I don´t find the proper category in the Forum where to publish these thoughts; I think there should be a "general thoughts" category and maybe one about numerology.
I live in Chiapas in Southern Mexico, close to the border to Guatemala. Some years ago I used to go there for fire ceremonies, and learned a little about the Maya astrological philosophy. Now that I´m into Vedic, it´s fascinating to see how much these geographically separated systems seems to agree on several points.
- Every day is ruled by a "nahual", a preceding energy represented by a phenomenon in nature: Water, Snake, Monkey, Seed etc. They are in total 20, that number I don´t know anything about from Vedic astrology. But every "Birth nahual" is supported by 8 surrounding "nahuales", so they are 9 in total. Sounds familiar?
- One of the supporting "nahuales" is related to conception and another to the future, fate. Very similar to the Underlying and Overlying cards.
- The nahual of each day comes with a number between 1 and 13.
- I happen to be a number 6; it´s related to the flower kingdom in the Maya tradition. Venus is a 6 and rules flowers...
- There is a general consciousness about the importance of the number 4 and 13, so when you turn 52 you become an "abuelo" o "abuela"; grandfather or grandmother, and you can start to count from 0 again if you want to. Just as in the CoT-system, where the 52nd birthday represents a finish line and a new beginning.
Mattias
PS. Also in the native Maya culture as I´ve gotten to know it in Guatemala, they traditionally don´t count the first year from the day that you´ve lived a year, but from the actually day you were born, so you celebrate your second birthday when you are 12 monts old... A little similar to the way we count the birth spreads, I think.
Interesting information, the Chinese also don't count the first year as I learn recently. What I find most interesting in the area you are living are the amazing architecture that was built. I also find it amazing that today they can still pretend that primitive people build those razor cut stone in shapes we can't even do with our current technology. I know in Peru there is those big architecture but is there things in Mexico that are similar?
Also how much do you think was preserved from those old culture? I was reading about the first Spanish explorers recently and I feel there is much more that was unsaid or not even considered. Also where do you get good information about the Mayan culture, most website on internet seems to just talk about rumors but it's rare than we have anything concrete.
I´m not at all an expert on these matters, except for having participate quite a lot in ceremonies and learned a few things about the calender named Cholqu´ij. But from what I understand the pyramids and temples reflect very exact astrological calculations, most famously illustrated by the Sun coming down the snake-like stairs of Chichen It´za - a Pyramide dedicated to the theme of procreation - like a snake´s energy, fertilizing mother Earth. This happens twice a year - on the equinoxes.
And old maya medicine man told a friend that the most advanced scholars, who obviously know what was going to happen, just disappeared when the christians showed up with their scewed cross, symbol for suffering (unlike the maya cross that symbolizes harmony). Through some mathematical trick they just went to another dimension, waiting for better times to come. Who knows....
Mattias