Tag: #community

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Tz’ikin

Iq blew threw California with tremendous force. Many on the west coast celebrated the Christmas holidays by candlelight, but not necessarily by choice. The hurricane force winds disabled much of our local power grid and most businesses in Carmel-by-the-Sea had to shutter their doors for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and even the day after Christmas. My family celebrates the Winter Solstice so we had plenty of leftovers and a generator to ride out the storm.

Iq is a strong nawal. It’s best faced with courage. My son mustered all his courage and the inspiring energies of Iq to propose to his girlfriend on Jun Iq which fell on December 15th. Her acceptance initiated thirteen days of happy news, lively celebrations and lots and lots of conversation. Iq hummed, hovered and buzzed through my holiday season just like it’s animal totem the hummingbird. Iq has cleared the skies for todays nawal Tz’ikin. I’m grateful for the lighter energy this nawal offers.

Tz’ikin is the nawal of vision and it’s animal totem is the bird. Today’s energy gifts us with a panoramic view that may illuminate possibilities that have evaded our awareness. The expanded sight of the bird will be available to us over the next thirteen days. Most of us are reflecting on the past Gregorian calendar year whether we celebrate it or not. This new year, my outer and inner calendars are aligning and it feels quite magical. Especially while I’m still glowing from all our holiday fun.

Tz’ikin is the intermediary between humans and the creator and as such, it is the nawal of prosperity. Prayers made today are likely to manifest tangible and observable results. I’m going to channel my high vibes into a fire ceremony today. I’ve got three specific prayers to make.

One for a friend who’s having surgery tomorrow. My prayer for her will be for wellness. I will hold the vision of her completely healed and experiencing relief after years of suffering. My next prayer will be for another friend who is seeking a consistent flow of clients who value her services and happily pay her fee. I will offer seeds to the fire to keep Tz’ikin well fed so it can deliver her prosperity. My final prayer will be for my amazing daughter Caroline. She’s one of just a handful of women at her software company and she’s been recommended for a promotion. Ahead of many of her co-workers that have been working at the company longer than she has. The prayer that I offer for my daughter will be for expanded career opportunities and a healthy compensation for her new responsibilities.

Tz’ikin is the wisdom of a prosperous and healthy community. My prayer for our entire world this trecena will be for harmonious coexistence. Through the higher vision that Tz’ikin offers we can all imagine a brighter world into existence. One prayer at a time.

Many Blessings,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Iq

Both of my step-sons were born on an Iq day. It’s an energy that I should have a deep understanding of having known them both for most of their lives. Yet, the essence of Iq is not a force that you can see, it’s one you that you must feel or perhaps hear. Iq is the wind and the breath of life. It offers purification and renewal after the embers of Toj have received our offerings and burned away any imbalances. Iq also rules communication and fuels manifestation through our words. It’s not surprising that one of my step-sons is a songwriter and the other one a salesman. They’ve both harnessed their innate powers as wordsmiths to make their way in the world.

Words have come less easily for my own son. Numbers have always been his favorite language. He’s mastered the compliance side of my tax business with ease over this past year. What he’s still learning is the art of conversation. This weekend, Toj offered my son the perfect chance to practice his communication skills and make an offering. An elderly patron of our local coffee shop was in need. Julia’s lost her sight in one eye and can no longer pay her own bills. She’s also struggling with her memory and is afraid she might forget something important.

I wasn’t sure if my son wanted to take on Julia’s paperwork. She would need a lot of patience and she can’t afford to pay very much. The job is a charitable one. So far in my son’s young life, he’s mostly been motivated by earning money. Julia even needed help getting to and from her car. My son shepherded her with ease, having done it many times before at the coffee shop. The image of his six-foot frame tip toeing alongside fragile Julia with his arm offered as support suggested that he might be willing to take her on as a client. His words confirmed that he certainly was when I told him that I didn’t think that he was going to make much money on this job.

“I don’t care about the money Mom. I just want to help her. She’s part of our community. It was also really good practice for me. Only about ten percent of what she said is relevant to the job, but I wouldn’t have heard it unless I was patient.” Sometimes Toj brings an offering. This weekend I was the recipient of one and my heart is full. Now I’m ready to embrace the winds of change and the renewal that Iq offers.

