Day Signs: North American Astrology from Ancient Mexico - Paperback

by Bruce Scofield (Author)

It is truly unfortunate that progress in the minds of some also means destruction of the past. The burning of the library of Alexandria 1,600 years ago and the present day destruction of ancient monuments by religious fanatics are examples of that attitude. Another example is the near complete obliteration of the writings and oral traditions of the civilizations of the Americans. For those interested in astrology, it may come as a surprise to learn that the Maya and Aztecs of ancient Mexico and Central America had developed a comprehensive system of signs and cycles very little of which has survived in the indigenous population to the present day. Tantalizing pieces of this astrological system do exist but there are many parts missing. One thing is known, however, and that is the central role of the 20 named days called day-signs. It is the reconstruction and reinterpretation of these symbolic images that is the subject of this book, now in a new edition that includes the author's latest insights. The 20 day-signs are like a zodiac - a cycle of development that moves through various stages from origin to completion.Each of the day-signs has distinct qualities and as the 20 signs cycle through the calendar dates, they move with a secondary cycle of 13 numbers that deepen meanings. Finally, after 13 cycles of the 20 day-signs and 20 cycles of the 13 numbers, the larger cycle, called the Tzolkin by the Maya and Tonalpouhalli by the Aztecs, begins again. This 260-day cycle is at the core of the ancient astrology of the Americas and an understanding of it is a prerequisite to comprehending the other components of the system. Here, in this book, is a modern interpretation of each of the signs, translated from an ancient mindset to the shared reality of the present. Even though the rediscovery of ancient native American astrology is far from complete, readers will find the interpretations presented in Day-Signs striking and highly suggestive that something significant about variations in human personality was discovered a long time ago in a strange culture - and that it is still relevant. Day-Signs is a book about an ancient typology that students of astrology and ancient civilizations should know something about.