Ixchel

Ixchel is a planet that appears in Madeleine L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle in Time. While this location appeared in the 2003 Dimension Film adaptation, the location briefly appeared in the 2018 Disney film adaptation.
==Background==
===Origins===
Ixchel is based on the planet of the same name from Madeleine L'Engle's young adult science fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time, the first entry in the Time Quintet series written by L'Engle herself. Located next out from Camazotz, Ixchel is a planet of muted colors which Meg Murry ended up during her struggles in fighting against the It. In the original source material, Ixchel orbits the same sun as Camazotz and is inhabited by large sightless creatures who are part of Aunt Beast's clan who serve as allies to heal Meg.
==Appearances==
===A Wrinkle in Time (2003)===
Meg, her father, and Calvin find themselves in a planet of healing and understanding known as "Ixchel" where Meg is found by a mysterious creature named "Aunt Beast" who rescues her from the frigid weather to keep her warm while struggling to fight against the It. Meg discusses with her father about leaving Charles Wallace behind, to which Aunt Beast comforts her, as she tells Meg not to fear about losing hope. As Calvin approaches her, she discusses about not giving up in trying to rescue Charles Wallace from It. Calvin then explains to Meg about the powerful darkness from Camazotz which attacked Meg while in the tesseract as explained by Aunt Beast herself. Aunt Beast then approaches Meg who understands her frustrations of rescuing Charles from the Man with Red Eyes to which as Meg talks to the alien, she explains to her that on Ixchel, the residential creatures just like Aunt Beast, they "feel that things not as they seem but they are" just as she tells Meg to lend her a hand.
Later, Meg looks across the letters by her house to which Meg stares at another Meg to which the other Meg in her mind berates her for being hopeless and useless to which it is known that Meg is practicing to look for anything that is unseen as part of Aunt Beast's advice. Back at Ixchel, Aunt Beast explains to Meg that the only way to fight the darkness and defeat It and all of his evil forces is to discover all that is unseen. She also explains to Meg that all things that can be seen are temporary while all things that cannot be seen are eternal, telling her to take time and concentrate to know that what she seeks is like music so that Meg would be able to find anything that cannot be seen. Being tasked to find anything unseen, Meg wanders across the chamber and encounters Mrs. Which who tells her that she, her father, and her friends must return to Earth while she, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Whatsit will take care of Charles Wallace.
While discussing with her, she explains to Mrs. Which that she herself cannot lose faith with her friends, explaining that she sticks together with her friends with loyalty to which Mrs. Which explains to her to know if loyalty is the one causing her to be furious and other problems she had with her friend Calvin and her father while trying to rescue Charles Wallace to which while discussing a plan how to rescue Charles, the reflection of Mrs. Which suddenly disappears just as she appears physically in front of her, explaining that trying to explain that Charles Wallace from the Man with Red Eyes is not going to be easy, much to Meg explaining to her that Charles is still her brother while Meg tries to ask Mrs. Which to know if she remembers any of Charles' moments to which she explains that she has never experienced human passion before in a strange universe just as she studies Meg being very curious about Charles just as Mrs. Which hopes that Charles could be rescued and returned home just before Meg leaves.
Meg meets Calvin again who loses faith about losing Charles to which while talking with him, she explains to her friend that there is something he is afraid of to which Calvin shares his fear of not being like Meg to which Meg explains to her friend that she is now afraid of losing faith in trying to rescue Charles Wallace. Later when Meg returns to her father alongside Calvin, Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who appear in front of the Meg, her father, and Calvin where they discuss with the three about the possibility of reuniting Charles back to his family to which it is explained that grace could be the only way to fulfill their mission in defeating the It and his powerful forces.
After remembering what Mrs. Whatsit said to the three, Mr. Murry tells his daughter to be herself in order to cheer her up to which Meg's father happily embraces his daughter, followed by Calvin happily praising Meg just before she approaches Aunt Beast. However, Mrs. Which explains to Meg that she prided much on her wisdom, but she has taught her much, followed by Mrs. Who explaining to Meg not to give up faith in herself in order to accomplish her plans of defeating the Man with Red Eyes and rescuing Charles. As Meg encounters Aunt Beast who embraces her, she sees Mrs. Whatsit behind her where she explains to her that she feels happiness in her mind, which the darkness does not have to which she explains that only her faith that she is to find for herself just as Meg travels back to Camazotz again via tesseract in order to help her save Charles and finish her goal in defeating the Man with Red Eyes. Meg manages to return to Camazotz, rescue Charles Wallace, and defeat the It, undoing all the negativity the It began spreading across the universe.
Following the It's defeat, the darkness was wiped away thanks to Meg who saved her father. This results in all the negativity throughout Ixchel to be wiped away.
===A Wrinkle in Time (2018)===
Ixchel does exist in the final version of the 2018 film adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time. However, it barely appears and was limited to a single cameo unlike in the 2003 adaptation. Ixchel is an icy-covered planet inhabited by warm creatures used to the frigid temperatures within the planet - notably Aunt Beast and other species of her.
In this film, Ixchel briefly appears during a montage of planets where Dr. Murry stopped by as recapped by the Happy Medium. During the montage, the landscape of Ixchel briefly appears, followed by another shot of a large group of large sightless creatures walking across Ixchel (linked to Aunt Beast and her clan) just before the scene loops to Camazotz. However, Meg manages to rescue her father, defeat the It, and undo all his negativity in time, resulting in all the negativity throughout Ixchel to be wiped away.
====Deleted Scene====
Despite only appearing in one shot in the entire finalized version of the film, Ixchel had more screen time in a deleted scene titled "Aunt Beast", which is found in the Blu-ray and digital releases where little footage of Aunt Beast was filmed. In the scene, Meg encounters Aunt Beast in Ixchel just as she heals Meg who is regaining her strength after her battle against the It. Mrs. Who tells her that she is the result of a love of thousands. When Meg asks Mrs. Who if the creature comforting her has a name, she replies to her that the name of the creature taking care of her is "Aunt Beast" just as Aunt Beast continues comforting her, showing unconditional love to her while Mrs. Who teaches Meg that she must be determined to fight her frustration to her father. Aunt Beast continues to heal her while Mrs. Who feels happy that Meg is trusting the love that Aunt Beast is showing to her. Given the fact that Aunt Beast was in Jennifer Lee's original script can also give a clue that Ixchel was also in said script as well according to the optional commentary for the deleted scene. A Wrinkle in Time (2018) audio commentary (A Wrinkle in Time (2018) Blu-ray / Digital platforms)Deleted scene "Aunt Beast" (A Wrinkle in Time (2018) Blu-ray / Digital platforms
==Trivia==
*The name "Ixchel" is derived from a associated with midwifery and medicine in Mayan culture who was often confused with the where historical sources provide no evidence that the goddess was named as such.
==References==
Category:A Wrinkle in Time
Category:Planets