#cacao – Cara Carozza

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Ix

My dream drought ended with the arrival of the Imox trecena. It had been nearly a month since I’d logged any images in my bedside journal. On 12 E I was suddenly gifted with three vivid dreams in a row right before dawn broke. Bathed in the energies of the collective consciousness and cumulative wisdom, I wash shown a new path. A path of ease.

In the first dream I am holding a small, soft and silky black dog. I’m petting his tiny head as he nuzzles into my chest. He makes me feel safe. My next memory is of standing in front an enormous oak tree. It’s boughs are heavy with bouquets of white and yellow flowers. Dozens of hydrangeas, daffodils, lilies and sunflowers smile down at me. They make me feel happy. In the final scene I’m in a house. It’s small and cozy and it reminds me of the cabin on the river that my husband and I raised our four children in. I open the door to a room. My sister is in it and she’s sleeping. In the next room I find my niece and nephew also sleeping. They are in a bed together with the little black dog. Seeing them makes me feel peaceful.

The dreamy otherworldly quality of Imox continues as we enter the trecena of Ix today. Ix is magic. To understand her, you must slow down and feel her. I struggled to stay grounded over these past thirteen days. My busy season is in full swing and I’ve taken on my partners tax clients this year. She’s slowing down and my son is ready for more work. I’m also writing a book. It’s a lot being wife, mother, daughter, friend, business advisor, mentor and writer. Disciplined scheduling has always served me when I’m overwhelmed, but it stifles creative flow. Imox showed me that over the past thirteen days. Now I’m feeling in need of a miracle to get through it all. Lucky for me, the medicine of the jaguar has arrived just in time.

Ix is the nawal of the jaguar and mother gaia. She rules mother earths natural alters and the cacao plant. She whispers through intuition and the fire. She nurtures and she protects. Don’t mistake her tender touch for weakness. Like her totem animal the jaguar she is a powerful and fierce. She also walks quietly. Ix asks us to continue to listen. If we’ve attuned ourselves while under Imox’s tutelage, we will be better able to see the magic that weaves our world. The magic of Ix is best appreciated outdoors. Ideally with a cup of cacao. If you arrive with presence and gratitude in your heart, Ix will bless you with more magic than you can possibly imagine.

Peacefully,

Cara xoxo

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Imox

Imox is the Nawal of water and the collective consciousness. It’s where we plant the seeds of our next creative dream. I’m not sure I’m ready for a new creative dream. I may have overeaten at the banquet that Q’anil offered me over the last thirteen days. I’m still feeling a bit energetically hung over from it all, or maybe it’s the intense solar activity we’ve been experiencing. Either way I feel spun and in need of grounding.

Imox is not a grounding energy. It’s an energy of pure potential and all those possibilities can feel overwhelming. Quiet presence is what Imox asks for and what I intend to cultivate as I enter the busiest time of my professional year. It won’t be easy. I still have a lot of crops in my garden from last season to tend to. Maybe this is why I don’t feel ready for any new dreams quite yet. I’m still digesting last season’s bounty. It was very delicious. The seeds of community and creativity that I planted during the last Imox trecena nine months ago flourished magnificently and I couldn’t resist tasting the fruit of each and every one of them.

My Q’anil banquet began with a Mayan personal ritual workshop which inspired me to harvest water from a natural source for my altar. That inspiration led to an invitation to visit my friend Kim. Kim lives near a seasonal lake and I hadn’t seen her in over a year. Our friendship was definitely in need of watering. My thirst quenched from our visit, I was then offered payment for tax services rendered from a new client in the form of an in-home massage. My main course followed. A retreat that included a sound bath and a cacao ceremony. It was hosted by another new client that I’ve added to my garden. My dessert was served at the edge of the pacific, in the baths of the Esalen Institute by my new friend Elena.

It was certainly a bountiful feast, but I’m ready to get back to my routine now. I’ve lost touch with my daily practices in the frenzy of my harvest celebrations. Without them, I risk drowning in the pool of Imox’s fertile waters. Staying present is what will keep me afloat. Presence arrives for me through my breath. If I can just remember to breathe deeply, then I will be okay.

In Peace,

Cara

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 E’

Kawoq ushered in a chorus of women that I have planted seeds of relationship with over the past few years. They all showed up eager to be watered. It should not have been such a surprise. The energy of the midwife and the rainstorm had been my conductor. She eased me into my labor with a quiet meditation retreat with my friend Cathryn. A once-a-year date to spend the weekend together doing something creatively empowering. It left plenty of time for leisurely meals and lots of conversation. Nice and easy.

The contractions got my attention when I got a call from my new sister, Maat. “I got my dispensary license! Remember you told me when we were in the Dominican Republic that you would take care of the taxes, right?” I did, but had forgotten. She would be my first cannabis client. Family and in an aligned business. I really couldn’t say no, especially after what my family had been through. Kawoq encouraged me to breathe. You got this she said. You’ve studied the law. You’re the best person for this work. She is so wise.

Transition came with a request from a client I had not worked for in a while. A delicate project, closing a family business and preparing the final tax returns. But also, something else. “I’ve seen the ceremonies you make for yourself online and I want you to create one for me and my husband for our anniversary.” Ashley is an artist. She ran for the City Council of Carmel – by – the -Sea and I was her campaign treasurer. We connected immediately. I got paid to learn a ton and collect money while drinking wine and eating cheese at all of her fund-raising events. It didn’t even feel like work.

I was surprised, but completely intrigued by her request. Almost immediately, I got a case of imposter syndrome. Am I qualified to create a Mayan’ish fire ceremony for someone else? I decided to just start and see what took form. Checking their anniversary date, I saw that it was today, 1 E’. Time to push.

E’ is the Nawal of the road, the journey and the new path. It nurtures and expands the new life birthed during the Kawoq trecena. Ideal energy for a ceremony to initiate a new financial direction. This was all I needed to fuel my creativity. Everything I needed was there. I didn’t need to buy anything. I just needed to allow the process to happen. And I had SOOO MUCH fun doing it! Equally fun was delivering it to her. She had gifted me one of her sculptures after the campaign. Now I was able to reciprocate.

A new path is emerging. One where my spiritual practices intersect with my business services. Fertile ground for more of my authentic self to emerge. I am feeling an exhilarating excitement building. The energies of this Trecena will also be supporting my journey to San Diego. My husband and I are visiting our daughter and one of our sons. I’m so excited to squeeze them both. Travel is auspicious for the next couple of weeks. Inward journeys are also supported. I’m starting one of those too. A 21 day cacao immersion. Can’t wait to meet Madame Cacao more intimately.

Bon voyage on your journey, I hope it surprises and delights you.

Cara xoxo