ready to emerge back into the world.

Sometimes the energy of a Trecena is best experienced first and contemplated afterwards. Tz’ikin views the vision from above, offering us all possibilities. My son is the first employee that I have ever had. He is teaching me as much as I am teaching him. So much so that I can already see a partnership in another few years. A new possibility for my retirement. He enjoys the work and is really good at it. Imagine that.

Tomorrow brings us the theme of planting. Ideas delivered from the Sky Messenger Tz’ikin, can be sowed during the Trecena of Q’anil. It will be an opportunity to ripen your projects. My slower season brings a different type of work and more time to teach my future partner the business side of my business. I am delighted that I will have the generous and favorable energy of 1 Q’anil supporting me tomorrow when I return to the office. Both 1 and Q’anil are associated with the seed. The new beginning for the next harvest.

Happy Planting,

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Ajmaq

In a divine wink from the Universe, I am a little late in getting this blog published. I am feeling my humanness. I had a particularly frustrating day yesterday. I had no capacity to write. This Trecena celebrates and offers us the opportunity to reflect upon what it means to be human. It invites us to find forgiveness for ourselves and for others when we embody those less than desirable qualities that all humans possess. The Trecena of Aq’ab’al brought the new concept of JOY in for me. I discovered my inner girl while sliding down waterfalls, zip lining, dancing and just FROLICKING. Returning home to confront my business was sobering, but not unmanageable. Not until yesterday. Yesterday found me impatient, exhausted and frustrated. What happened to my joyful girl? SHE WAS HAVING A TEMPER TANTRUM!

Today as I contemplated the theme of the next thirteen days, I had to giggle. To be human is not to be perfect or to feel good all of the time. The Mayan word Maq represents the veil that obscures our perception of Ajaw (God). This veil is what makes us human. According to the Mayan creation story described in the Popul Vuh, when the Gods fashioned the first humans, they created them without the ability to see the consequences of their actions. In doing so, humans must make mistakes to learn and expand their consciousness. Through reconciliation and forgiveness, we can achieve enlightenment. When we recognize that each of us is on our own journey, we can have compassion for the actions of others. We learn to respect the process of life as a human being on planet earth.

Since I lost my twin sister, I have struggled to forgive myself for not reaching out more and checking in on her during her last days. I knew she was struggling with her mental health. I had struggled with my own mental health the previous year. I had learned that I had to find the answers within to find my joy again. I expected her to do the same. Her suicide was a complete shock to me. She was taking steps to make changes and then SHE WAS JUST GONE. In the space of three months, she completely lost her center and felt unable to go on. I will always wonder if there was any action or words from me that would have kept her here with us. But, on this timeline she is gone and it serves no one for me to withhold forgiveness from myself. To be honest, her despair overwhelmed me. I was protecting my one inner peace which was quite fragile and I was serving the clients in my business. My tank was empty.

I will be taking as much time as I can for introspection in the coming days. Our birthday is later this month and it will be my first year celebrating without her. I want to arrive at the day in a place of wholeness that honors myself as a human, as a twin and now as a woman who is still a twin, but is now walking alone.

May you find forgiveness and compassion for yourself and others this Trecena.

Cara

Living Maya Time-The Trecena of Aq’ab’al

Our faith has been renewed during the Trecena of T’zi and now we are ready to see the glimmer of a new dawn. In the Kiche language, the word aq’ab’ means night. When combined with the suffix- Al, it suggests change and the beginning of a new concept. The new concept may not be completely visible yet, but it has been conceived. It begins its gestation period today.

The T’zi Trecena has genuinely restored my faith. So much so that I accepted an invitation to go on holiday this week, just as my busiest season has begun. After so much grief, celebrating with family in a tropical destination felt like the perfect medicine. Knowing that I have such a capable assistant to help me catch up when I return, sealed the deal. My son has already found new ways to make my business run more efficiently and, perhaps more importantly, he is really ENJOYING it!

Traveling always gives me a new perspective. Although it is not necessarily recommended to travel during the closing days of the solar year, it has allowed for an even deeper introspection for me. I have met new parts of myself and expanded my view of what is possible for me.

Yesterday we met the new Year Lord, or Mam, 13 Iq. This is a powerful combination that will be influencing the energies of the day for the next solar year. Iq is the breath of life, the hurricane and our words. Combined with the tone of thirteen, we may be able to hear the voices of our ancestors more clearly. We can also expect change to come in unexpected ways. Like the wind, the energy of Iq can change rapidly and if we are not grounded, we could lose our footing.

For a hint as to what may arise, it may be helpful to review what occurred the last time 13 Iq sat in the Year Lord seat. This would have been the time between March 1973 and March 1974. The Watergate hearings happened during this period as well as a major oil embargo. I remember quite vividly waiting in line for gas during this time, sometimes for hours. I was only a girl, but the memory is etched into my brain. Given the current political climate in the United States, it seems quite likely that we will experience dramatic and sometimes uncomfortable change in the coming months. Breath work may be your best ally to weather the upcoming storms. Iq rules the breath and breath work has become a part of my daily practice. It’s transformative and I highly recommend it.

In Peace and Love,

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Tz’i

While journeying through the No’j Trecena we have gained wisdom and discovered new solutions for the challenges that we face in this new calendar cycle. The Trecena of No’j was gentle with me this time. Last time around the calendar wheel, No’j was guiding me to a daily practice to navigate the storm of shock and grief that I found myself in after my twin sister took her own life. The rhythm of the Cholq’ij was my anchor. This time around I’m sailing in smoother waters and I’m seeking to deepen my knowledge of the calendar and expand my ritual practices. Hiring my son so I have the time to do this was the solution that No’j delivered to me last Trecena.

