Etznab: The Trecena Of Truth & Healing

The Trecena Of Truth & Healing

Etznab, or Tijax in K’iche’ Maya, is the day sign of Obsidian, an extremely sharp natural glass formed by volcanic activity that among the Maya is most prized by diviners and warriors. Like obsidian that embodies the forces of nature that forged it, Etznab symbolizes the power of thunder and lightning. Like obsidian, Etznab is sharp yet fragile, difficult to polish and manipulate, and cuts to the core of things with all of the force of integrity. It cuts through not only deception, evil, and negative energies, but also physical illness. For this reason it is an auspicious sign for healers (curanderas), surgeons and doctors, for all matters of health and wellness, medicine and curing of disease. Etznab is also known as Flint, especially in the form of a spear or knife. And like a knife, it has a double edge. On the one hand, it represents communication, eloquence, publicity, education, and teaching. On the other hand, it signifies vengeance, espionage, falsehood, gossip, and quarrels. This duality makes it a very challenging day, for duality generates conflict. True to this aspect of its nature, Etznab is the nagual of suffering and sudden death - in whatever form or meaning. The animal totem of Etznab is the wolf. In the Classical Maya tradition, it is associated with the cardinal direction North and the color white. In the tradition of modern-day K’iche’ Maya, it is South and the color yellow. 

On Etznab days, the Maya pray for safety from all harm and for the resolution of all conflict. They ask for health not just for themselves and their families, but for their enemies as well, so that all negative energies may dissipate or be abandoned. Etznab days should be used to end negative or harmful relationships, finding balance, purifying our thoughts and actions, and seeing through to the core of things with the aid of minerals and crystals. 

In modern Western society we have two sayings: “truth hurts” and “the truth shall set you free.” Strange perhaps the link between pain and freedom, yet many of us know it all too well. The history of our race is held together by chains, of the iron and the psychological kind. Like the sharp edge of an obsidian knife, truth can indeed cause pain to those not ready or willing to embrace it, but when utilized with wisdom, integrity, and honor, the initial pain will give way to strength, character, and confidence - and great personal freedom. Truth heals. 

We spend a great deal of our lives hiding or obscuring truth: we twist words, we hide evidence, we spread false rumors, we misrepresent actions, situations, and intentions. And yes, some of us outright lie. Our political figures use the art of diplomacy to glaze over unpleasant or even unethical acts to serve their interests; the CEO’s of our companies employ legions of executive yes-men (and women) and PR and marketing resources to inflate the perception of success and leadership; and when it comes to personal relationships, the depth of deception goes further than the bottom of the ocean. Why is this? What drives so many of us to subvert the truth and integrity of others as well as ourselves? Perhaps because that is what we have been taught by parents who in turn learned these false songs from their parents. Perhaps because we prefer the easy way to all that we want. Or perhaps because truth, honor, and kindness are toxic to the gods of money, power, and fame that feed our psyches. 

It may also be because one person’s truth is not that of another. Even our own truth one day may not be the same truth the next. The reality in which we live is relative not only to itself, but also to that of others - if we so allow it. Therein lies the knot at the center of the web; what is our personal truth? 

The challenge of this trecena is to stand before the mirror of your soul unclad and unfettered by fear, uncertainty, weakness or falsehood of any kind. Etznab, sharp black Obsidian, cuts through the slippery veils we live wrapped up in, through the layers of misguided ambitions, fear, and greed that our social and media conditioning hypnotizes us with, through the fog that obscures the clarity and potential of our lives. Break through this screen of smoke and fog spun over your soul over an entire lifetime, and recognize who you truly are. When you do, everything in your life becomes clear, and the path you walk gains direction and purpose. And all else follows suit: your physical, mental, and emotional health. 

There is no journey like the search for personal truth.