In the sacred Mayan calendar, 6 Kej brings harmony, flow, and grounded spiritual authority rooted in nature. Kej is the nawal of the deer: guardian of the forest, holder of the four directions, and protector of sacred space, both within the body and across the Earth. It teaches that true spiritual leadership is not forceful but steady, attentive, and deeply aligned with the natural world. The number 6 stabilizes movement, connect with the four directions as well as the heart of the sky and the heart of the earth, and brings coherence. It is a day to integrate instinct, experience, and wisdom into balanced action. On 6 Kej, we are invited to walk our path with humility, awareness, and respect for the living systems that support us.
Thank you to the East, the rising sun,
for new beginnings and fresh breaths of air.
Thank you to the South,
for all our relations,
for community, connection, and kinship with all beings.
Thank you to the West, the setting sun,
for physical health and vitality,
for endings, rest, and the wisdom of night.
Thank you to the North,
for the wind, the ancestors,
and the true North Star that guides our path.
Thank you to the Heart of the Sky,
for compassion,
for the vast, eternal yes to life, love, and joy.
Thank you to the Heart of the Earth,
for the magic of Mother Nature,
for the endless provisions, shelter, and protection she provides.
Thank you to my heart,
where all of these directions converge,
in the center, in the here and now.
Thank you for my life.
Thank you for my existence.
Maltiox, maltiox, maltiox.
I am celebrating my 65th Mayan birthday on 6 Kej today (at age 45.5 or so in the Gregorian calendar)!
This year, I have anchored myself in acceptance. As my daughter Jade moves through adolescence, I too am experiencing a hormonal change at the other end of the bridge as I transition into perimenopause. I am going through my own second adolescene of sorts. When I refuse to accept what is, I lose touch with my center, my heart, and my true self. In contrast, radical acceptance is a choice and a practice.
Expansion may be my word for 2026. (Maybe.) Illumination has been my word for 2025. This year sure did illuminate some shadowy corners of my consciousness: patterns of stubbornness, overwhelm/underwhelm, and striving versus giving up. It illuminated my path and identity and what I had to surrender and what I am choosing to carry forward.
Losing my 13-year-old black cat soul mate, Oscar, in January, was a broken-open-heart moment that in a way served as a portal to feel how wide my heart can expand in love and how narrow it can contract in attempted self-preservation.
I’ve broken through the myth that because I have been so relatively balanced and stable for 20 years that meant I was immune to having another nervous breakdown. There is no immunity, no failure, no success, only experience, only what is, only lessons being learned. I rediscovered the truth that what I feed by body, mind, and heart matters and that growth and change are always happening even when things feel stuck, stagnant, or intangible. Freedom is not about escaping or running away from oppressive forces; it is in taking the responsibility to move toward what we love with unbridled commitment.
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