Allie's Mayan Astrology Report
If you listened to the podcast - I talked about Mayan astrology and mentioned that I'd post my report....here it is.
I think a few areas will make you smile (like yep -- that's her), I know I did! I always joke that once I'm commited to something or someone - I'm as faithful as a dog. You'll see what I mean by this below. And sex -- no wonder it's on my mind.
BTW -- I got this report at http://www.onereed.com/
Maya * Aztec Astrology Report
(Copyright © One Reed Publications, 2006)
Prepared for A Theiss
born May 2, 1967
DAY-SIGN: 13-Dog
(Maya: 13-Oc)
YEAR: South-8 (Tikal System)
13-DAY PERIOD: 1-Knife
(Maya: 1-Etz'nab)
NIGHT LORD: 7
VENUS PHASE: Evening Star
Introduction - The Astrology of Time
The ancient Maya and Aztec astrologers studied the mysterious influence of the rhythms of the sky on earthly life. Everyone knows the Sun rises and sets every day -- this is the basic rhythm of life around which we set our clocks and calendars. What the ancient astrologers discovered was that other time cycles existed that were multiples of this basic day cycle. This fact was discovered about 100 years ago in Europe and these cycles (there are many of them) are now called biorhythms.
The most important time cycles in ancient Mayan and Aztec astrology are those of the day, 9-days, 13-days, and 20-days. Additionally, years are counted also, in groups of 4 and 13. Each day is then part of several other cycles, so no two days are exactly the same. Your Maya/Aztec horoscope below shows exactly where in each of the cycles you were born. Each category below examines a specific cycle and a specific aspect of your personality. Keep in mind that our personalities are complex and contain many contradictions. All of us present a different "face" depending on who we meet. The delineations below will reflect this, but they will also give you a clear picture of who you really are. The true value of astrology lies in self-knowledge, the first step to wisdom.
Your Most Personal Traits -- The Day-Sign of Your Birth
Here are your strongest and most obvious personality traits. The delineation below describes who you are and how you appear to others, at least on the surface. In Aztec astrology this part of your horoscope is your Tonalli, or Day-Sign, the form bestowed upon you by the Sun.
Dog: You are probably a good team player, and loyalty is definitely one of your best traits. You instinctively know who has what rank and this understanding allows you to be patient and wait your turn for leadership. Your many experiences as a follower and good team member have prepared you for the leadership positions you ultimately seek. You may now, or eventually, run your own business -- and, because of your experience, you will know how to be a good employer. You know how to inspire loyalty in others because you have such a good understanding of it yourself.
You may have a special liking for short-distance travel. Owning a car, boat or even plane is an important issue for you. You like patrolling your "territory" but you are not so keenly interested in really distant places. You have a strong neighborhood interest and will usually know everyone on your block or in your town.
Many Dog personalities are very creative. The arts, particularly music and drawing or painting may appeal to you. While you are usually not particularly daring or experimental in these areas, you have a good sense of harmony and rhythm and have the potential to become quite popular. You approach your art form as a craft to be learned and mastered. You are technique conscious. On the other hand, you may reveal your creativity in the social and political arenas. You might aspire to public positions or attempt to provide social leadership through teaching, education or social service work. Politics is important to you and you are usually well-informed regarding current events.
It is probable that your father was your most influential parent. He may have provided you with a legacy, financial or career-wise. Such an arrangement often creates a situation where you have no choice but to follow the pattern set by your parent. For some of you, this situation is not so favorable. There may be rivalry between yourself and your father and much time may be spent in rebellion. Ultimately, you must make peace with your parents, and accept what you were given or whatever you were not given. This theme has even deeper connotations when looked at from a larger cultural perspective -- the homeland as father or parent. Many of you born under this day-sign will have a strong loyalty to community, city or country and will become involved in the political process. Some of you may even become patriotic leaders who help guide your community, large or small, into the future.
One of the problems that you may have in close relationships has to do with emotional maturity. You have strong feelings about territory and can be quite jealous when it comes to sharing and trusting in relationships. You need to know clearly just what the pecking order is and where the boundary lines are drawn. If these are not clear, an insecurity crisis occurs and your response is usually not friendly. In many cases, you may be holding a double standard. You will have one set of rules for your mate, and one for you. It is in these instances that some real work on emotional maturity is needed. Ultimately, your territorial instincts are deep and not easily accessible.
Itzcuintli was the Aztec name for this day-sign, which translates as dog. It is the tenth of the twenty day-signs and was symbolized by the head of that animal. The dog that the Aztecs were most familiar with was a small, nearly hairless, dog that was sometimes used as food. In myth the dog was the companion and guide of the soul as it travelled through the underworld. Perhaps due to this association, the Aztec deity Mictlantecuhtli, the lord of the underworld, was the ruler of this sign. In spite of all this "darkness" the Aztecs did consider this a fortunate sign and those born under it were generous, prolific and likely to rise in life. This observation seems to be just as true today.
The personality of your day-sign is reflected in the planet and sign emphasis in your Western astrological chart. In your birthchart the signs Taurus and Scorpio, or the planets Venus and Pluto, are probably emphasized in some way. These symbolize your deep instincts and loyalty. The sign Leo, or a prominent Sun, may symbolize both your father complex and creative drives.
Your Deeper Self -- the 13-day Week of Your Birth
Each of us reacts to the world around us in different ways. Our reactions are mostly unconscious; they represent what our deeper self needs. Our reactions both attract and repel us from things, people, and situations. What we like, what we like to do, and who we really are is shown by the 13-day week called the Trecena that we were born under. Each of these periods begins with the number 1 and the name of the day-sign that starts it. A number is attached to your position within the 13-day period that may be an important number for you.
You were born on the last day of the 13-day period beginning with 1-Knife. Beneath your surface personality you are a person who seeks out challenges and powerful experiences. You are going to do what you want to do, mostly on your terms, come hell or high water. You are willing to go the distance, including personal sacrifice, to bring out changes in yourself and in others. You are restless, and possibly a bit unstable in ways, but you are persistent and quite devoted to what you perceive to be your calling in life.
At times you take some fairly serious risks -- or you are attracted to others that do so. You may also find it necessary at times to sacrifice personal interests in order to realize your ideals. The most important thing in your life is the cultivation and development of good judgment.
The things of everyday life that most people are interested in bore you. You require a lot of stimulus and you like to be on the cutting edge of things. Something, or someone, has to be big and important for it, or them, to hold your interest. Because of this reaction pattern you are driven toward either surrounding yourself with strong-willed, interesting characters, or you move yourself into the spotlight or some important position.
