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Mayan astrology is based on the Mayan calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar that guides Western astrology. Though there is technically more than one Mayan calendar, the one we are most concerned with for astrological purposes is the Tzolkin calendar.

Also referred to as the Sacred Round, the Tzolkin (pronounced zol-keen or chol-kin) calendar is a perpetual calendar system. It's not based on the movement of the planetary systems, but rather on the intangible energy of the cosmos and the greater evolution of creation. The Mayans believed that in order to have harmony in your life, you had to understand and align yourself with this universal energy.

The Tzolkin calendar is based on a 260 day cycle. There are a total of 20 birth glyphs in the Mayan system, and they are only an introduction to Mayan astrology. These 20 signs each represent a day in a Mayan calendar month, allowing individuals of differing months and years to still share the same day glyph. However, Mayan astrology has never been limited to 20 personality profiles.

Similar to Western astrology, birth time and year also play a part in forming one's cosmic imprint. Still, the astrological culture of the Maya is deeply steeped in ritual and many aspects of their system have simply never translated into Western life. Its extensive religious uses and cultural nuances have been either lost with the civilization or esoterically recorded by anthropologists.

According to the Mayan tradition, while each person's core sign carries certain energies, there are other complimentary energies that work together to help each person along her life path. This is the basis of the "Life Tree" which is similar to the birth chart concept found in Western astrology. The complimentary energies radiate from the core sign like the points of a compass and represent the future and the past, as well as male and female energies, a concept we also find in Chinese astrology.