The 4 Mayan Nahuals who hold your day
Did you know? The Witzmountain site comes with a calendar convertor to convert the date in our Gregorian calendar to the corresponding date in the sacred and ceremonial Mayan calendar called the Cholq’ij.
This is more than a curiosity; it’s a way for you to assemble the Nahual influences of today, of the day you had that interesting dream, of the day you were born, or a day in the future.
The 20 day spirits, Nahuals, are wisdoms that govern and influence a slice of time. They are usually counted from B’atz, and then repeat. Be aware that some Kaqchikel count their days beginning with Imox, as a sign of respect for Kaji’ Imox, last king of the Kaqchikel at Iximche.
These are the days (Nahuals)
B’atz
E’
Aj’
I’x
Tz’ikin
Ajmaq
No’j
Tijax
Kawoq
Ajpu’
Imox
Iq’
Aq’ab’al
K’at
K’an
Keme
K’ej
Q’anil
Toj
Tz’i
The (‘) is a glottal stop; in English it would be, for example, the middle sound in ‘oh-oh.’
The day for a person is influenced by his or her four Nahuals, and the Nahuals of the given day. Four is a sacred number for all indigenous peoples, including the Maya: the fourth age of man, the four winds, four seasons, the four cardinal directions, the four corns, and their corresponding four races of man.
The four influencing Nahuals are:
Nahual de Nacimiento
Nahual de Engendracion
Nahual de Presente (also called the Nahual de Esperanza, or Nahual of hope)
Nahual de Cargador
So please allow me to use myself as an example.
I was born in Detroit on September 20, 1955. If we put the date in the convertor, we see that I was born on 9 Q’anil, and that’s my Mayan name, B’eleje’ Q’anil. Q’anil is the seed, and symbolizes living things that pass their life force on through seed. It is a symbol for healers. The physician at our Kaqchikel health clinic in Guatemala is Q’anil, and so am I, both Q’anil and physician. Q’anil is my Nahual de Nacimiento.
One of the mathematical frameworks of the internal structure of the Cholq’ij is used next. We begin with the Nahual day Q’anil and count forward 12 Nahuals (or count backward 8 Nahuals). This brings us to Ajpu’, the Nahual wisdom of the day of my conception, my Nahual de Engendracion.
Ajpu’ means Lord, and is represented by the sun. He is Jun Ahpu’ of the Popol Vuh, One-Lord, the hero and hunter. Ajpu’ is the Nahual of the Earth. Ajpu’ is one of the hero twins, a main character in my Novel ‘2012: Under the Witz Mountain,’ but only after the book was published did I learn that he was my Nahual de Engendracion, one of my spirit guides. He had come into my dreams to write his story. Afterwards, it was Ajpu’ whom I met face-to-face in the Mayan Dreaming House.
The Nahual de Presente, or Nahual de Esperanza (hope), is the Nahual an equal number of days on the other side of my day of birth. So if my Nahual de Engendracion is a count of 8 days before my birthday (it took me a long time to learn to count the Nahuals backwards), then my Nahual de Presente is an equal count of 8 days following my day of birth. This day is Ajmaq, sin, a day to correct errors, often represented by the bee. If you don't get the significance of this for me, you haven't read the book 2012, Under the Witz Mountain.
Finally, there is the Nahual de Cargador, the Time Lord, or Year-Bearer.
The 365-day Mayan solar year is called the Haab, and each Haab begins on a Nahual day which stays with its linear time until the next solar year begins. We say that the Nahual straps on the year like a load on his or her back, with a tumpline across the forehead. On this year-long trek, the Nahual shares with the year its character and personality. The current Nahual de Cargador is K'ej, the deer.
The Nahual de Cargador on the day of my birth was E', the road. This is my Nahual de Cargador. In your dreams, your Nahuals may meet to discuss your fate, and may consult with the Nahuals of the present day (a morning dream is under the Nahual of the new day).
These are the four Nahuals: the seed of living things, Lord, the heroic warrior, sin, a day of strength that gives us the story of our past, and the road, the path that takes me into the future.
I am writing this on February 1, 2010. We put this into the convertor and out comes 3-Keme, or 3-death. The death Nahual is the wisdom of all transitions: the necessary transition of death itself, but also the letting go of what we need to let go of to move forward. It has been an ever present companion on my road with the Cholq’ij, as I have had much to let go of to be able to walk this road. Keme is also a good day to speak with ancestors who have made the transformation.
I am off to bed soon and I hope to dream; it will be a really good night to dream.
Mike