Mayan Life Path Astrology Report
for
Carlos Santana
Text by Bruce Scofield Copyright ®1990-2006 Bruce Scofield, Barry C. Orr Copyright ®2006 Astrolabe Inc. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 2
Carlos Santana Autlan De Navarro, Mexic Jul 20 1947 2:00:00 AM CST
Mayan Long Count: 12.16.13.11.4 Sacred Day: 184 Night Lord: 8 Birth Year: 1-South (Grass).
The Astrology Of Time The ancient Maya and Aztec astrologers studied the mysterious influence of the rhythms of the sky on earthly life. Everyone knows the Sun rises and sets every day -- this is the basic rhythm of life around which we set our clocks and calendars. What the ancient astrologers discovered was that other time cycles existed that were multiples of this basic day cycle. This fact was discovered about 100 years ago in Europe and these cycles (there are many of them) are now called biorhythms.
The most important time cycles in ancient Mayan and Aztec astrology are those of the day, 9-days, 13-days, and 20-days. Additionally, years are counted also, in groups of 4 and 13. Each day is then part of several other cycles, so no two days are exactly the same. Your Maya/Aztec horoscope below shows exactly where in each of the cycles you were born. Each category below examines a specific cycle and a specific aspect of your personality. Keep in mind that our personalities are complex and contain many contradictions. All of us present a different "face" depending on who we meet. The delineations below will reflect this, but they will also give you a clear picture of who you really are. The true value of astrology lies in self-knowledge, the first step to wisdom.
Your Most Personal Traits -- The Day-Sign Of Your Birth Here are your strongest and most obvious personality traits. The delineation below describes who you are and how you appear to others, at least on the surface. In Aztec astrology this part of your horoscope is your Tonalli, or Day-Sign, the form bestowed upon you by the Sun. The glyph on the left is the Mayan representation, and the right hand glyph is Aztec.
Lizard You are a true individual and an activist. You compromise only under extreme pressure, and then resent it if you have to. You often attract attention by being different, but this attention often fulfils your "performance needs." More often, you are simply too involved in your own interests even to care what other people think about you -- and eventually you become extremely individualized and highly specialized. It is possible that this could lead to great fame, or a controversial reputation as an egotist.
Because you have a strong desire to appear before the public in some way, it is highly likely that you do work that is creative or performance oriented. You also are interested in leadership, or at least a kind of leadership where a personal performance is necessary. You thoroughly enjoy such situations and, in general, are probably very competent, and possibly outstanding, at what you do. Your standards are always high and you are probably an influential force in your world. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 3
You do not tolerate superficiality. You take your interests very seriously, these often being "heavy" subjects like science, philosophy, religion and metaphysics. You are a powerful thinker, often an expert on one thing or another, though you tend to lack flexibility of mind. Once you have thought out something, you are not easily swayed by argument. But you are not necessarily logical, you simply use your mind as a vehicle for rationalizing what you sense. The result is an intense determination that allows you to accomplish as much as you do. Down deep, you are very, very serious about your life.
While you have a powerful mind, you also have powerful senses. There is a large part of you that operates on instinct or automatic pilot. You crave challenging situations because these give your "gut instincts" a workout. It may be that there is a split between mind and body within you that you try to heal by working through crises of one sort or another.
In relationship matters, sexuality is a major issue for you. You are probably a highly-sexed individual who needs to have an outlet for all that primal energy roaring within you. Many Lizard personalities channel this energy into work, music, ritual or other rhythmic and artistic projects. You strive to lead a creative and productive life and maintain stable, though usually somewhat unconventional, relationships with those of the opposite sex. However, there are times when you are confused about sex or have problems with it, and it interferes with the rhythm of your life. You need to find a balance between overt sexual aggressiveness, which can lead to unstable and controversial relationship patterns, and sexual repression, which can cause just as much damage.
The term "lounge lizard" may have relevance in understanding your nature. Like lizards, which perch on rocks or branches waiting for their meals to come to them, you may often appear on the surface to be lazy. But in reality, you are a passive stalker who works in full public view. You are quick to react to opportunities and make contacts with the right people. It is this receptive/aggressive nature that allows you to move upward socially without directly offending or displacing too many people.
