Preface: Volume 4
As a result of feedback received from the readers of the first two books, it is necessary to point out that not all Toltecs are the same, nor is every person who is apprenticed to the Warrior’s Path necessarily Toltec. However, considering the fact that Toltecs have been solitary birds for an awfully long time, it is hardly surprising that the world at large knows very little, if anything at all, about us and our activities. In fact, some of those few who have heard of us have more or less come to think of us as nothing more than a myth, whilst some others, that is, those who have come to know about us through the books written by Carlos Castaneda, tend to look upon us as being sorcerers. It is indeed undeniably true that Carlos Castaneda, as well as the other current writers who claim to be associated with the content of the Castaneda books, all portray the Toltec tradition in terms of the practices of sorcery. And yet, the true Toltec is not a man or a woman who indulges in those pursuits of sorcery that are today engendering so much curiosity.
Toltecs are men and women of knowledge, and although our knowledge would not be complete if we did not also have a knowledge of sorcery, I must stress that the practices of sorcery form only a tiny fragment of the full extent of our knowledge. Furthermore, true Toltecs know that sorcery does not lead people to freedom, but instead leads to their continuing enslavement.
Ever since the destruction of Atlantis the Toltec brotherhood has stood divided into two major groups: one, those who are exclusively dedicated to the empowerment, and consequently the freedom of the individual; and two, those who are only interested in the evolution of awareness for their own selfish gain. The first group are those of us who walk what is known as the Path of Freedom. The second group are those of the brotherhood who walk what is termed the Path of High Adventure. These two groups both consist of various ranks, or degrees of proficiency and skill which, for the sake of convenience, are listed in the Appendix.
Broadly speaking, there are really only two degrees open to those who walk the Path of High Adventure; namely, Warriors of the First Attention and Warriors of the Second Attention. To put this in a nutshell, the First Attention is the full potential of what may be termed rational, or normal awareness – a potential which average men and women have not yet begun to explore fully. The Second Attention, on the other hand, is a level of awareness which is completely irrational and, generally speaking, not even vaguely understood by average men and women, let alone explored. This is a truly vast area of awareness which completely transcends the relatively small and rather limited scope of the rational mind of man.
It is the Second Attention which is the forté of those of our brothers who tread the Path of High Adventure. Upon this path are to be found all those glamorous aspects of the Toltec tradition which do not lead to freedom, and which pertain to what might best be described as phenomena of every description – the weird and the wonderful – sorcery and magic as most understand it. Those Toltecs who have chosen this path have developed their skills solely within the confines of the First and the Second Attention, and it is their proficiency in these two areas of awareness that are termed the First Ring of Power and the Second Ring of Power, respectively.
However, very few of those who are interested in the ancient practices of the Toltec tradition and who are in some way trying to put these teachings into practice have paused to consider the fact that a little knowledge is invariably a dangerous knowledge. This is especially true in connection with the practices of sorcery, for very few indeed of those who feel drawn to that particular pursuit of knowledge have ever questioned the efficacy of practices which, by their very nature, encourage the practitioner to hand his or her power over to some other person or being.
How can any such practice possibly lead to freedom? And yet it is truly amazing to note how many misguided souls still persist in adhering to thoroughly outdated practices, such as, for example, enlisting the aid of inorganic beings, the evocation of energy through the use of ritual and the use of hallucinogenic drugs. Believing that such practices will enhance their power or, more precisely, enhance their power over their fellow men, these practitioners are wholly unaware that both the First and the Second Rings of Power are not goals in themselves, but are merely necessary stepping stones leading man into the unfoldment of his full potential, namely, the Third Attention, a form of awareness which transcends the Second Attention, and which is not accessible to any other than those trained upon the Path of Freedom.
To try to explain the Third Attention in just a few words is well-nigh impossible, but let it suffice for now to say that the Third Attention is that point in the manifested universe, that level of awareness, where the awareness of both the unmanifest and the manifest is assembled in a mutual and fully intelligent act of co-operation. In this respect it is the ultimate paradox, but a paradox which grants access to the blueprint of the universe, and which is therefore termed the Third Ring of Power – a type of power that is completely unknown to those trained only in the arts of sorcery.
Whoever has access to the Third Ring of Power does not have to resort to the rather petty practices of sorcery, and not even to the glamorous powers offered upon the Path of High Adventure, for such a person quite literally holds within his or her grasp the ultimate keys to both creation and destruction. Clearly, there is no magic higher than this. Consequently a Warrior of the Third Attention does not have to hurl thunderbolts at his enemy, nor is there any need for him to enlist the aid of inorganic beings, for a mere focused thought directed along the hidden paths of human awareness is, generally
speaking, all that is needed. It is exactly for this reason that this type of power is not available to those who have not yet acquired the necessary all-encompassing vision that is needed so as not to use such power for selfish gain.
The task of the Warriors of the Third Attention is to use their power for destroying those forms which imprison and disempower, and to provide humanity with the necessary knowledge so that each individual can uplift him or herself, and by so doing also uplift all those around him or her, for it must be realised that all of life is thoroughly and completely interrelated, and therefore also interactive and interdependent. Therefore, Warriors of the Third Attention are capable and willing to challenge anyone and anything that stands in the way of the individual being able to claim his or her power and consequent freedom.