You have leadership abilities, but they don't come as a given. You must work to improve them. Your problems lie in expecting others to make the same sacrifices that you have. One result of this conflict is that you like to be independent, but not necessarily responsible for a lot of people. Ultimately, you are a pragmatist and will find a place for yourself that works the best, even if a few things must be sacrificed.
Both Dog and Knife are signs of the North, a direction symbolic of rationality and understanding. You are either an intellectual, or you attempt to solve your problems through logic and reason. This may work for you in career matters, but it could be a problem in relationships with very emotional persons. Your mind is your strength, and yet a great challenge as well.
What You Share With the Others of Your Birth Year
The Maya and Aztec astrologers recognized that each year produces a unique group of people. Each individual year in a 52-year cycle is linked with a number and a compass direction that has an astrological meaning. The delineation below says something about you in only a general sense. It describes the general traits that you share with others born in your year.
You were born during the year called 8-South. From the perspective of ancient Mexico, the South is a region characterized by the triumph of life over nature. The South is where the uncontrolled growth of the jungle overuns even the mountains. Accordingly, the southern direction symbolizes power and energies of feelings and emotions. Being born during a year of the South, you are probably strongly motivated by your feelings and emotions, in a general sense at least.
You are strongly driven by what you feel you need to do, not just what you think you need to do. The urgings within you have a great deal of power and may sometimes cause you do to things that others deem irrational. To others you may seem confused. On some occasions that may be so, but more often your instincts and feelings prove to be correct and appropriate. This is your gift -- sensitivity of feelings. Your challenge is to develop your mind and understand choice from a different perspective.
The number 8 preceding your birth direction indicates that you have a need to align your world with that of others. Your quest for personal stability and solidity requires significant adaptation to the lives of others around you.
Your Deepest and Darkest Motivations -- the Night Lord
The ancient Mayan and Aztec astrologers used a 9-day cycle of gods and goddesses called the "Lords of the Night." These deities symbolize the workings of your deepest and darkest self, parts of you that others may not know of or understand. They also symbolize the deepest forces behind your "will to exist."
You were born under the seventh Lord of the Night. The goddess Tlazolteotl (Tlah-zole-TAY-ot-el) is your ruling deity. She was a confession goddess, one who was said to consume a person's sins, particularly their sexual sins. She was also a goddess of purification and healing. The symbolism of this goddess suggests that you are a person who may struggle with strong, socially unacceptable, urges.
Your desire nature is very strong. You also have a strong investment in presenting a socially acceptable face to the world. How do you reconcile these opposing needs? You cannot repress your urges to power, or sexual urges forever, eventually you must face this conflict directly. Perhaps you have "sinned" or simply said or did something that is against your better judgment. You will need to settle the imbalance somehow, if only for your peace of mind. A kind of penance, or self-inflicted punishment, may be your typical reaction to this kind of situation. Or maybe you never do anything "wrong," but hold many unsociable thoughts. Perhaps you bury yourself in work in an attempt to deny your deeper urges. Often times, this kind of repression makes you become a fanatic about order and cleanliness. You want at all costs to be in control of your outer world, because your inner world is not so controllable.
You are strongly motivated by relationships, partnering, and working with the public. You are indeed a very social person and you judge yourself by your company. You are also motivated by aesthetics, comforts, or material security. You like the finer things of life, or at least have more than a casual appreciation for music or art. All of this is in contrast to your deeper urges. Be careful what you say or do if you lead a public life.
Your inner conflict is great and so you need to heal yourself from time to time. You need to be more accepting of who you are, and especially be accepting of your darker urges. Repressing them makes your life worse. No one is perfect. Don't hide part of yourself under the rug. Find ways to creatively explore your deeper urges such as through art, or through psychotherapy. When you heal yourself, you will become a healer of others.
Your Patterns of Relationship -- The Phase of Venus
Maya and Aztec astrologers observed the phases of the planet Venus and correlated them with events on earth. Venus has four basic phases: morning star, evening star, and two conjunctions with the Sun. The phase of Venus you were born under symbolizes your relationship patterns -- how you approach and become involved with others, both individuals and groups.
You were born with Venus in its Evening Star phase. According to the Maya, this is a 250-day period when Venus is visible after the Sun sets. This phase follows the Superior Conjunction phase and precedes the Inferior Conjunction phase.
For you, feelings and emotions arise after an action has been taken. In making judgments, which you do very well, you evaluate what has happened against the background of society's rules and values. You instinctively understand the power, and perhaps the correctness, of the world as it is and has been. The values and morals of the past are important to you and your vision is one that has probably been strongly influenced by tradition.
There is a sense of inevitable compromise in your life, possibly a reaction to your awareness of having been strongly imprinted by society, culture or your parents. One result of this may be seen in your stance towards the powers that be. It is possible that deep down you are troubled by your conditioning and how it causes you to evaluate and interpret the world in a certain way. But this is very subtle and most of you will only notice this pattern in a general way, far more obvious when viewed over the course of a lifetime.
One positive manifestation of evening star Venus is that you may become, consciously or unconsciously, successful due to the fact that you personify certain family and traditional values. In extreme cases, you could become a hero, a person who represents what your society truly believes in. It is through participation with the traditions and cultural definitions of reality that you achieve emotional satisfaction and success in life.
Your Days of Peak Experience
From time to time we experience periods where our lives seem to be rushing forward -- almost out of control. Sometimes we accomplish great things during these periods; sometimes we become stressed or fail at something. More often we find that our experience of life is more intense, and richer. The Maya astrologers discovered such a cycle: your "peak" dates in this cycle are listed below.
You will probably find that your experience of life becomes more intense about five days before the peak date and then builds. Keywords displayed next to the dates are a suggestion of how to focus your energies.
Critical day list for A Theiss (born May 02, 1967)
Report start date: Jan 01 2008
Report end date: Dec 31 2012
Critical Day Phase Day No./Name Direction Keyword
Fri Feb 1 2008 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Sun Apr 6 2008 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Tue Jun 10 2008 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Thu Aug 14 2008 Full 13 Dog North join
Sat Oct 18 2008 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Mon Dec 22 2008 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Wed Feb 25 2009 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Fri May 1 2009 Full 13 Dog North join
Sun Jul 5 2009 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Tue Sep 8 2009 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Thu Nov 12 2009 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Sat Jan 16 2010 Full 13 Dog North join
Mon Mar 22 2010 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Wed May 26 2010 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Fri Jul 30 2010 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Sun Oct 3 2010 Full 13 Dog North join
Tue Dec 7 2010 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Thu Feb 10 2011 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Sat Apr 16 2011 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Mon Jun 20 2011 Full 13 Dog North join
Wed Aug 24 2011 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Fri Oct 28 2011 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Sun Jan 1 2012 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Tue Mar 6 2012 Full 13 Dog North join
Thu May 10 2012 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Sat Jul 14 2012 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Mon Sep 17 2012 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Wed Nov 21 2012 Full 13 Dog North join
Background - The Nature of Maya/Aztec astrology
Like the civilizations of China, India and the Ancient Near East, the early American civilizations developed an astrology, a logic of the sky. Archaeological evidence of Native American astrology points to origins as far back as 600 BC, and perhaps even earlier. Unlike the astrologies of the Old World, the astrology of ancient Mesoamerica (Mexico and parts of Central America) developed in isolation and was not influenced by other traditions. Its very nature therefore is very different from the astrological traditions Westerners are more familiar with.
