Preface: Volume 5
All of us are seeking change, albeit usually in a one-sided and self-centred way. How this generally manifests is that we want others to change, whether those “others” are the people within our lives, or the circumstances we ourselves have precipitated through our actions, past and present. If “they” change everything will be okay, and if “they” don’t want to change, we will spare no effort to make “them” change, or wish our circumstances were different. The delusional apathy born of this mind-set is life-destructive, as opposed to life-supportive, and hinders evolution in every possible way. This is as true for any collective as it is for the individual. What is singularly lacking in the world today is the willingness to accept responsibility for the inevitability of change, and therefore, to intelligently co-operate with it. Hence the propensity for insisting on change outside of ourselves, whilst reserving for ourselves the privilege of adhering dogmatically to our beliefs and prejudices as if they are sacrosanct and inviolable.
Is it any wonder then, that change is perceived as force, irrespective of our beliefs concerning who, or what, administers that perceived force, be it human, superhuman or natural? Do we ever stop to ask ourselves how, and from where, we acquired our beliefs and prejudices? On what are our beliefs and prejudices based, and do they equip us adequately to meet the challenges we are presently confronted with, whether as individuals, groups, or as humanity? Yet all over the world we see people desperately clinging to the old rather than daring to embrace the new.
Underlying these questions is one fundamental question; do we see ourselves as separate from everything and everyone else, or, are we prepared to acknowledge that we are all units of one indivisible whole? Until we are willing to acknowledge that we are all interconnected, interdependent, and therefore interactive, we will never be able to make any real progress that is not imposed on us from outside of ourselves. Therefore, the real question is, are we indeed willing to change, unless it is imposed on us?
Let us for a moment assume that change is synonymous with growth and evolution. How are we to grow if we refuse to change ourselves? And how is that change and growth to commence unless it starts with self? Just as any infant is nurtured during its formative years, and its rebellion is tolerated through its teenage years, so too has humanity been nurtured and tolerated by the Guardians of the Race. But are we going to remain rebellious teenagers forever, or are we going to start behaving like responsible young adults? We have entered a time when blaming each other, or anything else, for the circumstances within which we find ourselves, is a dangerous pastime. As with any young adult we are now expected to take responsibility for ourselves, and for the consequences of our actions and decisions. No matter what we may like to think, we are going to be held accountable for our actions, or inactions, and we will pay the price that is exacted, whether we wish to or not. In all of this we need to be fully cognisant of the fact that we must take action, for life is not a spectator sport. Neither is it a problem to be solved, but rather, life is a mystery to be experienced. Although we have achieved our majority, we are as yet immature, and the only way to gain our maturity is through our own experience, not because we are told to, or because it is enforced upon us, but because we want to. To gain experience, and thereby to acquire knowledge, requires action, and action implies responsibility.
It stands to reason that we cannot acquire experience or knowledge selectively, and therefore taking action does not mean that we are always successful in whatever it is we set out to do. Some endeavours end in failure, others in success. Some battles we win, and some battles we lose. Winning implies response-ability. Losing implies under-standing. That which binds responsibility and understanding is humility. This can also be described in the following way: Love is an active participation in the process of life; humility is a passive acceptance of that process. In the final analysis to seek responsibility is to become pre-pared to under-stand the One Purpose. Are we seeking responsibility? Are we pre-pared to under-stand?
The paradox is that although the ability to affect the next step in our evolutionary journey is within our HANDS, we still see life as something out there; something happening to us, rather than realising we are co-creators of our own reality. This fact should be patently obvious to any thinking person, but it seems as though we are still content to learn only in retrospect that ignorance is not a viable defence or a justifiable excuse.
How then can we begin to intelligently initiate change? How do we commence the journey that will lead us ever closer to our true selves? If the only knowledge there is, is knowledge of self, how are we to set about acquiring that knowledge? Through the ages we have been given much guidance in the scriptures of all revealed religions. The fundamental truths behind all of them are the same. There is, after all, only One Life, and therefore One Truth. What has mankind done about discovering those simple truths? Like a drowning man who is quite willing to save himself by drowning his rescuer, he has “forfeited” those truths in his stupidity at wanting to be “rescued” on his own terms.
Rather than take the “tools” revealed, and use them to uncover new knowledge, man has become fixated upon the “tools.” One would think that you could only sit for so long looking at a chisel before attempting to use it, guided by your feeling. Through trial and error, action and experience, you would learn what this “tool” could do for you, and ultimately perfect the use of the “tool.” Instead the “tools” have been enshrined as ends unto themselves, rather than being gateways to that which lie beyond them. The outer form has been glorified, and the inner spiritual essence has been lost.
Consequently we have been bequeathed a stream of intellectually complex interpretations, pontificating and exegeses concerning these “tools,” but nothing based on practical experience from any who have used the “tools” wisely. Into this breach jumped those who sensed that these “tools” could be used to wield power over others, and in this self-centred pursuit of power all truth was buried. All churches past and present bear testimony to this fact. They have all in their turn succumbed to greed and corruption; grotesque caricatures dancing in the wind, fulfilling no worthwhile purpose, and devoid of any real meaning. In a monument to arrogance, and because of a lack of reciprocation with the spirit, conventional religion, and any other group left in the wake of a true teacher, has become nothing more than a temple of intensity; a rational monster turned in upon itself, devouring itself in a self-indulgent orgy. To be frank, today the term “spiritual pursuit” is a euphemism for intellectual masturbation. Who is responsible for this mess? Humanity! For as long as we continue to shirk our response-ability the situation will only get worse.
