Tag: #mayancosmology

Living Maya Time – Reflections on Toj

Toj offered me many opportunities to be of service over the past thirteen days. My service began with sharing some cacao with an old friend that I hadn’t seen in many years. She found me on social media. Told me she had been dreaming of me ever since her daughter had passed in March. When I arrived at her home she asked, “What is the ceremony?” I responded, “The ceremony is simple. I will prepare the cacao and then we will drink it together.” Cacao is a heart opener and an invitation to slow down. The cacao did indeed open our hearts and allowed my friend to express some of her grief. She told me she felt peaceful, held and grounded at the end of our visit.

My next opportunity to serve came when another friend and client asked me to attend a meeting with her and her financial planner. Both she and her husband have attracted a lot of new business since I prepared a micro fire ceremony for them last summer to open a new path of abundant and fulfilling work. Jun E’ came in hot. It opened a clear road of opportunity. My friend received an honorarium to create seven statues for Burning Man. The Freedom Dancers were installed on the playa over the weekend. They began as a meditation on transforming grief into compassion. They became so much more than seven statues – they are a collective expression of love, resilience and human connection, according to my friend and I absolutely agree with her.

I also received a lot from the fire myself during the Toj trecena. My oracle deck, “Messages From Your Dreams”, is almost ready for printing. Both my writing coach and her sister, the decks illustrator, offered their assistance to help me find a local printer and format the files so that they are ready for said printer. I’m feeling really joyful and very held by these two women. I’ve been experiencing some imposter syndrome lately. I learned during a Mayan Cross reading last week that this is one of the shadow aspects of my birth nawal, Ajpu. As I revisited the deck that I co-created several seasons ago, I was filled with pride and also excitement. I can’t wait to gift this deck to all the women in my life who have walked alongside me on this journey. The friends, family, clients and collaborators who are my community. Toj is the fire. Toj is how we commune with the divine. I hope you felt it too and that it warmed your soul.

Tomorrow brings the wind, the breath and the voice into focus. Just the movement we need after sitting intently in front of the fire. May Iq deliver whatever freshness you are seeking in the coming days.

In community,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Kan

Time felt like it sped up over the past thirteen days. I think the E’ trecena left me with some jet lag after Kawoq’s powerful news. I’m going to be a grandmother. This news both excites and overwhelms me. Much like the feeling I experience while traveling in a foreign country. The landscape is unfamiliar and I’m still learning the culture. I’ve already made a few faux pas, but I’m still delighted to be here. Today, Kan arrives just in time to help me integrate all of my contrasting feelings.

Kan is power and innate wisdom. It’s the coyopa or body lightening that animates human beings. It’s the secret dancer that lives inside us. It holds the codes of our DNA. Kan is most often associated with the serpent and personal transformation. Becoming a grandmother will definitely be transforming. Just like my grand baby, I will also need an entire calendar cycle to be reborn. In the meantime, I still have some identities to shed. A few have become quite uncomfortable, just like most of the clothes that I own right now.

My new calendar wheel that arrived from Guatemala during the E’ Trecena.

My body has changed a lot over the past few years. Grief and menopause will do that. I haven’t shopped for new clothes for myself since my sister passed. Instead, I’ve cobbled together a few outfits from the back of my closet and the clothes that she left behind. It’s been comforting, but it’s also kept me stuck in the past in many ways. Monday marked the two-year anniversary since she left. I’ve held onto my security blankets long enough. I’m ready for a new look that honors the body I have now. My grandmother body.

E’ walked me back to a stylist that I met five years ago. Amy arrived on my path just in time to help me harness Kan’s transformative energy and update my wardrobe. I sent her my measurements after we met virtually for an hour. A couple of days later I received an e-mail with links to over a dozen different pieces. I liked each and every one of them. Even the prices were good. What I didn’t like were the sizes. I’d never bought clothes in the sizes that she recommended before.

Today the first items arrived. Just in time for my trip to San Diego to visit my daughter for Mother’s Day weekend. Each one fits me perfectly and makes me feel beautiful. This is the feeling that I intend to cultivate over the next thirteen days. May your own transformation be equally fun and satisfying. Happy Mother’s Day!

Joyfully,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Kawoq

Kame answered my prayers for a wedding at home with a decisive and very clear NO last week. It caught me off guard. It wasn’t what I expected and it wasn’t what I’d hoped for. Yet, the clarity has prepared the soil for a new idea to be born. Today we welcome the trecena of Kawoq. She is the midwife, the rain and the storm. After death comes rebirth. Into the darkness, a light is shined and new plans begin to emerge. It’s been really uncomfortable. For me and my entire family. Through our discomfort we’ve discovered a deeper level of intimacy and an opportunity for profound transformation. This is the gift that walking through the valley of death offers.

I’ve never worked so hard in my entire career as I have this year. In retrospect, one might conclude that I took on too much. Perhaps it was ill advised to try and write a book, mentor my son and take on all of my business partners clients. And let’s not forget the cabin project that I decided to add to my plate. Just for good measure. In fact, I’ve managed it all quite well and the only casualty has been people pleasing clients that don’t appreciated me or respect my time. With so much new work and so many moving parts to my life, something else had to die to make space in my garden for what really serves me and my own personal transformation.

