#manygifts – Cara Carozza

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Q’anil

I traded my usual flute of sparkling champagne for a sponge filled with bubbly soap to welcome the Gregorian new year of 2026. Last trecena, Tz’ikin offered an expanded vision of the path to prosperity and I wanted to view that path with a clear lens. This opportunity to see with the clarity of the eagle inspired me to clean and clear every corner of my physical life. My house, my car and even my office. On the ceremonial day of the trecena, 8 Iq, I performed a purification ritual. I washed all of my window sills and door thresholds with a salt water wash infused with lavender and cypress oil and fresh eucalyptus leaves. As I opened each window, I invited the fresh and recalibrating energy of the new solar year to clear away any stale or dense energy that no longer served.

Today we welcome the energy of Q’anil. Q’an means yellow and combined with the suffix il it means yellowing or ripening. The glyph for the nawal of Q’anil represents a perforation upon the earth separating four seeds that represent the four colors of corn: red, black, white and yellow. It is the planting of the seed, but also the harvesting of the crop. It is the continuum from germination to maturity. It’s the path from the vision offered by Tz’ikin to the manifestation into physical form through our careful tending. In the brilliant lucidity of my purified reality, two seeds were offered. The first was an educational path that will enable my son to take over my business when I’m ready to retire and the second was a traditional publishing contract for my second book which I’m currently in the middle of writing.

These are the seeds that I’m planting today in my garden under the benevolent and sunny energies of Q’anil. My seeds are hearty and from a known lineage. This next cycle will be about refinement for me. Refinement and dissemination of all the wisdom I’ve gained over the past three decades of traversing the landscapes of money and energy. I’ve come to understand how they intersect and how to make both work for you in a balanced and aligned way. I was also shown the vision for the cover of my new book. It’s a Mayan T shaped window overlooking a garden of spring flowers. The title of the book will be, A Second Spring: Money, Menopause and Magic. I can’t wait to share it with you once it’s finally born.

In the meantime, I invite you to choose your own couple of seeds to germinate today. What ideas presented themselves in the space between Christmas and New Year’s? Maybe today is the day your wishes can begin to come true. Your intentions will be in alignment with a calendar that is as old and as wise as time itself.

Happy New You,

Cara xoxo

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 15^th. 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 Toj

I’ve had a lot of opportunities for gratitude over the past thirteen days, but I was not immune to the sting that the medicine of Ajmaq often brings. After eight long months and many hours on the phone with the Internal Revenue Service, Mercury Retrograde delivered my sister’s tax refund. The last thing I had been waiting for in order to finally close her estate. All that remained was to sort through her personal possessions. She left a surprisingly small amount of stuff. She’d done a massive purge and even managed to get her house into escrow in the weeks leading up to her suicide. She made the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do as easy as it could possibly be for me. For this I will always be grateful.

I’ve kept what I think my niece and nephew will want the most when they are finally able to look at it. I found a few things that I know they will never want to see. I’ve set those aside to burn in ceremony this evening. Today we welcome the energy of Toj. Toj is the Nawal of reciprocity and the sacred fire. The fire ceremony is the Mayan’s most fundamental ritual and also my favorite. The fire is our portal to communion with the spiritual realms and our ancestors. It’s where we offer spiritual food to the energies that sustain us. Toj teaches that in order to have balance in our lives, we must make offerings in payment for what we have received.

I’ll be offering rose petals and rosemary from my own garden today. I’ve been trying to use what I have and what already knows the land. I will also offer cacao, tobacco, copal and agua florida from my favorite local sources in Central America. Supporting the indigenous wisdom keepers of the spiritual practices that feed my soul is part of the reciprocity of Toj. It’s another offering from me to create balance in my life.

The fire also offers an opportunity for purification. Fire cleanses and transmutes. Today I will burn the documents of old agreements. I will pray for the transmutation and renewal that only the flame can deliver and I will offer prayers of gratitude for the financial stability that my sister’s departure has created for me. I invite you to light a candle each day for the next thirteen days and take a moment to offer your presence and your gratitude for what you’ve received this year.

