Tuesday, January 10, 2012

09 Ix - Gestation and the Natural Altar


09/13 - nine is the day of pregnancy and growth

Ix - the day of the jaguar, the natural world, the great guide, the elemental altar

In nine months, I will be on my way back to the land of the Zapotec people to celebrate the beginning of the 13th Baktun with great friends. Anything could happen, but we are excited for the future, "apocalypse" and beyond. The graphic novel Promethea taught me everything I needed to know about the apocalypse - get ready for your mind to be blown... then move on, with everything you've got. (If you haven't read this Alan Moore series, get on with it already. While you're at it, check out the original Watchmen and pay close attention to the parts missing from the movie. Just read, gaddammit!)

Nine months. Like birth, the 260 day cycle isn't the scientific exact length of pregnancy, but it represents the length of time that lies between the moment a woman realizes that her cycle has shifted, her basal body temperature hasn't dropped, something feels... different. Between that moment are 260 (or 260) days, nine moons, or one sacred calender year - 13 runs of 20 sets in sequence but forever repeating, going on, forward into the future.

December 21, 2012 marks 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan calender. This Baktun marks the passion (I meant to write passing, but I like passion better) of a few months more than 5126 years, a count up from "August 13th" of the year 3114 BCE. Approximately 5 Mayan Long Counts lie within the space of the precession of the equinoxes, estimated to be 25771 years. This "apocalypse" marks the beginning of the "Fifth Sun" or the fifth long count. Predictions about how the world will change "in 2012" should more likely discuss how our world will change in the next five thousand years. If the world is going to end at all, it'll be then. Let's focus our energy on trying to make the next five millenia better than the last, shall we?

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Being the type to travel so extensively, it is imperative that I carry my "altar" with me, that my sacred space is inside of me and comes with me everywhere. Finding natural altars in nature, like those honoured on this day in the 20-count, is a boon... a sacred surprise that calls out for responsible action. In many ways, our bodies are the sacred altar upon which we live our lives.

How are you going to refine and give gratitude to your body, the altar, the sacred space through which thoughts become action, through which your magic manifests?

Boot Camp!

In an effort to gain control over my health and fitness through hard work and accountability, I have the distinct pleasure of being involved in the inaugural boot camp program being organized by friend-of-a-friend via Facebook, as she prepares to launch her own website and nutrition+fitness program.

I have my "before" photos taken, and will update at the end of the 12 weeks with a progression of photos throughout, along with measurements and weight. I'm going to update here weekly with a bit of info on my progress, but expect the greatest reveal to be at the end.

Of course, for the entirety of this program, plus an additional 16 weeks afterwards, I'll be far enough away from friends and family that I'm tempted to keep my progress a secret. We'll see how I feel in twelve weeks.

For now, a bit on my goals. My trainer has suggested a weight loss goal of 20 pounds for this time period. Based on how much I tend to lose right away with diet changes, I think it's possible that I will lose more, but I'll stick to the goal for now.

This change will be effected through calorie reduction (1500 calories on rest days, 1900 on training days) and carb limitations (50g on rest days and 100g on training days) with an emphasis on high protein foods and "clean" eating - no grains, rancid oils, legumes, or factory-farmed meat (most of those restrictions are my own).

I am very excited about heading for the coast, where fresh seafood will be easy to come by!

The final component of boot camp is, of course, fitness. My regime includes 2-3 (3 is my goal_ days of strength training per week, plus the occasional bit of HIIT (high intensity interval training) and LISS (low intensity steady state) cardio - typically, sprinting or hiking.

Keep reading and I'll be sure to update with my trials, tribulations, successes and results!

For now, here are my starting measurements:


Navel: 48"
Natural Waist: 42"
Hips: 54"
Underbust: 43"
Overbust: 48"
Upper Arm: 15"
Thigh: 29.5"

Weight: 250 lbs