How To Practice Mayan Astrology The Tzolkin Calendar and Your Life Path Bear & Company 2007 ISBN #1-59143-064-3 Mayan astrology is based on the cycles of the planets as markers of time, and, as such, as designators of order. It is based on twenty named days that are cycled thirteen times, creating a two-hundred and sixty day calendar. The focus of the use of this calendar is on personality typing - the two-hundred and sixty days reflect two-hundred and sixty different personality types. The symbolism of the Four Directions also plays an important role in an individual's personality matrix and life issues, as does the planet Venus. Add to this the influence of the cycle of the Night Lords, and the thirteen-day trecena cycle, and we have an in-depth personality profile, as well as a powerful divination tool. The authors define the divisions of the Mayan calendar as follows: * Day-Sign: One of the days in the twenty-day cycle, this sign reveals important aspects of personality and destiny. * Trecena: Twenty blocks of thirteen days each that function similar to signs. They appear to be a sub-set of Day-Signs, and show aspects of the personality similar to that of the moon in western astrology. * Lord of the Night: A repetitive nine-day cycle named after lords of the underworld. The authors suggest that they may represent the unconscious, or shadow sides of the personality. * Year: The Mayan calendar the solar years are grouped in fifty-two year cycles, with each cycle given a specific name, and assigned a specific quality. * Phase of Venus: The cycle of the planet Venus is divided into four phases, used as calendar markers. The influence seen here is that of social values, and the individual's role in society. There are notes on the history of the Maya; on the usage of the term "Maya", which refers to the people, and "Mayan", which refers to the language; the significance of the Four Directions, and notes on pronunciation. Good use is made of tables, templates, and graphics, such as the ones delineating the Four Directions by Activity, Process, Realm, and Power; and the one associating each of the Four Directions with Day-Signs and stages (it is recommended by the authors that this table be committed to memory). Each Day-Sign is listed by name, direction, symbolism, personality, challenge and solution. The Trecena's are listed by name, personal influence, and societal influence. The Lords of the Night are listed by name, direction, and purpose. The planet Venus is broken down into the four phases by name, direction, and purpose. There is a template given for creating a personal chart with the Mayan calendar, and instructions given on how to interpret the chart. It should be noted that much about this process is still in the working, or "investigative" stages, as there is no clear cut idea on how the Maya worked with this calendar. A couple of more advanced concepts are discussed, such as "Burner Days", a sixty-five day cycle that functions close to the concept of biorhythms. There are four sixty-five day cycles in each calendar year, with the four key day-signs at the end of each period considered to be a time to work out group karma, to purify the community, and to focus attention on the need for greater social cohesion. Another advanced concept would be the cycle of the thirteen Katuns. The Mayan calendar itself is what is termed by archeologists the Long Count. The Maya's divided this into thirteenths, twentieths, and two-hundred and sixtieths. The twentieths were groups of thirteen katuns, or two hundred and sixty-five years, commonly refereed to as the Short Count. The katun had importance in ritual and politics, and in designating important shifts in history. Everything that you would need to set up your own personal Maya life path chart is included in this book (the last half of the book consists of a set of tables that can be easily used to determine your individual Day-Sign, Trecena, and Lords of the Night sign). There are sample life path charts from well known people from all walks of life, that put the authors words into a textual picture that is quite vivid. This is not just another interesting book, it is a work in progress, and a tool that can be used by all who wish to. © December 2006 Bonnie Cehovet Personal Lifestyle Reading - I offer a Personal Lifestyle Reading using Tarot that looks at past, present and future influences in your life, at the energies that are currently available to help you along your path, and at those energies that are appearing as challanges. My goal is to offer you insight into your decision making process, as well as tools that you can use to both better understand your path and make conscious, choice centered decisions. Home Personal Empowerment links Personal Empowerment articles Graphics by Art for the web