The Trecena of T'zi: 13 Days of Authority

Today is 1 Tz'i. The next two weeks (or, technically, 13 days) will make up the trecena of T'zi. Learn more about how the Mayan calendar works here.

According to the Mayan cosmovision, these are days for examining our concepts of and beliefs around law and authority (both material and spiritual); fidelity; vengeance; order, accuracy and precision; and sexuality.

Tz'i energy reminds us to avoid ambition, pride, envy, lies, crime, ignorance and ingratitude. Tz'i's animal totems are the dog, coyote and raccoon. Its direction is south and color yellow.

In The Serpent and the Jaguar: Living in Sacred Time, Birgitte Rasine writes that Tz'i  calls on us to “wake up, stand up, and claim the extraordinary power of our personal, spiritual, economic and political authority to start changing the way human society interacts with the planet and its life-sustaining resources.” During this time period, the Maya “pray that justice be granted to all people."

This trecena is the time to reflect on the concepts of authority, justice, law and law enforcement. What do those things mean, to you as an individual and to us as a society?  Rasine advises: “Think about the authority that you exercise within your spheres of influence...” from family to work to community to media and more.

"Consider how established your authority is, its source and what it depends upon."

This is likewise a good time to think about privilege, specifically white privilege. How much of our authority depends on our race, our ethnicity, our skin color? What media are we consuming? What narrative is that media trying to spin about black  and brown versus white and "blue" people (the police)? How can we see through the thin veil of spun stories and remember our innate goodness and equality? How can it be that the "justice" system is so biased and stilted, so very far from engendering equality?

Walk the fine line of humble authority without crossing over into arrogance or bossiness. Live the paradox of cultivating beginner's heart-mind while honing your skills and knowledge in your areas of authority.