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.

November 2024 P.S. there is a small error: male apprentices should be in the east (sitting against the wall), and female - in the west.

  

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.