Tzolkin Trecena Notes – 1 Seed (Kan)

Day 144 of the 260 Day Tzolkin

Gregorian Date: July 4, 2011

Year Bearer:  12 Eb

Trecenas are thirteen-day periods in the Tzolkin. Each Trecena starts with the Number 1, but with a different Day Glyph. As a wave of the Thirteen Heavens, the underlying energy is governed by the
First Day Glyph of the Trecena and influences all thirteen successive Day Glyphs. Being aware of the predominant energy of the First Day of the Trecena, we can align our intentions with that energy and allow our goals to manifest.

This Trecena starts with 1 Kan (Seed/Lizard) – Inherent potential, germination, dynamic emergence, sexual maturity, gratitude leading to abundance.

In many ancient cultures, the lizard symbolized growth and fertility. Rock art throughout the
Southwest depicts the lizard in this context. To the Maya, this day represented corn and
ripeness. The Kan glyph was often found depicted near food offerings suggesting that corn
was not only the most important food but also the seed of life.

The Quiche Indians referred to this day sign as a “net” or container holding and nurturing abundance. Kenneth Johnson in Jaguar Wisdom relates a myth explaining the connection between ‘net’ and ‘ripe corn’. “The Popul Vuh tells the story of a pair of twins born to Xmucane (Shmoo-kah-NAY) and Xpiyacoc (Shpee-yah-COKE), the primal creative pair. These twins are challenged to a handball game by the lords of the Underworld. The brothers fail, are sacrificed, and one of them ends up with his skull hanging in a calabash tree in the Underworld. Blood Woman, daughter of one of the lords of the dead, walks by the calabash tree and the skull spits in her hand. This makes her pregnant with another pair of hero twins
who will brave the Underworld themselves and become the protagonists of the next divine handball game. Fearful of retribution from the lords of Xibalba, Blood Woman escapes to the upper world and seeks out Xmucane who refuses to believe that her son has impregnated Blood Woman unless she receives a sign. She sends Blood Woman to gather corn in a net from a garden her sons had planted. Blood Woman finds only a single clump of corn, but she pulls the cornsilk out of one of the ears and
thus produces a net full of ears of ripe corn. Xmucane is amazed at the huge net full of corn, and goes back to the garden to find out what has transpired. There she sees the imprint of the net in the ground, which she takes as an omen that Blood Woman is, truly, to be the mother of her grandchildren.”

“Kan is the net, the snare, the problems that entrap us. This sign is the power to unite the people and elements required to do what we need to do. The net is used to store the things that will feed us in the future, not only the physical things, such as corn and panela, but also what is invisible; our memories, everything we learn, our experiences, and the transcendent moments in life. It also represents entanglement – the problems that are of our making or those created by destiny in order to teach us. A net can be thrown into the water to fish, or it can be used to set a trap. Similarly, it can hold things set aside for the future, symbolizing abundance. This sign brings life’s tricks and tests. It is the spider’s web, rewarding patience.” Carlos Barrios, The Book of Destiny.

Another representation of the Trecena is that of a creative wave beginning at 1 and ending at 13, with the numbers 6, 7 and 8 representing the crest of the wave. The crest could be interpreted as a strong influential energy, although the underlying influence on the Trecena would still rest in the beginning. In this Trecena, the crest falls on 6 Muluc (Water), 7 Oc (Dog), and 8 Chuen (Monkey) which might suggest an emotional release leading to a courageous decision to create (or weave) a new pattern in your life. The underlying energy of Kan while grounding us to the earth (as seed) also helps focus our attention on our true path (future growth). Kan is a good day for abundance to manifest and a good day to resolve emotional or romantic problems.

As we journey through each day of this Trecena: