Poem " Buddha Descending The Mountain" By Ganko D.

In tradition of posting poems that mean something, I have dug out this one, that I have saved years ago. I remember the exact feeling that forced me to save it - it was what enlightenment is all about. In Zen, it is non-spoken and cannot be talked about rationally. I think this poem passes some indescribable feeling that I liked and captured. It is a Japanese poem translated from Russian so please forgive me for any inadequacies in translation since I tried to keep the original feel of it.


Verily I tell you - this is a man flowing like a mountain stream!
Why be surprised that the clouds are returning to the native mountains?

Thinned out after six years of asceticism,
You can even see the bones,
No, now he is completely different from the way he used to be.

Licked the ice, gnawed the bark - what has he accomplished? 

Overcame his flesh, became as thin as a sliver.

With 300 sermons for forty nine years fooled the madmen
While in a dream telling them about the dream.

Immovable, sat on the Snow Mountain.
What could he have accomplished?

His coming was useless,
Misfortune for people and gods.
For two thousand years no one noticed him
Only today when I met him I understood.

Body Stung: The Power of Tattoo

this is a Celtic Spiral tattoo on my left shoulder done by the esteemed Pat Fish in Santa Barbara, Cali.

It embodies the movement, and the power of momentum. In the words of Pat herself its "the soul of the cosmos made visible".

I have several tattoos. Got them on different occasions from different individuals (both men and women). Happy to say that some of them are quite well known and for a good reason. I am proud of my tattoos because they are an indivisible part of me - they will go when I do.

Obviously, one can get a tattoo anytime they want - anywhere, the only prerequisite is to pay the fee and sometimes sign the agreement sheet that you are not holding the salon responsible if you don't like the work, but I think there is much more to the tattoo, and putting ink on your body without thinking is like driving drunk and without a license - it endangers you and those around you.

The markings on the body are as old as the Earth herself - there must have been an urgent need in an ancient man or a woman to mark themselves, while maintaining agility and awareness necessary to keep surviving. That is, verses markings that will not allow you for a movement for sometime, such as the Samoan p'ea. Because of its complexity and long time that takes to do it, an initiate will have to wait until the wounds, which are oftentimes dramatic will heal. They are invalid, cannot move and have to be fed by close family and friends.

I am not talking about that, since I have never taken part in a p'ea ceremony. But I thought of it, and after reading some material I wasn't sure anymore whether I really want to go through that ordeal. I am not really afraid of pain that much, but on that scale - well its a different thing and requires different resource both physical and not least financial.

One, my friends, should think hard before getting a tattoo. That is because (and reasons may vary depending on an individual) a tattoo is basically a window into your soul. It is the most intimate thing - to mark your body. And whether you want it or not it will be there forever - I don't believe a laser surgery can remove a tattoo completely - may be visually, but the mental scars will not only remain longer but intensify because of your commitment to be rid of that which caused you to have a tattoo.

A tattoo is an intimate piece, and you can make it up anyway you want depending on how you feel, and how your imagination dictates what you want. It is no wonder that many people get tats during their very tender teenage years, and those tats often times look like scribble, or something out of a horrid dream. This is because it is the imagination, and perhaps peer pressure dictate to the kid what they should be having, and since there are no parameters, and no rules - they come up with whatever they want. If there is a good day - the tattoo will reflect that, say with an image of a cake. If it is bad - a teary face, etc.

But beyond that, there is a kind of a tattoo that has nothing to do with what you feel. Yes, simply that. It is a tribal way, and it has to come to you. Of course one has to be a part of some tribe that has a tattoo in their culture to truly be an initiate, but what I am talking about is becoming a part of universal tribe that simply aims to make this world more beautiful by adding imagery to their bodies.

From what I see in the news media, the Internet, and just outdoors - many do succeed. The astounding beauty of the work completed multiplied by the awesome artistry of the technique and great planning. Or just a circle, a line, and ornament, or a symbol. When I feel that the tattoo clicks with my aesthetic I want to have one too, perhaps not same, but in a similar genre. I particularly like minimalist tattoos that are just simply ancient symbols, or their modern interpretation.

Tattoos, no matter how lovely you find them on other peoples' bodies should not be reproduced and serious salons and artists are very stern about that. Tattoo is a personalized symbol done on the individual's very skin so copying it is a disgrace to the artist. However, there are so called "flash" tattoos that are meaningless repetitions and others perhaps with some meaning in them. Whatever the case may be, please don't go into the salon and say - "I want a flash tattoo", that will just be laughable and show how immature you are to get one. Even if the tattoo that you chose is a generic symbol such as an "anchor" it will be done by a human being on your skin in a place where you will need it to stay forever and ever. Think about it.

The study of tattoo is a study of culture whist it comes. And I can't emphasize to you how important it is to know what the imagery embodied in the tattoo means. The images, coming from certain cultures were intended to mean something, and to empower its wearer - without that they would have no value in the society. And tattoos, such as the ta'moko of the Maori, the tatau, and others around the world have a tremendous value to their wearers. I think that is way different then seeing a famous star "inked". I frankly, feel that these people are often times emotionally unstable - their money and fame hasn't helped their consciousness to mature to the point were they can soberly decide about what they want. Otherwise, why would they mistreat their bodies in that way? In any case, I am not the one who should be judging them, but it is my opinion, and a point of this blog, that one should think hard and for a long time if needed, before they put a tat on their bodies. Study and learn what is it that you really want to say, and whether that will say just that. If success, it is a life time satisfaction - physical and spiritual, and also other that is hard to explain.

Poem: Morning Tai Chi

In the following number of blogs I will publish some poems that I have wrote in the past. Some of them seem silly now, but anyways, I think someone might enjoy them just as a momentary outburst if nothing more. Thank you for your attention,

Iggy Spirit.

 

 

 

Morning Tai Chi

Years go by fast
The kids are getting older
But I am still a kid untouched by time
Others ask me, "Why don't you be more responsible? Grow up!"
I just smile and shrug my shoulders - there is nothing else I can answer them.
Well, sometimes I tell them to grow up instead.
I am sad about those past and happy about those present.
There is a deep silence within me.
Little do we know young or old - we are strange creatures and I am strange too
What can the riches of the world do to me? Or fame and glory?
I am just too pessimistic to argue.
Nothing really matters but a cup of tea or wine, and a good company,
I do Tai Chi in the morning every day - could this be a reason for all this chaos?
Yes, or no, whatever the answer may be, that doesn't matter either.
Perhaps time will have some answers - perhaps not.

Invite Eris to your feast.

Greetings, I am Iggy Spirit, and my today's blog post is about a myth, a very educational myth that came down to us from the Ancient Greeks.

