The energy of the 3 brings the focus back to the home and the internal process. Aj is also seen as the nawal of harmony in the home and, together with the number 3, as such this could be seen as very potent place to focus your wisdom and strength today.–Mark Elmy
Aj: Authority, Pillar, Spine, Instrument of Power, Gentle Leadership, Virtues, Principles, Rectitude, Renewal, Multiplication, Profession, Home, Foundations, Altar, Sacred Spaces, Family, Community Pronunciation: “Agh” Sacred Animal: Armadillo Energy Places: Beaches, Lowland Forests Colors: Brown, White Body Parts: Spinal Column
Aj Glyph: The vertical lines or stalks at the top of the glyph that come only partway down signify spiritual growth. The horizontal line, symbolizing multiplication and the horizon, is an altar table, and the sacred trees, such as the ceiba and coral tree, with their roots, trunk, and canopy, also represent a table or altar. –Carlos Barrios
Aj cultivates the knowledge of human nature gained through joint, community work. It personifies integrity, honesty, and rectitude. It has the characteristics of cosmic expansion. –Carlos Barrios
Diana’s Observations:
Aj—nawal of rectitude, principles, and foundations—combines with the jovial, results-seeking essence of Power 3 today. Embodying sustenance, skill, and uprightness, Aj guides stability and firmness in body, work, and home—rooting balance in practical and worldly matters. 3 activates creativity, adaptability, and risk-taking, opening new possibilities. 3 Aj is a day to tend to inner and outer foundations, cultivating slow and steady wisdom that yields achievement, renewal, and growth.
Shaping foundations and movement within the creative threads of the B’atz Trecena, 3 Aj highlights a dutiful yet creative spark, opening the way for new perspectives and purposeful refinement. Simple acts of organization—placing things where they belong at home or work—are far from mundane; they are spiritual practices, rooted in Aj’s guidance to bring order to the material world.
This energy reminds us that living with order each day is as sacred as nurturing healing; just as a tree’s ascent begins at its roots, spiritual growth is anchored in tending to the foundations that surround us. Enhanced by the joyful essence of B’atz, this day invites productivity joined with adaptability in refining the structures that house our creative spirit. This may manifest as tending to small tasks that require attention before moving forward with larger plans and strategies.
Ultimately, 3 Aj invites discerning efficiency—encouraging wise assessment and responsibility wherever insecurity, instability, or unclear boundaries arise, so that our loom may align with the renewing tapestry of B’atz. Linked with the masculine staff of power, this day becomes a living metaphor: it calls us to refine our work instruments, purify our spaces, and embody strength and upright poise. By weaving integrity and grace through our systems, we cultivate abundance and ensure the harvests of life are richly nourished.
Practical Applications & Programming of the Day:
Auspicious for: Reflection and meditation; tending to body and self-care; caring for home and children; enhancing sacred or altar spaces; fulfilling commitments and obligations; renovating home or workspaces; improving work or home systems; nurturing spine health; setting boundaries; gentle leadership; seeking counsel for domestic matters; tending gardens and plant life
In the Pop Wuj, the armadillo appears in the Underworld realm of Xibalba. It is one of the animals that the Hero Twins encounter and utilize in their cunning plan to outsmart the Lords of Death. The Hero Twins perform a dance, known as the "Dance of the Armadillo," to gain the favor and trust of the lords before enacting their final trick.
The armadillo's association with the underworld is fitting, given its burrowing nature and its nine-banded shell, which some scholars relate to the nine levels of the Mayan underworld. This connects the armadillo to the concepts of earth, fertility, and the subterranean realms.
In some traditions, the armadillo is even considered the "stool animal" of the Earth Lord, symbolizing its deep connection to the earth and its power. This association with stools and benches also reinforces the armadillo's role as a symbol of grounding and stability.
Invoking the Armadillo spirit animal can be beneficial when you need to set firm boundaries without being aggressive or when you want to feel grounded and protected from external negativity. It is also called upon for its wisdom in digging deep to uncover hidden truths and for finding resilience and perseverance during challenging times.
Observations by Mayan Spiritual Guides:
3 Aj The staff tipped with silver carried by Maya elders in their villages is a mark of authority. It is Aj, and both their authority and their leadership spring from many sources. It is a position of respect, achieved through wisdom and dedication to the ongoing life and prosperity of the community. This is the essence of the energy of Aj, leadership through quiet devotion to the people rather than self serving power.
However, the energy of the number 3 brings a challenge to that. It brings a day when even the altruistic efforts of leadership may be challenged, certainly if they are applied externally. The energy of the 3 brings the focus back to the home and the internal process.
As a number of creation, it could be suggested that today is a good day to employ the newfound creativity felt in the B’atz trecena within the home, bringing the harmony as you do so.
On a day where the external values of leaders are questioned, looking inside yourself for the courage to stand up and wisdom to do the right thing is the most beneficial course of action.–Mark Elmy
3 Aj This day manifests the power of Oxib’ Aj,the Ch’umil that emerges at the moment of creation to lay the foundations.
Its energy is the one that creates the conditions for the planetary systems and galaxies to be established, allowing everything in the Universe and on Earth to find its place, its bases.
That is the essence of Aj, to establish, to sustain, it is the structures that hold this reality and give strength to our being. Its teaching invites us to honor every sacred space we occupy, to find security and strength within ourselves, our home, and our Earth.
Aj is the energetic pillar that unites the Heart of the Sky with the Heart of Mother Earth, that enables our connection with these spaces. It is our body as a sacred altar and is the symbol of spiritual authority. –Denise Barrios
✍🏼 Journal Prompts of the Day:
Where in my environment can I create greater order to support my creative spirit?
What small, practical action can I take today to strengthen the foundation of a larger intention?
How might tending to my body and physical space serve as spiritual practice?
Always insightful, thank you. My Aj husband and I are working together at home today He’s outside trimming trees and I’m indoors giving our apartment a top to bottom scrub. Listening to the soundtrack that I made in remembrance of my sister last year. My husband and I met at her house 24 years ago today on the Gregorian calendar. Singing gratitude to her today. 🥹
A good day to tackle my To Do list--"rooting balance in practical and worldly matters." Good prompt, thank you Diana!
Always insightful, thank you. My Aj husband and I are working together at home today He’s outside trimming trees and I’m indoors giving our apartment a top to bottom scrub. Listening to the soundtrack that I made in remembrance of my sister last year. My husband and I met at her house 24 years ago today on the Gregorian calendar. Singing gratitude to her today. 🥹