The Cholq’ij, or Calendar of Life, is the Maya tracking of time in relation to the conception and development of a human being until the time of birth. This calendar has 260 days (9 months in the Gregorian Calendar), which are divided into 13 months of 20 days or energies (Ch’umilal). From the moment of conception until birth there is a process of twenty cycles. When a child is born he or she is born with his or her Ch’umil, which means Star. This star is the light that is born with this new being. It is the mission that each human being brings to this reality. The Ch’umilal is a destiny. It is a map, a guide, or a structure that the Ajaw (Great Spirit) gives each person to walk their path of life, to find harmony and balance. Each of the 20 Ch’umilal has a different energy which is related to the cosmic and telluric energies. The Ch’umilal are combined with the energies of the 13 numbers forming the whole energy that will guide each person’s life.These energies are interpreted by the Ajq’ij (Spiritual Guide ) through the Maya chart (cross) of the person.
The cross is composed by the Ch’umil of conception (located on the upper part of the cross), which is the energy with which we were conceived. It is the energy that we bring from our previous life and the energy that marks the abilities that we bring to this life. The Ch’umil of birth -of our heart- (located on the center of the cross), is the energy that we have during this life, our main energy. This energy defines what we have to develop in life, it is the power we have for our evolution. The Ch’umil of our destiny (located in the lower part of the cross), is the energy toward which we are headed, it is the energy that propels us. The Ch’umil of our right side (located on the left side of the cross) is the one that gives us the physical strength. It gives us our relationship to the material world and our approach to it. The Ch’umil of our left side (located on the right side of the cross) gives us a relationship with our sensitive side, with our occult powers.
The energies that compose our chart are the tool that allows each of us to find our place in the world, to understand our propensities, strengths, and weaknesses. It allows us to follow our spiritual path. It helps us lead an existence that is in harmony with our individual life purpose and thus reach our full potential and achieve self-realization. The importance of the Maya Cross is that it indicates the purpose of our life and it gives us a guide of how to develop our energies, our inner wisdom, and our connection to Creation.
Click on the Glyphs and Maya numbers to see the interpretation and application of the energies.