All of the Mesoamerican civilizations, Olmec, Toltec, Maya, Zapotec and Aztec, used essentially the same astrology. Although the names of symbols varied, the concepts remained the same. Because the Aztecs were the predominant civilization at the time of the Spanish Conquest, we have chosen to use their symbol names in this modern reconstruction of the Mesoamerican astrological tradition.
At the core of Mesoamerican astrology are the 20 day-signs. Like the 12 signs of the Western Zodiac, these are signs descriptive of both personality and possibility. In other words, the signs can be used to describe a person, or they can describe an event. In the Western 12-sign zodiac, the signs are sections of space spread across the sky along the path of the Sun, Moon, and planets. The Maya/Aztec day-signs are very different. They are based on time and are actually names of days. Each sign lasts only one day, until it comes up again twenty days later. Like our 7-day week, which is astrological and named for the planets, the Maya and Aztecs used a 20-day week for astrological purposes.
There is no presently known reason why the Maya and Aztecs used only 20 signs. Perhaps they had discovered an important biorhythm or cycle. But besides the 20-days, they also used a 13-day cycle (or sign) and these intertwined with each other. While the days of the 20-day cycle each have a name, the days of the 13-day cycle are numbered from 1 to 13. If you start both cycles together, the first day of the 20-day cycle coinciding with the first day of the 13-day cycle, it will take exactly 260 days for all possible combinations of day and number to occur. This period, 260 days, is the length of the sacred Mesoamerican astrological calendar that this program is based on.
The 20 day-signs each have a name and a symbol. The names of these with a brief meaning are listed below.
Aztec Name- Direction -Classic Maya -Name Qualities
Alligator East Imix protective and dominating
Wind North Ik clever and multifacted
House West Akbal thoughtful and conservative
Lizard South Kan active dynamic and sexual
Serpent East Chiccan powerful and charismatic
Death North Cimi sacrificing and helpful
Deer West Manik cooperative and nomadic
Rabbit South Lamat clever and playful
Water East Muluc emotional and imaginative
Dog North Oc loyal and helpful
Monkey West Chuen clever and demonstrative
Grass South Eb careful and useful
Reed East Ben knowledgeable and crusading
Ocelot North Ix intelligent and secretive
Eagle West Men free and independent
Vulture South Cib authoritative and wise
Earthquake East Caban intellectual but practical
Knife North Etz'nab self-sufficient but romantic
Rain West Cauac helpful and healing
Flower South Ahau loving and artistic
You may have noticed that each of the signs is connected to a particular direction. The signs of the east are initiating and forceful. Those of the north are intellectual and critical. Signs of the west are cooperative and compromising. Signs of the south are emotional and reactive.
The day-sign a person was born under is the named day that occurred on their birthday. It delineates their most obvious personality characteristics and traits. A person is also born during one of twenty 13-day periods, periods that begin with a day-sign linked to the number 1. The 13-day period delineates their more subtle, possibly subconscious, personality qualities. It shows their deeper instincts and yearnings. The combination of day-sign and 13-day period yields a quite complete personality description, perhaps as good or even better than does the Western 12-sign zodiac. It should be said that these two signs represent only a partial reconstruction of what was once a more complex system. The rest, including signs ruling the year and the hour of birth, have been lost or completely recovered and made workable.
Because the day-signs signify general meanings and themes as well as personality configurations, they were used by the Aztecs for divinations. Like the I-Ching, a random drawing of beans or stones would allow a reader to find one of the 260 sign/number combinations and thus an answer to a question. Even today, the 260-day astrological calendar is used by Native American daykeepers in remote parts of Guatemala and Mexico. The divination section of this program utilizes computer technology to randomly select the sign/number combinations that may yield insights into a question asked.
Because the Maya and Aztecs did not have a developed writing system, and because most of their astrological knowledge was destroyed by the Spanish friars, little was known about this great product of theirs, and other Mesoamerican, cultures. The delineations used in this program were arrived at after several years of historical investigation, deep thought, and trial and error experimentation. Long lists of persons famous or known to the author, yet born under the same day-sign, were compared with each other. Eventually, this process led to some key concepts about each of the signs and the results, in the form of personality descriptions, are found in this program. The meanings for the signs when used in divinations were extrapolated from this information also.
We hope you find Maya/Aztec astrology to be not only interesting and fun, but helpful and a source of insight into your life.
The Year of Birth
The Maya and Aztecs believed that the year of birth could be read astrologically and that the astrological qualities of any given year were dependent on two factors. First is a cycle of 4 years. In this cycle each succeeding year is associated with one of the four directions in the order east, north, west, and south. The directions are similar to the elements (fire, air, earth, and water) in Western astrology. The Aztec delineations for the years are as follows.
East: creative/mental -- fertile/abundant
North: violent weather -- barren/dry/cold
West: wild/losses/illness -- cloudy/evil
South: good business/health -- variable
A second factor is a cycle of 52 years. In this longer period, 13 repetitions of the basic 4-year cycle are counted. As each year arrives, it is identified with a number and a direction. Four cycles of 13 years each make up the 52-year calendar round or Xiuhmolpilli.
Not all ancient Mexican cultures applied the cycle of years the same way. There was a lack of consensus about which year was linked to which number. The Aztecs used Reed (east), Knife (north), House (west), and Rabbit (south). The Classic Maya used Caban (east), Ik (north), Manik (west), and Eb (south), which correlate with Earthquake, Wind, Deer, and Grass. During Postclassic times the pattern was changed. The Classic pattern is used by the Quiche Maya who have kept the astrological traditions alive in Guatamala. The author believes that the year correlation established by the Classic Maya and continued by the Quiche Maya works.
Four and eight-year cycles have been found in nature by cycle researchers, a strong suggestion that there may be a real material basis to the cycling of the years. It is also interesting to note that the Olympics and United States presidential elections are held in the same year, years that are ruled by the east, according to the Quiche. Further, the Chinese cycle of 12 years correlates with this pattern if you look at it as three groupings of a 4-year cycle.
