the four pillars – Cara Carozza

Happy Mayan Solar New Year!

Hey Everyone

Yeah you read that correctly! I’m wishing you Happy New Year again. The Solar New Year happened yesterday and is a very important date.

In Mayan culture, there is not just one calendar. The Macewal Q’ij or Ordinary Days calendar is a SOLAR CALENDAR consisting of 18 months that are each 20 days, totaling 360 days in the year. There is a closing cycle at the end of each solar year. This period is only 5 days long and is called Wayeb’ or Tz’ipin Q’ij.

I’ve just observed the period of Wayeb’. I followed the prescribed guidance for each day and wanted to share this with you as I have found it so beneficial. I’m thinking that if you feel guided, you could use the information below to do a 5-day Wayeb inspired “retreat” at any time of the year. The process is just lovely.

Day 1 : Introspection. Light white candles and invoke the Creator and all Higher Energies into your space. Review the previous year and set an intention to purge and detox for the next 5 days.

Day 2 : Recognition of Self. Light purple or white candles and invoke all the Great energies again. This is the day to forgive and also to ask for forgiveness for things we have said and done & also for the things we have left undone. Remember to also forgive yourself! Ho’oponopono mediations are a great way to do this.

Day 3: Acceptance. After the days of Introspection and Recognition of Self, it’s time to accept all that the previous year has brought and release anything that no longer serves us. I wrote down my thoughts and feelings and then burned them in a small fire ceremony.

Day 4: Definition. The past three days have allowed us to identify who and where we are. Now it is time to plan for the new year. You know how therapeutic I find cleaning and decluttering. I spent the day cleaning my home, throwing out old items and doing a space cleansing with a great big home-made smudge stick.

Day 5 : Emergence. This is the day we reflect on the last couple of days of retreat (yes to my journal!) to slowly emerge from the “cave” as Mark Elmy of The Four Pillars puts it with new reserves.

Generally speaking, it is thought that our fate for the next solar year is decided and sealed during this 5 day Wayeb’ period. The end of this period is known as The Seating of the New Mam.

11 E’ will be the dominant energy for the coming year, with WILDCAT as the energy carrier. I hope to share more with you.

May your Solar year unfold with grace, my friends. I’m sensing wide open paths inviting us to explore that which our hearts need most.

Take it easy,

Cara

Beware the Ides of March

Beware the Ides of March! Haven’t you heard that before? I sure have but had no clue what it was about until my lovely husband Richard told me.

This is the day that fell on the 74th day of the Roman calendar, corresponding to March 15 on our calendar. For the Romans, it was marked by several religious observances and was a deadline for settling debts. I was thinking about settling some debts while driving home yesterday when I heard a loud bang! I thought that I had hit a rock in the road but then I saw a wild boar running off out of the corner of my left eye. My instinct to brake saved the poor thing from the same fate as old Julius Caesar on this fateful day in history. (Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of about 60 senators on the Ides of March of 44 BC Wikipedia). Ah, the Ides of March is tomorrow, I remembered…

Wild boars are often featured in Roman history and my Italian forefathers used them as a symbol in several military legions during the time of the Roman Empire. Little wonder my huge, brown friend came running onto my path as if to say, “Beware the Ides of March, Cara!” My guides sure have some strange ways of communicating with me at times but I am so grateful that they do.

March 15 is also a very important day on the Mayan calendar. It is the beginning of a new ceremonial cycle when new initiates are welcomed into the circle of spiritual leaders to take up their roles for the next chapter. My favorite blog about all things to do with Mayan astrology www.thefourpillars.net has all the information you need to know about this auspicious time. I plan to mark the date with some quiet meditation and prayer.

I also found out that Ruth Bader-Ginsberg (May she rest in peace) was born on this day in history in 1933 as well as St Nicholas, who is famous for being nice to children but also happens to be the patron saint for the falsely accused:-) Ruth is one of my heroes for advocating for gender equality. She demonstrated that gender biases impact men as well as women and she even used a tax case to prove this.

Some days just vibrate differently to others huh? The Ides of March is one of them and I just had to share.

May the Spirits lift you higher,

Cara

Mayan Wisdom, Cacao & Venus – Blessings all around

Hi Everyone

As you know I am obsessed with ancient astrological traditions. The Mayan wisdom is my favorite at the moment. I’ve been learning about this with a great Teacher for the past year. His name is Mark Elmy and he has a great website called www.thefourpillars.net

I feel very connected to the knowledge on a deep, personal level.

“Maya” is really an umbrella term for many different indigenous ethnic groupings who may speak different Mayan languages such as Yucatec, K’ichean, Kekchi, or Mopan. The descendants of the Maya are still around today, many of them living in their ancestral homelands, like Guatemala. I’ve never traveled to the ancient sites but when called, I will jump.

As far as astronomy goes, the Mayans were light years ahead of us “civilized” folk. They built observatories that were aligned with the movement of the planets. There is a group of three temples at Uaxactún which aligns perfectly to : *The Sun’s rising at Summer Solstice; *The two equinoxes; *Winter Solstice

El Caracol (at Chichen Itza, Mexico) is another fascinating site. I love the name because it has CARA in it:-). This ancient monument is also an observatory but this one was strategically aligned to track the path of VENUS throughout the year! Venus was very special to the Maya because they considered this bright planet to be the twin of the Sun. They used the information about where Venus was in the sky to plan their raids and battles. I am totally planning to do the same.

My Western astrology tells me that Venus will be in retrograde from December 19, 2021 all the way through to January 29, 2022. As you know, Venus is the planet related to all things LOVE and relationships. When a planet is in retrograde we can expect some ups and downs in that area. Venus retrograde is not a good time to meet a new love and old relationships from our past often come back into our fields. Any good astrologer would say: Keep Calm and guard your heart.

I wonder what the Mayans would have said about the time of retrograde? Probably something about staying home and drinking Cacao — their heart elixir of choice.

I love learning more about these things and hope to share some more with you. As the tag line for my website says: I am indeed a Seeker of Magic and Spreader of Light.

Love & Blessings,

Cara

P.S. Here is a great article and some ideas about how to use Cacao to open up your heart. Enjoy: https://medium.com/cacao-ceremonies/morning-cacao-recipes-rituals-a00ab12fbfa9