"Flight of the Warrior" Oil on Canvas Tim Ha
"Flight of the Warrior"
Oil on Canvas Tim Ha
Toltec teachings come from Mexico and Central America and have been passed down through many generations and taken different forms. There are several definitions of Toltec. On one hand, the word "Toltec" can be used to describe a person of knowledge. There were historical Toltec people that lived in ancient Mexico and were part of the Olmec and Teotihuacan cultures. There were a group of people actually known as the Toltecs who did create the city of Tula and the culture around it. The teachings spread to the Aztecs, the Mayans, and the Wirrarika people of Mexico and parts of the historic Toltec tradition are still carried out by the Mayan and Wirrarika people living today, these people are known as the modern day Toltecs.
Toltecs and Toltec practices became well known to the rest of the world after the publication of "The Teachings of don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" by Carlos Castaneda in 1969. Castaneda had written a series of books about his encounters with don Juan, don Genaro, and a party of modern warriors living in northen Mexico and the Southwest portions of the United States. Castaneda's own party consisted of other authors, Florinda Donner, Taisha Abelar, who also wrote books of their experiences with don Juan and his party.
Castaneda's work led other anthropologists and writers to look at the practices of the Toltecs. Among them was Victor Sanchez who tried to make the practices in Castaneda's books accessible to the average person, this was published in "The Teachings of don Carlos". Sanchez went on to work with the Wirrarika people and published "Toltecs of the New Millineum" and later "The Toltec Path of Recapitulation". Victor started El Arte de Vivar a Proposito (The Art of Living Purposefully) which conducts workshops in Mexico and the United States.
Toltec teachings became more popular with the work of don Miguel Ruiz who wrote "The Four Agreements" and "The Mastery of Love", both books that distill the Toltec teachings down to their root and present a very simple, and accessible message that can be used by anyone. The Sixth Sun Foundation grew up around don Miguel and now has a nationwide network of teacher, workshops, and Power Journeys.
Other Toltec teachers or authors incorporating Toltec ideas are Susan Gregg, Theun Mares, and Ken Eagle Feather.
Toltec teachings have some common themes across all these traditions. I would say that these basic themes are:
Most Toltec traditions also have a strong bent toward working with natural energies and with the fact that we are part of a totally interconnected world. Victor Sanchez talks of working with the Five Poderios - Grandfather Fire (Abuelo Fuego), Mother Earth (Poderio del Terra), Father Sun (Poderio del Sol), the Sea (Poderio del Mar), and the Wind (Poderio del Viendo).
I was introduced to Toltec ideas in a college English course my freshman year at Iowa State University. For a reading assignment we were asked to read a portion of "The Teachings of don Juan" by Carlos Castaneda. Being in college in the mid-70's and reading about drug use with an old Mexican Indian was just too exciting and I spent the next several months devouring the books that Castaneda had written to date. As the years went on I bought and read each new book that came out but never really considered the Toltec path to be one that could be walked my a normal guy like myself. Instead I got very involved with Zen Buddhism for years and still consider myself a Buddhist of sorts though no longer with a specific school.
In late 2001 I went through, possibly with the rest of the nation, a spiritual crisis of sorts. I began searching for a path that resonated with me, a path with heart. I discovered a resurgence of Toltec ideas had appeared in recent years and I read books by Susan Gregg, don Miguel Ruiz, and Victor Sanchez. I attended a one-day workshop by don Miguel, then later an evening talk by Heather Ash, one of don Miguel's students. I began to see the practicality and accessibility of Toltec teachings for my life and took action.
In February 2002 I joined the SpiritWeavers apprenticeship group that was forming in Seattle under Heather Ash. For the next 13 moons I was part of a community of warriors that met several evenings a month and one long weekend a month for ritual, teaching, and inner work.
The first cycle of six months was really working on the Mastery of Awareness, becoming aware of our own Parasite, the Judge, and the Victim. This cycle was very inspiring to me and led me to work on a series of paintings called Visions Along the Toltec Path that really expressed what I had experienced in paint. The second cycle of seven months was dealing with the Mastery of Transformation and a lot of energetic work on ourselves, working via the Chakra system. I don't want to let out the details of this training because it is something that you just have to experience for oneself and knowing all the stops along the way would take the adventure out of the path.
I see the work done in this apprenticeship as being very powerful and life changing. I went into the program setting my intent toward self acceptance and have definitely experienced that in the course of the year. I feel a total transformation of my being from one that was fairly closed and dwelling in fear to one that is much more open to life and coming more and more from a place of love.
My personal path has grown from the SpiritWeavers program, the work of Victor Sanchez, and my own personal bent toward nature and the outdoors. My path is my life right now, there is no separation. I paint, I wade rivers and beaches, I walk trails - all of this is part of my spiritual path and it is my life. I consider fly fishing, kayaking, and backpacking to all be a deep part of my spiritual life. Through this interaction with nature I have found a deep sense of peace in the natural world and have found I can learn a lot just from interacting with and observing nature.
Fly fishing, for example, brought out, and allowed me to develop my nature as a Stalker. Fishing tiny dry flies to trout in a spring creek, for example, requires good stalking skills. One must observe the fish, figure out what he is eating, maybe which side he prefers to eat on, choose an appropriate imitation, stealth fully wade into position, cast, and maybe hook a fish. Maybe not, then you have to observe closer, make changes, and sooner or later you will be rewarded with a take. Taking these lessons into my personal life, I saw that I had to closely observe my own habits in order to figure out what was feeding them and then find artful ways to replace an old habit or agreement that wasn't working with one that does indeed work for me.
Working with the Poderios is a big part of my personal path. Through fishing and kayaking I had developed a deep relationship with water, I could go out for the day and just wade in the water and feel as if my spirit had been cleansed and healed. This is the power of the water, the Poderio del Mar, to heal and cleanse. I have always had this affinity and now I am taking the time to develop a much closer relationship to the Sea and the water. From Father Sun I am learning my own light in this world and from Grandfather Fire I have found the passion to create from Spirit. The painting series I did was my own creative voice finding a way to share the teachings that I had received with others.
Recapitulation work has also been a big part of my path. This was a tough practice to get fully into. I started working on my recapitulation lists and was put off by the enormity of the task and set it down for a time. I did small, daily recapitulation work for a time and finally gained enough personal power to dig back into the real task at hand. Spending several weeks straight I managed to finish the lists, build a recapitulation box and begin, in earnest, the practice of recapitulation. This is one of the most powerful practices I have experienced.