In relation to the above, realise that if you as the reader are serious in wanting to tread the Warrior’s Path, then it is imperative for you to discriminate between the Path of Freedom and the Path of High Adventure. The question that is often asked here is, freedom from what? Once again this is no easy question to answer within the context of a preface such as this, for the implications of freedom are vast indeed. But let it suffice for now to say, freedom from the great many illusions born of man’s lack of knowledge, his social conditioning and ignorance of his own divine nature. Apropos this, few people as yet realize that man is not a physical creature confined to the physical plane, but is instead a stupendous being of the universe that has both magic and power. Therefore in leading others to freedom, Warriors of the Third Attention work in close collaboration with their presiding nagal in leading people into a realisation of their true potential, and indeed, their true heritage as magical beings of the universe.
I personally am Toltec of the Third Attention, and my official mandate amongst Toltecs is an office that I have filled periodically over many, although not consecutive lifetimes, an office known as the Dragon Wolf. Very briefly, the purpose of the Dragon Wolf is to bring into the world the forces of discrimination so that the light of sobriety may illumine the way forward in the evolution of awareness. Therefore, the work of the Dragon Wolf is to separate light from darkness, to separate that which uplifts from that which suppresses, that which has substance from that which is void of meaning, that which nurtures from that which destroys and, in short, to separate that which leads to freedom from that which leads to bondage and slavery – to separate that which is life-supporting from that which is life-destructive.
However, power, peace and freedom cannot be given, nor can they be bestowed. Power, and peace and freedom, have to be fought for, and claimed. As a result, the Dragon Wolf is a being that teaches people, firstly, how they are being held in bondage; secondly, that no man can be trapped without his consent; and thirdly, that men and women can claim their power by fighting for their freedom. Consequently, in the wake of the Dragon Wolf there is always a wide trail of separation and struggle, but also an equally wide trail of hope, and of renewed courage born of self-respect.
The reason I once again hold the office of the Dragon Wolf in this lifetime is because of the dire need to point out to humanity the huge opportunities for change and freedom that are inherent in the present world situation. In this respect, realise that men and women everywhere are beginning to despair as their old and comfortably-familiar world is continuing to fall apart. The escalating violence and crime in the world in general; the insecure economic situation; the deterioration of ethical standards; the deterioration of relationships in general, but within the family unit in particular; the twisting of truth for selfish gain; the gross manipulation of awareness through the unscrupulous actions of not only the likes of politicians and the news media, but also of self-styled healers, prophets and truthsayers, are all forcing humanity into a desperate corner in which man has his back firmly up against the wall. Finally, no longer knowing whom to trust and who to listen to, men and women everywhere are becoming desperate enough to fight for their freedom.
In fact, there are in the world today a great many men and women who are extremely anxious to flex their psychic muscles and to make their mark upon the world, but what holds them back is their lack of vision, their lack of the much-needed knowledge on what constitutes the true nature of life and the world, and ignorance of their own magical heritage. Add to all of this the debilitating restraints of social conditioning and it is hardly surprising that there are so many frustrated people in the world today – people who would dearly love to bring change into their lives and into the world around them, if only they knew how, and if only they did not feel so powerless.
As far as the Toltecs are concerned, this is a very fine state of affairs indeed, for it is only when man has his back firmly up against the wall that he is ever willing to consider that maybe, just maybe, there is a different way of thinking, of feeling, and of doing things. Only then does man become charged with enough emotion to start fighting for what he himself believes in and what he himself longs for. It is primarily for this reason that the Warriors of Freedom have once again chosen to take their rightful place in the world as Toltecs. Furthermore, we who are dedicated to the Path of Freedom are fully prepared, and indeed ready, to cash in on man’s desire for change, his deep wish for peace, his intense search for prosperity, and above all, his growing desire for finding that knowledge which will enable him to claim his power as an individual who has the right to think and to act by himself, and for himself. But in order to do so, man will have to face and dismantle his past, which includes fighting to free himself from the disempowering restraints of his social conditioning.
Today there is a great deal of speculation concerning the end of the world and also the coming of the new age. From a Toltec perspective the end of the present known world is inevitable, simply because man has come of age, and therefore instead of continuously building sand castles and then destroying them with childish abandon, man must now take responsibility as an adult and begin to play a really meaningful part within the broader implications inherent within the evolution of awareness, and in this respect also take responsibility for the fact that he is essentially a magical being that has the power both to create and to destroy. Once man has taken responsibility for his heritage, then we will indeed see coming into existence a totally new age, and a completely new world – a new age and a new world which is not just going to descend from out of heaven, but a new age based upon man’s responsible acceptance of his true role within the universe.
Therefore, as far as the Warriors of Freedom are concerned, realise that unlike our brothers who tread the Path of High Adventure, and who devote their time to the practices of sorcery, we are fully committed to freedom, and in this respect intend to use this time, and the present world situation, to the full advantage of all of life. Therefore our commitment is to the freedom, to the self-empowerment, to the self-respect, and to the well-being of every individual, human and otherwise. It is to this end that I too am playing my part in imparting to humanity its Toltec legacy.
Théun Mares
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