The Aztecs called this day-sign Cuetzpallin, which means lizard, and they linked the old god of gaiety and dance Ueuecoyotl with it. It is thought that the powerful energies released in people by music and dance was the force that this sign was a symbol for. From this perspective, Lizard is a sign of creative forces, both sexual and artistic, as the above description suggests. In ancient times, persons born under Lizard were said to prosper with excess effort. It is the fourth of the twenty day-signs.
The personality of your day-sign is reflected in the planet and sign emphasis in your Western astrological chart. The chances are high that your birthchart contains a prominent Sun, Saturn or Uranus, or the signs Leo, Capricorn and Aquarius. These symbolize your need for recognition and independence. But the signs Virgo, Scorpio and Sagittarius may also be important as well and they show your critical mind, sexual interests and need for freedom.
What You Share With The Others Of Your Birth Year The Maya and Aztec astrologers recognized that each year produces a unique group of people. Each individual year in a 52-year cycle is linked with a number and a compass direction that has an astrological meaning. The delineation below says something about you in only a general sense. It describes the general traits that you share with others born in your year. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 4
1-South You were born during the year called 1-South. From the perspective of ancient Mexico, the South is a region characterized by the triumph of life over nature. The South is where the uncontrolled growth of the jungle overuns even the mountains. Accordingly, the southern direction symbolizes power and energies of feelings and emotions. Being born during a year of the South, you are probably strongly motivated by your feelings and emotions, in a general sense at least.
You are strongly driven by what you feel you need to do, not just what you think you need to do. The urgings within you have a great deal of power and may sometimes cause you do to things that others deem irrational. To others you may seem confused. On some occasions that may be so, but more often your instincts and feelings prove to be correct and appropriate. This is your gift -- sensitivity of feelings. Your challenge is to develop your mind and understand choice from a different perspective.
The number 1 preceeding your birth direction indicates that it is a starting year, the first of 13, for the direction you were born under. You experience the energies and general orientation of the direction in its most pure form.
Your Deeper Self -- The 13-Day Week Of Your Birth Each of us reacts to the world around us in different ways. Our reactions are mostly unconscious; they represent what our deeper self needs. Our reactions both attract and repel us from things, people, and situations. What we like, what we like to do, and who we really are is shown by the 13-day week called the Trecena that we were born under. Each of these periods begins with the number 1 and the name of the day-sign that starts it. A number is attached to your position within the 13-day period that may be an important number for you.
2 Lizard You were born on the second day of the 13-day period that begins with the day-sign 1-House. Beneath your surface personality you are a person who needs secure foundations. You feel best when you have a long past and a solid place to stand. Your securities may be intellectual, as in systems of thought like science or religion, or they may be material, as in possession of valuables. You are patient in your search for a more secure life. You don't fear time.
Whether or not you seek mental or economic security, you are a person with standards to meet and uphold. You tend to excel at activities that require precise calculations. You can be manipulative and dominating, but also very consistent. You want your world to be logical and predictable and so you take a systematic approach to things. This, combined with your patience, endurance, and hard work, can lead to a legacy of real substance.
You are an introspective person and need privacy and solitude. At worst, you can be an isolationist. At best, you are go within to find a vision that can be shared with others. You are independent and self-sufficient in many ways and rarely ask for help.
Lizard is a sign of the South, a direction symbolic of feelings and emotions. House, on the other hand, is a sign of the West, a direction symbolic of encounter and cooperation with others. You need to work with others, yet you also need to work with your feelings and emotions that are generated by your experiences in relationships. You do have strong feelings, but you should express these, rather than stop them up. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 5
Your Deepest And Darkest Motivations -- The Night Lord The ancient Mayan and Aztec astrologers used a 9-day cycle of gods and goddesses called the "Lords of the Night." These deities symbolize the workings of your deepest and darkest self, parts of you that others may not know of or understand. They also symbolize the deepest forces behind your "will to exist."
