Jun Winaq: 20 Years of Earth Peoples United
A threshold moment. A turning of the calendar. A rebuilding of the pillars.
In the Mayan count of days, Jun Winaq marks the completion of a 20-year cycle — a full maturation of human becoming.
On May 4th, 2026, Earth Peoples United crosses this sacred threshold.
This is our story.
And the rebirth of Pop Jay (Council House) is its living symbol.
From Seed to Sanctuary
In 2005, Earth Peoples United was founded with a simple and profound intention:
To remember our original instructions as human beings — in right relationship with the Earth and with one another.
What began as ceremony and prayer has grown into a living community rooted in land stewardship, spiritual teachings, and cross-cultural relationships.
Over twenty years, we have:
• Gathered in prayer across seasons and sanctuaries
• Cultivated Deer Mountain Sanctuary and other sacred lands
• Gathered with elders and Wisdom Keepers from many traditions
• Hosted Unity Gatherings and ceremonial cycles
• Supported regeneration — of soil, of spirit, of community
This has never been an organization built on programs alone.
It has been built on relationships.
And now, we arrive at a threshold.
Pop Jay — The Council House
For nearly two decades, the Pop Jay — our Council House — has served as the heart of our ceremonial grounds at Deer Mountain Sanctuary.
Within its circle we have gathered hundreds of elders, youth, and people of all ages and cultures. Around the sacred fire we have made offerings, listened for wisdom, celebrated life, and trained future generations in earth-based spiritual traditions.
The structure itself was created through the work and prayers of many hands. The cedar pillars were harvested from Mount Lassen from trees that had completed their life cycle. Before the first four poles were raised, four youth — two young women and two young men — prayed with quartz crystals beneath a full moon, placing them into the earth as offerings beneath the pillars.
In the mornings that followed, the land responded. One morning four does walked the circle, and the next morning four bucks came to visit the space.
Over the years the Pop Jay has held Wisdom Keeper Councils, Youth Councils, Nine Fires trainings, and countless ceremonies — sometimes with hundreds gathered, sometimes with just a few tending the fire in quiet prayer.
After years of sun, wind, rain, and snow, the time has come to rebuild the Pop Jay so it can continue serving the next generation.
What Is Jun Winaq?
This year Earth Peoples United reaches 20 years since being granted nonprofit status.
In the Maya count, 20 is Jun Winaq — one complete human cycle. The number 20 represents the full human being — fingers and toes, mind and body, spirit and action. It marks wholeness. Maturity. Integration. To reach Jun Winaq is to say: we have lived a full cycle, we have grown into our body, and we stand whole.
When EPU was born on May 4th, 2006, the Mayan day was 12 No’j. No’j is wisdom — sacred intelligence, discernment, the weaving of knowledge through community. And 12 speaks of collective strength and perservance. Earth Peoples United began as a prayer for shared wisdom — and over twenty years, that prayer has taken form through land stewardship, ceremony, education, and relationships cultivated over time.
This year, as we cross into our Jun Winaq on May 4, 2026, the Mayan day will be 11 I’q. I’q is breath, wind, spirit. It is the unseen force that animates life. 11 brings movement and dynamic change from one state to another.
So we reach our 20th year not as something finished, but as something breathing. From collective wisdom to living breath.
The Rebirth of the Pillars
As we cross into this Jun Winaq threshold, it became clear: The Pop Jay must be renewed.
Not only structurally — but symbolically.
The rebuilding of the council house represents our collective commitment to the next 20 years.
To strengthen our foundations.
To deepen our teachings.
To create a place where future generations can gather in dignity and connection.
Rebuilding Pop Jay is not about replacing what was.
It is about honoring what has been — and preparing what will be.
This is how we carry the fire forward.
Voices of the Community
No 20-year journey is built by one person.
It is woven by many hands, many prayers, many acts of devotion.
As we honor this Jun Winaq cycle, we are gathering stories from those who have walked alongside Earth Peoples United.
Stories of transformation.
Stories of healing.
Stories of service.
Stories of land and lineage.
If this community has touched your life, we invite you to share your voice.
We are grateful for every person who has walked this path with us — and we are excited for all that lies ahead. The next twenty years will need a buzzing hive, nurturing a global community, to share this medicine with those who need it.
If you have walked with us for years — this is a moment to deepen your stewardship. If you are new — this is a powerful time to step in.
We invite you to mark this threshold in one or more of the following ways:
Share how EPU has impacted your life over the years
Join the EPU Hive
Make a 20-year anniversary contribution
Support the Rebuild
Help us raise the next pillar of Pop Jay and steward the land for the next generation.
Join the Hive
Become part of our living circle through the Earth Peoples United Hive and School of Earth Wisdom.
Gather With Us
Attend upcoming ceremonies, Unity Gatherings, and land-based events.
A New Cycle Begins
As shadow and light continue their eternal dance in the world, we return to what has sustained us for twenty years:
Ceremony.
Community.
Right relationship with the Earth.
May this Jun Winaq mark not only a milestone, but a renewal of our shared responsibility.
May the next twenty years be guided by wisdom, humility, and courage.
The pillars rise again.
And we walk forward — together.