Long before Europeans came to Mexico and Central America, the native Olmec, Toltec, Maya, Zapotec and Aztec peoples developed a remarkable sacred calendar unlike any other in the world. Derived from centuries of observing natural cycles of development, it was used to divine the answers to important questions and to determine the cycles and festivals of the whole society. It was also used to work out the character and destiny of individuals according to their birthdate.

Intrigued by this unique form of New World astrology, author Bruce Scofield spent several decades reconstructing it through the best scholarly sources. He also consulted practitioners of the living tradition that still exists in Central America. Then, using an astrologer’s symbolic reasoning, he thought long and hard about how the ancient symbols might apply to modern lives. Finally -- the most important part -- he tested and refined the resulting interpretations against thousands of client and celebrity charts.

The result was several books on Mesoamerican astrology -- plus computer software that can take any date, find its place in the most important Maya/Aztec cycles, and interpret that date’s significance. That software is now available for Windows as the new Mayan Life Path Astrology Report. Using it, you can find out about your character and destiny in the light of five important Maya/Aztec cycles:

• Your Day-Sign.

This shows your place in an eternally repeating 20-day sequence of zodiac-like animal and nature symbols. Your Day-Sign describes your most dominant, visible character traits.

• Your Day Number.

Added to the Day-Signs is the Trecena, a cycle of 13 days that shows who you are underneath -- your deeper yearnings and subconscious motivations. Combining the 20 Day-Signs with the 13 Trecena numbers creates the Tzolkin, the 260-day Sacred Year. Each of the 260 days has its own unique quality, yielding 260 distinct character types.

• Your Year Cycle.

In addition, the Mesoamerican cultures recognized a longer cycle of 52 years. Your place within in this cycle reveals the traits you have in common with the others born in your year.

• Your Night Lord.

Your birth date also falls within a 9-day cycle of gods and goddesses called Lords of the Night. Your Night Lord deity reveals the dark and hidden you – parts of your personality that others may not know of or understand. This ancient god or goddess archetype symbolizes the deep forces behind your will to exist.

• Your Venus Phase.

The Maya and Aztec societies placed great importance on the 584-day Venus-Sun cycle, which they equated with the journey of the god Quetzalcoatl. Your Venus phase (Morning Star, Evening Star, Inferior Conjunction or Superior Conjunction) reveals your basic pattern of relating to others.

Combining these five cycles gives an astonishingly rounded picture of your personality and capabilities. Although it uses a completely different astrological system, your Maya Aztec chart will usually show a remarkable correlation with your Western chart. But because it sees you through a different lens, it also adds brilliant new insights into your character and motivations.

The Five-Year Peak Date Forecast

In addition, the Mayan Astrology Life Path Report lists your peak dates for whatever five-year period you specify. These are crucial times when your life tends to speed up and become more vivid, eventful, and even fateful. This cycle of important turning points starts at birth and erupts at regular 65-day intervals for everyone. However, the nature and symbolism of each peak depends on exactly when you were born in the 260-day sacred year. Your report gives your personal peak dates, their Day-Sign and Trecena number, their corresponding compass direction and Moon phase, and a brief indication of the best stance to adopt during each of these critical hinge-points in your life.

As a bonus, your Mayan Life Path Astrology Report will close with a further explanation of this unique and fascinating system of astrology.

“Scofield’s delineation of the day-signs are like x-rays that cut to the basic issues confronting the human personality. Once you test these Native American techniques in your chart interpretations, you will find yourself returning to [Scofield’s] book again and again. Anyone who counsels clients or seeks self-understanding will find much of value here.” -- Anthony Louis, M.D., psychiatrist and author of Horary Astrology: The History and Practice of Astro-Divination.

About Bruce Scofield

Bruce Scofield has been a practicing astrologer for more than 36 years. He is the author of an earlier Maya/Aztec computer report and of three books on Maya/Aztec astrology: Day-Signs: Native American Astrology from Ancient Mexico; Signs of Time: An Introduction to Mesoamerican Astrology and, with Barry C. Orr, of the forthcoming (January 2007) How to Practice Mayan Astrology: The Tzolkin Calendar and Your Life Path.

His extensive writings on Western astrology include the books Astrology: A User’s Guide; The Timing of Events: Electional Astrology; The Circuitry of the Self: Astrology and the Developmental Model; Astrological Chart Calculations and the interpretations for the Astrolabe report program Professional Forecaster.

Bruce carries on an international astrological practice from his home in Amherst, Massachusetts, and also serves on the faculty of Kepler College in Seattle. The holder of an M.A. in history, he is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Geosciences. Besides having an interest in archaeoastronomy and hiking (about which he has also written books), he is an accomplished builder and rock musician.