The Mayan culture is extremely rich in symbols and meaning. Here are some points of reference to better grasp everything in depth and expand the knowledge of this unique people in the world…
Digits and numbers
9
In the Maya world, the digit 9 is the number of the outbreak, of the birth. It is a very positive digit, which is always used for rituals or important meetings. According to historical researches, the days numbered 9 were often used for crowning or highly important ceremonies. Nine is also the number of life. It is associated with women and the feminine universe principle.
Nine lunar months are necessary to give birth to a child. In the Maya Tzolk’in calendar, nine Bolon is associated with patience, with the snake deity Plumes too, it is the master of light and the morning star (Venus). It is considered both as the beginning of the books, the beginning of the calendar, as the corn that was offered to humanity. It is sometimes the symbol of death and resurrection.
13
The number thirteen, in the Maya universe, represents completion, proliferation, elevation. It means progress, the change of a chapter. Thirteen is related to the development of supernatural capabilities and corresponds to the thirteen major joints of the human body, where the sacred energies, “Kopoya” are accumulated. Thirteen is an intuitive and sensitive digit, which allows access to other knowledges.
In the Maya Tzolk’in calendar, thirteen means “Oxhalun”. It is a day that can also be used for a ritual, particularly linked to prosperity and abundance; thirteen is associated with the supreme God of creation. It is male and female at the same time. It represents contrary energies that complete each other: the day and the night; the matter and the spirit; the order and the chaos. Finally, in the Tzolk’in calendar, there are 13 numbers that are associated with each of the 20 days glyphs.
20
In the beginning, the numbering for the Maya stretched on a base of 20. This is because twenty represents the total amount of fingers in the human body. We are talking about a vigesimal numbering system. In this counting system, the numbers were written with the help of bars and dots. One dot is equal to 1. And five dots make a bar. Twenty, universal number, was also used by the Mayas to divide the time. The Maya used several calendars. It has been counted more than fifteen.
The most known was Tzolk’in, with a cycle of 260 days, consisting in 13 periods of 20 days corresponding to Nawals, which are representative signs in astrology. Haab was a solar calendar used for agricultural and daily activities. It consisted of 365 days divided into 18 months of 20 days, with a final period of 5 days. The months were “tuns”. The superior unit was “katun”. For example: 20 tuns meant 7200 days or even more. There was the “baktun” that meant 20 katun and was the same as 144,000 days. Twenty was then a key number. In the Tzolk’in glyphs it represented the Sun, it was the glyph of the higher consciousness, of the light, the ancestors, of everything that had been fulfilled.
Tzolk’in
The Maya Tzolk’in calendar consists of 260 days with a time that is not linear but evolves in concentric circles like a spiral. In this calendar, the cycles of 13 periods and 20 days interlock and repeat continuously.
The numbers from 1 to 13 are coordinated with each day of the 20 day cycle. In this calendar, the numbers have a feminine nature and the days a masculine nature. The 20 days are represented by glyphs, which represent the eternal part of the human being, the nawal. The thirteen numbers represent, on the contrary, the embodied part of the soul. We call it Uxlab. The calendar begins with 1 Imix, 2 Ik until 13 Ben. Then it continues with 1Ix, 2 Men, etc. The last day of this calendar of 260 days is 13 Ahau.
The origin of this calendar remains an enigma and it could regroup various celestial events such as Venus appearances, eclipse seasons and the nine months of gestation for the birth of human beings.
This calendar served to augur, for astrology, connections with deities and to name the Maya and anticipate great events such as wars or unions.
Sources: http: // 4-ahau.com/, http: // www.museedelhistoire.ca/
The Nawal
Etymologically, Nawal means “hidden”. It represents what we can not see, what is inside a person, their spirit, and their connection to the sacred. Thus in Mayan astrology, each person receives at birth, according to their day of birth, the spirit of Nawal, an animal in charge of guiding and protecting them.
In addition, Nawal informs the main personality traits of a person, their weaknesses and their strengths. It was common for the Maya to gift their newborn with a spiritual guide in order to calculate their Nawal and determine the child’s future career. So when they turned 10 years old, this was put into training in their society.
Jade, the consecrated stone by the Maya is often carved in a round shape. This form is far from being meaningless. The round and circular shapes represent cycles, particularly the natural cycles, during which nature does its work. The world and life representation are also housed in the circle. The circle, on the other hand, symbolizes time. The same way, the Mayan calendars were represented by a circular shape.
Chinese culture
The “Bi” disk is a Chinese circular piece of jade. Its origin dates back to the Neolithic period. According to archaeologists, it was the first ceremonial objects that appeared and were used for so long. Initially, more than 3000 years before our era, they had already been made in jade discs of fifteen centimeters of diameter with a fairly consistent hole. It was used to refer to the main point of the sky, that is to say the residence of God Chang Ti, who had as a representative, the emperor. Bi was also a symbol of degree for the Chinese dignitaries. According to the Chinese belief, Bi continues representing prosperity, the full and whole life, due to its shape that facilitates the movement of the energies.
(Sources: Wikipedia, blog.pierresdevie.com)
ALFA