The Mayan people didn’t count time to get anywhere, they greeted every day, and every cycle, as a spiritual teacher.
Their shortest cycle consists of 4 days, each symbolizes one of the 4 directions, and each has its own color: Red, White, Blue, and Yellow. Red initiates, White refines, Blue transforms, and Yellow ripens.
Mayan 13 And 20 Day Cycles
Using a simple numeric system, in which a dot symbolizes the number 1, and a horizontal line the number 5, the Mayan mark a recurring 13-day “wave-spell” cycle. Each number (from 1 to 13) has meaning, which gives its flavor to the day marked by it.
The next cycle up is a 20-day one, each marked by a “Tribe.” Similar in nature to Western astrological signs, the tribes depict human nature with its gifts and challenges.
How The Cycles Work
Every single day is flavored by its color, its number, and its tribe. No longer a mere “Tuesday” or a plain-old “Thursday,” a day might be a Red Magnetic Dragon, or a White Electric Wizard.
And it gets better: imagine the day of your birth carrying such a signature! I was born a White Rhythmic World-Bridger. What are you? There are many internet sites that will convert your Gregorian birthday to your Mayan one, uncovering the signature of your birth date. The signature of the day you were born on depicts your purpose on Earth, as well as your gifts and challenges.
Every day, seen through its Mayan galactic signature, presents us with a gift and an opportunity.
The numbers (1 to 13) symbolize qualities of intention, while the tribes, which can also be seen as archetypes, depict human traits. Once you know the basic flavor of each day, you can start living it consciously, as well as plan your upcoming endeavors accordingly.
The Meaning Of Numbers In The Mayan Calender
One is a magnet. It attracts to you that which you consciously set out to manifest. The first in a 13-day wave-spell, this is a day for setting an intention for the coming cycle. What would you like to accomplish in any given 13-day spell?
Two is a number of polarity and relatedness, it invites us to bring opposites together. How can you reconcile differences between yourself, and the intention you set in the first day of the wave-spell?
Three integrates and creates. What are you synthesizing?
Four is the number of form. How can you define, shape, and ground the intention you’ve been cultivating during this wave-spell?
Five is the number of selfhood. It invites us to find resources within ourselves. How can you empower your purpose from within?
Six stands for balance. It invites us to move beyond Self, to encounter Other. How can you integrate outer resources, cooperate, and bring creative collaboration to your growing project?
Seven is the number of attunement. It is the peak of the pyramid: 6 steps going up, and six going down, the number seven is the center, the peak, the turning point of the 13-day wave-spell. When you plan your wave-spell you may want to plan your big meeting, date, or presentation, on its seventh day.
Eight is a number for action and integrity. Once the pyramid peaked, you may want to take follow up actions, or perform the next necessary steps with integrity.
Nine is the number for intentions taking form. It is a time in which you may want to look for the realization of your efforts, and cast a larger view on your endeavors, to see the larger cycles that are at work.
Ten depicts manifestation. It is the time when your endeavors mature, come to their fullness (or not…) This is the time to realize what IS.
Eleven symbolizes dissolving. This is a time to release and let go of any and all intentions that have not come into fruition in this wave-spell. You’ve done your best, now you can let your effort rest, and breath out…
Twelve is the number for review and crystallization. That which is ripening, and that which is not, can both be integrated into your consciousness. It’s time to review this cycle, which is drawing to a close, and acknowledge its complexity.
Thirteen, the number for universal movement, sets us free. Beyond the boundaries of this cycle, we can take flight, and be set free. We refresh ourselves only to start another cycle the next day, setting a new intention, starting another dance…
You can start to get a glimpse of the exciting possibilities that lie in planning your life as a work of art, meeting inspiration and metaphors instead of deadlines, refining your endeavors with each cycle, rather than moving linearly forward.
In the next article we’ll look at the twenty Mayan tribes, and how their individual flavor contributes to the energy of each day, enriching the meaning given to it by it’s number, enhancing your dance through your life.
DeAnna L’am, speaker, coach, and consultant, is author of Becoming Peers – Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood. She welcomes your feedback, and is open to dialogue. Visit her at www.deannalam.com