A Glossary of Terms: An excerpt from "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Toltec Wisdom"

a path with heart-The Toltec path or any path in life that beings us joy and is uplifting to our heart.

abstract concepts-Thoughts or ideas that are conceived within the mind but have no physical or concrete existence. We use concepts to describe our personal experience so that we can communicate with one another.

act of power-An action a Warrior takes that is driven by the Intent of the Infinite or life moving through him. Since a Warrior’s acts are impeccable, they are always acts of power.

attention-Humans possess the ability to focus their attention on anything they choose to perceive. With our attention we can filter out all the perceptive input we are not interested in receiving and focus solely on what we want to hear or see.

assemblage point-A small area on the back of the luminous egg near the right shoulder blade. This is where the energetic patterns of light that our body is made of intersect with the energetic patterns of light of the greater universe. As a result of this alignment, perception occurs.

Avenue of the Dead-The main north-south road that passes through the ancient city of Teotihuacán. According to my lineage, it is so named because the Warriors who walked down this path had to die to their old way of living before they could continue their spiritual journey toward enlightenment.

awareness-The ability to receive information about our surroundings. We attribute awareness to being alive and conscious, although that consciousness might not resemble the consciousness of humans (other forms of life have awareness, too, like plants, trees, rocks, and inorganic beings).

Aztecs-The wandering tribe of Mexican-Indians that founded the great city of Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) around 1325 C.E.

belief-A statement that we accept as true or real. It can also be a firmly held opinion or conviction.

co-create-The knowing that we are conscious partners with life and that partnership is 50-50. We are responsible for our 50 percent and life is responsible for its 50 percent. In an equal relationship there can be no victims only partnership.

compassion-A deep awareness of the suffering of humanity and our planet and the desire to heal it.

controlled folly-For Stalkers, achieving this is a great accomplishment. It means that we can play in this reality with no attachment and no expectations, and with absolute awareness of our choices and actions.

denial-An unconscious defense mechanism that humans use to ignore painful realities, thoughts, or feelings. When we are in denial we can disown or disavow our own acts and blame them on others.

doings-Actions we take that are directed by the mind’s programming, usually without awareness. They cause us to create our world exactly as we want to see it according to our domestication and socialization, rather than the way it is.

Don Juan Matus-Carlos Castaneda’s teacher, made famous in Castaneda’s series of books chronicling his apprenticeship with this enigmatic and mysterious Toltec master.

Don Miguel Ruiz-The Toltec Master that Sheri has studied with. He was born in Mexico and comes from a line of Toltecs extending back along his mothers side of the family.

domestication-The process of socialization that humans go through to learn to think, act, and see like our parents and other humans.

Dreamer-A Dreamer is an expert at shifting levels of consciousness or positions of the assemblage point. A Dreamer can shift her state of consciousness to perceive any reality by the use of her attention.

Dreaming-A technique that enables us to change our ordinary dream (of non-awareness) into Dreaming (with awareness) by the purposeful and controlled use of the second attention, or Dreaming attention.

dream of heaven-Refers to heaven on earth for a Warrior; a life of beauty, unconditional love, grace, self-acceptance, inner peace and happiness.

dream of the planet-What Toltecs call the combined energetic structure of beliefs, rules, and concepts that all the humans on our planet simultaneously dream and project onto our conjoined reality.

erasing personal history-A process of detaching from what we believe about our personal life story domestication, life experiences, and programming.

energy-The ability to do work (physical or mental effort or activity). Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can only be converted or transformed from one form to another.

energy body-Our other self, the energetic essence of a person. It is not confined to our physical body, nor does it have the limitations of the physical body. Also called the dreaming body, or the double.

faith-For a Warrior it has nothing to with believing in concepts or ideas that his fellow man blindly believes to be true. His faith is in himself as the Infinite, his faith is absolute in this and he has no doubt.

fear-based emotions-Emotions that result from our believing in concepts that are not truth or not in accordance with love.

fifty-two years-In the Toltec and Mayan calendars, the number representing one complete cycle of renewal.