Iq’s spirit animal is the hummingbird. The hummingbird is a master of the wind. It can fly in every direction and even hover. It reminds us of the power our words carry. Each and every one. Even small statements can have a big impact. Just like the tiny hummingbird, we live through vibration. Our words and our voice are powerful tools for creation. Over the next thirteen days they will be infused with the magic of Iq . I intend on chaneling this frequency to plant seeds of intention on the Solstice. Our family will gather to exchange gifts and a meal and then we will all read the intentions that we recorded last year and craft new ones for the coming year. I’m delighted to have Iq and the spirit of the hummingbird at our table next Sunday.

Happy Solstice,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of N’oj

Every choice is sacred. This is what I heard as I reflected on the second anniversary of my sisters passing on the Cholq’ij calendar. She passed on 9 E’. A day when our new life path may be clearly revealed. For the Maya, the number nine represents the number of lunar cycles that a human baby gestates. The Nawal E’ is the road or the journey. To live in harmony with the energies, one is said to be walking the white road.

My sisters’ choice to commit suicide changed the course of my life path forever. For two cycles I have been wearing a heavy coat of grief, unable to connect to her energies. Shame and survivor guilt have obscured her presence. The calendar offered another perspective. What if I could accept her choice as sacred? Perhaps then, I could receive her gifts and connect with her spirit more deeply.

The trecena of K’at offered me the ideal opportunity to liberate myself from the choking entanglement of my grief. I’ve had my sisters’ ashes on my deck since the dry season began. She’s been surrounded by flowers. Flowers whose vines had intertwined. This became my ceremony, untangling the knots that had formed. When I was done, the plants mirrored my own feelings. They looked healthier and there was room for new growth.

Today’s energy invites us to receive the wisdom that N’oj offers. We can only receive this knowledge when there’s space in our minds and in our hearts. Each Nawal offers us a symbol or glyph. The glyph for N’oj depicts a brain and circles which represent the potential for human spiritual evolution. My daughter and her father both carry the Nawal of N’oj and they are both engineers. The archetype of the engineer is the first symbol that I ascribed to the Nawal N’oj.

Part of the magic of this calendar is its’ insistence upon looking within ourselves to find the wisdom of spirit. Through storytelling and imagery, we can create our own library of symbols. Using our own unique language, we can connect more intimately with ourselves, our ancestors and our guides.

On 7 N’oj, I was invited to participate in the inaugural session of a Cholq’ij study group. The group has been created by Diana Paez who carries the Nawal of 4 N’oj. She has an excellent website, www.walkingthewhiteroad.com, which is filled with information about the calendar if you want to dive deeper into its’ wisdom. Diana is an excellent scribe and I have added that symbol to the engineer archetype that I already identified N’oj with.

As you move through the next thirteen days, take note of the symbols that you are offered. Journal the dreams that stay with you upon waking. Record the images that appear during your meditations. Use this information to distill your own knowledge. You are your own guru and you don’t need anyone else to connect to your higher wisdom.

You’ve got this!

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of K’at

It’s hard to believe that this marks a full cycle since I began writing again. My intention has been realized. I’ve deepened my understanding of the Nawales through writing about my experiences. It’s expanded me and my web of connection. K’at is this energy of connection. It’s also the net that carries our crops. It is the Nawal of the harvest.

Harvest came yesterday for our cannabis plants. The sun leaves were dry and yellow. Unusual humidity threatened to bring mold. Time to gift what’s left of last seasons flower. This is the invitation of K’at. By releasing what we do not need, we unburden ourselves and we nurture our connection to our community. Reciprocity in action.

It’s not always easy to know what we need to release. Slowing down long enough to listen is sometimes the hardest part. The creative energy of B’atz left me buzzing. So many threads were offered. Exciting, but overwhelming. Clarity about what to keep has not arrived. I need to be patient or I risk creating a knot with all the threads instead of a beautiful tapestry.

