New beginnings and old concepts combine to strengthen each other and bring their fullest expression. –Mark Elmy
Aq’ab’al: First Light, Dawn, Polarity, Dark & Light, Twilight, Renewal, Hope, Revelation, Change, Clarity, Season, Digestion, Transition, Concept, Maturity Pronunciation: “Aghaball” or “Aghball” Totems: Bat, Fawn Energy Places: Caverns, Valleys, Dusk and Dawn Colors: Red, Navy Blue, Orange Body Parts: Lungs, Kidneys, Stomach, Intestines
8 (Wajxaqib’): Wholeness • Spirit & Matter • Time • Man • Solar • Executive Action • Ceremony, Arts & Rituals • Masculine Potency & Expression • Joy • Honor • Will • Vigor • Morality
Aq’ab’al Glyph: The glyph signifies the owl and represents the light and dark at the same time. The two circumferences at the top represent the energy of creation, and the dots below represent receptive energy. –Carlos Barrios
Aq’ab’al symbolizes both darkness and dawn, those magical times of the day when Night cedes to Day and Day gives way to Night. These are periods of transition, of grace, of potential–and polarity, which Aq’ab’al naturally embodies. It is light and dark, heat and cold, opposing sides and opposite energies.
Aq’ab’al embodies the essence of the love between a man and a woman, of marriage, romance and all matters of physical, spiritual, and emotional love. It also signifies harmony, truth, hope and solemnity; awakening and enchantment; mystery and devotion. It is the nawal of clarity and light, a force of renewal, and helps us gain illumination into the issues that impact our lives. –Brigitte Rasine
Diana’s Observations:
“Childhood is the world of miracle and wonder; as if creation rose, bathed in the light, out of the darkness, utterly new and fresh and astonishing. The end of childhood is when things cease to astonish us.” –Eugene Ionesco
As 8 Aq'ab'al dawns within the Ajmaq Trecena, a potent convergence of light and shadow occurs, creating a point of equilibrium; a meeting place where old and new, endings and beginnings, spirit and matter converge, charged by the dynamic force of Power 8. Today, this dance of polarity unfolds within us, inviting the active exploration of nuance between opposites.
8 Aq'ab'al brings opportunities to spark clarity and awakening through receptivity and decisive action. As both Aq'ab'al and 8 carry the sacred energy of birth, this marks a powerful time for renewal. While 8 guides us to the virtues of honor and gratitude, Aq'ab'al calls upon transparency. This marks a time to act with honesty and purpose, revealing and feeding our inner light, dispelling the fog of obscurity – echoed by the guiding influence of Ajmaq.
Inspiring youthful vigor and innovative solutions, this day also gently awakens our childlike wonder, optimism, and curiosity, empowering us to approach necessary adjustments with grace and intention. Like the first light of dawn, Aq'ab'al dispels darkness and gloom, illuminating the lessons of the past to inform and improve our future trajectory. 8 ignites our will and focus, motivating us to not only confront internal and external challenges, but to actively integrate them into a more consciously created reality.
This powerful integration sparks enhanced clarity, inviting us to be deeply attentive to new ideas and timely revelations that are now beginning to surface through the various facets of our lives: our work, relationships, commitments, and even the unexpected changes and redirections we encounter. It can be a day where the light of Aq’ab’al illuminates our choices, showing us which are flourishing and which no longer serve our journey.
Given the ceremonial and ritualistic qualities of the number 8, today is a propitious time for prayer; to give thanks for the clarity we have already received, and to ask for more light to illuminate our path, opening the way for new opportunities and potent renewal.
Observations by Mayan Spiritual Guides:
8 Aq’ab’al The day Aq’ab’al is a day to celebrate our ability to conceive our dreams into reality. Today it is associated with the energy of the number 8, representing totality. It represents the new birth of the 1 and the finality of the 7 in one place, together.
We can see it as representing the very new and the very old, the first hint of the new day, and the fully risen sun together. Our new concepts and ideas are what keep the new life coming into our world.
We are here to progress, to advance, and to evolve. However, in order to truly do this, we advance ancient concepts by revitalizing them rather than forgetting them.
We can incorporate old concepts into our brand new ideas, bringing out the best of both worlds.–Mark Elmy
8 Aq’ab’al The power of this day reminds us that the material, in its purest essence, is a powerful energy that provides us with the necessary resources for our evolution, for when we travel the material paths with consciousness, they become an integral part of our profound spiritual journey.
We inhabit a dimension of complementary energies, and our purpose is to find the balance between them. May this day inspire us to see the material not as an end, but as a means to achieve greater understanding and spiritual growth.
Let us open ourselves with awareness to receive all the opportunities and blessings that present themselves on this plane. –Denise Barrios
Bat Spirit Animal
“Death and Birth”, “Potential”, “Epiphany”, “Courage to Face the Dark”
Bat connotes both death and birth together, which are among our most profoundly mystical concepts. It is one of the great shamanic initiation rights to understand the death and birth principal.
So deeply does it need to be understood that it is learned either through ceremonial ritual or unexpected authentic near-death experiences. But just because bat carries an ostensibly extreme implication does not mean that if you receive bat medicine you are in for such a harsh experience.
Rebirth happens gently every morning when you wake or unexpectedly when emerging from an icy river dip. Rebirth occurs when you become a parent or by having an epiphany. If bat medicine has found you, surrender, welcome your new self to the world, and allow yourself to grieve the part you left behind. -Brynja Magnusson
What specific actions can I take today to bridge the old and new, inviting greater clarity into my life? Where do I need to bring more structure and ritual into my life to support clarity and transformation? How can I express gratitude for the forces of renewal that inspire a sense of awe, magic, and wonder in my life?
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