As you may recall from Hesiod, the marriage of hero Peleus and Thetis, a sea goddess was a major event that was celebrated by both humans and gods. Reason for that being that Thetis, who was known for her extreme beauty was being wooed by Zeus himself, with only one small problem - he received a prophecy that Thetis's son was going to become greater than his own dad. Zeus, being an autocrat and not willing  to surrender his throne to anyone, even his own son, decided to marry Thetis off to a human hero, one of the Argonauts - Peleus, who was famous for his warrior's prowess and good looks.
    There was everyone invited to the wedding and they all came with their own special gifts: to make life for the newlyweds exceptionally comfortable. But there was one guest that was ignored, Eris - the Goddess of Discord wasn't invited to the table. She was known to start trouble and nobody liked her. Eris became really upset, as she was sensitive and threw in a gift that became a center of attention at the wedding - it was a golden apple with an inscribed sign "to the most beautiful". Gold was especially valuable in those days, and a piece such as this funny object would of course be a very valued edition to anyone's treasure chest - goddess' or not.
     In any case,  three goddesses became enamored with the quest of being titled the most beautiful, Mother of the Gods Hera, the Virgin Goddess of warrior wisdom Athena, and the Goddess of Love and female beauty Aphrodite. The argument escalated to the point where goddesses had to look for a human referees, who became Paris, a young shepherd who was also a long lost son of the Trojan king Priam.
      Well, what is a point of this "apple of discord"? I think it is obvious that if Eris would have been invited to the marriage despite her wicked role on the Olympus, there would probably be no discord at all.   
      All the wedding planner had to think of was to how to keep discord happy and content. Apparently, no one really cared to think that Eris was what she was because she was created that way by all the years of neglect and ignoring by her fellow Gods on the Mount Olympus. So, the lesson is - do not neglect discord, and feel free to invite her to your private party. Why? Oh simply out of compassion, and also deeper vision. Look beyond into the personality of the discord and see that behind the seemingly malicious behavior there's a hurt individual, and who knows may be if you do it a few times Discord will turn into Harmonia.

Take care, and keep drawing great inspiration from the ancient mythology!

Mythological Reality

When I was a kid growing up in Tiraspol (now Transnistria, then part of the Moldavian SSR) I have gotten my hands on many books, probably like many children at the time. There was no Internet and the data streamed through the old and new pages of the bind sheets of paper. I was fascinated by the world of books. My parents even gave me books about the books, such as their history as well as history of the printing press and so on. At that early age I was introduced to the wonders of encyclopedia.

The first true remembering comes to me about the book Myths and Legends of the Ancient Greece, which included the Argonauts and the Heracles' 12 Deeds. The drawings were fascinating black and white pencil drawings, which were very true to live. I was drawn into that world, and traveled extensively with the Argonauts and Heracles on their journeys. I didn't realize how far-reaching the effect of the Greek Myths would be on my life, but indeed they have shaped a lot of my present spiritual believes.

In that tender age I didn't realize that myths are not really myths, they are "religious" writings in the sense that the cultures that gave birth to them were concerned with the transmission of the accumulated knowledge as much as with the entertainment if not more. The singing of these stories wasn't a mindless form of entertainment - it was meant to enlighten, teach, give you a good footing in the labyrinths of life. Besides, the stories introduced the listener to a special reality where the accumulation of power and wisdom was instant as was the communion with the gods. A listener went away empowered, and never forgot that voice of Homer, Bayan, or any of the other in the myriad of now forgotten names of talented story-tellers, and performers.

The Myths were the first and major form of entertainment for me personally, because they were so interesting, so enticing, and the drawings so well-done. I fell in love with the characters and their courage divided by each one personally, without realizing that these heroes weren't human but super-human - they possessed special talents in either sports or arts, and were a force to be reckoned with on their own. Jason was a powerful prince-leader. Heracles a strong man like no other. Castor and Pollux were god-like bowman and boxer, Orpheus a musician of such genius that even the gods would request his audience, and so on. I also didn't realize that each one of these had a cult of their own, and was worshipped in the Greek world. However, this aspect wasn't important to me then, but what became important is that these heroes were on the journey through the unknown lands and fought monsters, showing their prowess, finally returning to their destination - their home stronger and wiser, and sometimes not, sometimes not returning at all.

Other times they, like Jason himself became infatuated with power, and forgot those who gave it to them, Medea, the sorceress lover/wife, without whom he wouldn't know how to steal the Golden Fleece. As a result of his arrogance and ignorance Jason loses his children when Medea kills them in a fit of rage after which she kills herself. He then is doomed to spend his life lamenting, with his years ending tragically - he goes up on his Argo, the ship that took him on his journey, he scorns at the gods and his life. At the dramatic moment the floor under him cracks and he falls to his death.

The idol that made Argo invulnerable was a specially carved statuette a "paladi" of Athena Pallatha, the Wise Virgin Goddess. Only with her approval were the heroes willing to venture forth. In fact no self-respecting hero would ever go anywhere far and dangerous without her blessing, the incarnation of Wisdom. This makes you sort of think about wisdom in more practical terms.

There are many metaphors and such in the story of Argonauts, and the ones that I mentioned are only a cap of the iceberg. The Argonauts were a team, and drew their power from the understanding of their goals and their mission. Not unlike modern Navy they took great risks with the jolly and light heart, trusting their power and their patron deities. These are some of the adult lessons that I am able to learn later in life, and I am grateful to that little book that my Mom brought me from the library one evening. I will continue discussion about the myths in subsequent posts.

Embrace It.

I was compelled to write this blog post after reading a post on a similar topic by the esteemed Galina Krasskova in her lovely blog called the "Ganglieri's Grove" under the title "Loving Savage Gods" which can be found in the following link.

https://krasskova.wordpress.com/?s=loving+savage


If you have accepted the long list in a never-ending series of the multitude of forms of that which I call simply That-Which-Is-Out-There, or just the Great Out There for the fact that it is outside of our Selves, you  have probably also accepted the fact that among the other things one of the major ruling forces in the adept's lives becomes one that rules truly by an iron hand and which on the bodily level is interpreted as the tremble, a shake one gets when the intensity of perception is drastically raised. It is definitely a higher state of consciousness if you haven't wasted it on freaking out.

These special awe-inspiring states where artificially induced with the help of the musical instruments and body movements, incantations, power plants and power objects and where considered sacred by the adepts and shamans of old. These are the workings of the Great Out There, the force that is capable of disintegrating the personal self to which we have long been clinging, and even kill....Unless we except and deal with it through an intense process of learning, which is what the whole process is for!

During this special, sacred time one is truly checked for their wits and guts, their stamina and their patience, and indeed sees the "face of terror". While sounding somewhat cryptic and even archaic this may have been the point underlying many "shamanic" initiations as without this special awe-inspiring sense they would be just tasteless, like a good meal without its salt. It is that image and aspect of the Deity that is not nice, not pleasant, and does not play favorites. It equalizes the rich and poor under the same umbrella of fearsomeness and ruthlessness, which is also strangely enough -  love.

Indeed, if one is addicted to the sweetness of whatever it is, as Galina rightfully points out we are venerating only a part of a god, our own idea which is limited, not the God who is limitless. In order for a devotion to be true one has to embrace the sweet and the bitter, and the whatever else life may bring - it is all part of it! The underlying reality of worship is what is sometimes being referred to as "the mind and the eyes of god"  - it is a full merging of a personal and god consciousnesses. Of course that is easier said then done, but it is not impossible! We simply have to forget all that we learned, go to our roots, listen to our ancestors, take care of our personal history, do a little bit of daily practice or worship,
and so it happens.