The Lords of the Night
One component of Maya astrology was a 9-day cycle that ran alongside the cycle of the day-signs. These 9 days were said to be ruled by the Lords of the Night, one for each day. The names of the Maya gods are barely known, but the Aztecs have left a complete list.
The Lords of the Night are not a calendar per se, but a kind of symbolic cycle. The Maya linked the Lords to the Long Count. We know that on August 11, -3113 the ninth Lord was ruler. Start ing from this date we run a 9-day cycle along with the day-signs which allows the program to find the ruling Lord of the Night for any date. The 260-days of the tzolkin do not mesh perfectly with the 9-day cycle and it takes 9 cycles of 260 (2,340 days or 6.4 years) before the same combination occurs again.
Much less is known about how the Aztecs used the cycle. It appears that they ran the 9-day cycle against the 260 days and had the last two Lords ruling the last of the 260 days. In this manner the cycle would start again at the same place. In Maya/Aztec Astro-Report we have chosen to follow Maya usage.
Some writers have suggested that the Lords of the Night are actually a division of the nightime hours. Like the planetary hours of Western astrology, the night was divided into 9ths with the 5th Lord's rule centered around midnight. In this line of reasoning the day was divided into 13 hours.
The Cycle of Venus
Of the planets visible to the ancient skywatchers of Mesoamerica, Venus was the most important. Due to its alternations from morning to evening star it was believed to be a symbol of certain profound dualities in nature and in man. Because the orbit of Venus lies between the Earth and the Sun, it never strays too far from the Sun and can only be seen close to the times of sunrise and sunset, depending on which part of its cycle it is in. From the perspective of an observer, it takes Venus 584 days on average to complete one cycle of morning and evening star. This figure meshes with the solar year of 365 days and the 260-day astrological calendar precisely every 104 years. The start of its cycle was its first appearance as a morning star, an event called by astronomers its heliacal rising.
According to the Dresden Codex, an ancient Maya manuscript that is one of the most authoritative sources on Maya astronomy and astrology, the cycle of Venus began when its rays first appeared in the twilight of dawn. This event usually occurs several days after the Inferior Conjunction of Venus with the Sun. The Inferior Conjunction is so-named because Venus, the lesser body, passes in front of the Sun, the greater body. In this conjunction, Venus, which disappears in rays of the Sun for over a week during this time, comes closest to the Earth. The Maya allocated exactly 8 days for this phase of the Venus cycle. After its heliacal rising, the second phase of the Venus cycle, its phase as a morning star, commenced. The Maya allocated 236 days to this period.
As Venus ends its time as a morning star, it once again disappears into the rays of the Sun. As it moves to conjoin the Sun again, it does so at its greatest distance from Earth. The conjunction in this part of its cycle is called the Superior Conjunction, because here Venus passes behind the Sun. The Maya allocated 90 days for this third phase of the cycle, a phase where Venus is not visible. After it re-emerges from behind the rays of the Sun, Venus begins its phase as an evening star, a phase for which the Maya allocated 250 days. These four phases of the Venus cycle, 8 days, 236 days, 90 days and 250 days add up to 584 days, the full cycle of Venus. The duration of these phases is a symbolic approximation of the astronomical facts, which actually vary somewhat from cycle to cycle.
The Maya and Aztecs believed that the cycle of Venus depicted the experiences of the god Quetzalcoatl in his descent to Earth. The first rising of Venus as a morning star symbolized his arrival on Earth. During the morning star phase Quetzalcoatl was overcome by desire and lust and committed sins; he pushed against the boundaries of society. During the disappearance of Venus at Superior Conjunction, a warlike athletic duel with the Sun took place and during the evening star phase, Quetzalcoatl, now fully sober, walked the Earth until his sacrificial death during the Inferior Conjunction. He was then reborn as the new Venus and the cycle began again.
This report calculates the phase that Venus was in at your birth according to the figures used and recorded by the ancient Maya. For each phase, the program offers a brief interpretation of the possible significance of Venus, symbol of both impulsive personal desire and collective social values, in your life.
Maya/Aztec Predictive Techniques
In ancient times, the 260-day astrological calendar was subdivided into four ritual periods or "seasons." Centered on the days 4-Serpent, 4-Dog, 4-Eagle and 4-Flower were what were known as the "burner" periods, or times when the "burner" would flare up. These divisions were spaced 65 days apart (260 divided by 4 = 65). In this context the 260-day calendar was used in a collective manner (as in mundane astrology) and perhaps these were times when certain kinds of extremes were experienced by the community. Rituals involving fires were staged with the intention of preventing or healing communal crises. Interestingly, these dates often fall within a few days of newsworthy crises that occur in today's world.
In the modern world where the individual comes first, experience has shown that dividing the 260-day cycle into fourths beginning from one's birthday reveals "critical" points that mark shifts or changes in personal matters. In many cases rather extreme events do occur precisely on one of the critical days, in others the effects occur a few days earlier. In some cases the effects are more subtle or psychological in nature. In understanding these critical dates it is helpful to view them from two perspectives, cycle and direction.
From your birthday, every 260 days represents one completed cycle in life. If this cycle of 260 days is divided by 4, or quartered, four sets, or "seasons," of 65 days is the result. Using the symbolism of the Sun/Moon cycle as a model, the occurrence of the birth day-sign is like the New Moon, the beginning of the cycle and a time of personal centering and new, barely conscious, beginnings. 65 days later corresponds (symbolically) to the first quarter, a time of crisis that demands action and adjustment. The midpoint of the cycle, 130 days, corresponds to the Full Moon, a time of separation or perspective. 195 days from the start of the cycle compares with the third quarter, a time of crisis requiring conscious choice.
The second perspective on the critical days is to recognize that each of the four dates in the cycle corresponds to one of the four directions. These are listed below.
East: Alligator, Serpent, Water, Reed, Earthquake. These are points that emphasize the need to be creative, to do something new and to move forward.
North: Wind, Death, Dog, Ocelot, Knife. These are points that may indicate crisis and the need to protect oneself from negative energy. The mind is under pressure during these times.
West: House, Deer, Monkey, Eagle, Rain. These are points of encounter with others, times of sharing and loss of ego. Relationships are important now.
South: Lizard, Rabbit, Grass, Vulture, Flower. These are points of strong feelings and emotional extremes. These may also be times of accomplishment and activity in the outside world.
Combining cycle symbolism with directional symbolism gives deeper insight into the patterns of the critical days. For example, if a sign of the north coincides with one of the quarters, a stressful time might be expected. If a sign of the west coincides with the opposition, important developments in relationships may be a prominent theme. A keyword has been given for each of the combinations that may suggest the direction in which the energies and trends are heading around that time. Experience has also shown that the effects of the critical days often become apparent several days before the exact day computed in this report.
