What I'm reading: The complete idiot's guide to Toltec wisdom

From Dr. Sheri Rosenthal's The Complete Idiot's Guide to Toltec Wisdom:

I have read Don Miguel Ruiz's books about Toltec teachings (which are very good), but wanted more background about this and a concise overview of the material he covers in several books. Dr. Rosenthal's guide does all this and goes beyond Ruiz's (her mentor) teachings, including other Toltec guides and information Ruiz has not yet written about.

Here are some of the key teachings I've taken from the book, more as a summary for me, but also a good overview if you are considering this book:

• The Toltec were skilled artisans, spiritualists, masterful architects, and powerful Warriors and sorcerers of ancient Mexico (p. 15).
• Toltecs believe we are basically living a dream and seek personal freedom through mastering our own awareness (seeking truth) (Chapter 2).
• "A Warrior endeavors to learn his or her whole life, knowing that he or she will never really know anything," (p. 37).
• A Warrior acts with purpose and respect; is detached, focused, patient, and lives in the moment (Chapter 9).
• Be impeccable with your word: be succinct, loving, clear, and positive as our word creates our reality (Chapter 12).
• Be cautious when listening to your mind/conscious: the mind is tuned to the Tonal and often uses past programming (logic, justification, and rationalization) to keep us living fear-based, limited lives (Chapter 13).
• Death is a personal adviser: people are often cavalier about their actions because they believe there is always tomorrow to change, fix, or repair their doings. Death reminds us to be impeccable in our words and deeds as there may not be the opportunity of tomorrow (p. 207).
• Impeccability is the basis of the Toltec path. Impeccable: action, communication, emotions, livelihood, love, and minds.
• Dreaming: shifting consciousness to use attention to perceive reality in different ways (meditation in other traditions)
• first attention: the Tonal worldview, puts order into a chaotic universe
• Nagual: the spiritual, Infinite part of our awareness/being, who we really are
• second attention: when we focus our attention to what is, rather than what we are taught about reality, a heightened state of consciousness
• Stalking:Becoming aware of everyday consciousness and behavior through observing and reflecting on our own habits, then considering alternate behaviors that will lead more towards the Nagual. Dr. Rosenthal recommends ten steps:
  1. Objectively watch ourselves, observing our behavior and others' reactions to us
  2. Inventory (journal) our beliefs (judgments, justifications, opinions, points of view, rationalizations)
  3. Examine our emotional reactions, and journal about what we believe about these emotions
  4. Review journal entries: are they true?
  5. Acknowledge the truth and take responsibility for helping make this reality
  6. Recapitulate our lives to see where our beliefs and agreements originated
  7. Release expectations we have in life about everything and everyone
  8. Forgive and let go of grudges, disagreements, resentments, and dislike
  9. Erase our personal history
     
  10. Become impersonal by totally detaching from the egotistical mind
      
• Tonal: the world of reason, the agreements we make with ourselves and others, a typical person's waking life

This book helped me think about a movie I once saw, Waking Life, in a different way. I wonder if the movie was a nod to Toltec Dreaming? I want to see it again soon!

Another Toltec reference in popular culture is Episode 3F24 ("El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Homer") of The Simpsons.

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Mood: spiritual