That said, it is easy to fall into an extreme of thinking that whatever your mood, or personal inclination is at the moment - that is just it, that is the face of god. It is, and you may be right, but it is impermanent, it is transitional, and there is no need to be stuck on any one mood. Time passes, the night becomes young again, and the great Goddess of the Dawn will shine at your face as if saying, "Don't you worry kid - the world IS ruled by love".

The Delicacy of a Perfect Vase

I am looking at the long-forgotten amphora,

Dust on its sides, its hips are wide,

No, I haven't forgotten you my long-lost friend, you are as perfect as ever,

Who put so much work into your shape, who chose the color scheme worthy of the high Olympus,
Your left side is matted to match the handle, and your right side glees of orange, reflecting the
fullness of an elaborate cherry palette on the inner side of the thin neck,

I see the hound shape raising from your depth, he is jumping to his master, who is a nymph or a goddess contemplating the veil prepared by the Arachna, the greatest of human weavers they said,
who lost only to the goddess herself, never did she gave up, forever bitter....

I see the young breeze clouds gathering on the west, they are foretelling a good beach day,
and the spider web of the phosphoric threads is there too,

Your sculptor was a man, an old man with young hands, he listened for the wind, he smiled on the adversity, and he had his wine when he wanted to,
His many years of artful concentration made it easy to create the shape worthy of the high Olympus,

...as though he knew I would be watching it on this summer day, and thinking of him and of you.

what is Zen?

"Zen" is a transcendental state. The word itself comes from the Sanskrit "dyana" which means "meditation". In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Dhyana is defined as "focusing of related or same sanskaras (fine mental elements) on the same spot". Thus the meditation process becomes a  non-breakable "focusing". As it intensifies so does your capacity to concentrate. Concentration is non other than the statement of intent, because it is a play of attention - to concentrate on something. We "pay" our attention, even.

So that is what "Zen" is semantically, but spiritually, it is freedom. Zen is suchness, and Zen is otherness. There is no way to adequately describe it, so the Eastern schools of Zen have come up with an irrational process, leading directly to the state of "being there". The maxim "this mind is a Buddha" is one of them.

To "be there" is intending of "thatness", the final destination, the exalted state, the Samadhi, which is where it begins. In truth, I don't think there is a way of knowing what that is exactly, unless someone is already there, like a teacher, who you can copy, or you practice hard and get there through practice and study. The way is long and hard, and sometimes easy and pleasant depending on what you make out if it. The capacity to "make out of it" in other words to utilize what you know along with your latent capacities is in fact "being there". It is taking reins of you conscious decisions, thus applying  act of consciousness and willfulness to your acts.

There is no doubt that a teacher is important as a beacon, as a guide or a light ahead, but I don't believe in the cults of teachers or gurus or whatever, and as I said in my previous posts - the greatest teacher is within. Learn to trust him so you wouldn't have to chase the shadows of the ancestors for the rest of your life.

Plus. the famous esoteric paradigm of "the teacher cannot teach it the student cannot learn it" comes into play too. I think that it means that even though the teacher can help in understanding the basics, the goals, and the path itself, or pointing out direction he cannot do it for you - you are the one who has to apply the effort and traverse the pathway. In other words, a finger pointing at the moon is not the same as the moon itself. As for the student....well, getting it is more in the realm of a blessing than study. I truly believe we all have it. Some more so than the others perhaps due to the circumstances of life, but we all have it, and with the good method, it is all revealed.

There are basically two methods to progress in Zen Buddhism. One is Sitting meditation, which leads into "shikan taza", a Zen version of Samadhi. Another is koan, or a riddle. I think "Zen" in itself is a riddle since no one knows exactly what it means and how to get where....

Now what is it that the Zen practice is leading oneself to? The foundational Zen tale about Buddha's student getting it with the smile points to the utter simplicity and accessibility of enlightenment to every one. And indeed, Zen welcomes everyone, however as anything human it is bound to have hierarchies and authorities, who however as known from the recent Zen history are actually not in anyway perfect or impervious to carousing, but in fact have been very successful in embracing it and it even helped some to pass into the Buddha-Land sooner. But in general, everything should be moderate, but satisfactory, because preventing yourself from doing something will just increase the blockage and thus the battering ram capacity of the mind.

Zen is not a shortcut to enlightenment. But promoting austere simplicity is hard in this ever so big marketplace, where people choose spiritual lifestyles and pay the money to be there. So, the whole enlightenment thing becomes somewhat of a clown affair. I am not saying that it is not possible, but to derive the most of benefit from this time-honored practice one has to put themselves in a right mind set and stop indulging. Again, that's not an easy thing. There are many roads leading to Rome though so not all is lost after all.

I came from being interested in Zen, to reading and meditating to dropping it. I think the dropping is important as formlessness is, as there is no way of describing it simply, but it is in everything and everywhere, and that's where Zen's transcendentalism comes in. Like shamanism and paganism Zen teaches to revere life, even that which has to perish from your hand. As you know quite a few Japanese warriors where "followers" of Zen. However, what they were followers of was less of the religious aspect, such as salvation etc. but the substantial capacity of Zen to relax the mind, which is in itself a consolation to an always worried lord. That and a concentration paired with the profound observation of nature and its phenomenon produce a very refined taste, superior aesthetic, and a natural calm, which in a very neutral zen way can be called happiness.

Flowers

Flowers.....flowers.......flowers.....

Flowers...


Flowers.........flowers.............flowers.......

Flowers.........flowers.......flowers............



flowers.....

Flowers.....



Flowers....................flowers...............flowers.......................flowers

Atman, Buddahism and Other.

Greetings All!
Today's discussion is about Buddhism and various aspects of Vedic Religions.
Buddhism has gained tremendous popularity here in the States, and all around the world, and there are many kinds of Buddhism practiced, such as the

1) Theravada, earlier Buddhism taught in its original cradle in India and Southeast Asia, emphasis on the right living and awareness.
2) Various Mahayana schools, into which fall the Tibetan Buddhism as a whole, as well as Chan and Zen Buddhism in Japan.
3) Vajrayana, the Diamond Vehicle Buddhism, is differentiated from the Mahayana as being rather "Tantric". Tantric Buddhism took deep roots in Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, and various countries around the world due to the efforts of some very prominent lamas and teachers.
Buddhism, especially the Mahayana Buddhism is popular because it is easily accessible, and is the everyman's religion, metaphorically speaking. Buddhism doesn't stop anyone from reaching enlightenment for any reason. Everybody has a Buddha waiting to bloom within and the Buddhism practice revolves around accessing the right teacher, and the right kind of method for you.

Depending though on which kind of Buddhism is closer to your heart, your idea of enlightenment will probably differ as well. Beyond mysticism and obscurity , Buddhism is about awareness, a very keen awareness, and it prophesies something similar to the Tat tvam Asi, You are that of the Vedas, only through its own terminology. As Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet have rightfully pointed out on one of the Kumbah Mela Darshans, which is the greatest spiritual gathering in India, and probably in the world, "You call it atman, and we call it anatman, but meaning is the same". The atman being referred here is the Sanskrit word for the lesser soul, dwelling within us. Lesser, because there is a greater one, the Eternal Brahman, we have that in us, and this is truly the Mahaguru, the Seer, and the Sage in us - our Atman, our Soul. There is no greater teacher they say. And this is truly the seat of the Satchitananda - the tripartite Being/Awareness/Bliss. In my opinion this is the essence of Vedanta.