Lord 8: Tepeyollotl You were born under the eighth Lord of the Night. Your ruling deity is Tepeyollotl (Tay-pay-OLE-lot-el). He is a jaguar god that rules interiors and inner chambers. He was known as the "Heart of the Mountains." Like the god, you are a deep person who faces the inner world. You know how to get to the center of things and would make a good counselor or therapist.
Tepeyollotl was actually a form of another god, the master magician Tezcatlipoca (Tez-cat-lee-PO-ka). The jaguar was this god's magical identity. This suggests that you are actually a very clever person, quick of mind and fast on your feet. And you're not afraid to face the dark -- you are drawn to it. For some this may mean that you become involved in struggles with your own negative thoughts, for others it may mean a career as a psychotherapist or investigator. Either way, you have a powerful mind and would do well to point it inward and explore the complexity of the inner world.
You do have a rather active mind. You may actually be an obsessive talker, which is good if you are a counselor or psychologist. Your need to talk is strong, but you should be aware of how others react to this need. Don't be talking others' ears off. Use your intellect for research or investigation. Learn how to study effectively and, by all means, stay active physically by walking, running, or riding.
Your Patterns Of Relationship -- The Phase Of Venus Maya and Aztec astrologers observed the phases of the planet Venus and correlated them with events on earth. Venus has four basic phases: morning star, evening star, and two conjunctions with the Sun. The phase of Venus you were born under symbolizes your relationship patterns -- how you approach and become involved with others, both individuals and groups.
Venus as Morning Star You were born with Venus in its Morning Star phase. According to the Maya, this is a 236-day period when Venus is visible before the Sun rises. This phase follows the Inferior Conjunction phase and precedes the Superior Conjunction phase.
You have what might be described as "youthful" emotions and feelings. You are interested in the world and in other people and you go out to meet them. You act first, evaluate later. Your warmth of feeling and willingness to join in with others can make you a popular person, unless others reject you in response to what they perceive as your radical social initiatives. Ultimately, it is your feelings that move you to action and these feelings also allow you to make instant evaluations. Underneath it all you are an individual testing the limits of what you believe to be true. Your personal vision, your personal sense of purpose, is your motivation in life, and hopefully, you will find the world open to it. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 6
In your enthusiasm for life, you may occasionally make some mistakes. At times of crisis, try to consider other's perspectives before you put all your emotional energy into an action based on your instincts. You are a creative person who responds to a deep and very personal voice. In some cases, the rules of society may severely limit your initiatives causing you to experience defeat and disillusionment. Also, consider the fact that some of your desires may run counter to the rules of the society that you live within. A little patience and you may eventually succeed in stamping something of yourself onto the world, and changing it for the better. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 7
Your Days Of Peak Experience From time to time we experience periods where our lives seem to be rushing forward -- almost out of control. Sometimes we accomplish great things during these periods; sometimes we become stressed or fail at something. More often we find that our experience of life is more intense, and richer. The Maya astrologers discovered such a cycle: your "peak" dates in this cycle are listed below.
You will probably find that your experience of life becomes more intense about five days before the peak date and then builds. Keywords displayed next to the dates are a suggestion of how to focus your energies.
