In the ancient Toltec empire, new year on March 12 was celebrated to honor Quetzalcoatl and the rising energy of springtime. The coming year is a time of growth and multiplication so qualities you cultivate will become stronger and enhanced but bad habits may become addictions. The effect of your actions will be hard to ignore which can help you gain self-awareness.
Why is the Toltec new year relevant to you?
Different traditions of the world start the new year at different times of the year, choosing their own significant moment to celebrate the start of a new 12-month journey around the sun. Depending on what a tradition values the most – the sun, the moon or important changes in nature – the birthday of the year reveals the deepest beliefs of the ancients and how they lived their lives.
The Toltec chose to greet the new year on March 12, emphasizing the rising energy of springtime in honor of Quetzalcoatl, the feathered Serpent, one of the aspects of the Divine. Quetzalcoatl symbolizes both the rising sun and the light of spiritual knowledge that we gain as we understand our life’s lessons.
The Toltec new year is more relevant to you than you may think, especially if you live in the Americas. This is because the Toltec were the original inhabitants of Mesoamerica and their knowledge influenced all the civilizations that came after them. They were masters of nature and the subconscious, true spiritual warriors who lived in alignment with the universe. Toltec prayers, ceremonies and rituals remain alive on a vibrational level through the stones of the ancient temples they built, as well as the statues and paintings that were used for the transmission of spiritual energy. Their lands, mountains and valleys still resonate with thousands of years of devotional practices, making the Americas the repository of their sacred teachings.
What is the Toltec new year?
The Toltec year ends on March 6, followed by five days out of the count as described in the blog post Toltec Empire: 5 Days That Can Change Your Life. Starting on March 12, the coming year is characterized by a specific number and glyph, which combine their powerful symbolism to shed light on the coming year’s cycle. Like many traditions of the world, the Toltec believe that each year influences our life’s lessons and spiritual progress in a specific direction.
For example, The Toltec predicted that 2020 and 2021 would be difficult years for the planet. 2020 was a year 8-Flint, meaning a year that confronted us with the heavy results of our actions, in other words, karma. 2021 was a year 9-House, meaning a year dedicated to the underworlds so we could rid our subconscious of detrimental patterns. What is 2022 and this new step in our collective journey about?
A year of growth and multiplication
2022 is a year 10-Rabbit. The number 10 relates to fertility and multiplication. The rabbit relates to the moon and fertility and is ruled by a 28-day reproductive cycle. Notice the play with words between rabbits and habits, an important clue pointing to the symbolism of the rabbit. Indeed, the glyph of the rabbit refers to repetitive habits. The theme of growth and fertility appears in both the number and the glyph of the year 2022.
Is this good? Is it bad? Well, it depends. What you focus on, what you do in 2022 will grow and multiply. Any qualities you cultivate will become stronger and enhanced, which can be rewarding and life changing. But this also means that bad habits may become addictions and run out of control this year. Cause and effect are obvious this year, and the results of your actions will be hard to ignore. The choice, as always, is how you want to face the year ahead.
This is a 12-month opportunity to develop mindfulness about what you create with your thoughts, your life-force, and your actions. The goal is to become more aware of the law of cause and effect. Anything you do will become visible and huge and there is no way you will be able to miss the clues of the universe about what you need to change and improve in your life or within yourself. Ultimately, the spiritual work of 2022 is about facing our weaknesses and transforming them into strengths.
Toltec mythology
Toltec mythology allows us to understand the deeper meaning of the year 2022 through the story associated with the glyph of the rabbit. In the Nahuatl language (the language of Toltec spirituality), the rabbit is called Tochtli and is governed by Mayahuel, the goddess of the maguey. Maguey is another name for the agave plant, which represents fertility.