As you can see, this is simplicity itself:) Although it takes a while to understand these concepts.

Buddhist teach anatman, they do not consider the soul to be "it", "one" but rather a conglomeration of many many different elements. According to them, the truth lies in the universal nature of "Buddha", the "awakened one". However, I have to agree with His Holiness, that beyond the outward form and practice, they are same.

In Buddhism as in the other Vedic religions one is invited to take a look within and introspect on what exactly is going on, in that "within". This is great work, but it is not enough to just look, one has to also see, and to that extant there is a great set of practices, of which many revolve around sitting down with a straight back and watch your thoughts emerge and disappear.

Although "soul" may not be a word preference for some people, I think, in the depth of their personal meditation many encounter some sort of  a command center, central shine, light, which is what is being referred to as Atman in the Vedic religion. Although of itself and within, it doesn't seem to belong to the body, it is as though it was installed in the body, and operates on its own accord.

Indeed, although we say "me", "my body", "my soul"  - how much truthfully can you say that you are in charge of your body? Thinking about it - not much. And the questions are plenty, while answers - few. If you think that you are in charge of your body - don't get ill. Move where you want to at once. Say what you feel, and do what you want....Easier said than done, and so we come back to the initial question.
There are a lot of things to be considered, when referring to the body as "my". And that is of course a deeper realization of the selfhood. Not unlike "Know Thyself" of the Ancient Greeks.

Whether you choose Buddhism or not, if you take this path, you are doing some sort of a practice, a yoga, which is basically introspection and an attempt to restrain the senses. at least in the beginning.

The restraint is not there to hurt you, and deprive you of your favorite things that make your life enjoyable, but to help you to better see yourself, not in the context of things that you want but separately from them, as a Soul. Once that is achieved you can gradually start to want again. In actuality you never stop wanting, just sort of wrap yourself up in the protective cocoon. However, on one point the cocoon does break, and if all done right there is a butterfly waiting to fly out, into the world.

I greatly revere the source of this knowledge, which is most likely non-human. Its scope is just too rich,  and its lore too immense to be assigned to anyone individual, or even a group. It cannot be discussed in one post, but I think it is a good beginning.

And for the conclusion, please remember that "Namaste" actually means that "the divinity in me salutes the divinity in you" Atman within me salutes the Atman within you. Such greeting paves the way for peace, understanding and love in the world. Namaste!

With Love,
Iggy.

Patrul Rinpoche: Advice from Me to Myself

I have been strongly influenced by this concise writing and would like to share it here.


http://sealevel.ca/patrul/

Mo Huma

 

You are young you are ambitious, you are striving for success, but what is success if you can't see what's under your boot? You stomp on the pile of s-t and smell pretty bad, and your loved one says, "That's for good luck!" What's a "good luck"? What's a "good luck" if you have to clean dog s--t of your foot?

The radio is loud. It's some parasite DJ telling his part of the story. He is gloriously right about everything: the music and trends in fashion, politics and spirituality. Then what's missing in his perfect diction? Honesty of heart. Nothing there, just sales...

For the Nth time you and your friends are hanging out and having something to spice up an already happy conversation - you are totally enamored with their wit and knowledge of what's what. But who knows if they are going to be there in the future.

I assiduously resist the news media, and yet find my eyes sliding through the news page, as though I have a guilty pleasure to know what's in there, although I know perfectly well that the celebrities are where they are, that the Palestinians still haven't resolved it with Israel, that the narcotic dealers are still being hunted by the others, that there are new things to buy, and there are new ideologies to sell. I despise it and try to block it our of my brain, yet the nagging sensation remains - this is what we have agreed upon as being OUR NEWS. Next...

Next, a pleasant detour. You are on the date with the love of your life - they are surving the most exquisite pasta dish in that restaurant which is very hard to find free on that particular date. But something goes wrong, and there s a hair on your plate. A long, fuzzy hair - you are the only one who can notice it, because she is too involved gobbling up hers, so you have several options
1) Pull the hair out from the plate, hide it in your blazer, ask to go to the restroom and throw it out.
2) Keep eating everything, including the hair, and make believe you are thoroughly enjoying your time out.
3) Create commotion by pulling the hair from the plate, showing it to the love of your life, call the waiter, then point at the hair and say "What the f---k is this s----t??"
And yes, you are right there is also the  number 4 - you cover the dish with a large white napkin, pull out the long awaited engagement ring and say " Voilà baby!"

As Don Rickles says, "Ah, Anywa-aay" How easy it is to become a star lately?! All you have to do is convince yourself of your own outstanding stardom and you are there! I rarely see stars convincing themselves that they are "every day people" though. Are there every day people? The silent majority? The working class heroes? I don't know lately, as any everyday Jo-Shmo I encounter is usually a very smart and well-rounded individual with quite a few tricks up his sleeve and a private property behind him. I think the admission into the Jo-Shmo- Club has gotten a bit more exclusive lately. The everyday man of today, is not an everyday man of yesterday, simply because the everyday man of today has so much more available! He is always by some sort of a monitor, whether an obnoxiously large one or a hand-size one, shopping and all that. Ah, what would we do without the on-line shopping?!

I personally buy many things on-line, but I haven't been able to buy heart yet. Yes, heart. Although even this may change with the newly upgraded and updated technology, still - haven't been able to buy heart. Simple, jolly, healthy heart that gives that feels, that returns, that stays and that goes with the flow of things. Because heart is not for sale, you have to be heart - can't do it otherwise. And all the esoteric secrets murk near this simple one - be heart, always, and without a moments lapse.

Love,
Iggy.

The Rule

The Rule of the Nagual is a peculiar law that extends to all, even the most far-flung corners of the "Toltec universe" so to speak. In other words it is extended to all the facets of the teachings for both right and left sides. Its meaning is deep, and the consequences are far-fetched. A man of knowledge spends his time pondering and applying the Rule to his daily conduct as well as to those parts of his life that can be classified as the "left side awareness".

First of all, let me clarify that I am not speaking about the Rule as the book would. I am talking about the ulterior structure so to speak, which stems from my own understanding of it. The Rule is essentially about seeing and understanding the flow of energy in the universe, which starts from accepting of the fact that energy falls into patterns. This structure could be likened to the Mayan pyramid, where the 4 corners give rise to infinite possibilities construction and content-wise. The higher the pyramid, the stronger the pull of the centrifugal force of its very pinnacle. Finally, all forces coming into one, a group or groups of seers reaches the unspeakable domains in the universe. These exquisite psychonaughts may travel far and wide under the guidance of the power of intent, the subtle force that permeates reality.

The base of the pyramid consists of a nagual man and a woman, surrounded by the 4 pairs of female warriors. It is best summarized in the book "The Eagle's Gift" in its last chapter "The Plumed Serpent"

When we got to the house, all of us congregated in the large room. Don Juan sat in the center of the room facing the southeast. The eight female warriors surrounded him. They sat in pairs
on the cardinal points, also facing the southeast. Then the three male warriors made a triangle
outside the circle with Silvio Manuel at the vertex that pointed to the southeast. The two
female couriers sat flanking him, and the two male couriers sat in front of him almost against
the wall.