Critical day List for Carlos Santana
Start Date: Nov/21/2006 End Date: Nov/23/2011
Critical Day Phase No./Name Direction Keyword
Oct/23/2006 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Dec/27/2006 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Mar/2/2007 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. May/6/2007 1/4 2-Lizard South project. Jul/10/2007 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Sep/13/2007 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Nov/17/2007 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. Jan/21/2008 1/4 2-Lizard South project. Mar/26/2008 1/2 2-Water East overdo. May/30/2008 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Aug/3/2008 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. Oct/7/2008 1/4 2-Lizard South project. Dec/11/2008 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Feb/14/2009 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Apr/20/2009 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. Jun/24/2009 1/4 2-Lizard South project. Aug/28/2009 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Nov/1/2009 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Jan/5/2010 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. Mar/11/2010 1/4 2-Lizard South project. May/15/2010 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Jul/19/2010 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Sep/22/2010 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. Nov/26/2010 1/4 2-Lizard South project. Jan/30/2011 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Apr/5/2011 3/4 2-Ocelot North dissect. Jun/9/2011 Full 2-Rain West sterilize. Aug/13/2011 1/4 2-Lizard South project. Oct/17/2011 1/2 2-Water East overdo. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 8
Background - The Nature Of Maya/Aztec Astrology Like the civilizations of China, India and the Ancient Near East, the early American civilizations developed an astrology, a logic of the sky. Archaeological evidence of Native American astrology points to origins as far back as 600 BC, and perhaps even earlier. Unlike the astrologies of the Old World, the astrology of ancient Mesoamerica (Mexico and parts of Central America) developed in isolation and was not influenced by other traditions. Its very nature therefore is very different from the astrological traditions Westerners are more familiar with.
All of the Mesoamerican civilizations, Olmec, Toltec, Maya, Zapotec and Aztec, used essentially the same astrology. Although the names of symbols varied, the concepts remained the same. Because the Aztecs were the predominant civilization at the time of the Spanish Conquest, we have chosen to use their symbol names in this modern reconstruction of the Mesoamerican astrological tradition.
At the core of Mesoamerican astrology are the 20 day-signs. Like the 12 signs of the Western Zodiac, these are signs descriptive of both personality and possibility. In other words, the signs can be used to describe a person, or they can describe an event. In the Western 12-sign zodiac, the signs are sections of space spread across the sky along the path of the Sun, Moon, and planets. The Maya/Aztec day-signs are very different. They are based on time and are actually names of days. Each sign lasts only one day, until it comes up again twenty days later. Like our 7-day week, which is astrological and named for the planets, the Maya and Aztecs used a 20-day week for astrological purposes.
There is no presently known reason why the Maya and Aztecs used only 20 signs. Perhaps they had discovered an important biorhythm or cycle. But besides the 20-days, they also used a 13-day cycle (or sign) and these intertwined with each other. While the days of the 20-day cycle each have a name, the days of the 13-day cycle are numbered from 1 to 13. If you start both cycles together, the first day of the 20-day cycle coinciding with the first day of the 13-day cycle, it will take exactly 260 days for all possible combinations of day and number to occur. This period, 260 days, is the length of the sacred Mesoamerican astrological calendar that this program is based on. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 9
The 20 day-signs each have a name and a symbol. The names of these with a brief meaning are listed below.
1: Crocodile (east) - protective and dominating. 2: Wind (north) - agile, clever and multifaceted. 3: House (west) - deep, thoughtful and conservative. 4: Lizard (south) - active, dynamic and sexual. 5: Serpent (east) - powerful and charismatic. 6: Death (north) - sacrificing and helpful. 7: Deer (west) - cooperative and nomadic. 8: Rabbit (south) - clever and playful. 9: Water (east) - emotional and imaginative. 10: Dog (north) - loyal and helpful. 11: Monkey (west) - clever and demonstrative. 12: Grass (south) - careful and useful. 13: Reed (east) - knowledgable and crusading. 14: Ocelot (north) - intelligent and secretive. 15: Eagle (west) - free and independent. 16: Vulture (south) - authoritative and wise. 17: Earthquake (east) - intellectual but practical. 18: Knife (north) - self-sufficient but romantic. 19: Rain (west) - helpful and healing. 20: Flower (south) - loving and artistic.
You may have noticed that each of the signs is connected to a particular direction. The signs of the east are initiating and forceful. Those of the north are intellectual and critical. Signs of the west are cooperative and compromising. Signs of the south are emotional and reactive. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 10
The day-sign a person was born under is the named day that occurred on their birthday. It delineates their most obvious personality characteristics and traits. A person is also born during one of twenty 13-day periods, periods that begin with a day-sign linked to the number 1. The 13-day period delineates their more subtle, possibly subconscious, personality qualities. It shows their deeper instincts and yearnings. The combination of day-sign and 13-day period yields a quite complete personality description, perhaps as good or even better than does the Western 12-sign zodiac. It should be said that these two signs represent only a partial reconstruction of what was once a more complex system. The rest, including signs ruling the year and the hour of birth, have been lost or completely recovered and made workable.
