Kab'an (Earth): Mayan day sign Meaning

Yucatec Kab'an is the earth and its movement; K'iche' No'j is thought and knowledge. It is the day of wisdom, ideas and good counsel.

The Yucatec name Kab'an means 'earth', and its glyph shows a curl associated with the earth goddess and with earthquakes; the central Mexican equivalent is Ollin, 'movement'. In the highlands the day is No'j, 'thought' or 'idea'.

For K'iche' daykeepers No'j is the day of the mind: of knowledge, memory, imagination and wise counsel. Prayers on No'j days ask for good ideas, clear thinking and success in study. Those born on No'j are described as thoughtful, intelligent and good advisers, people who can find solutions, with the warning that a busy mind may also be stubborn or think too much of itself.

Personality

thoughtful · intelligent · wise · imaginative · problem-solving · stubborn

Among K'iche' Maya daykeepers, a person born on No'j (Yucatec Kab'an) is described as thoughtful, intelligent and a good adviser, someone who can find solutions. No'j is the day of the mind: of knowledge, memory, imagination and wise counsel, while the Yucatec name Kab'an means 'earth' and is connected with earthquakes and the earth goddess.

Daykeepers credit No'j people with clear thinking, wisdom, creativity and a gift for planning and problem-solving; they are said to be respected for their judgement and sought out for advice. The challenge traditionally named is that a busy mind may become stubborn, worry too much, or think too highly of its own opinions, so that No'j people must balance knowledge with humility.

In love and friendship No'j people are portrayed as loyal and supportive, good listeners who offer thoughtful counsel. In work they are suited to teaching, scholarship, science, law, planning and leadership in council. Prayers on No'j days ask for good ideas, clear thinking and success in study; as with every nawal, the number of the birth day and the whole sacred count shape how a daykeeper reads a person.

Sources and further reading

Time and the Highland Maya — Barbara Tedlock, 1982
The Code of Kings — Linda Schele and Peter Mathews, 1998
Maya Calendar Origins — Prudence M. Rice, 2007