Essays by Michelle
6 Kej
I was reborn on August 6, 2009, the day I landed in Guatemala.
Several years after my arrival, I learned that my Mayan nahual, or birth sign—based on the sacred Mayan calendar on the date of my birth (May 30, 1980)—is 6 Kej. And it turns out, my arrival-slash-rebirth on August 6, 2009 was also 6 Kej. As Tata Thomas often says during a fire ceremony, life is precise and right on time. There are no coincidences in life.
I was home, somehow returning to a place I’d never been.
Brotherly Love
You were a shadow, lurking, silent, not menacing or threatening, just blank, barely there. The substances had long since stolen you, stolen your consciousness, your intelligence, stolen your life away. The high. The search for the high. The high being all that ultimately matters. And yet so empty, so unfulfilling.
Remembering Why I’m Here
Life is full of shit and bliss. Everything is in flux, all the time. The more we can accept that everything is always changing, the more enlightened we are. But sometimes we get stuck, and that’s natural, normal and fine, too. It’s all part of the process.
Crystal Clear Communication Celebration: The Iq’ Trecena
Iq’ is all about communication and imagination. Its spirit animal is the hummingbird. These two weeks are an ideal time to focus on inspiration, breathwork and pranayama, imagination, and all forms of communication (written, verbal, and intuitive).
Giving in Gratitude: The Toj Trecena
Toj reminds us that the ideal foundation for giving is gratefulness. When we recall the simple beauty of the moment, give thanks for both the ease and the challenges of our lives (both of which are blessings), and make offerings from the abundant bounty of our hearts, we are living in the spirit of Toj.
Forgiving, Not Forgetting: The Ajmaq Trecena
Every day is an opportunity to cultivate love and practice forgiveness and gratitude, especially in the coming 13 days of the sacred Mayan calendar.
Explore the Space between Light and Dark: The Aq’ab’al Trecena
It’s 1 Aq’ab’al today in the sacred Mayan calendar. The next 13 days are governed by the potent energy of nahual Aq’ab’al, which is the embodiment of the first light of dawn, and it also represents conception. The main spirit animal of this nahual is the bat.
Love and Justice: The T’zi Trecena
According to Mayan day keepers, these days are good for examining our concepts of and beliefs around (material and spiritual) law and authority, fidelity, order, accuracy, and sexuality.
13 Things I Know for Sure: The No’j Trecena
These 13 days are about working with the innate intelligence mind, cultivating creativity and asking for clarity and understanding. Here’s to intelligence, the power, presence and protection of nature, and cultivating wisdom with the intention of inner growth, from a place of mindfulness.
Fertile Freedom: The K’at Trecena
According to the Mayan cosmovision, the 13-day period that begins tomorrow is ideal for cooperation, community, networking, connections and remembering the truth of interdependence. These are the days to remember that everyone’s destiny is bound up together. These days are superb for exploring our freedom and embodying our purpose.