What is the Tzolkin Calendar
The word Tzolkin means 'count of days' and is applied to a 260-day cycle which was commonly observed in Precolumbian Mesoamerica.
The Tzolk'in is the Mayan divine calendar. It is a mysterious 260 day calendar based on twenty named lords with character traits that mesh with a cycle of thirteen numbers. Both repeat in a continuous cycle with no end.
The Mayan calendar is a complex system of time-tracking developed by the Mayan civilization of Mesoamerica. The calendar actually uses several different cycles, or methods of keeping track of time according to astronomic or mythic events.
The most commonly understood Mayan calendar is called the Tzolk’in. This calendar divides a year or cycle into twenty sections of thirteen days, each with an associated spiritual figure. The year is 260 days, although the understanding as to why a cycle lasts that long is unclear. Some believe it is related to the length of pregnancy, the length of time between planting crops and harvesting, or that it is due to the importance of the numbers 13 and 20 in Mayan culture.
In the Tzolkin, there are twenty named days in thirteen named periods of time. Similar to our modern calendar system having 7 named days, Sunday through Saturday, in a period of time known as a week; the Tzolkin calendar consists of 20 named kin (days), Imix through Ajaw (also spelled 'Ahau'), in a thirteen day period of time known as a "trecena" or "galactic tones". Unlike our modern calendar system, however, so important were the named days to the ancient Mesoamericans that each was associated with its own particular diety and given a glyph within their respective language.
Below are the 20 days used in the Tzolkin along with their associated diety and glyph (also called "Day Sign" for this specific type of usage) in modern Yucatec Maya.
| Name Days |
Description |
| 1 Imix' |
'Crocodile' - the reptilian body of the planet earth, or world |
| 2 Ik' |
'Wind' - breath, life. Also violence. |
| 3 Ak'b'al |
'Night-house' - darkness, the underworld, realm of the nocturnal jaguar-sun.
Also evil. |
| 4 K'an |
'Maize' - sign of the young maize lord who brings abundance, ripeness.
Also lizard, net |
| 5 Chikchan |
'Snake' - the celestial serpent |
| 6 Kimi |
Death |
| 7 Manik' |
'Deer' - sign of the Lord of the Hunt |
| 8 Lamat |
'Rabbit' - sign of the planet Venus, sunset |
| 9 Muluk |
'Water' - symbolised by jade, an aspect of the water deities, fish |
| 10 Ok |
'Dog' - who guides the night sun through the underworld |
| 11 Chuwen |
'Monkey' - the great craftsman, patron of arts and knowledge. Also thread |
| 12 Eb' |
'Grass' or 'Point' - associated with rain and storms |
| 13 'en |
'Reed' - who fosters the growth of corn, cane, and man |
| 14 Ix |
'Jaguar' - the night sun. Also maize |
| 15 Men |
'Eagle' - the wise one, bird, moon |
| 16 Kib' |
'Owl/Vulture' - death-birds of night and day. Also wax, soul, insect |
| 17 Kab'an |
'Earthquake' - formidable power. Also season, thought |
| 18 Etz'nab' |
'Knife' - the obsidian sacrificial blade |
| 19 Kawak |
'Rain' or 'Storm' - the celestial dragon serpents and the chacs,
gods of thunder and lightning |
| 20 Ajaw |
'Lord' - the radiant sun god |
Below are the 13 tones used in the Tzolkin along with their associated glyph .
The number twenty was the basis of the Maya counting system, taken from the number of human fingers and toes.
Thirteen symbolized the number of levels in the Upperworld where the gods lived, and is also cited by modern daykeepers as the number of "joints" in the human body (ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and neck).
The numbers multiplied together equal 260.
We can say then:
-There are 260 days in the Mayan Tzolkin Calendar.
-There are 20 Mayan Sun Signs and 13 Galactic Tones.
- 13 x 20 = 260 Days on the Tzolkin Calendar and then it repeats.
- There is no year component to the Tzolkin date.
The Tzolk'in calendar then combines a cycle of twenty named days with another cycle of thirteen numbers (the trecena), to produce 260 unique days (20 × 13 = 260). Each successive named day was numbered from 1 up to 13 and then starting again at 1.
We seen then that every day in the sacred Tzolkin calendar cycle (260 kins) had a named position for the fusion combining one of the numbers from 1 to 13 with one of the 20 sacred day signs.