I think a few areas will make you smile (like yep -- that's her), I know I did! I always joke that once I'm commited to something or someone - I'm as faithful as a dog. You'll see what I mean by this below. And sex -- no wonder it's on my mind.
BTW -- I got this report at http://www.onereed.com/
Maya * Aztec Astrology Report
(Copyright © One Reed Publications, 2006)
Prepared for A Theiss
born May 2, 1967
DAY-SIGN: 13-Dog
(Maya: 13-Oc)
YEAR: South-8 (Tikal System)
13-DAY PERIOD: 1-Knife
(Maya: 1-Etz'nab)
NIGHT LORD: 7
VENUS PHASE: Evening Star
Introduction - The Astrology of Time
The ancient Maya and Aztec astrologers studied the mysterious influence of the rhythms of the sky on earthly life. Everyone knows the Sun rises and sets every day -- this is the basic rhythm of life around which we set our clocks and calendars. What the ancient astrologers discovered was that other time cycles existed that were multiples of this basic day cycle. This fact was discovered about 100 years ago in Europe and these cycles (there are many of them) are now called biorhythms.
The most important time cycles in ancient Mayan and Aztec astrology are those of the day, 9-days, 13-days, and 20-days. Additionally, years are counted also, in groups of 4 and 13. Each day is then part of several other cycles, so no two days are exactly the same. Your Maya/Aztec horoscope below shows exactly where in each of the cycles you were born. Each category below examines a specific cycle and a specific aspect of your personality. Keep in mind that our personalities are complex and contain many contradictions. All of us present a different "face" depending on who we meet. The delineations below will reflect this, but they will also give you a clear picture of who you really are. The true value of astrology lies in self-knowledge, the first step to wisdom.
Your Most Personal Traits -- The Day-Sign of Your Birth
Here are your strongest and most obvious personality traits. The delineation below describes who you are and how you appear to others, at least on the surface. In Aztec astrology this part of your horoscope is your Tonalli, or Day-Sign, the form bestowed upon you by the Sun.
Dog: You are probably a good team player, and loyalty is definitely one of your best traits. You instinctively know who has what rank and this understanding allows you to be patient and wait your turn for leadership. Your many experiences as a follower and good team member have prepared you for the leadership positions you ultimately seek. You may now, or eventually, run your own business -- and, because of your experience, you will know how to be a good employer. You know how to inspire loyalty in others because you have such a good understanding of it yourself.
You may have a special liking for short-distance travel. Owning a car, boat or even plane is an important issue for you. You like patrolling your "territory" but you are not so keenly interested in really distant places. You have a strong neighborhood interest and will usually know everyone on your block or in your town.
Many Dog personalities are very creative. The arts, particularly music and drawing or painting may appeal to you. While you are usually not particularly daring or experimental in these areas, you have a good sense of harmony and rhythm and have the potential to become quite popular. You approach your art form as a craft to be learned and mastered. You are technique conscious. On the other hand, you may reveal your creativity in the social and political arenas. You might aspire to public positions or attempt to provide social leadership through teaching, education or social service work. Politics is important to you and you are usually well-informed regarding current events.
It is probable that your father was your most influential parent. He may have provided you with a legacy, financial or career-wise. Such an arrangement often creates a situation where you have no choice but to follow the pattern set by your parent. For some of you, this situation is not so favorable. There may be rivalry between yourself and your father and much time may be spent in rebellion. Ultimately, you must make peace with your parents, and accept what you were given or whatever you were not given. This theme has even deeper connotations when looked at from a larger cultural perspective -- the homeland as father or parent. Many of you born under this day-sign will have a strong loyalty to community, city or country and will become involved in the political process. Some of you may even become patriotic leaders who help guide your community, large or small, into the future.
One of the problems that you may have in close relationships has to do with emotional maturity. You have strong feelings about territory and can be quite jealous when it comes to sharing and trusting in relationships. You need to know clearly just what the pecking order is and where the boundary lines are drawn. If these are not clear, an insecurity crisis occurs and your response is usually not friendly. In many cases, you may be holding a double standard. You will have one set of rules for your mate, and one for you. It is in these instances that some real work on emotional maturity is needed. Ultimately, your territorial instincts are deep and not easily accessible.
Itzcuintli was the Aztec name for this day-sign, which translates as dog. It is the tenth of the twenty day-signs and was symbolized by the head of that animal. The dog that the Aztecs were most familiar with was a small, nearly hairless, dog that was sometimes used as food. In myth the dog was the companion and guide of the soul as it travelled through the underworld. Perhaps due to this association, the Aztec deity Mictlantecuhtli, the lord of the underworld, was the ruler of this sign. In spite of all this "darkness" the Aztecs did consider this a fortunate sign and those born under it were generous, prolific and likely to rise in life. This observation seems to be just as true today.
The personality of your day-sign is reflected in the planet and sign emphasis in your Western astrological chart. In your birthchart the signs Taurus and Scorpio, or the planets Venus and Pluto, are probably emphasized in some way. These symbolize your deep instincts and loyalty. The sign Leo, or a prominent Sun, may symbolize both your father complex and creative drives.
Your Deeper Self -- the 13-day Week of Your Birth
Each of us reacts to the world around us in different ways. Our reactions are mostly unconscious; they represent what our deeper self needs. Our reactions both attract and repel us from things, people, and situations. What we like, what we like to do, and who we really are is shown by the 13-day week called the Trecena that we were born under. Each of these periods begins with the number 1 and the name of the day-sign that starts it. A number is attached to your position within the 13-day period that may be an important number for you.
You were born on the last day of the 13-day period beginning with 1-Knife. Beneath your surface personality you are a person who seeks out challenges and powerful experiences. You are going to do what you want to do, mostly on your terms, come hell or high water. You are willing to go the distance, including personal sacrifice, to bring out changes in yourself and in others. You are restless, and possibly a bit unstable in ways, but you are persistent and quite devoted to what you perceive to be your calling in life.
At times you take some fairly serious risks -- or you are attracted to others that do so. You may also find it necessary at times to sacrifice personal interests in order to realize your ideals. The most important thing in your life is the cultivation and development of good judgment.
The things of everyday life that most people are interested in bore you. You require a lot of stimulus and you like to be on the cutting edge of things. Something, or someone, has to be big and important for it, or them, to hold your interest. Because of this reaction pattern you are driven toward either surrounding yourself with strong-willed, interesting characters, or you move yourself into the spotlight or some important position.
You have leadership abilities, but they don't come as a given. You must work to improve them. Your problems lie in expecting others to make the same sacrifices that you have. One result of this conflict is that you like to be independent, but not necessarily responsible for a lot of people. Ultimately, you are a pragmatist and will find a place for yourself that works the best, even if a few things must be sacrificed.
