Today in the Tzolkin

To the ancient Maya, Venus was one of the most important celestial bodies. Its 584-day synodic cycle is famously recorded in the Dresden Codex, which contains almanacs for predicting its helical rising as the Morning Star.

This cycle was linked to the deity Kukulcan (or Quetzalcoatl in Aztec), who was said to have journeyed to the underworld and re-emerged as the Morning Star. The planet is associated with energies of death, resurrection, and warfare.

The four phases of the 584-day cycle are:

• Morning Star (236 days): Venus rises before the sun.
• Superior Conjunction (90 days): Venus disappears behind the Sun.
• Evening Star (250 days): Venus appears after sunset.
• Inferior Conjunction (8 days): Venus disappears as it passes between Earth and the Sun.