Excerpt from
A Toltec Wisdom Book”,
By Don Miguel Ruiz,
Amber-Allen Publishing,
1997
The Toltec
Thousands
of years ago,
the Toltec
were known
throughout
southern Mexico
as
“women
and
men
of knowledge.”
Anthropologists
have spoken
of the Toltec
as a nation
or a race,
but in fact,
the Toltec
were
scientists and artists
who
formed a society
to
explore
and
conserve
the spiritual
knowledge
and
practices
of the ancient ones.
They came together
as masters
(naguals)
and students
at Teotihuacan,
the ancient city
of pyramids
outside Mexico City
known as
the place
where
“Man Becomes God.”
Over
the millennia,
the naguals
were forced
to conceal
the
ancestral wisdom
and
maintain
its existence
in obscurity.
European conquest,
coupled
with
rampant misuse
of personal power
by
a few
of the apprentices,
made it necessary
to shield
the knowledge
from those
who
were
not prepared
to
use it wisely
or
who might
intentionally misuse it
for personal gain.
Fortunately,
the esoteric
Toltec knowledge
was embodied
and passed on
through
generations
by
different lineages
of naguals.
Though
it remained veiled
in secrecy
for
hundreds of years,
ancient prophecies
foretold
the coming
of an age
when
it would be
necessary
to
return the wisdom
to the people.
Now,
don Miguel Ruiz,
a nagual
from
the Eagle Knight
lineage,
has been guided
to share with us
the powerful teachings
of the Toltec.
Toltec knowledge
arises
from
the same
essential unity of truth
as
all
the sacred
esoteric traditions
found
around the world.
Though
it is not
a religion,
it honors
all
the spiritual masters
who
have taught
on the earth.
While
it does
embrace
spirit,
it is
most accurately
described
as
a way of life,
distinguished
by
the ready
accessibility
of
happiness
and
love.
+++
Introduction
“The
Smokey Mirror”
Three thousand
years ago,
there was
a human
just like
you and me
who lived
near a city
surrounded
by mountains.
The human
was studying
to become
a
medicine man,
to learn
the knowledge
of
his ancestors,
but
he didn’t
completely agree
with
everything
he was learning.
In his heart,
he felt
there must be
something more.
One day,
as he slept
in a cave,
he dreamed
that
he saw
his own body
sleeping.
He came out
of the cave
on the night
of
a new moon.
The sky was clear,
and he could see
millions of stars.
Then
something happened
inside of him
that
transformed his life
forever.
He looked
at his hands,
he felt
his body,
and he heard
his own voice
say,
“I am
made
of Light;
I am
made
of stars.”
He looked
at
the stars again,
and
he realized
that
it’s not
the stars
that create
light,
but rather
light
that creates
the stars.
“Everything
is made
of light,”
he said,
“and
the space
in-between
isn’t empty.”
And he knew
that
everything
that exists
is
one living being,
and
that light
is
the messenger
of life,
because
it is alive
and
contains
all information.
Then
he realized
that
although
he was made
of stars,
he was
not
those stars.
“I am
in-between
the stars,”
he thought.
So
he called
the stars
the tonal
and
the light
between
the stars
the nagual,
and he knew
that
what created
the harmony
and
space
between the two
is Life
or Intent.
Without Life,
the tonal
and
the nagual
could not exist.
Life
is the force
of
the absolute,
the supreme,
the Creator
who
creates everything.
This
is what
he discovered:
Everything
in existence
is
a manifestation
of
the
one living being
we call
God.
Everything
is
God.
And
he came
to
the conclusion
that
human perception
is merely
light
perceiving
light.
He also saw
that
matter
is
a mirror –
everything
is
a mirror
that
reflects light
and
creates images
of that light –
and
the world
of illusion,
the Dream,
is
just like smoke
which
doesn’t allow us
to see
what
we really are.
“The
real us
is
pure love,
pure light,”
he said.
This realization
changed
his life.