Ceremony and ritual are my methods to cultivate patience. They anchor me when the pace feels too fast. The dance of the fire offers an opportunity for reflection. Offerings strengthen my connection to spirit. It can be as simple as lighting a candle and some incense. Or it can be an elaborate fire ceremony shared with the entire community. I’m not sure what I’ll be up for next weekend when Wajxaqib B’atz arrives, but I know it will bring an energy of renewal.

Exercise discernment as you decide what to release and what to hold onto over the next 13 days. Packing lightly for your next journey is advised. If you don’t, there may be no room for anything new.

Until next time.

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Kame

In my zeal to stand up tall and do what is right for the community, I’ve managed to pinch a nerve. It feels like there is a knife lodged alongside my left shoulder blade. The benevolent and hard-working energies of the Aj trecena had me sorting a life time of memories in my parents’ attic last week. Most of it had not been touched in nearly twenty-five years. Feeling strong and healthy, with a desire to better use the spaces that three generations are now occupying, I dove in eagerly. Perhaps I over did it? It felt so good to be moving all day, to spend time with my mother and to create at least the possibility that some of it can be let go of.

Kame is the energy of death, rebirth and transformation. The Maya view time as circular, not linear. Time is a cycle and death is part of that cycle. As the saying goes, “Out with the old and in with the new.” Kame is also the Nawal of the ancestors. An ideal day to honor your deceased loved ones or ask for their guidance.

While physically challenging, sorting all the stuff in the attic was the easy part. The hard part will be confronting the past. The unrealized plans and dreams. Your own unlined face and the faces of others that are no longer with you. Kame will bring the ideal energy to support this process if one chooses to engage with it.

My Nana and my Mother

Some prayers to the ancestors wouldn’t hurt either. I’ve already created a special spot on my alter for my Nana for this trecena. My Nana was a minimalist and an immaculate housekeeper. She was also a bookkeeper. My Mother’s Mother holds a very special place in my heart. I inherited a lot of her habits and skills and they serve me every day. She’s my perfect ally for the potential this trecena offers our homestead.

The roses we planted two seasons ago are finally flourishing. My Nana loved yellow roses. Every year on her birthday my grandfather would buy her a dozen yellow roses. The glory of summer flowers is a powerful reminder of how life is constantly renewing itself. Growth and renewal are the natural outcome of death and destruction. It’s the alchemy of life and it’s the energy of Kame. May you find comfort in the cycles of your life and in the wisdom of your lineage.

Eternally yours,

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Aj

Upon return from our Ajpu Heroes Journey, we are met with the benevolent authority of Aj. Our lessons and our visions must be integrated into daily life. Practices are made not just imagined. Art is created not merely visualized. Abundance must be sown as well as planted.

Aj is representative of the cane or staff of authority that is carried by the Elders. It reminds us to stand up tall for what we believe is right for us, our family and our community. Brave and reliable Aj fuels our stamina to bring our dreams into reality.

I’ve been living intimately with the energy of Aj for over 23 years now. The ultimate foundation to my vision of the divinity in all that is. Together my husband Richard and I have amassed vast spiritual wealth and created a thriving tribe. Heaven manifested on earth is the potential of the energy of Aj following the journey of Ajpu. It’s not always a smooth ride, but the adventure and the destination are definitely worth it.

Richard embodying his Nawal of Aj – Connecting the Heart of the Sky to the Heart of the Earth

These days, sleeping deeply and peacefully represent a manifested heaven on earth for me. When I finished my first book, Many Gifts – Seeing Beyond the Setbacks, I thought I had reached my happily ever after. I’ve now realized there is no happily ever after. Just cycles. Always more cycles.

I’ve come to find great comfort in the cycles of human existence. It’s become my anchor and it all started when I began studying the Mayan sacred calendar or, Cholq’ij. The Calendar found me when I decided to tell my story. It led me to my Editor, Lee Mayimele. It’s asking me to consider writing my next story. To heal through writing and collaboration. Aj will be my counsel as I look within for my answer.

Embrace the supportive and wise energies over the next thirteen days. Your dreams are possible, but you must take action and you must do so with integrity.

You can do it!

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