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
Pop Jay has stood as a ceremonial center — a place of gathering, prayer, teaching, and decision-making.
In Mayan cosmology, the council house represents the axis mundi — the place where heaven, earth, and the human community meet.
It is not merely a structure.
It is a pillar of remembrance.
For years, Pop Jay has held songs, stories, initiations, and collective prayer. It has witnessed grief and celebration, births and transitions.
And like all sacred structures, it too moves through cycles.
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.
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.