A few of nights ago I dreamt of two turtles. One was larger than the other and they were both moving through a flame. It was an aqua blue flame like you might see from a gas lit fire. In their effort to escape the flames, they catapulted themselves over a mountain that was at the edge of the fire. The dream was incredibly vivid, but offered me no clear message until the evening that followed. My son had also had a powerful dream that night. So powerful that he slept walk outside and jumped off his deck. The entire left side of his face is bruised. The following day, my mom also took a fall, bruising the entire right side of her face. Her cat had brought her a lizard that was still alive and it startled her, causing her to jump over the threshold of her door and fall onto her face. I’m not sure what to make of it all, but I can’t help but feel like my mom and my son were the two turtles in my dream and that they walked through the fire of Kame together and then jumped into a new reality where we can all find common ground.

Kawoq’s spirit animal is the turtle. Many Meso American indigenous people call earth Turtle Island. The pattern on a turtle’s back mirrors the lunar calendar. The turtle is very much a symbol of new life and our sweet mother earth. The next thirteen days are fertile days to birth a new reality for ourselves. We are ready. We have walked through the fire and we have taken the leap of faith. The rainstorm has come to wash our wounds clean and support us through the labor of birthing a new dream for ourselves. Mine includes a weekend wedding retreat for my son and his beloved in the redwoods. Date and location to be determined. It’s going to be magical. May your dreams be equally sweet.

Love,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Kame

I’m arriving a day late again this trecena. In all my years working as a tax accountant, I’ve never been busier. I’ve taken on all of my partners tax clients this season and a massive new tax bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed last year. I’m experiencing growing pains and it’s a little uncomfortable. My spine is as straight as it can be. I stood up tall for my clients and for my family over the past couple of weeks while Aj was our guide. I was able to resolve a lot of issues and abate a lot of penalties. It was satisfying, but also exhausting. Kame arrived yesterday asking even more of us. Kame literally translates to death, but it embodies much more than that. It is the Nawal of the ancestors and it offers us the elixir of transformation if we’re willing and able to face our fears.

I’ve had an idea gestating for a number of weeks, but I’d been afraid to share it with my mother. My youngest son got engaged and he and his lovely fiancée would like to get married on the property that they, my husband and I and my parents all live on together. My parents own the land, but they’ve graciously invited us to be here with them. It’s mutually beneficial, but not without its challenges. We’ve brought our youthful energy, but also all the noise and business that comes with it. It’s been an adjustment for my mom who likes her peace and quiet and grew up an only child. Still, the land and the ancestors keep nudging me to bring more life and celebration to this property that we all share.

Yesterday, I planted the seeds for the ceremony that I keep being shown. Everything can be done outside so that if it’s too much, my mother can retreat to her own space. Friends and family that haven’t met or who haven’t communed in years will join together. A single day has the potential to ignite transformation within many. This is what I expressed to my mother. My desire to alchemize healing for those that I love and for the land that holds and loves me. It wasn’t nearly as frightening as I thought it would be. She hasn’t said no and she was able to express how she feels. Transformation has already begun for us and it is my prayer that it will happen for you over the coming twelve days. Remember to be grateful for every experience. Sometimes the most difficult ones offer the greatest reward.

Until we rise again,

Cara

Living Maya Time – Symbols of Aj

Today we welcome the stabilizing energy of Aj and boy am I ready for it. Ajpu led me on quite a quest over the past thirteen days. Yesterday I was rewarded and my new path was revealed. For seventeen years I have been a member of a mutual benefit corporation. The corporation has 100 members and collectively we own 2600 acres. Yesterday the ancestors and Nawal E’ conspired to grant me permission to build a cabin on this land. I’d abandoned this dream long ago, but Ajpu asked me to consider it again. From an elevated perspective. With the wisdom that my latest hero’s journey has gifted to me.

Aj is the connection between heaven and earth. It stands tall to hear the whispers of spirit and channels it into it’s roots which are firmly planted in the soil of mother earth. Aj represents the spinal column and it asks us to lead with our heart and for the good of our communities. Aj is most often symbolized by the cornstalk or the staff of life, but I’ve come to associate it with the mountains also. It’s quiet and noble strength are unwavering. Aj holds the container for our ceremonies. An Aj Q’ij is a spiritual guide and calendar priest who interprets the Cholq’ij and offers guidance.

The law of man may say that I own a piece of the mountain that my cabin will sit on, but I know that it cannot be owned. I am merely an invited guest and I do not take the hospitality that this sacred land has offered me for granted. I asked the land for permission to build on seven Aj. As I made my offering of cornmeal and tobacco, I asked for absolute clarity. I promised not to proceed unless the answer was crystal clear. Ajpu shined it’s light brightly over the past thirteen days. My application to build was approved unanimously and one of the other members has even offered to do all the ground work, at a discounted rate. When he told me that his birthday was March 22nd, the same day as mine, I knew with absolute certainty that the land had also given her approval. She had just one condition. She asked for more ceremony.

The land that I have the privilege of building a cabin on is the land of the Esselen. The tribe that lived in reciprocity on these lands for hundreds if not thousands of years before colonization. For at least the past one hundred years our 2600 acres has been a gun and hunting club. No ceremonies have been made on these lands for a very long time. She is starving for communion with the humans that she hosts and provides for. This is what I heard on the mountain. A cry for connection and reverence. This is what Aj is asking of us over the next thirteen days. For the good of our families, our communities and the land herself we must stand up tall and witness what needs to be witnessed and then do better. A simple prayer is all it takes to begin.

In Strength,

Cara

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 was 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 altars 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 – 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 – 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