The Mayan culture is extremely rich in symbols and meaning.. Here are some points of reference to better understand everything in depth and broaden the knowledge of this unique people in the world.
figures and numbers
9
In the Mayan world, the number 9 is the number of the outbreak, of birth. It is a very positive figure, which, in turn, is always used for rituals or important meetings. According to historical research, it turns out that the 9 days were often used for crowning or highly important ceremonies. 9 is also the figure of life, it is associated with women and with the universal feminine principle. It takes 9 lunar months to give birth to a child.
In the Mayan Tzolk’in calendar, 9 Bolon is associated with patience, with the divinity of the Plumes serpent as well, he is the lord of light and the morning star (Venus). He is considered both at the beginning of the books, at the beginning of the calendar and as the one who has offered the corn to humanity. He is sometimes the symbol of death and resurrection.
13
The number 13, in the Mayan universe, represents completion, fruition, elevation. It is the progression, the change of chapter. 13 is related to the development of supernormal abilities and resonates with the 13 main joints of the human body, where the sacred energies, «Kopoya», both Kundalini, accumulate. Thirteen is an intuitive and sensitive number, which allows access to other knowledge.
In the Mayan Tzolk’in calendar, thirteen says «Oxhalun» is a day that can also be used for a ritual, particularly linked to prosperity and abundance; 13 is associated with the supreme God of creation. It is masculine and feminine at the same time. He embodies contrary energies that complete each other: the day, at night; matter, spirit; the order, the chaos. Finally, in the Tzolk’in calendar, there are 13 numbers that are associated with one of the 20 day glyphs.
twenty
In principle, the numbering for the Mayans, extended on a base of 20. Because twenty corresponds to the total number of fingers of the human body. We speak of a «twentieth» calculation system. In this number system, the figures were written with the help of dashes and with the help of dots. One dot equals 1. And five dots make a dash. 20, universal number, also served the Mayans, to divide time. The Mayans used several calendars. More than 15 would have been registered.
The best known was the Tzolk’in, with a cycle of 260 days, made up of 13 periods of 20 days corresponding to Nawals, representative signs in astrology. Haab was a solar calendar used for agricultural and daily activities. It extended over 365 days, divided into 18 months of 20 days, with a final period of 5 days. The months were the tuns. The superior unit was the katun, that is to say 20 tuns; that is to say 7200 days and even more, there was a baktun that is to say 20 katun, that is to say 144,000 days. 20 was then a fundamental number, in the glyphs in Tzolk’in it embodied its Sun, it was the glyph of higher consciousness, of light, the ancestors, everything that has been fulfilled.
The Tzolk’in
The Mayan Tzolk’in calendar consists of 260 days with time that is not linear but evolves in concentric circles, similar to a spiral. In this calendar, two cycles of 13 and 20 intersect and repeat continuously.
The figures that are entered from 1 to 13 and are coordinated with each day of the 20-day cycle. In this calendar, the figures are feminine in nature and the days are masculine in nature. The 20 days are represented by glyphs, which embody the eternal part of the human being, the nawal. The 13 figures are on the contrary the part embodied by the soul. We call them Uxlab. The calendar starts with 1 Imix, 2 Ik up to 13 Ben. Then continue with 1Ix, 2 Men, etc. The last day of this 260-day calendar is 13 Ahau.
The origin of this calendar remains an enigma and could regroup various celestial events such as the appearances of Venus, the eclipse seasons and the 9 months of gestation for the birth of human beings.
This calendar was used for augurs, for astrology, links with divinities and to name the Mayans and foresee 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 is not seen, that is, the interior of a person, their spirit, and their link with the sacred. Thus, in Mayan astrology, each person receives at birth, according to their day of birth, the spirit of Nawal , of an animal in charge of guiding and protecting him.
In addition, Nawal informs about the main personality traits of the person, his weak points, his strong points. It was customary for the Mayans to present their newborn to a spiritual guide in order to calculate their Nawal and determine the child’s future career. So at 10 years old, he was put in training in his guild.
Jade, the stone consecrated by the Mayans, is often sculpted in the shape of a doughnut. This form is far from nondescript. The round and circular shape embodies the cycles, in particular, the natural cycles, during which nature accomplishes its work. In the circle, the representation of the world and of life is also housed. The circle in turn symbolizes time. In the same way the Mayan calendars were represented in a circular form.
Chinese culture
The «Pi» disk is a circular piece of jade in China. Its origins date back to the Neolithic period. According to archaeologists, they were the first ceremonial objects to appear and have been used for the longest time.. Initially, more than 3,000 years before our era, they had already been made in jade discs six inches in diameter with a fairly consistent hole. They were used to refer to the pivot of the sky, that is, the residence of the God Chang Ti who had the emperor as his representative. Pi was also a symbol of rank for Chinese dignitaries. According to Chinese belief, Pi continues to embody prosperity, full and whole life, thanks to its shape that facilitates the circulation of energies.
Sources: Wikipedia, blog.pierresdevie.com