#mayanastrology – Cara Carozza

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 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

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Kej

It feels and smells like Summer in Carmel Valley and I’m loving the slower pace. The Ix Trecena has been filled with garden patio lunches with friends, a day at the spa, lazy afternoons reading and a lot of ice cream. I have really been feeling the benevolent magic of Mother Earth and I’m relishing every minute of it. I’ve also been diving deeper into the mysteries of the calendar.

I was inspired by Diana Paez (@divineservant) to look at the cycle that contains my birth Nawal from the lens of my Tree of Life. The Tree of Life, or Mayan Cross, shows where our supporting energies influence our own inherent energy. Similar to an astrological birth chart, the energies, or Nawals, are calculated based upon your date of birth. There are eight Nawals that surround the birth Nawal in your tree. Each one influences different aspects of your life. I have always thought of my Tree of Life as a static forecast of the energies I would experience during my lifetime, but never as a complete cycle that I could engage with every 260 days. Like a mini lifetime every calendar cycle. A condensed experience of the influential energies of an entire lifetime in just 28 days. Another opportunity that the calendar offers for introspection. This is part of the beauty of this system. It encourages self-exploration rather than defining what you are.

After a few calculations, I discovered that my next mini lifetime cycle was beginning today on the eve of the Kej Trecena. The Kej Trecena will include three of the Nawals in my Tree of Life. A significant energetic influence that I had previously overlooked. Despite my daily encounters with the deer that graze our property. Kej means deer in the Kiche language. It’s the spiritual leader of the calendar and also the guardian of the four cardinal directions. While Ix is often thought of as the Nawal of Mother Earth, Kej is the Nawal of the wilderness. Kej carries great strength and the ability to inspire. It sees the potential in everything.

Kej days and all the days of the Kej Trecena are powerful days to be outdoors in nature. The forest may deliver powerful spiritual wisdom over the coming thirteen days. I am glad that the divine weather is promising to continue so that I can tap into the innate wisdom of the natural world. Summer and my birth Nawal will both be arriving with the next Trecena of Ajpu. I will be celebrating at the Lake this year. The energy is building and it feels celebratory. The darkness is fading. My light is returning.

In Love and Light,

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecenas of Imox and Ix

Today begins the Trecena of Ix. We have been journeying through the Trecena of Imox for the past thirteen days and I’m ready for the shift. Imox holds the energy of the collective consciousness and rules dreamtime. It can be a little intense, especially for empaths and sensitives.

I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop that was in perfect alignment with the energies of Imox. Rest and Digest was offered by a childhood friend of my daughters and was an invitation to slow down. Just what I need in late Spring. We were invited to keep a dream journal and record our dreams each morning. On the night of the full moon, our leader planted a collective dream seed and we imbibed a devotional dose of blue lotus tea together.

The blue lotus was more subtle than I expected, but it was effective. Sorting through the images and impressions of my dreams is challenging for me. I tend to view the world from a very linear perspective. This serves me well in my waking life, but not so much in the spirit realms. Blue lotus flower gifted me with three dreams in response to our dream seed, “What does true nourishment look and feel like in body, mind and spirit?”

Blue lotus showed me an image of myself sitting in meditation listening to a recording of my own voice. In the next scene, my husband scooped me up and carried me across the room effortlessly. I felt held. My daughter joined me in my final vision. She was offering me a tube of the body butter that I buy from a local herbalist and which definitely makes me feel nourished.

Ix will be our guide for the next Trecena. Ix is often described as the Nawal of Mother Earth and embodies the energy of the divine feminine. Ix gives us the opportunity to connect with the spirit of the Earth. It rules alters and sacred sites. Ix invites us to communicate directly with our mother by making prayers and offerings of gratitude to her at her natural shrines. Ix is also associated with magic. Through our prayers and our offerings of gratitude we are able to connect to the magic of the planet and creativity.

It’s been too long since I spent time with my outdoor alter. My husband expanded the alter for me earlier this Spring and my traditional Mayan candles have finally arrived. It’s time for a fire ceremony and an offering. The ancestors are restless. They are ready to celebrate and I am their hostess. It’s going to be MAGICAL! Ceremony always feeds my soul and grounds me. I highly recommend it. I do like a fire, but you can do what ever is meaningful to you. Treat it like a party.

Happy Celebrating,

Cara

Living Maya Time – The Trecena of Q’anil

The Trecena of Q’anil began on April 25^th 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