Mayan Shamanism: Mayan Ceremonies - I
Mayan religion, philosophy, jurisprudence, medicine, agriculture, hunting, intimate relationships, etc. etc. completely revolve around a 260-day almanac known as the Chol Qij, or count of days. The Chol Qij consists of twenty naguals, which can be thought of as archetypes roughly analogous in significance to our twelve zodiacal signs; except they are considered to be alive and petitionable. A nagual is preceded by a numerical coefficient ranging from one to thirteen which modifies its underlying meaning. Thus twenty naguals x 13 numerical coefficients = 260 days. The number thirteen symbolizes the thirteen constellations (star groupings) through which the sun moves in the course of a year. The passage of time is symbolized by the unraveling of a ball of thread; and the number thirteen symbolizes the undulating rhythms, the ups and downs in human life and conduct, of this thread as it unravels. 260 days is also considered the normal human gestation period. A person’s character and destiny are determined by which of the twenty naguals, as modified by its numerical coefficient, rules the day that the person is born. The person’s nagual is considered to be his or her inseparable companion for life, and predicts the person’s personality, relationship to the community, and good or ill fortune. Everything which a person does throughout life is conditioned by his or her nagual; and everyone has a place and a purpose which are determined by that nagual. To calculate and interpret a person’s birth nagual; together with a complete explanation of the Mayan calendar (including interpretations for the twenty naguals taken from authentic Mayan sources) see the Mayan Horoscope software, available as a free download from www.dearbrutus.com.
The Chol Qij is also the basis upon which Mayan ceremonies are organized; that is to say, the order of a Mayan ceremony follows the order of the twenty naguals, beginning with the nagual of the day of the ceremony. For a nominal fee ($15 - $30 plus travel expenses; the main expense of a Mayan ritual lies in purchasing the ingredients for the fire, hiring a marimba band, and preparing food for the participants), a client hires a Mayan priest, or spiritual guide (Ajk’ihab’ = day counter, or katok utzuj = candle burner), to perform a ceremony for a particular purpose: to heal an illness; to bring prosperity in business or a suitable mate in marriage; to fecundate a sterile woman; to dedicate a ceremonial site (which was the purpose of the particular ceremony described in this article); etc. Certain naguals are favorable for hunting, others for planting, others for asking a woman’s hand in marriage, others for launching business enterprises. Initiating activities, as well as performing prayers or ceremonies to petition blessings for such activities, are done on the correct day. For example, to consecrate a new ceremonial site, the day of the nagual Batz, which is the beginning of the cycle of naguals and which is the holiest of the naguals, was chosen.
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