The Maya indians said there were two turtles, one in Gemini and one in Orion. From the pictures above I think I can read what it means.

First the facts: Orion lies between 5 and 6 hours counted from spring equinox (north of the equator) and Gemini between 6 and 8 hours (from spring equinox). We can say that they are located a quarter into a year which begins with spring equinox.

It means Orion and Gemini are in high summer (in midwinter south of the equator), that is the time when the turtles in the sky makes their appearance. The Belt of Orion is just below 'the surface of the water' (below the equator in the sky), while Gemini lies securely on 'land' (ca 30° N). One way to interpret the idea of two turtles is to say that there is only one turtle, with the 'cap' in Gemini and the 'cup' in Orion.

The 'cup' (in Orion) comes somewhat earlier than the 'cap' (in Gemini), which is just what all true myths will tell us - in the beginning there is only darkness and water, only later will land and light arrive. In the Mars cartouche above the Sun is held high at right. This cartouche should be read together with the Gemini cartouche. The tray Mars is holding in front of him is a picture of the earth on which we live. It divides cosmos into what is above and what is below.

Like in all Mayan illustrations we must read from right to left. The story begins with the Belt of Orion. When Mars is holding his tray, representing land, it is in front of him, meaning he is lifting the land up from the 'waves'. The peccaries are land creatures and Gemini lies above the 'water'.

Below the tray of Mars there are 2 fire symbols, of the same typ as those 3 on the back of the Orion turtle. Peculiar as it may at first seem the 'fire' is located down in the 'water'. The explanation is that both are sources of life. Below the tray of Mars lies the dark underworld, and the two 'fires' presumably represent the 'Sun twins'. The year of Sun light has twins - two faces as Mars himself has - the first being the strong spring brute and the second being the cultivated weaker one.

The turtle in Orion has 3 fire symbols, and I suggest they represent the first 3 months of spring, those during which Sun not yet has returned from his winter maid (in the far south as regarded from Maya land). These 3 months are those when 'land' not yet has risen above the 'waters'.

I suggest the turtle of Orion (the 'cup' down in the 'water') has its equivalent in the variant of vai with 3 moon crescent signs:

It is not allowed, according to the basic rules of rongorongo, to illustrate what is inside an entity. And those 3 'fires' are 'in the water', inside the double circumferences of the turtle, which means they are in a watery hole. On Easter Island the 3 'fires' are therefore illustrated as 'outside'. Which in a way they are, because the island lies at 27° S and it is winter solstice. Moreover, because Easter Island is on the other side of the equator the '3 fires' (Sun) have been converted into '3 crescents' (Moon).

The turtle in Orion has twin heads, and the twisted one is taking a bite. The form of the Orion Belt Turtle is in principle the same as the rongorongo sign of vai. In the center there is an inner oval. The turtle has a string at his tail end, which should be at summer solstice. Where the twisted turtle head is taking a bite there is in vai a moon crescent sign missing. The biting mouth is a Moon sign, therefore the corresponding other side of the equator sign must be a Sun sign (but inside and according to the rongorongo rule therefore invisible).

Let me repeat. Mars is holding high the Sun, Saturn is performing another trick. The end of the girdle of Saturn is similar to the 'twisted snake head' of the turtle - both are taking a bite - making a mark in the cycle of time.

The 2 copulating peccaries in Gemini shows 3 faces of Venus - calendrical light begins here. The turtle of Orion shows 2 heads, one twisted upside down and marking a crack in cyclical time. This happens in the 'sea' below the equator of the sky, while the peccaries are 'on land'.

Mars accomplishes the rising of Sun in spring, when 'land' is raised from 'the sea'. Saturn achieves a 'painting' of the 'cup' and shares in marking where the old year must end.

North of the equator it is Mars who is sitting sideways, Saturn not. Mars has his girdle in form of Y, and on his 'equator' this Y crotch is just below Sun collecting - it seems - the pupil lost from the Sun eye above. The tray Mars is holding in front has fire below it. The tray is the surface of the earth.

Saturn has his 'leg' out in front, with Venus hovering close. A water lily is at his back. His Y-formed girdle is different from that of Mars, it goes twice around his middle and its open 'mouth' end is hanging down and it consists of two parts.

The Venus face in front of Saturn should be the evening star. Therefore the Venus on top of the peccaries should represent the morning star (and the one in front of the bottom peccary snout one of her invisible dark phases).

The Orion turtle has 3 fires (the stars of Orion's Belt). Below the tray of Mars there are 2 fires (formed in the same way). Below the tray is the underworld, and adding 3 + 2 we get rima (fire). Adding the eyes of Venus we will have 2 + 2 + 2 = 6. With the 2 holes it becomes 8. Venus represents the night and 5 the daytime.

In the copulating peccaries we can see the crack in time between the front part and the back part. Saturn bends low with face downwards, Mars stretches high with face upwards.

The vai sign analogous to the Orion Belt Turtle has 3 fires because in front (in time) lies the first 3 months of spring sun. These 3 'fires' cannot be described in a vai sign because they are inside the 'watery hole'.

But fires are also below the table of the earth at Mars, here represented as twins. The year of Sun light has twins - two faces as Mars himself has - the first being the strong spring brute and the second being the cultivated weaker one.

Mars primarily represents the spring beast (in the same was as Sun primarily represents the spring twin of the year). There are two turtles in the sky, one in Gemini and one in Orion. The one in Gemini is the 'cap' of the turtle and in Orion is the 'cup'.

Orion lies between 5 and 6 hours from spring equinox (north of the equator and according to our time). Gemini is between 6 and 8 hours, it comes somewhat later. First there is the birth of 'sea' then the birth of 'land'.

With 6 hours as a reasonable approximation of the location of the sky turtle, a quarter has gone into the past, and with equinox as the point of beginning, the turtle will be at summer solstice north of the equator, at winter solstice south of the equator. Saturn and turtle belong together south of the equator. This is what the Bonampak' painting shows. Saturn is south of the equator in Orion at the same time as Mars is north of the equator in Gemini.