Both Dog and Knife are signs of the North, a direction symbolic of rationality and understanding. You are either an intellectual, or you attempt to solve your problems through logic and reason. This may work for you in career matters, but it could be a problem in relationships with very emotional persons. Your mind is your strength, and yet a great challenge as well.
What You Share With the Others of Your Birth Year
The Maya and Aztec astrologers recognized that each year produces a unique group of people. Each individual year in a 52-year cycle is linked with a number and a compass direction that has an astrological meaning. The delineation below says something about you in only a general sense. It describes the general traits that you share with others born in your year.
You were born during the year called 8-South. From the perspective of ancient Mexico, the South is a region characterized by the triumph of life over nature. The South is where the uncontrolled growth of the jungle overuns even the mountains. Accordingly, the southern direction symbolizes power and energies of feelings and emotions. Being born during a year of the South, you are probably strongly motivated by your feelings and emotions, in a general sense at least.
You are strongly driven by what you feel you need to do, not just what you think you need to do. The urgings within you have a great deal of power and may sometimes cause you do to things that others deem irrational. To others you may seem confused. On some occasions that may be so, but more often your instincts and feelings prove to be correct and appropriate. This is your gift -- sensitivity of feelings. Your challenge is to develop your mind and understand choice from a different perspective.
The number 8 preceding your birth direction indicates that you have a need to align your world with that of others. Your quest for personal stability and solidity requires significant adaptation to the lives of others around you.
Your Deepest and Darkest Motivations -- the Night Lord
The ancient Mayan and Aztec astrologers used a 9-day cycle of gods and goddesses called the "Lords of the Night." These deities symbolize the workings of your deepest and darkest self, parts of you that others may not know of or understand. They also symbolize the deepest forces behind your "will to exist."
You were born under the seventh Lord of the Night. The goddess Tlazolteotl (Tlah-zole-TAY-ot-el) is your ruling deity. She was a confession goddess, one who was said to consume a person's sins, particularly their sexual sins. She was also a goddess of purification and healing. The symbolism of this goddess suggests that you are a person who may struggle with strong, socially unacceptable, urges.
Your desire nature is very strong. You also have a strong investment in presenting a socially acceptable face to the world. How do you reconcile these opposing needs? You cannot repress your urges to power, or sexual urges forever, eventually you must face this conflict directly. Perhaps you have "sinned" or simply said or did something that is against your better judgment. You will need to settle the imbalance somehow, if only for your peace of mind. A kind of penance, or self-inflicted punishment, may be your typical reaction to this kind of situation. Or maybe you never do anything "wrong," but hold many unsociable thoughts. Perhaps you bury yourself in work in an attempt to deny your deeper urges. Often times, this kind of repression makes you become a fanatic about order and cleanliness. You want at all costs to be in control of your outer world, because your inner world is not so controllable.
You are strongly motivated by relationships, partnering, and working with the public. You are indeed a very social person and you judge yourself by your company. You are also motivated by aesthetics, comforts, or material security. You like the finer things of life, or at least have more than a casual appreciation for music or art. All of this is in contrast to your deeper urges. Be careful what you say or do if you lead a public life.
Your inner conflict is great and so you need to heal yourself from time to time. You need to be more accepting of who you are, and especially be accepting of your darker urges. Repressing them makes your life worse. No one is perfect. Don't hide part of yourself under the rug. Find ways to creatively explore your deeper urges such as through art, or through psychotherapy. When you heal yourself, you will become a healer of others.
Your Patterns of Relationship -- The Phase of Venus
Maya and Aztec astrologers observed the phases of the planet Venus and correlated them with events on earth. Venus has four basic phases: morning star, evening star, and two conjunctions with the Sun. The phase of Venus you were born under symbolizes your relationship patterns -- how you approach and become involved with others, both individuals and groups.
You were born with Venus in its Evening Star phase. According to the Maya, this is a 250-day period when Venus is visible after the Sun sets. This phase follows the Superior Conjunction phase and precedes the Inferior Conjunction phase.
For you, feelings and emotions arise after an action has been taken. In making judgments, which you do very well, you evaluate what has happened against the background of society's rules and values. You instinctively understand the power, and perhaps the correctness, of the world as it is and has been. The values and morals of the past are important to you and your vision is one that has probably been strongly influenced by tradition.
There is a sense of inevitable compromise in your life, possibly a reaction to your awareness of having been strongly imprinted by society, culture or your parents. One result of this may be seen in your stance towards the powers that be. It is possible that deep down you are troubled by your conditioning and how it causes you to evaluate and interpret the world in a certain way. But this is very subtle and most of you will only notice this pattern in a general way, far more obvious when viewed over the course of a lifetime.
One positive manifestation of evening star Venus is that you may become, consciously or unconsciously, successful due to the fact that you personify certain family and traditional values. In extreme cases, you could become a hero, a person who represents what your society truly believes in. It is through participation with the traditions and cultural definitions of reality that you achieve emotional satisfaction and success in life.
Your Days of Peak Experience
From time to time we experience periods where our lives seem to be rushing forward -- almost out of control. Sometimes we accomplish great things during these periods; sometimes we become stressed or fail at something. More often we find that our experience of life is more intense, and richer. The Maya astrologers discovered such a cycle: your "peak" dates in this cycle are listed below.
You will probably find that your experience of life becomes more intense about five days before the peak date and then builds. Keywords displayed next to the dates are a suggestion of how to focus your energies.
Critical day list for A Theiss (born May 02, 1967)
Report start date: Jan 01 2008
Report end date: Dec 31 2012
Critical Day Phase Day No./Name Direction Keyword
Fri Feb 1 2008 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Sun Apr 6 2008 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Tue Jun 10 2008 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Thu Aug 14 2008 Full 13 Dog North join
Sat Oct 18 2008 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Mon Dec 22 2008 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Wed Feb 25 2009 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Fri May 1 2009 Full 13 Dog North join
Sun Jul 5 2009 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Tue Sep 8 2009 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Thu Nov 12 2009 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Sat Jan 16 2010 Full 13 Dog North join
Mon Mar 22 2010 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Wed May 26 2010 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Fri Jul 30 2010 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Sun Oct 3 2010 Full 13 Dog North join
Tue Dec 7 2010 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Thu Feb 10 2011 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Sat Apr 16 2011 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Mon Jun 20 2011 Full 13 Dog North join
Wed Aug 24 2011 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Fri Oct 28 2011 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Sun Jan 1 2012 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Tue Mar 6 2012 Full 13 Dog North join
Thu May 10 2012 1/4 13 Eagle West journey
Sat Jul 14 2012 1/2 13 Flower South assist
Mon Sep 17 2012 3/4 13 Serpent East stand firm
Wed Nov 21 2012 Full 13 Dog North join
Background - The Nature of Maya/Aztec astrology
Like the civilizations of China, India and the Ancient Near East, the early American civilizations developed an astrology, a logic of the sky. Archaeological evidence of Native American astrology points to origins as far back as 600 BC, and perhaps even earlier. Unlike the astrologies of the Old World, the astrology of ancient Mesoamerica (Mexico and parts of Central America) developed in isolation and was not influenced by other traditions. Its very nature therefore is very different from the astrological traditions Westerners are more familiar with.