Once he knew
what
he really was,
he looked around
at other humans
and
the rest of nature,
and
he was amazed
at
what he saw.
He saw
himself
in everything –
in every human,
in every animal,
in every tree,
in the water,
in the rain,
in the clouds,
in the earth.
And he saw
that Life
mixed
the tonal
and
the nagual
in different ways
to create
billions
of manifestations
of Life.
In those
few moments
he comprehended
everything.
He was
very excited,
and
his heart
was filled
with peace.
He could
hardly wait
to
tell his people
what
he had discovered.
But
there were
no words
to explain it.
He tried
to
tell the others,
but
they
could not
understand.
They could see
that
he had changed,
that
something beautiful
was
radiating
from
his eyes
and his voice.
They noticed
that
he no longer
had judgment
about
anything
or
anyone.
He was
no longer
like
anyone else.
He
had discovered
that
he was
a mirror
for
the
rest of the people,
a mirror
in which
he could see
himself.
“Everyone
is
a mirror,”
he said.
He saw
himself
in everyone,
but
nobody
saw him
as
themselves.
And he realized
that
everyone
was
dreaming,
but
without
awareness,
without knowing
what
they really are.
They
couldn’t
see him
as
themselves
because
there was
a wall of fog
or smoke
between
the mirrors.
And
that wall
of fog
was made
by
the interpretation
of
images of light –
the Dream
of humans.
Then he knew
that he
would soon
forget
all
that he
had learned.
He wanted
to remember
all the visions
he had had,
so
he decided
to call himself
the Smokey Mirror
so that
he would always
know
that
matter
is
a mirror
and
the smoke
in-between
is
what keeps us
from
knowing
what we are.
He said,
“I am
the Smokey Mirror,
because
I am
looking at myself
in all of you,
but
we
don’t recognize
each other
because of
the smoke
in-between us.
That smoke
is
the Dream,
and
the mirror
is you,
the dreamer.”
+++
[Taken from
Pages
xiii to xix]
A Toltec Wisdom Book”,
By Don Miguel Ruiz,
Amber-Allen Publishing,
1997
The Toltec
Thousands
of years ago,
the Toltec
were known
throughout
southern Mexico
as
“women
and
men
of knowledge.”
Anthropologists
have spoken
of the Toltec
as a nation
or a race,
but in fact,
the Toltec
were
scientists and artists
who
formed a society
to
explore
and
conserve
the spiritual
knowledge
and
practices
of the ancient ones.
They came together
as masters
(naguals)
and students
at Teotihuacan,
the ancient city
of pyramids
outside Mexico City
known as
the place
where
“Man Becomes God.”
Over
the millennia,
the naguals
were forced
to conceal
the
ancestral wisdom
and
maintain
its existence
in obscurity.
European conquest,
coupled
with
rampant misuse
of personal power
by
a few
of the apprentices,
made it necessary
to shield
the knowledge
from those
who
were
not prepared
to
use it wisely
or
who might
intentionally misuse it
for personal gain.
Fortunately,
the esoteric
Toltec knowledge
was embodied
and passed on
through
generations
by
different lineages
of naguals.
Though
it remained veiled
in secrecy
for
hundreds of years,
ancient prophecies
foretold
the coming
of an age
when
it would be
necessary
to
return the wisdom
to the people.
Now,
don Miguel Ruiz,
a nagual
from
the Eagle Knight
lineage,
has been guided
to share with us
the powerful teachings
of the Toltec.
Toltec knowledge
arises
from
the same
essential unity of truth
as
all
the sacred
esoteric traditions
found
around the world.
Though
it is not
a religion,
it honors
all
the spiritual masters
who
have taught
on the earth.
While
it does
embrace
spirit,
it is
most accurately
described
as
a way of life,
distinguished
by
the ready
accessibility
of
happiness
and
love.
+++
Introduction
“The
Smokey Mirror”
Three thousand
years ago,
there was
a human
just like
you and me
who lived
near a city
surrounded
by mountains.