Mayahuel is depicted as a beautiful, young woman emerging from the top of a maguey plant with cups of pulque in her hands. The goddess is sometimes portrayed with a blue skin and wearing blue clothing, the color of the agave plant. In the myth, Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent god and the beautiful Mayahuel fall in love. Quetzalcoatl, lord of the morning sun, plans to overthrow Mayahuel’s grandmother, a terrifying force that keeps Earth in darkness. Mayahuel’s grandmother finds out about the plot and sends her troop of demons to destroy them both.
Quetzalcoatl manages to escape, but Mayahuel is torn to pieces. Quetzalcoatl collects and buries the remains of his lover which grows into the very first maguey/agave plant on earth. The plant produces an elixir with special properties that brings comfort to Quetzalcoatl’s soul. The god shares his drink with people so they can find happiness, but with one condition: that they do not exceed two drinks of the sacred nectar.
Sacred teachings of the year ahead
The story of Quetzalcoatl and Mayahuel is reminiscent of the story of humanity. Mayahuel’s grandmother keeping Earth in darkness is our collective subconscious and shadow. Quetzalcoatl symbolizes the process of becoming self-aware, our human consciousness that continuously learns from life experiences. This aspect of us is immortal and indestructible.
The goddess Mayahuel symbolizes our psyche, our emotional self, which is a bridge between our conscious mind (Quetzalcoatl) and our shadow (the grandmother). Our psyche is the part of us that gets hurt, that can be shattered by a conflict, a betrayal, or abuse.
Depending on the discipline of the person drinking the pulque, the blood of the goddess warms up the heart of the drinker or leads one to drunkenness and unconscious behavior. The sweet nectar of the myth symbolizes the two possible outcomes of grief, trauma or loss. This is about the choice you make to transcend your pain through healing or ignore your inner calling and lose yourself in temporary pleasures. Avoiding pain leads to the path of addiction.
If your pain seems too great to bear, you may choose to bury it deep down in your subconscious where it becomes part of your shadow. If you drink the elixir to help you forget your pain, you will not stop drinking and will disregard Quetzalcoatl’s warning. This is how addiction starts. If you choose to courageously face what torments you and enter an inner process, the sacred beverage becomes a healing nectar, that grants you happiness and a life filled with unconditional love.
What will you do in 2022?
2022 is about releasing core issues, the cause of your suffering that may still be hidden and stuck in your subconscious. This is time to understand the origin of your unhappiness. This is time for the crucial choice between darkness or light, to stay stuck in the traumas of the past or soar like an eagle into a glorious future.
This new year brings support to your efforts to confront the root cause of your pain and suffering. This is about finding the courage to see the parts of yourself that are weak to finally heal and reconnect with the essence of life in its infinite beauty. With self-love and compassion, look at what is revealed this year and listen to the message of your emotions. Ultimately, 2022 is about drinking the divine nectar of life to celebrate you and your personal victories in blissful joy.
Happy New Year to you, your family and friends, and your entire universe!
Resources
Learn more about the Toltec civilization, the 6th Sun, and the rise of the feminine by reading Sixth Sun: Meaning for Humanity & You, Toltec Empire 5 Days That Can Change Your Life, Divine Feminine Energy Resistance and Resilience, Venus Conjunct Mars Feminine Energy Rises, Meditation Script for May 2022 Full Moon, and watching Birth of the 6th Sun.
Suteja was introduced to the Toltec through the spiritual lineage of her teacher, Sergio Magana, world-renowned author and teacher who shares healing techniques and ancient knowledge to solve the challenges of modern life. She sends a warm thank you to Sergio, her teacher in Nahualism, who gave her the map to her subconscious and caves of powers. Learn more about Sergio . . . . . Get Sergio’s Books
Learn more about the Toltec civilization by taking the programs Birth of the 6th Sun and Toltec & the 6th Sun.
Learn more about healing and consciousness at Inner Treasure Hunt. If you liked this post, you can subscribe to the Inner Treasure Hunt newsletter to stay informed about new posts, programs, and events. #innertreasurehunt
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