first attention-When we were domesticated we learned to use our attention for the first time, and created the world of the Tonal by consensus, which put order into our chaotic universe. This order represents a point of view and is not necessarily the absolute truth.

folly-The lack of good sense, understanding, and foresight of humans, leading to foolish or senseless behavior as a result of putting one’s life on autopilot and having no awareness.

grace-Not a Toltec word, but used here in the theological sense. When we are given divine approval, favor, and mercy, divine acceptance is bestowed upon us. Warriors strive to give themselves divine acceptance for their own folly.

heightened awareness-A state of consciousness resulting from a movement of the assemblage point, enabling us to align different energetic patterns of light outside us. The result is increased clarity and connection with silent knowledge.

impeccabilis-In Latin, the word impeccabilis means not to sin. Warriors act impeccably, meaning that they do not sin or go against themselves, and they do not go against others or our earth.

Infinite-That entity which is boundless in time or space, without beginning or end, absolute, and omnipotent. The part of us that is manifest in this reality, yet is eternal. Other terms that mean the same are Nagual, Spirit, and God.

inner silence-Absolute quietude of the mind resulting from detaching our attention from our internal dialogue. It is the gateway to the second attention and the Infinite.

inorganic beings-Entities that possess awareness and can perceive, but do not have bodies that are organic or carbon-based like ours or our planet’s (our planet is also made of carbon).

integrity-The state of being whole and complete, experiencing the totality of ourselves as Tonal and Nagual. Living our lives honestly from our heart and Spirit rather than from the lies of our programming.

intent-The force that life uses to create and manifest everything in the universe.

internal dialogue-The constant conversation that takes place within our own mind which we call thinking. It hooks our attention by repeating the contents of our program and our beliefs and concepts. We maintain our view of the world and our personal point of view with our internal dialogue.

inventory-The totality of the contents of the human mind: all of its concepts, beliefs, judgments, agreements, points of view, and interpreted experiences.

judgment-A conclusion a person comes to based on his or her opinion.

justification-When we create an explanation for ourselves or another person (using the contents of our belief system) to make our actions appear right, reasonable, or necessary.

left-sided awareness-The result of shifting our assemblage point to a place of clarity and absolute knowing (also known as heightened awareness, or a shift to the left). Complete understanding that is effortless and immediate, coming from direct knowing. When we are in this state, we are in the second attention.

lineages-Groups of Toltecs descending from different teachers for the purpose of passing down the knowledge of the tradition secretly, safe from corruption and misuse for generations to come, until they could be revealed at the appropriate time.

losing the human form-The process of losing our attachment to all the beliefs, concepts, opinions, points of view, emotional reactions, personality traits, and domesticated doings that make us what we are. We become impersonal, and are in service to the Infinite.

mal-intent-Bad intent, or actions taken with the specific purpose of harming or hurting another.

Nagual-Refers to Spirit, God, or the Infinite. It is the immensity of the unknowable, what can never be described. It can also refer to the Nagual, or leader, of a Toltec party of Warriors.

not-doings-Activities that we create to illuminate and break fear-based beliefs and behavior patterns that we may not be aware of.

no-thing-Refers to the understanding that life, the Infinite, God, the Nagual or any term we chose to use for Spirit is not and cannot be defined or limited by any concept or idea. That would immediately make it Tonal or some-thing.

one life-Refers to the knowledge that there is only one living being in the universe, the Infinite, and that we are all parts of this one living being. Duality is an illusion both in the concepts of the mind and in the visual illusion that we are separate from each other.

opinion-A view or judgment formed that is not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

perception-The act of registering information through our five senses. This information is collected and sent to the brain for processing and to the mind for interpretation. We can also perceive directly with our Nagual and bypass the interpretation of the rational mind.

petty tyrant-Any person who has the ability to drive us crazy, irritate us endlessly, get us frustrated, and drive us to distraction. Petty tyrants help us face our own self-importance and self-centeredness.

power-In the world of physics, power is defined as p=w/t, where w=work and t=time. In this case, work equals force times distance. For those of us who are physics-challenged, an easier way to word this is that power is energy transformed over time.