Because the day-signs signify general meanings and themes as well as personality configurations, they were used by the Aztecs for divinations. Like the I-Ching, a random drawing of beans or stones would allow a reader to find one of the 260 sign/number combinations and thus an answer to a question. Even today, the 260-day astrological calendar is used by Native American daykeepers in remote parts of Guatemala and Mexico. The divination section of this program utilizes computer technology to randomly select the sign/number combinations that may yield insights into a question asked.
Because the Maya and Aztecs did not have a developed writing system, and because most of their astrological knowledge was destroyed by the Spanish friars, little was known about this great product of theirs, and other Mesoamerican, cultures. The delineations used in this program were arrived at after several years of historical investigation, deep thought, and trial and error experimentation. Long lists of persons famous or known to the author, yet born under the same day-sign, were compared with each other. Eventually, this process led to some key concepts about each of the signs and the results, in the form of personality descriptions, are found in this program. The meanings for the signs when used in divinations were extrapolated from this information also.
We hope you find Maya/Aztec astrology to be not only interesting and fun, but helpful and a source of insight into your life.
Birth Time Considerations There are two problems regarding the time of birth. The first one is in regard to the actual start of the day. Archaeological and anthropological sources are not always in agreement on whether the Maya or Aztec day started at sunset, midnight or dawn. It is true that many important ceremonies, such as a celebration for the arrival of a particular holy day, or the preparations for a major trading expedition, began shortly before midnight and were focused around that time. It is also true that the friars who wrote about the customs of the Native Americans did not mention anything about this, a fact that leads one to believe that the native customs were not different from those of the Spanish. However, there is some evidence for the other points, sunset and sunrise, being the start of the day, and, presumably, therefore the start of a day-sign's influence. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 11
In the opinion of the author, the 260-day calendar functions like a gigantic biorhythm and contains within it rhythms of 13 and 20 days. In the literature on Western biorhythms (those of 23, 28 and 33 days) it is assumed that these personal rhythms begin on the day of birth -- but it is usually not clear if they begin at the time of birth or not. One writer says "people born very late at night have biorhythms more characteristic of the following day than of the day officially recorded as the day of birth." (Gittelson, 1977, p. 24). Other writers on biorhythms and circadian cycles mention that cell division in mammals is lowest at around 10:30 at night. This late evening shift appears to correlate with day-sign interpretations. That is, someone born an hour or two before midnight (daylight savings time accounted for) generally has the characteristics of the day-sign for the next day. In some cases it seems that persons born as early as just after sunset are best described by the next day-sign, or a combination of two day-signs, so this matter is by no means settled. For the time being, if a day-sign description for someone born between sunset and midnight does not appear to fit them, input the numbers for the next day to get a description of the next sign.
The second problem has to do with the apparent primacy of the Mesoamerican longitudes. Obviously, the day in Mexico is not the same day in China. Morning in China on January 1st is evening in Mexico on December 31st. Asia is a day ahead of the Americas. Persons born in Japan, China and Australia do seem to have the personalities of the day-sign of the previous day. Further, their Western astrological charts reflect this in their sign and planet structures. This phenomena implies some sort of centering power of the 90th meridian, Central Standard Time. Users of the program may want to make this conversion for persons born in Asia, or look at both day-signs.
Maya/Aztec Predictive Techniques In ancient times, the 260-day astrological calendar was subdivided into four ritual periods or "seasons." Centered on the days 4-Serpent, 4-Dog, 4-Eagle and 4-Flower were what were known as the "burner" periods, or times when the "burner" would flare up. These divisions were spaced 65 days apart (260 divided by 4 = 65). In this context the 260-day calendar was used in a collective manner (as in mundane astrology) and perhaps these were times when certain kinds of extremes were experienced by the community. Rituals involving fires were staged with the intention of preventing or healing communal crises. Interestingly, these dates often fall within a few days of newsworthy crises that occur in today's world.