The Nagual woman made the male apprentices sit against the east wall. She made the women
sit against the west wall. She then led me to a place directly behind don Juan. We sat there
together.

Although seemingly a simple passage, it tends to obscurity. For example we don't know where in comparison to Don Juan's central circular arrangement the triangle with Silvio Manuel "at the vertex" is located, I placed it in the avant-garde, as being that Silvio was the "man behind the scenes" I think it would be a good idea for the triangle with the couriers to serve as a sort of a façade to the Nagual. Everything else is more or less understandable. The Couriers are "flanking" and are at the very cusp in virtue of their very function which is that of diving there first. The apprentices are respectfully at the side walls - eastern for the males and western for the females. The directional pull is at the southeast, and not at the North or South which would seem more natural.
My working name for this configuration is "flying arrangement" as it allows for great mobility towards that obscure bird of freedom.

The Rule makes it clear that the female types start from the East, which is Order, they than circle in the counter-clockwise direction to the North, the strength, than the West, which is feeling, and finally the circle ends in the South, which is growth. These can and should be able to function separately as a single units, striving to achieve their own personal goals, but they are given the most power when they unite into planets, which is dreamers with dreamers, stalkers with stalkers, or when they fulfill their function, which is "sitting" on the four corners, thus surrounding the Nagual pair.
   Also let's keep it in mind that Carlos's beginning was not with the East, but from the South, which symbolized simplicity and growth, a different mood from the one prescribed by the Rule. He then met the Eastern warriors, then Western, and finally Northern - a zigzag with the vector pointing to the North, which somehow indirectly explains his 3-pronged energetic configuration.
   However Don Juan's own meeting with the Rule started from the West, which seems almost absurd in light of the characters of the Western women. Nevertheless, it worked as a sort of cleansing mechanism that has actually molded him from being unruly and unprincipled into a more workable material.

  

A veces solo a veces...

A veces solo a veces....

Retirarse no es rendirse,
ni estar en contra es agredir.
Cambiar no es hipocresia
y derrumbar no es destruir.
Estar a solas no es apartarse,
y el silencio no tener que decir.
Quedarse quieto no es por pereza,
ni cobardia es sobrevivir.

Sumergirse no es ahogarse,
ni retrocedes para huir.
No se desciende trastabillando,
ni el cielo ganas por bien sufrir.
Y las condenas no son eternas,
ni por perdones vas a morir.

A veces, solo a veces...
Hace falta lograr soltarse
izar las velas, abandonarse,
dejar que fluya, que el viento cambie,
cerrar los ojos y enmudecer.



P.S. This beautiful poem was sent to me by a friend in Spanish, so I posted it in this language.

The Numinous

This post was meant as a part of the series called "The Sacred and the Profane". However, as I am going through my ruminations, I feel that I should only be really writing about the Sacred

We look at the continuity of life we see that there is a routine, or "things we do". Then, there is something else, a space between the actions, between the sounds, between the doings. The calm (before or after the storm).

Then there also fear, one of the few true companions. Why the fear?

The grandchild asked his grandfather, a famous hunter, "Grandpa, you have killed many lions and tigers, rhinos and hyenas, how is that that you weren't afraid of their ferocity, cunning, their animal strength?" The Grandfather smiled wily and said,
"Look son, I did all that, but who said that I wasn't afraid? I just went through with my fear as my close and true companion. Protected only by the unseen guardians of all hunters. But shit son, who said that I wasn't afraid?"


The Grandpa hunter was a master who I envy for his calm and his skill, but at the same time I realize that there isn't much difference between us two - after all, we both made our fears as our close companions.

The great Being of Infinite Transformations, the only one who puts awe in the man's heart, you are here all the time!

There is so much difference between the full and the empty stomach. God/dess knows there should be prayer for food, because of the food, and the full stomach. There should also be a prayer for the taste and for digestion, prayer for swallowing and prayer for fortunate defecation. In other words, everything should be in the process of continuous unseizing communion with the Great Out-There, just like a tai chi form.

How far can one go without believing in oneself? Limits or no limits.

Religious adherents of the world bow, and they pray, and they go through all kinds of motions and rituals which only they can understand, for who?

Partake of the flower and its fragrance, it wasn't created by any human, but by forces outside of the human will and influence. It is perfect, and doesn't need to be modified in any way. Its structure ensures its inevitable survival without regards for environmental conditions. Its smell attracts the bees. It spreads its progeny with the wind.

Someone's intent created the flower, and brought it into being just the way it is. It is an invisible being that gives birth and creates matrices for flowers and other plants. We don't see it, but its existence have been noted by the mystics and have been given many names, including "God".

It doesn't have to be a personified old man, as its forms are as many as there are names, the pundits and mystics have always argued and keep on arguing about its true form and its true nature, and haven't come to any conclusion.

The Ever-changing is as small as a flower, and is perfect.

Luminous Body

 

There is no point of talking about the luminous body, like it is a physical body - it is simply not.
The luminous body is located in the realm of imagination, and slowly becomes a reality when you become aware of its existence and can see it.

Luminous body is larger than the physical body, it shines, and is full of life of its own order. It has different "centers" - swirls and protuberances, some of them have color others don't have any color; some of them are located as high as the height of an out-stretched hand, others are as low as the ground.

Not every luminous body is round like a perfect sphere or an egg, in fact that is rather a perfectionist view promoted by some artists. While some of them look like eggs that have been bitten off, others look spread out and rather muddy, others look like pancakes with the high axis. Many shapes, these may be seen and understood in different ways, and a seer aims at seeing and understanding as many types of them as possible. Basically all of them, including (and especially) his or her own. There is no underlying principle in understanding of the luminous body, it is simply seeing, but that make take a while, as Don Juan did consider seeing to be a pinnacle of the warriors' accomplishments. It is that, that made her a woman of knowledge, and not just a witch, albeit a good one. Even though seeing is not hard, perfecting it as an in-and-of-itself capability is. We see energy regularly, and it is that seeing that we find funny or awful or intrusive, we just don' usually realize that we see.

Throughout the lifetime of her practice an adept gradually comes to see her own shape and all its peculiarities. It is complicated and yet it is obvious. It doesn't have to be so hard, but we are trained to see differently from the off-set of our training as humans, and thus our seeing is greatly fogged up by not looking at what's there in its most obvious existence possible - the light, the dark and its various shades, which are like emotions This lost ability can be regained, but it requires a lot of dedication.

The luminous body starts to take shape of a double when enough energy has been accumulated and cultivated. It starts of as a farfetched idea and gradually materializes. It works in and of itself and without asking for permission from you, so looking at it the same way that you look at yourself is not particularly useful. It has been helpful for me to look at it as a sort of mirror reflection, but you are the mirror reflection. It is kind of the same with the dreaming body in your dreams. If you can understand that, than you can understand the other. Don Juan differentiated the double as an accomplishment of the stalkers, while the dreaming body as that of the dreamers. I think both are fine. We should know though that what operates in the dreams is the dreaming body, and not just the consciousness.

