The Trecena of Oc / Tz'i

1 Oc / Tz'i — The Trecena of Authority

 

Oc, or Tz’i in K’iche’ Maya, represents spiritual and material law and authority, justice and legality, and those who govern, determine, and enforce the law, such as lawmakers, lawyers, judges and magistrates, the police and other related professions.  It also signifies fidelity, vengeance, order, accuracy, and precision.  Oc is the nagual of sexuality and guides us to avoid the Wuqub’ Qak’ix, the seven sins of ambition, pride, envy, lies, crime, ignorance, and ingratitude.  The animal totems of Oc are the dog, the coyote, and the raccoon.  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.  

As we enter this trecena, let us reflect on the concepts of authority, justice, law and law enforcement and what that means, not just for each one of us individually, but for our society and civilization as a whole.  Laws are designed by people for people, ideally to protect and support but also to control and restrict.  And as with any other tool, the ultimate value and service of laws depend upon the intention with which they are created and how they are used.  Justice—as opposed to a specific law—is a concept rather than a tool, and depends upon the perception of those who believe in it and the cultures which define it.  So justice for one may not be justice for another.  Authority, on the other hand, is a much more encompassing, and profound, power.  It works with or without specific laws, written documents, or officials to enforce it.  Legal authority is only one form of this power; in our society we also have political, business, medical, scientific, and many other types of authority.  And above all of these, for many cultures and societies, including the Maya, is spiritual authority.

As you go through the Oc trecena, think about the authority that you exercise within your spheres of influence, whether it be at home, at work, in your social circles and local community, in the arts, sciences, the media or the public arena, or elsewhere.  You may in fact hold different types and levels of authority in different circles.  Consider how established your authority is, what is its source and where it comes from, and what it depends upon.  Think about what you have been able to achieve as a direct impact of your authority, how you’ve improved others’ lives as well as your own, how well you’ve prepared your children for life.  What is the legacy you are leaving behind for future generations?  Have you harmed anyone or anything in any way as a result of your authority, whether intentionally or not?  If you have, think about how you can amend, assuage or reverse that harm, regardless of how long ago it may have taken place.  

There is another type of authority and power that each and every human being holds, regardless of his or her position or rank in society.  This is our role as stewards of the planet.  We have the most advanced brain, the highest technology and science, the most complex language and social structures, and yet we wreak the greatest destruction all over our planet.  In the world we have created, Nature has no “legal rights”—we kill, hunt, displace, or in some way directly or indirectly harm thousands of species every day, for food, research, entertainment, and sport, or simply out of negligence, and it’s all an accepted part of our society.   Without placing a moral judgment on modern societies, the fact is that our laws and concepts of justice are designed to govern and protect human beings, placing our desires and needs as an absolute priority above and over those of any other living thing on our planet. 

We can turn this around, and use our resources and power for good.  But it will take those of us whose authority has lain dormant, those of us who have wanted to do good but felt powerless, to wake up, stand up and claim the extraordinary power of our personal, spiritual, economic, and political authority to start changing the way human society interacts with the planet and its life-sustaining resources. 

Above all, remember: the more authority you wield, the greater your responsibility in ensuring that power is used wisely and fairly.

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(Partial excerpt from "The Serpent and the Jaguar: Living in Sacred Time" by Birgitte Rasine, pp. 54–55.  If you'd like to repost the Trecena texts, please copy the above text in its entirety and credit Birgitte Rasine/LUCITÀ Publishing with a link to The Serpent and the Jaguar, and email us with a link to your site so we can reciprocate.)

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