The Trecena of B'atz': 13 Days of Creative Expression & Insight

The Mayan solar day 1 B’atz’ is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 14.

{For an explanation of how the Mayan calendar works, read the full post here.}

From then until June 26, we are moving through the trecena ruled by B’atz’: the thread of life. Its animal totem is the monkey. These days are superb for expressing our creativity with lighthearted glee.

Dance. Sing. Paint. Write. Above all, play.

According to The Serpent and the Jaguar by Birgitte Rasine, on B’atz’ days, the Maya “express their intention to freely receive all that they have requested from the universe, and to be able to unravel or resolve any matter of issue, especially family problems.” These days are “extremely auspicious for all artistic works and endeavors; in fact, it is a powerful day to begin any project.”

Another aspect of B’atz’ has to do with looking at the cycles, habits and repeating patterns in our lives.

The thread of life refers to time. Ancient Mayan artifacts depicted the Goddess Ixchel weaving the cosmos on her backstrap loom. In fact, the elements of the loom, weaving procedures, designs and the weaver herself are all part of the Maya vision of birthing and the Cosmos.

By paying attention to the patterns in our lives, we can eventually get to the root of things and uproot unwanted or harmful habit-patterns. This, in turn, creates space for our natural creativity to flow and flourish.

This trecena is also a great time to let go of inferiority and superiority. No need to compare—just be you.

Here’s to embodying the delight, creativity and curiosity of the monkey and exploring the multitude of patterns we’ve woven into the colorful tapestry of our lives.