The Wisdom of the Shamans Read online

  The practice of awareness begins with being fully present in the moment, giving your full attention to everything that is happening around you. Awareness includes a willingness to experience what is happening now and observe everything that comes into your field of perception as new in that moment, even when your mind says you have seen it a thousand times before.

  Awareness also means using all your senses to take in what is happening: the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and feelings. Many of us rely on our dominant sense (for most of us this is sight) to give us information about the world, and when we neglect our other senses, it is easier for the mind to hook our attention because we are only perceiving the world through one source. When we use all our senses to practice awareness, it is easier to stay grounded in what is happening in the now rather than getting drawn into the stories our minds are spinning. As you practice your awareness, consider each of your senses and what they are telling you in the moment: What do you smell? What do you hear? How do things feel? What do you taste?

  While the practice of awareness begins by bringing your attention to what is going on outside of you, it doesn't stop there. Having awareness also means that you notice your mind's reaction to those outer happenings, including any labels, stories, beliefs, or ideas that are arising, especially the ones that activate the mind's addiction to suffering.

  By being aware of our mental constructs, we are better able to see through any beliefs, ideas, or stories that aren't true before they provoke a reaction in us. In this way, we are actually catching the mind as it tries to feed its addiction to suffering, and we sidestep the traps when they come up.

  Awareness of what is happening inside our mind can help us in large and small ways. For a small example, let's say someone compliments you by saying, “You are such a great person.” Now, at one level, this is a wonderful compliment and seems relatively harmless. And it is harmless—as long as you don't invest too much of your happiness in it or any other compliment for that matter.

  If you do, then when someone tells you the opposite or you don't receive praise or compliments from others, you set yourself up for unhappiness. If one person tells you you're a great person but another person doesn't comment, you may feel disappointed, because your identity has become attached to the approval of others. By noticing your reaction to compliments or the lack thereof, you are becoming aware of the mind's need for applause, adulation, or praise, and this awareness is the first step to taking back your power to control your own happiness. When you no longer rely on others to tell you what kind of person you are, your love for yourself stops being conditional. You know that you are a great person, and it's no longer important for anyone else to say so.

  A dear friend of mine discovered a unique way to break himself of his need for approval. Every time someone complimented him, he would remind himself that what they said was true, whether he continued to receive verbal praise about it or not. For instance if someone told him, “You're such a great guy,” he would reply “Thank you” out loud, but in his mind he would also say, “And that is true whether you say so or not.” This was his way of reminding himself that his truth wasn't contingent upon approval from others.

  Through developing your inner awareness, you realize that people can give you compliments or not, and while you welcome them, your happiness is not contingent upon receiving them.

  As a larger example, let's say you grew up in a home where you were heavily domesticated to the idea that you are not enough. Perhaps your parents or caretakers, due to their own domestications, were either, at best, not supportive of your goals or, at worst, discouraging you from trying new things, taking chances, or stepping outside of the boundaries they had set for you. If you are unaware of this domestication, you might not apply for the job you really want or pursue a romantic relationship or your own creative endeavors, all because of the whisper in the back of your mind saying, “You can't do it; don't even bother.”

  By becoming aware of your own doubts, self-limiting beliefs, self-judgments, and their origins, you are then able to see the world and yourself clearly. You will recognize the voice of your domestications and remember that you have the power inside you to create the life that you want, rather than the one they told you to have.

  In the Toltec tradition, once you begin to regularly practice awareness, we say you are now a Toltec hunter, because you are stalking your mind, watching for the arising of thoughts and beliefs that do not serve you, so you can defeat them rather than allow them to drag you back into suffering.

  As your practice of awareness deepens, you'll find that you live more in the now rather than in regrets of the past or imaginary worries about the future. As you develop your awareness, you can also begin to pick up on subtle feelings or energies you may not have noticed before. This can be especially helpful when dealing with other people, as you can protect your own inner energy when you encounter those that are deep in their own negativity.

  Remember you are here to help and be of service, but at the same time everyone makes their own choices and we must respect their right to choose. In that way, awareness helps us not to be dragged down through the negativity of others.

  More importantly, strengthening your awareness helps you defeat your own negativity. As the boy in the story connects to his senses, hearing every sound and feeling every movement, he is no longer ensnared by his false and self-limiting beliefs. When the boy has enough awareness that he detaches from his mind's stories, he magically transforms into a member of the ant colony and realizes through the building of the ant mound that all people are capable of creating great things.

  The boy's transformation into an ant is a symbol for the power of awareness. When you become a master of awareness, you tap into a source of power that can't be comprehended by the human mind, as awareness brings you into alignment with the one life, the nagual. The amazing thing is that when we live in the moment, aware of our inner and outer happenings, we can better see the beauty of the one life that runs through everything. We see the distinction between being in harmony with life and labeling, projecting, and creating stories about it.