In this new cycle we also get a new guide. Today we meet that guide as the Trecena of Tz’i begins. The energy of Tz’i asks us to have faith and loyalty as we move forward on our new journey. I’ve owned my business for twenty years and this will be the first time I have an employee. I could definitely use some guidance and A LOT of faith. Lucky for me, my business partner has employed her son for nearly ten years. A perfect guide for me, and she’s also a dog lover. The animal totem for the Nawal Tz’i is the dog.

Tz’i offers us unconditional love as it guides us and it invites us to love each other unconditionally. It is also the Nawal of spiritual and emotional justice. It possesses the qualities of the five human senses and has an instinctual quality. I have come to associate it with the archetype of the Judge or the Policeman. Those that are just and fair and those that are corrupt. Having such keen senses, this energy can get distracted, especially by vices. During this Trecena you may receive guidance from many sources. Use your instincts to discern what will most serve you on your path.

As we enter day eight of the Tz’i Trecena, we also enter the five closing days of the Mayan solar year, Tz’apin Q’ij or Wayeb. The Maya solar calendar is known as the Macewal Q’ij. It has been called a civil or agricultural calendar and it is 365 days. The days of Wayeb are meant to be days of introspection. For the most traditional followers of the calendar system, these days are spent in isolation and many abstain from gathering in public or making ceremonies because the energy is thought to lack direction. The new solar year will welcome a new year lord or Mam. The year lords mark the intersection of the sacred calendar with the solar year. If you have the opportunity to take time to be on your own and receive your own inner guidance, February 13-17th would be excellent days for that.

Until next Trecena…

Cara

New Earth is Here! We Just Need to Tune Into It

Hello Family,

This Sunday I had the privilege of attending the Autumn Harvest Fundraiser for the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County. November is Native American Heritage Month in the United States and when I saw the flyer for this event, I knew it would be the perfect way to celebrate and honor the indigenous people that have lived here for thousands of years.

The event was held at one of Carmel Valley’s most beloved businesses, Hacienda Hay & Feed. Hacienda has been around since the 1940s, but like many small businesses, it closed during the pandemic. When the new owners heard that the land was for sale, with the condition that it be sold to locals, their vision of a community gathering spot emerged. Hacienda still sells hay and feed, but now it’s main focus is to provide a space for local organizations, artisans and musicians to connect.

Intrigued by this marriage of the old and the new, I arrived with an open heart and a curious mind, ready to explore NEW EARTH.

Eckhart Tolle describes NEW EARTH as, “a world where the egoic state of consciousness in its insanely dysfunctional manifestations, both individual and collective, has dissolved or at least subsided, and where humans no longer create unnecessary suffering for themselves, one another, as well as other life-forms on the planet.”

If we go exclusively by the information we are offered by mainstream media, then we might conclude that NEW EARTH does not exist and is not even possible. I disagree. NEW EARTH is here, we just have to tune into it.

Tuning in can be as simple as taking fifteen minutes to be in nature at the beginning of your day or as immersive as attending a community festival like I did this weekend. You will be amazed at what others are creating if you take the time look.

Witnessing the stories of the Esselen, hearing their music and sharing a traditional meal with them was profoundly moving. Learning that 1200 acres of their ancestral land had recently been returned to them, through the cooperation of multiple organizations, made my heart swell and soar in a way that I did not know was possible. I am now CERTAIN that we can create NEW EARTH, together and in community.

I invite you during this Thanksgiving season to be present, grateful and open to the possibility that humanity can heal, that we can learn to live together peacefully with each other and MOTHER EARTH.

IN LOVE and GRATITUDE,

Cara

The SEASON of MAGIC- Dia de los Muertos – November 1st and 2nd

Hola Amigos,

I have been absolutely BUBBLING lately! I am feeling a level of OPTIMISM and excitement for the future that I cannot remember feeling for a very long time. MAGIC is in the air, do you feel it?

In the Northern Hemisphere we are deep into Autumn. The trees have shed most of their colorful leaves. The sounds of Holiday music are mingling with the smells of Halloween Candy. It’s my FAVORITE time of year. It’s Holiday SEASON!

My holiday season begins on November 1st. It’s my wedding anniversary and also Dia de los Muertos – the Day of the Dead. This two-day festival originated over 3000 years ago from rituals performed by Mesoamericans to honor their ancestors. It is celebrated throughout Latin America, but most associated with Mexico.

Original Oil Painting – Alex Hagerty – @alexhagertyarts

Mesoamericans held a cyclical view of the universe and saw death as a natural part of the continuum. Day of the Dead festivals have evolved from these beliefs and celebrate the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parades and activities enjoyed by the departed during their lifetime.

Familiar symbols of the holiday are the calacas and calaveras (skeletons and skulls). They can be found everywhere, especially on ancestral alters alongside vibrant marigolds and almost always portrayed as enjoying life.  

WE ARE OUR ANCESTORS DREAM COME TRUE and these celebrations remind us to also ENJOY LIFE.

I intend on fulling enjoying life with my beloved this Holiday season. I will be singing, dancing, cooking, eating and CELEBRATING. I invite you to do the same. Savor your FALL Holiday Season.

Cara

xoxo