In the modern world where the individual comes first, experience has shown that dividing the 260-day cycle into fourths beginning from one's birthday reveals "critical" points that mark shifts or changes in personal matters. In many cases rather extreme events do occur precisely on one of the critical days, in others the effects occur a few days earlier. In some cases the effects are more subtle or psychological in nature. In understanding these critical dates it is helpful to view them from two perspectives, cycle and direction.
From your birthday, every 260 days represents one completed cycle in life. If this cycle of 260 days is divided by 4, or quartered, four sets, or "seasons," of 65 days is the result. Using the symbolism of the Sun/Moon cycle as a model, the occurrence of the birth day-sign is like the New Moon, the beginning of the cycle and a time of personal centering and new, barely conscious, beginnings. 65 days later corresponds (symbolically) to the first quarter, a time of crisis that demands action and adjustment. The midpoint of the cycle, 130 days, corresponds to the Full Moon, a time of separation or perspective. 195 days from the start of the cycle compares with the third quarter, a time of crisis requiring conscious choice. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 12
The second perspective on the critical days is to recognize that each of the four dates in the cycle corresponds to one of the four directions. These are listed below.
East: Crocodile, Serpent, Water, Reed, Earthquake. These are points that emphasize the need to be creative, to do something new and to move forward.
North: Wind, Death, Dog, Ocelot, Knife. These are points that may indicate crisis and the need to protect oneself from negative energy. The mind is under pressure during these times.
West: House, Deer, Monkey, Eagle, Rain. These are points of encounter with others, times of sharing and loss of ego. Relationships are important now.
South: Lizard, Rabbit, Grass, Vulture, Flower. These are points of strong feelings and emotional extremes. These may also be times of accomplishment and activity in the outside world.
Combining cycle symbolism with directional symbolism gives deeper insight into the patterns of the critical days. For example, if a sign of the north coincides with one of the quarters, a stressful time might be expected. If a sign of the west coincides with the opposition, important developments in relationships may be a prominent theme. A keyword has been given for each of the combinations that may suggest the direction in which the energies and trends are heading around that time. Experience has also shown that the effects of the critical days often become apparent several days before the exact day computed in this report.
The Cycle Of Venus Of the planets visible to the ancient skywatchers of Mesoamerica, Venus was the most important. Due to its alternations from morning to evening star it was believed to be a symbol of certain profound dualities in nature and in man. Because the orbit of Venus lies between the Earth and the Sun, it never strays too far from the Sun and can only be seen close to the times of sunrise and sunset, depending on which part of its cycle it is in. From the perspective of an observer, it takes Venus 584 days on average to complete one cycle of morning and evening star. This figure meshes with the solar year of 365 days and the 260-day astrological calendar precisely every 104 years. The start of its cycle was its first appearance as a morning star, an event called by astronomers its heliacal rising.
According to the Dresden Codex, an ancient Maya manuscript that is one of the most authoritative sources on Maya astronomy and astrology, the cycle of Venus began when its rays first appeared in the twilight of dawn. This event usually occurs several days after the Inferior Conjunction of Venus with the Sun. The Inferior Conjunction is so-named because Venus, the lesser body, passes in front of the Sun, the greater body. In this conjunction, Venus, which disappears in rays of the Sun for over a week during this time, comes closest to the Earth. The Maya allocated exactly 8 days for this phase of the Venus cycle. After its heliacal rising, the second phase of the Venus cycle, its phase as a morning star, commenced. The Maya allocated 236 days to this period. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 13
As Venus ends its time as a morning star, it once again disappears into the rays of the Sun. As it moves to conjoin the Sun again, it does so at its greatest distance from Earth. The conjunction in this part of its cycle is called the Superior Conjunction, because here Venus passes behind the Sun. The Maya allocated 90 days for this third phase of the cycle, a phase where Venus is not visible. After it re-emerges from behind the rays of the Sun, Venus begins its phase as an evening star, a phase for which the Maya allocated 250 days. These four phases of the Venus cycle, 8 days, 236 days, 90 days and 250 days add up to 584 days, the full cycle of Venus. The duration of these phases is a symbolic approximation of the astronomical facts, which actually vary somewhat from cycle to cycle.