Throughout the course of her practice the adept comes to see that the luminous body is continuously depleted and is under attack of sorts. The attacks are sometimes subtle and sometimes long term, and sometimes are like a sledgehammer aiming to crush you at once. They are like a rolling force, that is basically a penumbra of the final demise consistently trying to bash through the gap in your midsection. I haven't really attempted to see it, but it is quite enough to feel it.  The warrior aims to close that gap once and for all.

Feeling as though under attack is universal. I think anyone can claim to experience something of the sort, but I think there were only those old devils , the sorcerers of antiquity who have successfully saw and explained what those attacks are, and why are we being attacked  in the first place? The answer is simple and not simple at the same time - we are food for the beings of a different order, that can generally be considered an extension of the predatorial nature of this universe. They are much older and much more sophisticated than we are. They feed off our energy as we present it as food by the virtue of cultivating it throughout the course of our lifetimes. Bit by bit we lose our precious energy to quarrels, nerve racking life occurrences, successful (yesss!!! I did it!!!) and the unsuccessful  (OOhhhh sheeeeeet!) events that shape our personalities. No one can help us but ourselves, and our own increased awareness of such things, otherwise known as seeing. Even the teacher or the benefactor cannot - they can open the door, but it is up to you to do the walking. As we start off on that hike and improve our posture, grow, we may become very paranoid, as it is mind boggling to feel how connected the interchange of energy is and how easy it is to loose it! The intensity resonates as a feeling that you are about to explode. It may come as a surprise how weak we generally are behind our many resolutions, that all depends on the energy level and where it is being directed.

Anyways, back to the luminous body. As we become more aware of our rather miserable condition we can take steps to reverse it, for which there are many ways, that I am describing elsewhere. And so the patching up process begins, and once it starts it feels good. In fact so good, that I don't think anyone would like to exchange it for anything else. This feeling comes from the increased energy level as well as less energy leaving the body. What a joy it is to operate fully and without being eaten up by the flyer!

How to save up energy and how to patch up the luminous body to bring it back into shape is a tough question, and it takes breaking the routines of daily life, and various other strategies to actually begin the process. The society doesn't care if you save up the energy, and your family probably doesn't either, simply because they are not seeing it that way. If they would be capable of that, it would have the impact of the bell on top of the major cathedral - a wake up call like no other. BANG! WHAT!? I am being depleted from MY prescious energy? NOOOO! But that how it starts, and after the initial reaction subsides you start to desperately think what to do, that would be more practical than screaming or running amuck. And that's when you come back to the warriors' lifestyle. Warriors try to fight indulgences because indulgences deplete. What is an indulgence? It is simply something that you can't control, an ineffective use of energy. Oh you like that roast chicken soooo so so very much, and you cannot let go for even a million dollars. Warriors aim to bring the attention back from there and use it instead on filling up, seeing etc. In other words redirecting the energy into a more viable basin.

Attention is a biggy as we are all made out of attention. This! That! All these things! They are all attention that we actually "pay". Have you ever thought about who do we pay it to?

The 1st attention according to the toltecs of Don Juan's lineage is the attention that we use to function before we discover the warrior lifestyle, the normal attention that we use in daily life. Then, with the enough energy saved up we enter the world of the 2nd attention, or the nagual. This is where we operate with the heightened energy and heightened attention to detail, this may take years of hovering about. I can't speak yet of the 3rd attention.

During this process the luminous body becomes brighter and more acute, like a well-oiled mechanism and the little things matter more and more, as a warrior becomes baffled by the visions of these different things piled up, and sometimes chaotic. The only thing that may keep the warrior sane at this level is their strong inner conviction that there is no other way but to keep going, keep circling up and about, and keep realizing.

Also, although this is only a close proximity to what can be spoken about, the warrior-in the-making starts to encounter more and more that which can be described as power.

Power is many things and none of them. It is quite puzzling that something out there can be at your services, and yet be able to kill you without warning. Warrior spends years in refining this connecting link with power, and it is usually marked by an increased awareness, but also by an increased sense that it is further than ever. Power in the Toltec sense of the word is an ultimate gift and the ultimate addiction. As I said, it is consistently at your service, and yet it roams completely on its own. In the words of Don Juan, and I am paraphrasing here, "a warrior enters the world of power, and with that he encounters his third enemy" the four enemies being of course the fear, clarity, power, and old age.
What makes power an enemy? I think, it is because it has a strong potential to spoil, but in truth without knowing how it can spoil a warrior, there is no way to counteract it, so I do not think that there is a need to worry about it at this stage. However, like having a jinni in the lamp - he grants you three wishes, and that is it. If you have more than 3, you become the most miserable person because they are bound to remain unfulfilled. ..

ohhh the pull of power, how sweet you are...

Healing (part 3): Amulets and Talismans

Amulets and talismans are basically power objects. In others words they are inanimate objects imbued with the force, the power of their holder or holders. Any object can be charged to be a power object, but it gets a little bit complicated, as with anything, one gets attached to their power objects, their toys, and in the end it is kind of hard to let go and become self-reliant again. Power objects have in many cases been a source of strife among their holders, or those who have attempted to become their holders. One example is regalia, crowns and scepters that go together with the highest titles. The can be rightfully considered power objects and it is likely that initially their function wasn't to be a stale symbol of power and affluence, it was to gather or disperse energies - to hold the Gathering of Ministers such as the Duma or Parliament in control, and also protect their holder and his off-spring.

Humans have been creating amulets probably for as long as they have been around, and it may be that that it is only a left over of a much more civilized culture that REALLY knew how to connect and use them, but I don't know much about that. But Carlos in his works have mentioned them many times and it makes sense to me. So, just think about the following scenario. At the time when a metal (say iron) axe is a rarity and has a cost of a horse, you find such an axe, which automatically elevates you in status first of all, can you handle that? If you can, and you successfully fought off the unwanted elements, then you can use it. You chop wood, skin with it, perhaps kill the enemy, and it starts to take up a very special place in your life. You hang it right by you on the wall of your dwelling, you always carry it around, take it to the religious festivities, show it off to your friends. Finally you can't live without it! It has by that point become a sort an amulet of your success by the virtue of how you found it and how you have used it. I am trying to say more than that though. An amulet is something to which you consciously feed energy. In other words you do a sort of energy work with it which similar to the energy work performed with precious and semiprecious stones. From what I see the people who work with stones develop very strong attachments to them. Like a dear friend, they comfort you. However, they do ask something in return - that something is your attention.

However, an amulet doesn't have to be a rock. It could be anything to which you feed energy. A piece of jewelry perhaps, a weapon, or a pipe. Wood is a nice material, in certain cases glass. Any of these are good and have a potential of becoming an important sources of power and balance for their possessor. But be ready to let go. As when you put all your knowledge and experience into one object, when it breaks you will think that all your knowledge is now gone. Primitive and wasteful.

So, with the time passing, try to be more self-reliant, and not worry too much about objects. Be generous and give them away if you think that they want to go and join someone else.