  Awareness is such an important practice that all of the other tools in this book are contingent upon it. You cannot investigate your domestications, your self-judgments, your resentments, or all the other beliefs that keep you from living your truth until you become aware of them.

  Mastery of Awareness describes this heightened state, where we take the reins of our minds rather than allowing our minds to master us. There is so much to be aware of in our minds, and at the beginning of this journey it can feel overwhelming. The good news is that it gets easier, and with every false belief that we undo, we can feel our own freedom more and more.

  When my brothers and I were growing up, our grandmother used to ask us the question, “How's the weather?” As we moved deeper into our Toltec journeys, we finally realized that her question had nothing to do with the atmospheric conditions outside, but rather was entirely about what was happening inside of our own minds.

  Exercises

  Reconnect with Nature, an Awareness Meditation

  Being in nature is one of the best places to strengthen your awareness practice, because in nature you are surrounded by something that is much larger than yourself, and which is truly unfathomable by the human mind. All our wonderful innovations in science and technology, buildings and cities, pale in comparison to a tree, a leaf, not to mention an entire forest. Many people find that when they are in nature, it is much easier to detach from the stories, as when you physically remove yourself from creations of the mind on the outside, you are better able to do so on the inside too.

  When you practice increasing your outer awareness by using your physical senses to get in touch with the sensations, sounds, sights, and smells of nature around you, you naturally begin to become aware of what is happening inside your mind too. You notice the thoughts that take you out of the present moment, you notice the fears, the judgments,
the regrets of the past, and you become aware of the parasite and the mitote in your mind—the thousand voices all vying for your attention.

  This is a walking meditation. The more you are able to go into nature, without any of the distractions from human creations, the better. Do not take your cell phone with you on this walk. It's wonderful if you can go to a forest, but your backyard will also work. As you practiced in your initial meditation exercise, focus on what is around you. You shouldn't close your eyes while walking (especially not in a forest where limbs and rocks may be underfoot), but take this opportunity to look at the things around you, to smell the leaves and grass, to listen to the trees rustling or animals scurrying. Think about the feel of tree bark under your hands and the taste of rain in the air. As you disconnect from humankind's creations and return your attention to nature, allow the stillness that runs beneath all these things to become your focus. Concentrate on the silence that is underlying every cricket chirp or birdsong.

  Your mind will wander, as always, but when that happens, just bring your attention back to the present first by focusing on what you sense around you, then the stillness and silence underneath. Take note of the sounds of your feet crunching leaves or the smell of fresh herbs and flowers as you pass them. By being in nature, you can find it easier to focus your senses on what is actually happening outside of you rather than what your mind “knows” is happening in a familiar environment and bring that focus inside of you as well.

  Intention Mantras

  We all feel doubt, but left unchecked, doubt can be a particularly potent weapon of the mind. I have found it helpful to remind myself of my intentions when I am lost in moments of doubt. A good way to do this is to incorporate a mantra practice into your day.

  To create an intention mantra, take a few minutes to sit in silence in the morning and ask yourself what your current intentions are in creating the masterpiece of art that is your life. In other words, what qualities are you working on cultivating in your life? What goals are you hoping to achieve?

  It might be “I want to remain peaceful in stressful situations” or “I want to help others” or “I want to practice being in the now.” Your mantra could also be specific goals, such as accomplishing certain things at work, school, home, etc. Phrase your intention in a way that focuses on what you do want rather than what you don't.

  When you have your day's intention, say it aloud in the morning, and take it with you into the rest of your day. When you're stuck in the morning rush hour, repeat it. When you spill your coffee all over your favorite outfit, repeat it. In any situation that may bring up doubt in your mind, repeat it. This is your reminder to yourself about who you are and what you want to accomplish and will help keep you focused on the positive.

  CHAPTER 5

  THE RATTLESNAKE INITIATION

  The Power of Ritual

  One of the hallmarks of a shaman is that rather than adopting the beliefs of others, the shaman looks inside herself for the answers that are already there. The shaman follows her own path, not one that was laid out by others. Rituals offer a way to further your practice, as long as you are careful to participate in them with full awareness and only continue with a particular ritual because it is helpful to you and not because of the connotations it may hold for others. There are no required rituals on the path to personal freedom.

  In my case, my father performed a ritual for my brother and me at a mountain in Southern California called Madre Grande, which is Spanish for “The Great Mother”—an initiation onto the path of the nagual. My brother and I chose to pursue the path and to participate in the initiation, but what we were not expecting was the amazing ceremony that our father would perform with Mother Nature.

  My brother, don Miguel Ruiz Jr., described the day as follows:2

  When we arrived at the mountain, my father took us on a hike around the grounds, exploring like we always had. We began to climb the big boulders, finding a little path that took us near the middle of the hillside. At this point, Jose had taken the lead, with my dad and me following behind. That's when Jose found a cave-like crevice made out of four large boulders. My father went in the cave first to make sure everything was okay, and then he invited us to come in.

