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Mayan Astrology Explained: The
TzolkinCalendar
If youre looking for anArt NouveauTarot reading, orWestern Zodiachoroscope, then author
and Druidic practitioner Erik Oakenshield is the man for the job. A true modern renaissanceman, Erik has more than a decade of experience under his belt. He can also be seen writing for
Oranum, a worthy site for horoscope readings.
The astrological practice that many of us are familiar with is that of the Western convention.
What many of us are unfamiliar with, however, isMayan astrology. While conventionalastrology has its roots dug heavily intoGreek culture, Mayans shared their own set of standards
with the rest of the Mesoamerican natives. These practices were adhered to for centuries until thepeople and culture both were all but decimated by Spanish invaders of Central andSouth
America. Fortunately, the tradition of Mayan astrology has survived in small communities, and
even though it is not well-advertised, its secrets are waiting to be unlocked.
Time vs. Space
Greek astrological concepts oftentimes have to do with space. The year itself refers to the earths
specific position on a plane, circling the sun. Your zodiac sign is determined by what
constellation passes through the zenith in the night sky on the eve of your birth. Mayanastrology, on the other hand, is based almost solely on time. Thats the most important thing to
realize here, as this is what makes it very hard to calculate theMayan calendarin correlation
with the Gregorian. They still used the one standard rotation of the earth to calculate day andnight (sun-up to sun-down to sun-up again), but after that base unit, almost all semblance is lost.
TheSun-Signs
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The Mayans kept their own systems of time, starting from a day 0 (simply a starting point for
their calendars, close to 3100 B.C.), with different calendars repeating in a base-20 system. The
most common is theTzolkinCalendar which is made up of 13 repetitions of 20 different days.
To make it more comprehensive, imagine that instead of having a7-day week, we had a 20-dayweek, and (just like in the 7 day week) each individual day had its name. The 20-day week
would go through 13 cycles before resetting, resulting in a 260-day year with a unique
astrological significance assigned to each of the 260 days.
The day-signs or sun-signs are the significance given to each day in a 20-day cycle. They are
each linked to one of the cardinal directions, which have significance of their own inMesoamerican astrology (East implies initiative, North represents the mind, West is
relationships/encounters, and South signifies feelings/emotion). Here are the sun-signs and their
corresponding characteristics:
Imix: Crocodile/Alligator (East)Creator and nurturer
Ik: Wind (North)Idealist, adaptable communicator
Akbal: Night/Hearth/House (West)Serene, enduring
Kan: Seed/Lizard/Net (South)Influential force, fertile
Chicchan: Serpent (East)Mysterious, i instinctively wise
Cimi: Transformer/Transformation/Death (North)Full of faith, disciplined
Manik: Deer (West)Active, familial healer
Lamat: Rabbit/Star (South)Constantly moving and thinking, funny and intelligent
Muluc: Offering/Water (East)Emotional, imaginative
Oc: Dog (North)Loyal friend, team-player
Chuen: Monkey (West)Artistic, clever, attention-receiver
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Eb: Grass/Road/Human (South)Easy going, humble, hard worker
Ben: Reed/Cane/Staff (East)Courageous, protector
Ix: Jaguar (North)Secretive, intelligent
Men: Eagle (West)Innovative, critical, ambitious
Cib: Wisdom/Owl/Vulture (South)Wise, serious, fearless
Caban: Earth/Earthquake (East)Rational, set convictions
Etznab: Flint/Mirror/Knife (North)practical, coordinated, craft worker
Cauac: Storm/Rainstorm (West)Vigor, youth, helpful healer
Ahau: Light/Flower/Lord (South)Loving, romantic, artistic
Each one of the 13 cycles also has its own characteristic that mixes in with the sun-sign andcreates one of 260 unique astrological profiles. Finding your sign under the Tzolkin Calendar can
be confusing, though there are some websites that will calculate cycles from day 0 all the way up
to your birthday. This system of astrology is not to be confused with the one that measures theastral zodiac. The latter system covers a 365 day period and more can be found out about it here.
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