In regards to their use in healing, they are indeed very useful. A rock can be placed around or on the body for an effect of warding of, attracting, redirecting, blocking, circulating or what have you, the energy. In every case, I strongly suggest to be ready and connected, and the deeper your knowledge of the object that you are using, the better. After all, you want to be in charge of the session.

There is also exist a practice of inscribing the objects with the runes, or a prayer to increase its power and effect. That is I think up to you, if you think that that can assist the healing process. But it is good to know what you are putting on it, and with which purpose. An incantation protects; so does the smoke, that may be sufficient in some cases, in others may not. Use your imagination and always be connected to Protectors.

In my opinion power objects should come to their holders on their own volition. They can be bought as indeed it would be a fair transaction to purchase something that is being sold. That said, I think the really really good stuff should be given as a gift. I am not being conceited, just telling you that there is nothing like just giving something to someone who truly deserves it.

Daoist Alchemy

When we talk about the Daoist Alchemy, we talk about the psychosomatic system of energy manipulation and cultivation. This is what is known primarily as the nei wan, or internal elixir. There is also wei wan - the external elixir. This one was concerned with transforming iron into gold, discovering the secret of immortality, and I bet no one really practices it in our day, except in laboratories.

But the Nei Wan is practiced by quite a number of people, from the numerous Chi Gong practitioners in China and Southeast Asia that claim traditionalist approach, to the more modern Universal Tao,  to the Tai Ji and other Internal Martial Arts practitioners around the world.


Daoist Alchemy starts from becoming aware of the fact that we are given a limited amount of energy at our birth, therefore the death results from continuously dissipating this energy throughout our lifetimes. DA aims at recapturing this energy and thus reverting to the state of being like a child, who "the horn of rhinoceros can't hurt, and the claw of the tiger has no place to land". And so DA has been called the journey of return, return to the primal state also being referred to in the alchemical literature as the golden fetus.

What is that primal state, and why should one aim to return to it? Well, there is a very good benefit of doing that, and that is in simply being happy. Look at all the Chinese New Year and Feng Shui pictures and you will see what I mean: besides the widespread picture of Hotei -the god of wealth, who is basically a very fat guy with a sack full of gifts you see little kids running around and laughing and that is pretty much it.

Yes, being like a child, care-free and pliable, without worries or concerns makes one happy and especially very content as we are as humans and the members of societies are just the opposite for the most part. The consistent preoccupation which is born from the perception that the world is made from solid objects gives rise to everything else, and so we strive and strive and strive to achieve, to gain, to get, to win, to overcome. Is there end to it?....This approach was hailed by the Tang Dynasty's greatest poet Du Fu, who said

A hundred years full of sickness, I climb the terrace alone.
Suffering troubles, I bitterly regret my whitening temples,
Frustratingly I've had to abandon my cup of cloudy wine.

He basically says that being a part of a society does him no good, he suffers from running on and on without an end so he craves to return to the real source of happiness, the elixir, the Dao.

So the DA being an extension of such viewpoint believes in that. It says "disconnect yourself", think and meditate, release your fears and come back to how you were when you were a pliable child - that is really what is going to make you happy! And really, the child doesn't know much, like the adults do - he just sits, eats, and pees, either smiling or crying, but the world is a small bubble, and there is no need for more.

Of course, for some of us who are adults it is very hard to imagine coming back to being that way, as the baggage is just too heavy sometimes. However, it is an intriguing idea for many, and a good reason why especially the Daoist philosophy is so attractive to a great number of spiritual seekers around the world - it doesn't require much, worship, rules or precepts. Basically it is up to you, as long as you are sure that you are treading the right path for yourself, and that should be the only guideline for anyone. That said, there are traditions and teachers and lineages, and they vary like anything else. For example, the founder of the Tai Ji Quan is considered a Daoist priest Chang San Feng who was known to be very tall with a large long beard, and was probably not Chinese at all as there are no Chinese people with such measurements and ethno type. He was said to be and immortal and it is claimed that several emperors up till the Ming Dynasty has met with him personally.

Besides offering such a free-roaming lifestyle DA has a rich variety of techniques developed through the ages, they aim at understanding jing, or the sexual energy, then transforming it into the chi, the actual energy, which then can be used to feed the shen or the spirit, which in turn is used to feed into the void, which is then crushed. These rather esoteric-sounding  ideas simply mean that you never stop, for no one knows where the final destination is.

A Daoist adept aims to open the back and later the frontal energy channels that unify into a Microcosmic Orbit. This is a long work process, that includes discovering and "opening" of the centers, that are similar to the concept of chakras in yoga, although there is more of them. Please refer to Mantak Chia books for more information on this sort of gong fu. Also there is a good but complicated from the point of view of readability book by Douglas While called "The Art of Bedchamber", which is basically a compilation of classics on the subject,

Although this sort of work is better practiced in couples, there are plenty of instances where they are being practiced by solitary practitioners and in groups. These have historically secluded themselves high up in the mountain layers, and unknown to the outside work have done their work by uniting with Nature undisturbed by anything other than their own minds. Some of these practitioners, are discovered even up to this day....

A couple that is alchemically connected have a chance of realizing themselves as the Universal occurrences that they truly are, they become infinitely more open, more happy and more satisfied. A "win-win" situation become not a theory but a practice and all those crazy phrases from the Chinese Classics such as the Tao Te Ching and the Art of War start to make sense in a more ways than one. It is the Dao that performs this magic on them, and no other force can provide a better backbone for this unique discovery, as the Dao is not really a force, but a consciousness that pervades the unseen world.

Tonal and Nagual; Toltec Understanding of Reality.

jimfitzpatrick.com

In the book "Tales of Power" we encounter a new breakdown of what the yin and the yang of Don Juan's reality may actually mean. They are a little bit more than the pairs of the opposites and what makes the concepts complicated is that the two are actually complimentary terms. It is not that everything is black and white at once, but more like everything is intertwined and can be that as well as all the shades that result from the mixture of the two. However, the tonal and the nagual are actually drastically different.

In the book the tonal is likened to the table and everything on it, while the nagual is everything outside of the table. Don Juan patiently explained to his apprentice that no matter what he picks off the table, even the concepts of God and death - it is still the table, thus the known. Outside of the table lay the dark confines of the unknown, which despite the fact that they are "unknown" can be mapped out, which is what the warriors actually do as a full time job. But about that later....

Further lies the unknowable, a region (if it even may be called that) that is impossible to map out, and as it is explained - rather than charging the warrior and giving her hope, it drains her, she feels ill at ease, depressed and without hope of renewal. Only warriors with extraordinary discipline and vision can venture there.

Warrior spends his lifetime at an inexplicable task - "cleaning up the tonal". It is not like a house cleaning, activity that may or may not be performed; with different amount of attention to detail, perhaps different mood. A warrior is always in the mood to clean up her tonal, which is what ultimately makes her so impeccable and unapproachable to the flyers, or any other forces that prevent her from retrieving, saving, and cultivating energy crucial for survival and for travelling in the Great Out-There, the nagual.