  We sat down and my father began to tell us our family history—about don Eziquio Macias, my abuelita's grandfather, about her father, don Leonardo Macias, and about the Toltecs as a culture and as a philosophy . . .

  “I see it as a power sign that you both wanted to come here,” he told us. “It means that it is time to initiate you both into the path of the Toltec. Would you like to be initiated?”

  Jose and I looked at each other and then nodded in agreement. We had both looked forward to the day we could learn more about our family's tradition.

  “Good,” replied my father, and then he took out two leather pouches that he had been carrying inside his backpack, and he gave one to each of us. Inside each pouch was a stick, a red string, a red piece of cloth, a leather string, seven stones (five grey stones, a black stone, and a white stone), and an eagle feather. He asked us to take out all of the contents and to hold them all next to our heart.

  “This is your initiation, my sons, you are the artists of your lives and you are taking your first steps in a very long journey of self-discovery and love. You will continue to engage the Dream of the Planet for many years, you will both get lost and you will find your way back home, and I will be here for you at every step. Take out the stones and hold them in your left hand. Each one of these stones represents an agreement that you will make. . .”

  We did as he instructed, and listened as he explained the meaning of each stone:

  “The first stone represents the agreement to Be Impeccable With Your Word. For it is your word that creates the dream you live in. How you use it will make you either happy or sad. But if you are impeccable with your word, you will always know love.

  “The second stone represents the agreement of Not Taking Things Personally. Nothing others do is because of you, which means that you are only responsible for your own actions and your own perception. This is the key to living life with free will.

  “The third stone represents the agreement of Not Making Assumptions. Always be willing to ask that which you do not know. If you answer with your own story, you might begin to believe an illusion. Always be willing to see life as it is.

  “The fourth stone represents the agreement of Always Doing Your Best. Your best will always change, but always be willing to take action when life gives you the opportunity to do so.

  “The fifth stone represents the agreement to Listen But Be Skeptical. This includes what I say to you as well. Don't believe me, but listen. Don't believe yourself, the voices in your mind, but listen. And don't believe anybody else, but listen. The point, my sons, is to always listen with skepticism. There is an element of truth in every voice you hear, but it is your job to discern what parts are really true for you.

  “Sixth, this black stone represents Death. Death is our greatest teacher; she gives us everything we have and she will take back everything. So learn to appreciate what you have, and be willing to let it all go once Death comes to collect it.

  “Seventh, this white one represents Life. Our biggest fear isn't Death, it is Life. Don't be afraid to live, don't be afraid to be yourself, don't be afraid of anything—enjoy everything while it is here, just as you are here.

  “The stick represents the journey of life, a two-headed snake that represents your journey between two dreams. Please cover the stick and the stones with this red cloth and tighten it with the leather string.

  “Now grab this feather—this feather represents your freedom, your capability to go in any direction in life because you are as free as the wind, nothing and nobody can hold you, the wind and your wings work in harmony as your mind and heart do. Always remember who you are.”

  Both my brother and I began to follow my father's instruction as well as we could, and he helped us tie the feather
with the red string in order to complete our power object, the symbol of our apprenticeship. As we finished, my father stepped just outside of the cave, and with his back to the sun, we could see his shadow on the floor of the cave. He then held his hands over his head so that his shadow now looked like a snake, with the head of the snake being formed by his hands above his head. Next, he wiggled his fingers in just such a way to imitate the movement of a snake's tongue, and began to move his body side to side in a rhythmic dance. The result was that his shadow now gave the illusion of a slithering snake on the floor with its tongue going in and out.

  My brother and I were watching the shadow of the snake slithering on the cave floor, when suddenly the mountainside began to fill with the sound of many rattlesnakes, rattling their tails. My brother and I looked at each other in shock—we could barely believe this was happening.

  My father was calm. “The rattlesnakes have accepted your initiation,” he said. “You are now apprentices to Life.” My dad stepped away briefly, and the rattling ceased as he did so. Jose and I were still trying to make sense of what had just happened. . .

  As my father showed my brother and myself that day in the mountains, a ritual can be a very useful tool in preparing you to walk the path of the shaman. Rituals are helpful because they are a physical expression of your inward desire. They make manifest your intention and move that intention beyond the realm of mere thought and into the world of action. When you undertake a ritual, you are also tapping into powerful energy of the things around you and calling forth the energy in them to help you on the path.

  The story of our initiation also demonstrates how some shamans can commune with nature in a way that cannot be explained. There is no scientific reason for how my father, a powerful shaman, was able to communicate with those rattlesnakes, but I was there and personally witnessed it. My father has also done other things that the mind cannot explain, such as making clouds appear and then disappear in front of a group of apprentices at Machu Picchu, Peru, as well as visiting people in their nightly dreams (he appeared in my own nighttime dream when I was ten years old).