All of the Mesoamerican civilizations, Olmec, Toltec, Maya, Zapotec and Aztec, used essentially the same astrology. Although the names of symbols varied, the concepts remained the same. Because the Aztecs were the predominant civilization at the time of the Spanish Conquest, we have chosen to use their symbol names in this modern reconstruction of the Mesoamerican astrological tradition.
At the core of Mesoamerican astrology are the 20 day-signs. Like the 12 signs of the Western Zodiac, these are signs descriptive of both personality and possibility. In other words, the signs can be used to describe a person, or they can describe an event. In the Western 12-sign zodiac, the signs are sections of space spread across the sky along the path of the Sun, Moon, and planets. The Maya/Aztec day-signs are very different. They are based on time and are actually names of days. Each sign lasts only one day, until it comes up again twenty days later. Like our 7-day week, which is astrological and named for the planets, the Maya and Aztecs used a 20-day week for astrological purposes.
There is no presently known reason why the Maya and Aztecs used only 20 signs. Perhaps they had discovered an important biorhythm or cycle. But besides the 20-days, they also used a 13-day cycle (or sign) and these intertwined with each other. While the days of the 20-day cycle each have a name, the days of the 13-day cycle are numbered from 1 to 13. If you start both cycles together, the first day of the 20-day cycle coinciding with the first day of the 13-day cycle, it will take exactly 260 days for all possible combinations of day and number to occur. This period, 260 days, is the length of the sacred Mesoamerican astrological calendar that this program is based on.
The 20 day-signs each have a name and a symbol. The names of these with a brief meaning are listed below.
Aztec Name- Direction -Classic Maya -Name Qualities
Alligator East Imix protective and dominating
Wind North Ik clever and multifacted
House West Akbal thoughtful and conservative
Lizard South Kan active dynamic and sexual
Serpent East Chiccan powerful and charismatic
Death North Cimi sacrificing and helpful
Deer West Manik cooperative and nomadic
Rabbit South Lamat clever and playful
Water East Muluc emotional and imaginative
Dog North Oc loyal and helpful
Monkey West Chuen clever and demonstrative
Grass South Eb careful and useful
Reed East Ben knowledgeable and crusading
Ocelot North Ix intelligent and secretive
Eagle West Men free and independent
Vulture South Cib authoritative and wise
Earthquake East Caban intellectual but practical
Knife North Etz'nab self-sufficient but romantic
Rain West Cauac helpful and healing
Flower South Ahau loving and artistic
You may have noticed that each of the signs is connected to a particular direction. The signs of the east are initiating and forceful. Those of the north are intellectual and critical. Signs of the west are cooperative and compromising. Signs of the south are emotional and reactive.
The day-sign a person was born under is the named day that occurred on their birthday. It delineates their most obvious personality characteristics and traits. A person is also born during one of twenty 13-day periods, periods that begin with a day-sign linked to the number 1. The 13-day period delineates their more subtle, possibly subconscious, personality qualities. It shows their deeper instincts and yearnings. The combination of day-sign and 13-day period yields a quite complete personality description, perhaps as good or even better than does the Western 12-sign zodiac. It should be said that these two signs represent only a partial reconstruction of what was once a more complex system. The rest, including signs ruling the year and the hour of birth, have been lost or completely recovered and made workable.
Because the day-signs signify general meanings and themes as well as personality configurations, they were used by the Aztecs for divinations. Like the I-Ching, a random drawing of beans or stones would allow a reader to find one of the 260 sign/number combinations and thus an answer to a question. Even today, the 260-day astrological calendar is used by Native American daykeepers in remote parts of Guatemala and Mexico. The divination section of this program utilizes computer technology to randomly select the sign/number combinations that may yield insights into a question asked.
Because the Maya and Aztecs did not have a developed writing system, and because most of their astrological knowledge was destroyed by the Spanish friars, little was known about this great product of theirs, and other Mesoamerican, cultures. The delineations used in this program were arrived at after several years of historical investigation, deep thought, and trial and error experimentation. Long lists of persons famous or known to the author, yet born under the same day-sign, were compared with each other. Eventually, this process led to some key concepts about each of the signs and the results, in the form of personality descriptions, are found in this program. The meanings for the signs when used in divinations were extrapolated from this information also.
We hope you find Maya/Aztec astrology to be not only interesting and fun, but helpful and a source of insight into your life.
The Year of Birth
The Maya and Aztecs believed that the year of birth could be read astrologically and that the astrological qualities of any given year were dependent on two factors. First is a cycle of 4 years. In this cycle each succeeding year is associated with one of the four directions in the order east, north, west, and south. The directions are similar to the elements (fire, air, earth, and water) in Western astrology. The Aztec delineations for the years are as follows.
East: creative/mental -- fertile/abundant
North: violent weather -- barren/dry/cold
West: wild/losses/illness -- cloudy/evil
South: good business/health -- variable
A second factor is a cycle of 52 years. In this longer period, 13 repetitions of the basic 4-year cycle are counted. As each year arrives, it is identified with a number and a direction. Four cycles of 13 years each make up the 52-year calendar round or Xiuhmolpilli.
Not all ancient Mexican cultures applied the cycle of years the same way. There was a lack of consensus about which year was linked to which number. The Aztecs used Reed (east), Knife (north), House (west), and Rabbit (south). The Classic Maya used Caban (east), Ik (north), Manik (west), and Eb (south), which correlate with Earthquake, Wind, Deer, and Grass. During Postclassic times the pattern was changed. The Classic pattern is used by the Quiche Maya who have kept the astrological traditions alive in Guatamala. The author believes that the year correlation established by the Classic Maya and continued by the Quiche Maya works.
Four and eight-year cycles have been found in nature by cycle researchers, a strong suggestion that there may be a real material basis to the cycling of the years. It is also interesting to note that the Olympics and United States presidential elections are held in the same year, years that are ruled by the east, according to the Quiche. Further, the Chinese cycle of 12 years correlates with this pattern if you look at it as three groupings of a 4-year cycle.
The Lords of the Night
One component of Maya astrology was a 9-day cycle that ran alongside the cycle of the day-signs. These 9 days were said to be ruled by the Lords of the Night, one for each day. The names of the Maya gods are barely known, but the Aztecs have left a complete list.