Cleaning up starts from the simple acts of observation, "taking notes" so to speak, i.e. noticing the patterns of behavior and their results in our daily life. That and some recapitulation allow the warrior to change those routines, enhance them, and start changing their life into a masterpiece of strategy. Routines seize to exist, and instead we encounter energy and its flow, unstoppable and wondrous to behold.

Tonal is essentially fragile, and needs to be cared for with all the care possible. Like a little child tonal is capricious and constantly threatens to self-destruct, all we have to do to check that, is to consider how we react if someone doesn't agree with our opinion about something, or crosses our way. That and many other things and we are faced with some very important beings, who truly don't believe in their ultimate and final seization of activities which we in colloquial call "death" although that would be something else. Death to the warrior is actually an advisor, the best one according to Don Juan. Such is the power of death, that a warrior has no choice but to start restructuring his or her life upon the mere shiver in that unknown universe out there. Although death is described as residing by the left side, we can be assured that she could be anywhere, from the simple trip on the bus, to the rest in the park. But don't let that scare you. We are talking about being advised, not being spooked by something that we don't understand. Only the lifetime of impeccability allows the warrior to tippy-toe by the left side of the Big Bad Bird. Without cleaning up of the tonal and striving for the impeccability that is pretty much not possible.

Please note that this peculiar approach is typical of the new seers, and not of the older brand of warriors. What makes it peculiar is that only the new seers believe in discipline and sobriety as the inevitable characteristics that come hand in hand with venturing into the unknown. Without them a new seer is not. And the reason for that is the indulgence and it is a big no-no for the new seers, and they strive really hard to eradicate it with all their strategies, stalking and such. But this doesn't guarantee success. If anything it actually increases the probability of "straying off". That is because with the increased amount of energy, the sensuality and love for things material also increase. The indescribable beauty that the warrior witnesses  is sometimes hard to explain or to share. Thus it is natural for the warrior to tighten up his behavioral patterns, may be even appear a little shrewd and puritanical.

Nagual is not a part of reality per se and begins as a mere idea, a spark which is hard to conceive. But the spark keeps growing keeps burning, and one day it turns into a bonfire which will simply consume the warrior if she doesn't have her tonal cleaned up and thoroughly functioning.
There is no point in talking about It, since that is something that absolutely must be experienced. But to encounter the concept is a good start, and coupled with the gradual understanding and increase of intensity a warrior enters the door. From then on she is inevitably and forever changed. Concepts are not concepts anymore, but truths hidden in the positions of the assemblage point.

For Don Juan truth was a position of the assemblage point, and that in itself produced irrevocable facts. Nagual can be said, in a more epistemological sense to be a source of truth for the warrior, of a sort that cannot be found under any other conditions other than the warrior lifestyle. They go through untold hardships, doing and pondering obscure things to arrive at that experience, at that truth.

Benefactor is the one who shows the nagual and how to keep on going after one brings it into her life. That is different from a teacher, who teaches behavioral patterns, discipline and how to get it together. Although the two may unite under one individual, they do not necessarily, and one should consider it auspicious to find a teacher and a benefactor, or a teacher who is at the same time a benefactor. Reason for that being is that the nagual cannot be taught, only shown.

I have long tried to embody the knowledge that Don Juan and his Apprentice carried to us, and this what I am speaking about in this blog post is not really obscure, as much as it is alien to the mind that is used to delineations, and only immersing yourself into this knowledge completely can one understand it. By the way Don Juan wasn't really interested in "understanding", neither did he require it from his apprentice. Linear thinking as such, with all its out-coming logistics can, and many times is an obstruction to the understanding of the simple fact that the world is not black and white - it is more like the known and the unknown, and even known is basically unknowable. When one closes in on this sort of understanding it seems pretty plausible that there is a great darkness outside of what we think we know. Let us burn the sacred incense and proceed with awe and caution as the powers we may encounter are indeed indescribable.

Healing (part 6): Dance, Rhythm and Trance.

Its all trance. The dance of energy. Immense pleasure accompanied by simultaneous shutting off of the internal dialogue. Once you are in there the "impossible becomes possible". To put it more simply you are in the right space.

Dance is definitely as old as the world, as I am sure the alien astronauts who reached the confines of their conscious space weren't so square as to not dance? So why not be more open to an idea that the universe of rhythm music and dance is connected as well.

Whatever can get you there.....

Rhythmic beating of the drum in one place is similar to choral rendering in another and then there is also didgeridoo which is both I suppose.

The ritual begins, but its fun, like a prom dance, and everyone is slowly revealing their inner animal as they feel more and more comfortable with the beat being played by few crazy-looking characters on the side. These "crazy-looking characters" are actually priests, who don't just play the drum - they speak to the gods, i.e. to the higher consciousness, as well as the protector-revealer force of that gathering.

We start off unsure of ourselves, but as the beat goes on, we become more and more sure that no matter what we do and how we move - it's just fine, and no matter how freaky we may think that movement is, the protector-revealer of the gathering will benevolently smile upon our efforts and will find us another one and another one and yet another one who will move just the same.

As the ritual continues, wondrous things start to happen. The fire in the middle of the dancing circle, like a forever built-in live monument dances and communicates with the participants giving them signs, "don't burn yourself!" he says, "don' get carried away and burn yourself on me", "or instead of a benevolent warm element I will become a killer" . We benevolently listen to his utterings and while forgetting our social selves we keep in mind who is the real boss - it's the bonfire in the middle, and there is a special person in charge of feeding it with new branches, prepared in plenty beforehand.

While many are here for fun, many are here for a reason. We notice that they can barely move, and others may be just lying down - that is because they are ill, for one reason or the other they are searching for healing from the accumulated energy of this dance. Some of them are moaning as the cathartic experience brings out their pains and worries, others are moving better and faster as their bodies and spirits are getting oiled and receive the healing.

Others are here to find spouses, they are mostly young and dance better than everyone else - their movements are fancy and like colorful birds they stand out - many are successful as they are being joined by the beautiful opposites with the signs of affection, sometimes merging into one - these will be joined later officially with the help of the priestess.

The drummers are doing a hell of a job - they are masters in their art, and their beat flows non-stop from the wicked instruments in their possession - it syncopates, talks, slower and faster, and sometimes it feints stopping while resuming with a new force cascading on both listeners and dancers with the ecstasy of drum melody.

Their music is sacred as it is directed to the overlords of the gathering, and many times they are so into it, that they don't even notice how the music starts flowing all by itself, with rhythms that they never heard before, and the complexity and emotion of the spoken language.

The fire calms down, and most participants are lying down asleep, some grunting and some smiling in their renewed dreams. There are a few who are not asleep and are waiting for the dawn with open eyes, sometimes sitting by and embracing each other. They are happy to have found each other in the sometimes lonely world.

The ones that came for healing will feel better when they return to their huts. Their limbs will work better. Others who came for internal ailments will feel how their internal processes are given new life. As they are giving offerings to their ancestral gods by their places of birth they will sigh, and marvel at how much better they are feeling, and how much more energy to accomplish new things they have stored. All is well, and the Always Gracious Mother Goddess is embracing all her children with the benevolent smile as there is nothing that is not good and not empowering here, and as we let go of many of our bariers and limits to our imagination we truly feel more united with that great organism that supports and nourishes us, the Earth.