The 260-day count began with 1 Imix', followed by 2 Ik', 3 Ak'b'al, and 4 K'an, etc., until 13 B'en had been reached. Now, because the naming sequence only allowed for use of the first 13 numbers, the next named position in the 260 day cycle after 13 B'en would be called 1 Ix, followed by 2 Men, 3 K'ib', and 4 Kab'an, etc. The last day of the 260-day cycle would fall on 13 Ajaw. Once it was reached, the cycle would then begin to repeat commencing with 1 Imix' all over again.
Every 13 days then, there is a new mini-cycle/ trecena in the Mayan Calendar tzolkin.
Thus, one full cycle of the sacred Tzolkin cycle is completed when all thirteen numbers have been combined with all 20 sacred day signs (13 x 20 = 260).
Because each of the twenty sacred day signs is associated with its own divinity, every particular day is considered to have the personality or characteristics of their specifically named diety. The Tzolkin was therefore used as a means of divination and guide for the performace of rituals used in sacred ceremonies.
Unlike other componenets in the Mayan calendar system which were based on movements of the stars and planets, the Tzolkin's 260-day cycle was derived solely from mathematics and not based on any natural phenomenon at all. It is the only known example of an ancient and/or contemporary culture daily fusing purely mathematical operations alone, along with the spiritual, for the performance of a society's most sacred rituals, celebrations, and prophecies.
The Mayan Messages are a collection of 260 channeled messages from the Day Keepers of the Mayan Tzolkin calendar, scribed by Theresa Crabtree.
As stated previously, 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.
The 13 Lunar Tones are known as the Tones of Creation and are numbers represented by dots and bars.
They consists of 3 symbols only two of which are used to express the cycle of thirteen. A dot represents 1 unit, a bar represents 5.
Magnetic Tone (1): Tone of Purpose and Attraction (begins a Wavespell)
Lunar Tone (2): Tone of Challenge and Polarity
Electric Tone (3): Tone of Service and Bonding
Self-Existing Tone (4): Tone of Form and Measurement
Overtone Tone (5): Tone of Radiance and Empowerment
Rhythmic Tone (6): Tone of Equality and Balance
Resonant Tone (7): Tone of Attunement and Inspiration
Galactic Tone (8): Tone of Integrity and Harmonizing
Solar Tone (9): Tone of Intention and Realization
Planetary Tone (10): Tone of Manifestation and Perfection
Spectral Tone (11): Tone of Liberation and Releasing
Crystal Tone (12): Tone of Cooperation and Dedication
Cosmic Tone (13): Tone of Presence and Transcendence (ends a Wavespell)
This thirteen day cycle builds like a wave for the first 5 or 6 days, and peaks on days 7, 8 & 9 - day 8 is sometimes referred to as the crown of the 13 day pulse and is a preferred day for Ceremony and Shamanic activity in many of the Mayalands. Day 10 - indeed the number ten generally - was not looked on favourably by the Maya and days 10 through to 12 are associated with completion, release and preparation for the next pulse of days. In a sense 13 holds the accomplishment that is 12 and that the seed that is 1.
What Happens in 2012?
The year 2012 has, in recent years, become the subject of a great deal of excitement, fear, and controversy. Many people believe that the year 2012 will result in some sort of enormous cataclysm, perhaps the end of the world, and will signal a great shift in life as we know it. This belief is based both in an understanding of cosmological alignment of earth in relation to other celestial bodies, and to the galaxy itself, and in an esoteric Christian eschatology built on top of earlier Mayan beliefs that was formed sometime in the 16th century.
The cosmological importance of 2012 is believed to be a great alignment, occurring on 21 December of that year. Some people believe that when the sun rises on that day, it will rise directly in the middle of the Milky Way, representing an alignment of the Earth, the Sun, and the Galactic Center. This is said to cause a great shift, some say in the consciousness of life on the planet, some say on the planet itself. Skeptics, however, point out that this alignment is purely visual, and does not actually represent a true alignment with the Galactic Center. The perceptual alignment is caused simply by the 26,000 year gradual precession of the equinoxes.
Both the Hopis and Mayans recognize that we are approaching the end of a World Age... In both cases, however, the Hopi and Mayan elders do not prophesy that everything will come to an end. Rather, this is a time of transition from one World Age into another. The message they give concerns our making a choice of how we enter the future ahead. Our moving through with either resistance or acceptance will determine whether the transition will happen with cataclysmic changes or gradual peace and tranquility. The same theme can be found reflected in the prophecies of many other Native American visionaries from Black Elk to Sun Bear.
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