In Service,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Ajmaq

Today we welcome not only a new trecena, but also a new moon in Scorpio. Before I discovered the Maya’s sacred count of days, the Cholq’ij, I was a life-long student of western astrology. Planetary cycles still interest me, but I don’t keep track of them like I used to. I’ve turned my attention inward to observe and understand my own personal landscape and cycles. But, it’s still good to know what the weather is going to be like before we head out the door.

Mercury went retrograde on the 9^th and won’t go direct until the 29^th. You may have noticed that there’s a lot of static out there right now. Static in communication, electronics and plans you’ve tried to make. Everything slows down to allow time for integration during Mercury retrograde. Whether we like it or not. I found the sluggish pace of Mercury retrograde to be in perfect alignment with my intentions to find as much stillness as I could during the last trecena of Aq’ab’al. Through this stillness, I’ve been accessing more of my own wisdom through dreams.

Last night I had a really lovely and vivid dream to welcome the redemptive energy of Ajmaq and the introspective quality of the Scorpio new moon. Thank You had been tattooed in rainbow letters across the length of my arm and I was asking for it to be removed. Once I made my request, the tattoo transformed into blue and green stars. I was offered the phrase, “Gratitude creates transformation” as I watched the images on my arm alchemize.

I’ve come to know Ajmaq as the nawal of human nature. To be human is to make mistakes. Mistakes teach us and invite even more wisdom through forgiveness. Ajmaq’s medicine is intense like the sting it’s spirit guardian the bee delivers when it feels threatened. Pain is a compelling teacher. It has a powerful energy signature that gets stored deep in the human body and psyche. Ajmaq invites us to transmute our pain through forgiveness. Forgiveness of ourselves and forgiveness of others. One of my favorite rituals to initiate self-forgiveness is the practice of repeating the Hawaiian Ho’oponopono mantra. It’s used to heal negative memories and situations by taking personal responsibility for what appears in your reality and seeking forgiveness and love for yourself and others.

I am sorry

Please forgive me

Thank you

I love you

I’ve got a beautiful new beeswax candle for my Ho’oponopono practice this trecena. I’ve also got another mantra that my own dreams have gifted me with, “Gratitude creates transformation.”

May you find love and forgiveness in your own heart as this new moon and the energy of Aqmaq illuminates the shadow within us.

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Aq’ab’al

We’ve been blessed with some early rains this year in California. Always something to celebrate. Both for the earth and the sky. The parched soil cherishes every drop and the rain clouds paint the horizon in a most spectacular way. Especially at dawn and dusk. This transition time is the energy of Aq’ab’al. It is the moment when the light changes. New concepts and ideas are revealed. Supported by the wisdom of N’oj the scribe and the unconditional love of Tz’i the dog, it’s time to start imagining our new creation for this calendar cycle.

This Spring I bought a journal just for dreams when I took a Rest and Digest workshop. I’ve always recorded the lucid dreams that come through with vivid clarity, but never kept a journal specifically for dreams. Remembering all my dreams has been more challenging than I expected. The images dissolve quickly in the first light of morning. Stillness is how I’ve learned to capture them. My mornings have become a quiet prayer to my soul. A totally new concept for me.

I am a morning person. I always awake before the dawn. When we had our four kids all living at home with us, my morning energy was channeled into making lunches and wrangling paperwork into backpacks while my husband made breakfast for everyone. I relied upon him to tell me what the weather was going to be like because I rarely looked outside until it was time to take the kids to school. It was exhausting and left me feeling disconnected from myself.

These days, I allow myself more time to rest and be still in the morning. When I do, I can remember my dreams much more easily. Rest, renewal and stillness are symbols I’ve come to understand as embodying the energy of Aq’ab’al. If we’re busy all the time and darting around from here to there, we might miss out on hearing what spirit is trying to speak. Or we might not even see the beautiful sunrise that is right outside our window. It will be gone in an instant, just like the images in our dreams.

Over the next thirteen days, I invite you to rest more and find time for stillness. If you do, new ideas and important messages may arrive. Mother nature may also gift you with a beautiful sunrise or sunset. This is wisdom of Aq’ab’al for me. Be still and all will be revealed in its’ own time.

Happy Listening,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Tz’i

I’ve recently become a dog lover. Or at least a lover of one particular dog. For the next thirteen days, the Nawal of the dog will be our guide and companion. Our faith may be tested, but Tz’i is here to support us with unconditional love. An energy that I have become very familiar with since my little grand puppy Beso moved onto the homestead.

I could use some faith and some unconditional love today. I’ve been embodying the archetype of the scribe. I was at my computer writing nearly every morning of the N’oj trecena. I am already half way into chapter three of my new book. It’s been flowing. So much so that I got behind on some of my personal business.

I’ve been hearing from a number of my clients that their health insurance premiums were increasing dramatically for the next calendar year. My enrollment forms arrived early this month, but they remained unopened until this morning. My heart sank and then began to beat rapidly when I saw my new premium. It’s increased by $3,200. I logged onto my account, certain that there must be an error. There was not. The premium subsidies that had been in effect since COVID have expired and the current administration has not extended them. In fact, I think that the government is shut down because they are still arguing about the budget.

I don’t pay much attention to political news. I am required to take three days of continuing education each year and that keeps me informed about what’s actually going on. Follow the spending and you will see who is in charge and what their agenda is. It’s not very difficult to understand the laws of man.

Tz’i is here to help us understand natural law. It is the Nawal of justice and also our five senses. Tz’i also represents sovereignty. I’m being asked to be sovereign. To have faith in my own ability to stay well and heal myself. Without the assistance of the healthcare system. My new premium is unaffordable. I’ll be cancelling it later this afternoon. We only have it because California penalizes taxpayers without health insurance. The energy of Tz’i will not abandon me and if I get scared, Beso is here to offer me his unconditional love.

May you also walk and feel supported by the energy of the dog. It’s here for all of us over the next thirteen days. Whether we are dog parents or not.

With Unconditional Love,

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 B’atz’

I’ve come to see the energy of B’atz’ as the energy that connects me to my twin sister. Through the womb we shared and through the threads of time that still continue to connect us. Last night I dreamt of Michaela. I couldn’t tell you what we were doing, but we were together and we were enjoying ourselves. We were surrounded by light. When I awoke her presence was still with me. For an instant, I forgot that she was gone. I savor these moments. It’s where we meet now.

The energy of Tijax and the lunar eclispse that it hosted left me restless. Charged and precise, embodying it required a lot of presence from me. Presence and practice. The full moon begged for a fast and I agreed. Tijax is the ultimate purifier, after all. Fasting when my body is ready for it always feels good. Not so much when it isn’t. I am learning to listen to my body. Patiently like a mother, or a lover. I’ve come to accept and cherish her just as she is. It’s a lot more fun that way. Tijax supported my intentions to release self-judgement.

B’atz’ is creativity. It weaves time and all that exists in our physical reality. Today we plant the seeds of a new creation. In twenty days time, we arrive at Wajxaquib B’atz’, the beginning of another 260 day cycle. Ideal energetic weather for initiating any creative project. Under the influence of the Nawal of marriage and partnerships, collaborations are also favored for the next thirteen days.

This weeks assignment for my new creative project is to, “Sketch fragments for the TWIN LOSS chapters.” I’m think I’m ready. Lots of threads to explore and excavate. I’m going to feel a lot, but it’s time to weave something new. Something that feels good and feels like me.

Short and sweet. It’s tax season again. Only one more trecena left. May the opportunity to discover what you want to create next present itself over the next thirteen days.

Much Love,

Cara