As described in Manual for the Soul, A Guide to the Energies of Life, the 260 day cycle that forms the foundation for the Mayan Calendar is comprised of 20 trecenas (weeks), each containing 13 days. Within Mayan Calendrics each of the days represents a unique energy with a special meaning. Each of the trecenas has a theme, with the name of the trecena being reflective of the first day of the time frame.

 

 

                                            The B'en Trecena: Dec.20, 2011- Jan. 1, 2012

 

 

 

The final trecena of 2011 begins at the point within the 260 day cycle of the Tzolk’in (Count of Days) that marks the start of the second 52-day period. [There are five of these within the overall cycle.] This is the day One B’en, representative of the “initiation” of the type of energy that is associated with robust growing corn. This is a symbol of strong self determination and tenacious personal authority. It was a One B’en (sometimes referred to as One Reed) year when Hernán Cortés arrived with 11 Spanish galleons on the east coast of Mexico, marking the beginning of the Spanish conquest in the early 16^th century. As the B’en daysign is associated with the great Aztec deity known as Quetzalcóatl,who was prophesied to return on One Reed, the appearance of Cortés caused much speculation, and ultimately devastating upheaval. Several centuries later the Mexican Revolution also began under this same One B’en influence when the revolutionary Francisco Madero led strikes to denounce the dictator Porfirio Diaz. As these two events reveal, along with many others of a similar nature throughout history that have occurred under this influence, the thirteen-day timeframe that begins with One B’en often propagates events that involve significant social or political adjustments.

 

As this trecena begins it happens that the numbers associated with the month also exactly parallel the numbers related to the daysigns. So with the first day being 1 B’en 1 K’ank’in, the second day is 2 Ix  2 K’ank’in, the third day 3 Men 3 K’ank’in, and so on. This suggests that the nature of these numbers (ie. the energy force connected with the numbers) would also be doubled during this time. The “initiation” force of 1 B’en, for example, could be augmented by the “initiation” energy of 1 K’ank’in. As we get to the end of the trecena something very interesting happens on 13 Chikchan, the last day. This will be 13 Chikchan 13 K’ank’in, in the Maya year 13 Eb’. So here we have the transformation-oriented energy of the number 13 occurring three times on the Gregorian date that coincides with January 1^st, 2012.  This so-called “coincidence” suggests that this important year, which will bring us to the end of a Maya “Great Cycle” of time, could be all about transformation. The doubling of numerical forces as seen this time throughout this trecena does not occur often so it is intriguing to see them line up in this way at this particular time, especially when they present such a noteworthy string of 13’s on the first day of 2012.

 

Significant events that have occurred in the past under the auspices of this authority-oriented trecena include the abolition of absolute monarchy in France in 1792; the establishment of the USSR in 1922;

Hitler’s establishment of the S.S. in 1925; Hitler and Mussolini’s “Pact of Steel” in 1939; the invasion of Tibet by over 30,000 Chinese troops in 1950; the beginning of full force offensive by over 15,000 U.S. air and artillery forces against Fallujah in Iraq in 2004; and the execution of Saddam Hussein in 2006. 

 

This trecena has also felt the impact of strong cosmic activity as occurred when an enormous cloud of ionized gas from the major solar storm of 1997 hit the earth during this B’en aligned timeframe. This took place precisely 11 Tzolk’in cycles after the huge solar flare of 1989 that disrupted electric power transmission in Quebec and melted power transformers in New Jersey. In 2008 the Barbury Castle Crop circle, encoded with the “pi” mathematical constant, appeared under this influence. The 13 Chikchan (“transformational lifeforce”) energy that comes in on the final day of this trecena packed a huge whallop the last time it appeared, in April of 2011, when it brought forth a humungous storm system that included some of the worst tornado clusters in two decades as it thundered through several eastern and central U.S. states. Let’s hope that there is no repeat performance of that situation as 13 Chikchan kicks off 2012 . If something similarly intense does occur (as often happens at the end of a trecena) it will no doubt contribute to the “end-date hysteria” that has already been promulgated by the mass media as to what might be in store for the remainder of the year.