The Maya and Aztecs believed that the cycle of Venus depicted the experiences of the god Quetzalcoatl in his descent to Earth. The first rising of Venus as a morning star symbolized his arrival on Earth. During the morning star phase Quetzalcoatl was overcome by desire and lust and committed sins; he pushed against the boundaries of society. During the disappearance of Venus at Superior Conjunction, a warlike athletic duel with the Sun took place and during the evening star phase, Quetzalcoatl, now fully sober, walked the Earth until his sacrificial death during the Inferior Conjunction. He was then reborn as the new Venus and the cycle began again.
This report calculates the phase that Venus was in at your birth according to the figures used and recorded by the ancient Maya. For each phase, the program offers a brief interpretation of the possible significance of Venus, symbol of both impulsive personal desire and collective social values, in your life.
The Year Of Birth The Maya and Aztecs believed that the year of birth could be read astrologically and that the astrological qualities of any given year were dependent on two factors. First is a cycle of 4 years. In this cycle each succeeding year is associated with one of the four directions in the order east, north, west, and south. The directions are similar to the elements (fire, air, earth, and water) in Western astrology. The Aztec delineations for the years are as follows.
East: creative/mental -- fertile/abundant North: violent weather -- barren/dry/cold West: wild/losses/illness -- cloudy/evil South: good business/health -- variable
A second factor is a cycle of 52 years. In this longer period, 13 repetitions of the basic 4-year cycle are counted. As each year arrives, it is identified with a number and a direction. Four cycles of 13 years each make up the 52-year calendar round or Xiuhmolpilli.
Not all ancient Mexican cultures applied the cycle of years the same way. There was a lack of consensus about which year was linked to which number. The Aztecs used Reed (east), Knife (north), House (west), and Rabbit (south). The Classic Maya used Caban (east), Ik (north), Manik (west), and Eb (south), which correlate with Earthquake, Wind, Deer, and Grass. During Postclassic times the pattern was changed. The Classic pattern is used by the Quiche Maya who have kept the astrological traditions alive in Guatamala. The author believes that the year correlation established by the Classic Maya and continued by the Quiche Maya works. Mayan Life Path Astrology Report for Carlos Santana Page 14
Four and eight-year cycles have been found in nature by cycle researchers, a strong suggestion that there may be a real material basis to the cycling of the years. It is also interesting to note that the Olympics and United States presidential elections are held in the same year, years that are ruled by the east, according to the Quiche. Further, the Chinese cycle of 12 years correlates with this pattern if you look at it as three groupings of a 4-year cycle.
The Lords Of The Night One component of Maya astrology was a 9-day cycle that ran alongside the cycle of the day-signs. These 9 days were said to be ruled by the Lords of the Night, one for each day. The names of the Maya gods are barely known, but the Aztecs have left a complete list.
The Lords of the Night are not a calendar per se, but a kind of symbolic cycle. The Maya linked the Lords to the Long Count. We know that on August 11, -3113 the ninth Lord was ruler. Start ing from this date we run a 9-day cycle along with the day-signs which allows the program to find the ruling Lord of the Night for any date. The 260-days of the tzolkin do not mesh perfectly with the 9-day cycle and it takes 9 cycles of 260 (2,340 days or 6.4 years) before the same combination occurs again.
Much less is known about how the Aztecs used the cycle. It appears that they ran the 9-day cycle against the 260 days and had the last two Lords ruling the last of the 260 days. In this manner the cycle would start again at the same place. In Maya/Aztec Astro-Report we have chosen to follow Maya usage.
Some writers have suggested that the Lords of the Night are actually a division of the nightime hours. Like the planetary hours of Western astrology, the night was divided into 9ths with the 5th Lord's rule centered around midnight. In this line of reasoning the day was divided into 13 hours.