The Lords of the Night are not a calendar per se, but a kind of symbolic cycle. The Maya linked the Lords to the Long Count. We know that on August 11, -3113 the ninth Lord was ruler. Start ing from this date we run a 9-day cycle along with the day-signs which allows the program to find the ruling Lord of the Night for any date. The 260-days of the tzolkin do not mesh perfectly with the 9-day cycle and it takes 9 cycles of 260 (2,340 days or 6.4 years) before the same combination occurs again.
Much less is known about how the Aztecs used the cycle. It appears that they ran the 9-day cycle against the 260 days and had the last two Lords ruling the last of the 260 days. In this manner the cycle would start again at the same place. In Maya/Aztec Astro-Report we have chosen to follow Maya usage.
Some writers have suggested that the Lords of the Night are actually a division of the nightime hours. Like the planetary hours of Western astrology, the night was divided into 9ths with the 5th Lord's rule centered around midnight. In this line of reasoning the day was divided into 13 hours.
The Cycle of Venus
Of the planets visible to the ancient skywatchers of Mesoamerica, Venus was the most important. Due to its alternations from morning to evening star it was believed to be a symbol of certain profound dualities in nature and in man. Because the orbit of Venus lies between the Earth and the Sun, it never strays too far from the Sun and can only be seen close to the times of sunrise and sunset, depending on which part of its cycle it is in. From the perspective of an observer, it takes Venus 584 days on average to complete one cycle of morning and evening star. This figure meshes with the solar year of 365 days and the 260-day astrological calendar precisely every 104 years. The start of its cycle was its first appearance as a morning star, an event called by astronomers its heliacal rising.
According to the Dresden Codex, an ancient Maya manuscript that is one of the most authoritative sources on Maya astronomy and astrology, the cycle of Venus began when its rays first appeared in the twilight of dawn. This event usually occurs several days after the Inferior Conjunction of Venus with the Sun. The Inferior Conjunction is so-named because Venus, the lesser body, passes in front of the Sun, the greater body. In this conjunction, Venus, which disappears in rays of the Sun for over a week during this time, comes closest to the Earth. The Maya allocated exactly 8 days for this phase of the Venus cycle. After its heliacal rising, the second phase of the Venus cycle, its phase as a morning star, commenced. The Maya allocated 236 days to this period.
As Venus ends its time as a morning star, it once again disappears into the rays of the Sun. As it moves to conjoin the Sun again, it does so at its greatest distance from Earth. The conjunction in this part of its cycle is called the Superior Conjunction, because here Venus passes behind the Sun. The Maya allocated 90 days for this third phase of the cycle, a phase where Venus is not visible. After it re-emerges from behind the rays of the Sun, Venus begins its phase as an evening star, a phase for which the Maya allocated 250 days. These four phases of the Venus cycle, 8 days, 236 days, 90 days and 250 days add up to 584 days, the full cycle of Venus. The duration of these phases is a symbolic approximation of the astronomical facts, which actually vary somewhat from cycle to cycle.
The Maya and Aztecs believed that the cycle of Venus depicted the experiences of the god Quetzalcoatl in his descent to Earth. The first rising of Venus as a morning star symbolized his arrival on Earth. During the morning star phase Quetzalcoatl was overcome by desire and lust and committed sins; he pushed against the boundaries of society. During the disappearance of Venus at Superior Conjunction, a warlike athletic duel with the Sun took place and during the evening star phase, Quetzalcoatl, now fully sober, walked the Earth until his sacrificial death during the Inferior Conjunction. He was then reborn as the new Venus and the cycle began again.
This report calculates the phase that Venus was in at your birth according to the figures used and recorded by the ancient Maya. For each phase, the program offers a brief interpretation of the possible significance of Venus, symbol of both impulsive personal desire and collective social values, in your life.
Maya/Aztec Predictive Techniques
In ancient times, the 260-day astrological calendar was subdivided into four ritual periods or "seasons." Centered on the days 4-Serpent, 4-Dog, 4-Eagle and 4-Flower were what were known as the "burner" periods, or times when the "burner" would flare up. These divisions were spaced 65 days apart (260 divided by 4 = 65). In this context the 260-day calendar was used in a collective manner (as in mundane astrology) and perhaps these were times when certain kinds of extremes were experienced by the community. Rituals involving fires were staged with the intention of preventing or healing communal crises. Interestingly, these dates often fall within a few days of newsworthy crises that occur in today's world.
In the modern world where the individual comes first, experience has shown that dividing the 260-day cycle into fourths beginning from one's birthday reveals "critical" points that mark shifts or changes in personal matters. In many cases rather extreme events do occur precisely on one of the critical days, in others the effects occur a few days earlier. In some cases the effects are more subtle or psychological in nature. In understanding these critical dates it is helpful to view them from two perspectives, cycle and direction.
From your birthday, every 260 days represents one completed cycle in life. If this cycle of 260 days is divided by 4, or quartered, four sets, or "seasons," of 65 days is the result. Using the symbolism of the Sun/Moon cycle as a model, the occurrence of the birth day-sign is like the New Moon, the beginning of the cycle and a time of personal centering and new, barely conscious, beginnings. 65 days later corresponds (symbolically) to the first quarter, a time of crisis that demands action and adjustment. The midpoint of the cycle, 130 days, corresponds to the Full Moon, a time of separation or perspective. 195 days from the start of the cycle compares with the third quarter, a time of crisis requiring conscious choice.
The second perspective on the critical days is to recognize that each of the four dates in the cycle corresponds to one of the four directions. These are listed below.
East: Alligator, Serpent, Water, Reed, Earthquake. These are points that emphasize the need to be creative, to do something new and to move forward.
North: Wind, Death, Dog, Ocelot, Knife. These are points that may indicate crisis and the need to protect oneself from negative energy. The mind is under pressure during these times.
West: House, Deer, Monkey, Eagle, Rain. These are points of encounter with others, times of sharing and loss of ego. Relationships are important now.
South: Lizard, Rabbit, Grass, Vulture, Flower. These are points of strong feelings and emotional extremes. These may also be times of accomplishment and activity in the outside world.
Combining cycle symbolism with directional symbolism gives deeper insight into the patterns of the critical days. For example, if a sign of the north coincides with one of the quarters, a stressful time might be expected. If a sign of the west coincides with the opposition, important developments in relationships may be a prominent theme. A keyword has been given for each of the combinations that may suggest the direction in which the energies and trends are heading around that time. Experience has also shown that the effects of the critical days often become apparent several days before the exact day computed in this report.
Labels: Allie, astrology, Mayan
posted by Allie @ 3:14 PM
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