Love.
Things can flow smoothly for long periods of time until moments arise—and it does not necessarily have to be today, but rather today's nawal speaks to this wisdom in general—when something far larger than what we feel capable of handling shows up. We have all been there, sitting on the toilet, feeling what is coming, and as soon as we register how much larger or denser than normal it is, we burst into a cold sweat of panic: "Oh no, this is too big, it can't come out, I can't handle this." What do you do then? You can't just leave it inside, can you? I ask myself what the purpose is for this occasional oversized turd, and the answer is simple, beyond any technical biological explanation of how it was formed: it is here to teach me to relax and expand.
This is the most accurate reference for the universal process of expansion and allowance, because it represents the one physical event where there is absolutely no way around it. You must relax, expand, and let it pass through. You cannot keep it in; you cannot say no. All the anguish turns into immense relief once it is released, and in that exact moment, you feel love. The principle described by the nawal Tooj operates in the exact same manner. Life is a continuous, fluid cycle of cleansing, purging, and purification—of gathering waste and letting it go. The two halves of this process, and of love itself, are as follows: the tolerance of that which is toxic—which is love—and the release or cleansing of that which is toxic—which is love again. A strictly purist state, which some choose to pursue, has very little room or tolerance for the gradual buildup of the toxic; it severs and avoids that necessary half of the cycle. While such a pure state can serve as an honored reference point we consult, it is not the path through which humanity flourishes.
The way to flourish is through love—allowing rather than avoiding that which appears toxic or painful, and learning to love it as an essential part of our existence, our teaching, and our process. When we are caught in the middle of it, just like when that massive mass is pushing through at the very end, all we can think about is having it out. Here lies the trap: panic creates desperation, and through desperation we contract, pushing it back in. This might offer a fleeting moment of relief, but it ultimately prolongs and worsens the ordeal. When we are desperate for love—much like our fragmented humanity and world are desperate to finish the trial they are currently undergoing—we naturally want to rush the outcome. We become desperate for resolution and end up acting in ways that only extend the pain. What we must understand today is simply this: moving through the process, loving the process itself, and refusing to rush toward a destination where we are not yet standing is the only way to relax, reframe the pain, and see it through to the end.
The implications of this principle for our love relationships are vast. Love is not attachment; it is not a specific person, a place, a thing, or even our own self-image. Love occurs when we allow and accept that which is present right now. Surely more will come, and surely we all know the profound pleasure and stillness once the release is complete. Therefore, we must also learn to love the sensation—even when painful—of the moment it is pushing through. In that threshold, our mental architecture is rewired. We stop identifying the sensation as unwanted suffering and recognize it for what it truly is: expansive pleasure, love, and gratitude. In every difficult moment, the more you can embody gratitude, maintain humor, and hold a firm hand without collapsing into tears or making a circus out of the pain, the more you expand into the very love that carries you to final liberation.
Tooj (Payment) represents the sacred fire, payment, offering, balance, emotional release, karmic resolution, purification, and the law of cause and effect. Tooj is the nawal of the hearth fire, spiritual debt, reconciliation, and the necessary price paid to restore harmony within ourselves and the cosmos. Paired with the harmonious, complete, and resonant frequency of the Number 8—the energy of Wajxaqib', representing the ultimate balance of physical and spiritual realms, structural wholeness, and the central number of Mayan ceremonial life—this sign transforms the act of payment and purging into a sacred, beautiful offering.
To embody 8 Wajxaqib' Tooj is to stand before the fire of your life without contraction or resentment. Occupying the eighth position of the Iq’ trecena, this energy calls you to pay your debts with gratitude, surrender to the pain of expansion without panic, and realize that every heavy burden you release is simply the price of admission into unconditional love. It comes to teach us now that however you treat the unpleasant parts of the process will come later in another stage and haunt you until you learn to act in a loving way.
Love.
Things can flow smoothly for long periods of time until moments arise—and it does not necessarily have to be today, but rather today's nawal speaks to this wisdom in general—when something far larger than what we feel capable of handling shows up. We have all been there, sitting on the toilet, feeling what is coming, and as soon as we register how much larger or denser than normal it is, we burst into a cold sweat of panic: "Oh no, this is too big, it can't come out, I can't handle this." What do you do then? You can't just leave it inside, can you? I ask myself what the purpose is for this occasional oversized turd, and the answer is simple, beyond any technical biological explanation of how it was formed: it is here to teach me to relax and expand.
This is the most accurate reference for the universal process of expansion and allowance, because it represents the one physical event where there is absolutely no way around it. You must relax, expand, and let it pass through. You cannot keep it in; you cannot say no. All the anguish turns into immense relief once it is released, and in that exact moment, you feel love. The principle described by the nawal Tooj operates in the exact same manner. Life is a continuous, fluid cycle of cleansing, purging, and purification—of gathering waste and letting it go. The two halves of this process, and of love itself, are as follows: the tolerance of that which is toxic—which is love—and the release or cleansing of that which is toxic—which is love again. A strictly purist state, which some choose to pursue, has very little room or tolerance for the gradual buildup of the toxic; it severs and avoids that necessary half of the cycle. While such a pure state can serve as an honored reference point we consult, it is not the path through which humanity flourishes.
The way to flourish is through love—allowing rather than avoiding that which appears toxic or painful, and learning to love it as an essential part of our existence, our teaching, and our process. When we are caught in the middle of it, just like when that massive mass is pushing through at the very end, all we can think about is having it out. Here lies the trap: panic creates desperation, and through desperation we contract, pushing it back in. This might offer a fleeting moment of relief, but it ultimately prolongs and worsens the ordeal. When we are desperate for love—much like our fragmented humanity and world are desperate to finish the trial they are currently undergoing—we naturally want to rush the outcome. We become desperate for resolution and end up acting in ways that only extend the pain. What we must understand today is simply this: moving through the process, loving the process itself, and refusing to rush toward a destination where we are not yet standing is the only way to relax, reframe the pain, and see it through to the end.
The implications of this principle for our love relationships are vast. Love is not attachment; it is not a specific person, a place, a thing, or even our own self-image. Love occurs when we allow and accept that which is present right now. Surely more will come, and surely we all know the profound pleasure and stillness once the release is complete. Therefore, we must also learn to love the sensation—even when painful—of the moment it is pushing through. In that threshold, our mental architecture is rewired. We stop identifying the sensation as unwanted suffering and recognize it for what it truly is: expansive pleasure, love, and gratitude. In every difficult moment, the more you can embody gratitude, maintain humor, and hold a firm hand without collapsing into tears or making a circus out of the pain, the more you expand into the very love that carries you to final liberation.
Tooj (Payment) represents the sacred fire, payment, offering, balance, emotional release, karmic resolution, purification, and the law of cause and effect. Tooj is the nawal of the hearth fire, spiritual debt, reconciliation, and the necessary price paid to restore harmony within ourselves and the cosmos. Paired with the harmonious, complete, and resonant frequency of the Number 8—the energy of Wajxaqib', representing the ultimate balance of physical and spiritual realms, structural wholeness, and the central number of Mayan ceremonial life—this sign transforms the act of payment and purging into a sacred, beautiful offering.
To embody 8 Wajxaqib' Tooj is to stand before the fire of your life without contraction or resentment. Occupying the eighth position of the Iq’ trecena, this energy calls you to pay your debts with gratitude, surrender to the pain of expansion without panic, and realize that every heavy burden you release is simply the price of admission into unconditional love. It comes to teach us now that however you treat the unpleasant parts of the process will come later in another stage and haunt you until you learn to act in a loving way.