It is interesting to see that this trecena, this time ‘round, manages to straddle most of the main events and special days associated with this holiday season. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, initiates extra illumination on One B’en, the first day of the trecena, coinciding with Dec. 20th. Then comes Christmas on sparkly 6 Etz’nab’, followed by Boxing Day on 7 Kawak. Eight Ajaw, which will be in place on Dec. 27^th, will be an anniversary of the energy that was in place when Auchwitz, where over a million people died, was liberated by soldiers from the Soviet Red Army in 1945. This seems particularly significant since this powerful “resurrection”-oriented energy coincides this year with the eighth and final day of Hanukkah. It also aligns with an important Tun Shift, as the Maya Long Count odometer clicks over to 12.19.19.0.0.  At this point there will be only 360 days remaining to Dec. 21, 2012 – the end date of the cycle. At that point that time-related odometer will shift over to 13.0.0.0.0.  This current 8 Ajaw day, on Dec. 27^th, will have a lot of “fire power” associated with it as Ajaw itself is the day of the Sun Lord, the K’an’k’in part (the month component) represents “precious sun”, and the double eights represent the resurrecting corn god, also related to the sun. This time, however, all the 8-candle Hanukkah menorahs will be fully lit so the “resurrection” aspect of this day will also be underscored by all the eights that will be in play from the lit menorah candles. On New Year’s Eve the energy of 12 K’an will be in place, which is a very “let’s gather together and have a party” type of energy. The following day will bring in 13 Chikchan, on the first day of the New Year, as noted above.

With all these intriguing alignments it will be interesting to see what this trecena will bring at this time of year. These are the energies that will come into being (days of particular importance are highlighted in red):

1 B’en (Dec. 20^th) – the “initiation” of “personal authority”, the beginning of the trecena

2 Ix (Dec. 21^st) – a dynamic type of energy aligned with mystery and magic

3 Men (Dec. 22^nd) – the “activation of Higher Vision”; this is a Burner Day oriented around 

    “announcing the fire” which would also reflect the 3 Men energy of April 17, 6 B.C. that some

    believe to be the day when the Magi read the astrological signs that “revealed” the forthcoming

    birth of Christ; also the day of the Winter Solstice 

4 Kib’ (Dec. 23^rd) – a “defining” day associated with the restoration of order – often associated with

    “wax”, candles, and light; in 2010 this energy brought the annnouncement of the discovery of a

    massive star over 10 million times brighter than our sun

5 Kab’an (Dec. 24^th) – a “blessing” type of energy associated with evolutionary movement, this time

    in conjunction with the New Moon on Christmas Eve

6 Etz’nab’ (Dec. 25^th) – a “six directions” type of energy, this time aligned with the sparkle and

    dazzle of Flint, which will no doubt add to the sparkle and dazzle of Christmas; also incorporates

    a strong discriminatory aspect

7 Kawak (Dec. 26^th) – “self-generating storm” – this can manifest as a “storm of compassion”, with

    perhaps some carry-over from Christmas?

8 Ajaw (Dec. 27^th) - “resurrection” of the sun; as noted above this is the Tun Shift day, when the

    Maya Long Count odometer clicks over to 12.19.19.0.0, with 360 days remaining to Dec. 21, 2012

    – the end date of the Great Cycle

9 Imix (Dec. 28^th) – the “outward projection” of birth, the realm of all potential that can have long

    range implications

10 Ik’ (Dec. 29^th) – “foundational wind/breath/spirit” – an energy highly aligned with Source and

    with things pertaining to the air, to communication, and to things of a spiritual nature

11 Ak’b’al (Dec. 30^th) – “inspirational night” or “inspirational temple of mysteries”; this is a day that

    can bring blackness, as when Brazil was plunged into darkness under this influence two years ago

    (leaving 60 million people without power), but it can also be a good day for “dreaming” or

    contemplation

12 K’an (Dec. 31^st) – a “grouping together” type of energy associated with youthful vitality and the

    joyful celebration of life as in the celebration of life’s bounty – a perfect energy for celebrating

    New Year’s Eve

13 Chikchan (January 1^st, 2012) –  “transformational lifeforce”; as noted above this is 13 Chikchan

    13 K’ank’in, in the Maya year 13 Eb’, with the energy of transformation appearing three times

    suggesting that this important year could be all about major change on multiple levels

         [Please note that the brief descriptions of the days provided above are only “thumbnail sketches”. Much greater           detail can be found in Manual for the Soul: A Guide to the Energies of Life.]

People born during this trecena include:

 

          Michael Moore (1 B’en)                      Vincent Van Gogh (8 Ajaw)                      Pope Benedict XVI (12 K’an)

          Bing Crosby (2 Ix)                                George Lucas (10 Ik’)                                 George W. Bush (13 Chikchan)

          Jerry Seinfeld (7 Kawak)                      Abraham Lincoln (11 Ak’b’al)                 Osama Bin Laden (13 Chikchan)

 

                                                                         ©WhitePupPress 2011 All rights reserved.

 

For an earlier example of events that have unfolded during the B'en trecena please see the July 2010 section of the Blog Archive. The B'en trecena began on July 18th of that year.