The Maya and Mercury and Meeting of Minds.

In a scant two weeks' time, I'll be turning 52.  At first, I was like, "Meh, who cares?  What sort of birthday is 52?  It's not a big milestone ending in a zero or five, it's not a prime number, it's just ho-hum and what it is.  Bah for 52".

But then I went to Mexico.

Ben and I took a cruise back in November and one of our ports of call was Cozymel.  We had a day trip that included such tomfoolery as a tequila tasting (hosted by a gent who, for all intents and purposes, was a wacky Fred Armisen character) and a stop for lunch that offered unlimited burritos and fresh guacamole.  We also had the great fortune to visit the Instituto Nacional De Anthropologia E Historia and visit some Maya holy places. Our tour guide was amazing and took great pride in his heritage and history; embarrassingly, I learned more about Mexican culture in that short 4-hour day trip than I had in almost 52 years on this planet, embarrassing because last time I looked, Mexico is our southern neighbor.

But what stayed with me the most about that afternoon was the lesson on the Maya calendar - and the significance of the number 52.

You see, 52 is quite an auspicious number for the Maya.The calendar takes 52 years to cycle around.  So when you hit 52 years, the cycle begins again.  It is a time of rebirth, renewal, and hitting the "reset button".



Which brings me to me right now, with my Dad in hospice.  I know the end is coming closer for him and I know that a certain part of me will fall away once he does.  I had a horoscope reading with a dear friend last week; she pointed out that our rising signs are the same (Leo, a positive boon for actors), and that there are various conjunctions which signify a karmic connection. My friend said, "When you lose the parent your closest to, it's like a part of your soul gets ripped out."

In the next few weeks, I'm going to be doing some self-inquiry.  About what losing Daddy means.  About what "setting the reset button" means for me on many levels.

Ah, but if you've been paying attention, you'll also notice that Mercury plays a part.  Seems as though Mercury is in Aquarius, my Sun Sign, from January 4th through March 12th.  It brings great inspiration, of finding new awareness, of peeling back facades, of tapping into your own brand of genius.

It also speaks of new worlds that can be created by the meeting of minds.  Much is on my plate that could very well bloom into creative work that, with all due humility, could touch upon genius.  Mozart was credited as saying that genius is the product of love and passion and conviction in what you do, when you're willing to take the leap into the unknown.  Sounds like a good thing to try when one comes upon their 52nd birthday.

I feel a beautiful shift occurring at the soul level.  Some sadness is certain, but also a tremendous amount of love, exploration, gratitude, and alchemy.

My daily question: "What's the alchemy of the day? What is created anew?"

I'll be sharing my discoveries of the next month or so.  I feel blessed to have this venue to be able to fill you all in on my findings.