The human
was studying
to become
a
medicine man,
to learn
the knowledge
of
his ancestors,
but
he didn’t
completely agree
with
everything
he was learning.
In his heart,
he felt
there must be
something more.
One day,
as he slept
in a cave,
he dreamed
that
he saw
his own body
sleeping.
He came out
of the cave
on the night
of
a new moon.
The sky was clear,
and he could see
millions of stars.
Then
something happened
inside of him
that
transformed his life
forever.
He looked
at his hands,
he felt
his body,
and he heard
his own voice
say,
“I am
made
of Light;
I am
made
of stars.”
He looked
at
the stars again,
and
he realized
that
it’s not
the stars
that create
light,
but rather
light
that creates
the stars.
“Everything
is made
of light,”
he said,
“and
the space
in-between
isn’t empty.”
And he knew
that
everything
that exists
is
one living being,
and
that light
is
the messenger
of life,
because
it is alive
and
contains
all information.
Then
he realized
that
although
he was made
of stars,
he was
not
those stars.
“I am
in-between
the stars,”
he thought.
So
he called
the stars
the tonal
and
the light
between
the stars
the nagual,
and he knew
that
what created
the harmony
and
space
between the two
is Life
or Intent.
Without Life,
the tonal
and
the nagual
could not exist.
Life
is the force
of
the absolute,
the supreme,
the Creator
who
creates everything.
This
is what
he discovered:
Everything
in existence
is
a manifestation
of
the
one living being
we call
God.
Everything
is
God.
And
he came
to
the conclusion
that
human perception
is merely
light
perceiving
light.
He also saw
that
matter
is
a mirror –
everything
is
a mirror
that
reflects light
and
creates images
of that light –
and
the world
of illusion,
the Dream,
is
just like smoke
which
doesn’t allow us
to see
what
we really are.
“The
real us
is
pure love,
pure light,”
he said.
This realization
changed
his life.
Once he knew
what
he really was,
he looked around
at other humans
and
the rest of nature,
and
he was amazed
at
what he saw.
He saw
himself
in everything –
in every human,
in every animal,
in every tree,
in the water,
in the rain,
in the clouds,
in the earth.
And he saw
that Life
mixed
the tonal
and
the nagual
in different ways
to create
billions
of manifestations
of Life.
In those
few moments
he comprehended
everything.
He was
very excited,
and
his heart
was filled
with peace.
He could
hardly wait
to
tell his people
what
he had discovered.
But
there were
no words
to explain it.
He tried
to
tell the others,
but
they
could not
understand.
They could see
that
he had changed,
that
something beautiful
was
radiating
from
his eyes
and his voice.
They noticed
that
he no longer
had judgment
about
anything
or
anyone.
He was
no longer
like
anyone else.
He
had discovered
that
he was
a mirror
for
the
rest of the people,
a mirror
in which
he could see
himself.
“Everyone
is
a mirror,”
he said.
He saw
himself
in everyone,
but
nobody
saw him
as
themselves.
And he realized
that
everyone
was
dreaming,
but
without
awareness,
without knowing
what
they really are.
They
couldn’t
see him
as
themselves
because
there was
a wall of fog
or smoke
between
the mirrors.
And
that wall
of fog
was made
by
the interpretation
of
images of light –
the Dream
of humans.
Then he knew
that he
would soon
forget
all
that he
had learned.
He wanted
to remember
all the visions
he had had,
so
he decided
to call himself
the Smokey Mirror
so that
he would always
know
that
matter
is
a mirror
and
the smoke
in-between
is
what keeps us
from
knowing
what we are.
He said,
“I am
the Smokey Mirror,
because
I am
looking at myself
in all of you,
but
we
don’t recognize
each other
because of
the smoke
in-between us.
That smoke
is
the Dream,
and
the mirror
is you,
the dreamer.”
+++
[Taken from
Pages
xiii to xix]
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