Despite this deplorable situation, and because it was foreseen, there have ever been those charged with upholding the Sacred Trust, labouring behind the scenes to preserve humanity’s heritage until it had come of age. Humanity has come to know these men and women as Toltecs. Like tenuous threads woven through time Toltec lineages have, since their inception, appeared in all ages, in all cultures, and in all geographical locations. Isolated from each other after the destruction of Atlantis these various lineages, or more specifically, the nagals who led them, have endeavoured against impossible odds to keep intact that part of humanity’s heritage that was entrusted to them. As in any form of isolation the danger existed of aspects of the Toltec teachings becoming distorted because of the over-specialisation in certain fields of endeavour within the confines of isolation. True to life, if we narrow our focus to the exclusion of that which surrounds us, that which we have brought to specialisation is out of balance with that which we have neglected. It follows that the inevitable result would be impairment of the greater whole, whether that whole is an individual life or the Toltec teachings. Within that impairment much would have become lost to humanity.
This was also foreseen, and in an effort to compensate for this dilemma small groups of highly trained individuals were formed and tasked with what might best be described as cross-pollination amongst the various Toltec lineages, or anywhere else upon the stage of human endeavour. Rather than leading any one particular lineage these beings have functioned more like a seed bank; a repository or treasury that would serve to replenish and disseminate, when and where it was needed. Totally committed to group consciousness, and fully aware of the value and strength that is contained within diversity, these beings, lifetime after lifetime, have fought with everything at their disposal to keep intact a fabric that has shown every sign of beginning to unravel. Against all odds, and now that humanity has achieved its majority, these beings are, for now, fulfilling their final obligation to humanity. The Toltec lineages are no more, and it is now up to humanity to choose whether it is going to embody its heritage, or discard it. No sane human being can continue to condone simply paying lip-service to the finality of the decision we are all confronted with.
It is to one of these small groups that Théun Mares is affiliated. Again a representative of the spirit has come to impart to us the “tools” we most need in order to move forward; out of the old, and into the new. In fact, we are systematically being given an entire “tool kit” with the concomitant manual on how each tool works, and how best to use it. Tried and tested over millennia, these “tools” are practical and are applicable to our daily lives right now. They are not ideas or hypotheses, they are experiential facts. They require no special circumstance, no special attire, diet or accoutrements; just the heartfelt willingness to confront whatever hand of cards it is we have been dealt this time round. They equip us to deal constructively, and intelligently, with the challenges that arise within our daily lives, thereby holding out for us the promise of a fuller, richer engagement with life. That which was hitherto hidden is being freely proffered in the hope that this time humanity will reciprocate. Is there any more that we could ask for? Is there any more that we could possibly need?
Inherent within reciprocation is the necessity for action. We must use what we are being given. It is only through the intelligent use of what we are being given that we can move beyond it to that which lies within – within each and every one of us. We have identified with the form for so long we think we are the form. We are not. But, unless we are willing to let go of our preconceived ideas, our beliefs and prejudices, we will take the Toltec teachings and concretise them in a rational construct, thereby rendering them inanimate. The legacy for which the Toltec teachings are simply the vehicle, will then be lost. We will have anchored the raft to the river bed, and left it to rot, whilst dreaming and wondering about what adventures we might have had, if only we had had the courage to let go of our fixation with the known and embark on a journey into the unknown. Although the axiom that all true learning is forced has held sway for ages, does it really have to be like that? Can we not embrace our heritage with the same love and willingness with which it is being extended to us? The spirit has always wanted to intelligently co-operate with humanity, rather than impose its will. Is it not time for us to fulfil our end of the bargain? What have we got to lose? What do we stand to gain? These are vital questions that deserve our attention.
I could not imagine a life without the “tools” Théun has imparted to me. But, more importantly, it is the unconditional love and care with which those tools have been, and continue to be, imparted. My life is immeasurably richer, and has become an exciting adventure of discovery, rather than a hollow existence permeated with the gnawing ache that there must be more to life than this. I had, in my attempts to slake my thirst, found many tributaries, but still I remained thirsty. When I had given up, and resigned myself to merely numbing the pain, I found the source. Here the water is pure and sweet, and to drink of it is to thirst no more. The life I used to have is only a distant memory, and it gathers its dust as each day goes by.
The hallmark of Théun’s books is the heart with which they have been written; the residual feeling that my freedom matters to this man. Never before has the light been so brightly shone on the path humanity needs to tread in order to claim its freedom. Clearly and poignantly articulated, infused with love and warmth, Théun’s books are a testament to his indomitable pioneering spirit. With selfless dedication he is honouring his commitment to the Sacred Trust. I salute his courage, and I treasure his love and friendship.
This volume of the Toltec teachings, with its heart-rending depiction of the blueprint of life, is a continuation of Théun’s commitment to us all.
Now it is up to us.
Up to you and me.
Russell Braithwaite
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