Daykeeper is a term specific to a man or woman who is a spiritual guide that understands the Mayan calendar. "Q'ij" is a term that in some contemporary Mayan languages means, "day". As such, Daykeepers use their knowledge of the Mayan calendar, entities that are associated with each of the days of the calendar, and the numbers. Daykeepers perform ceremonies on behalf of individuals who solicit their aid in any number of endeavors, including, but not prohibited to: Ancestral communion, supplicating health, marriage permissions (match-making), permission to begin an economic endeavor, sowing land, employment. This term is only associated with what could be classified as traditional Maya spirituality. Even though some would define a Daykeeper as a "Maya Priest", the term carries somewhat a pejorative connotation that ignores the cosmology and ethos associated with what a Dayekeeper dedicates his or her life.
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