power journey-A journey for the specific purpose of enhancing our process of personal growth and enlightenment. During these trips we avail ourselves of the energy that our mother earth holds.

power objects-Items that have no use or meaning other than the Intent the Warrior gives to them. Often plain objects were used to focus a Warrior’s Intent, making the item dangerous if it was imbued with malevolent desire. It can also be imbued with beautiful Intent for example, wearing a cross your mother gave you to protect you from harm.

programming-The contents of the rational mind, ego, or the small self, which were downloaded into us during our domestication and life. It is everything we know, believe, and think and it is the totality of all our agreements.

Quetzalcoatl-The name of the god-man that the Toltec’s supposedly worshipped in their mythology.

rationalization-When we make something that we are doing or saying seem consistent with reason (the reason of our faulty programming, that is!). Or, when we devise self-satisfying but untruthful reasons for our behavior.

recapitulation-A summary or concise review of the supposed repetition in the evolutionary development of an individual’s life history.

revelation-An important concept in many religions. For us it is the uncovering of what is truth, an enlightening or astonishing disclosure of something not previously known or realized about oneself.

right-sided awareness-Our everyday state of consciousness that we have been taught to experience and perceive (also called the first attention). This state involves dependence on the rational mind and thinking.

second attention-When we focus our attention for the second time on what is, rather than on what we were taught to see.

seeing-The ability to see what is without the filtering process of the rational mind. This is how a Warrior who has lost the human form perceives; she can see what is in the world of the Tonal or see the world as it is as energy (the Nagual).
seer-A Warrior who has become totally impersonal and no longer has an attachment to any particular point of view. He sees the essence of world as it is, without story or judgment.

shamanism-An animistic religious structure practiced throughout the world. In these traditions a member of the society acts as a medium between the visible world and the spirit world using magic or sorcery practices for the purpose of healing, divination, or control over natural events.

silent knowledge-The wealth of information in the universe, which we all are connected to, but which we have forgotten how to use or reach. We receive this information as a non-linear mass of knowing.

Stalker-An expert at functioning in the realm of everyday consciousness. He can shift his behavior to become anything or anyone he wants in order to affect the best outcome in any situation.

Stalking-The process of hunting, following, and observing our weaknesses for the purpose of transforming them into our strengths. A Warrior will stalk her own mind to break her obsession with the thinking of the rational mind and the Tonal.

stopping the world-When we finally silence the mind and the world of the Tonal stops. Then we can assemble any reality we desire.

Teotihuacán-The ancient Toltec city (according to our lineage) of pyramids and ruins, located 25 miles northeast of Mexico City.

third attention-Freedom that results from the experience of the totality of you as the unknowable or the Infinite. It is absolute consciousness and presence, which spans the width and breadth of the universe.

Toltecs-An ancient society of Warriors of personal freedom. They were masters of awareness and great artists of the Spirit and anything they chose to create in their lives.

tonal-The world of reason; everything we think we know about the world, the totality of agreements we make about it and ourselves, and the linear order we put to it all.

truth-What is without conceptual interpretation, and does not need our belief in it to make it truth.

Tula-Ancient Toltec city northwest of Mexico City by about 45 miles in the state of Hilalgo.

virtual reality-The virtual reality of the rational mind is a seemingly real world created from light that totally simulates the reality outside of us.

voice of Dreaming-The voice of Dreaming, or Dreaming emissary, is a voice that comes from the realm of the inorganic beings. It has consciousness but no physical body in our reality.

void-Where the consciousness of the Infinite originates. It is connected to the manifest world through one point, which is located both everywhere and no-where.

Warrior-A Toltec who is fighting for freedom from her own domestication and social conditioning. She is free from needing to link her self-worth to the beliefs, thoughts, and wishes of her fellow human, free to be happy no matter what happens in life.

will-A force that a Warrior cultivates which is a purposefulness, determination or deliberate desire that transcends thought or rational mind. It comes through him from the Infinite and can also be seen as the personalized force of Intent.

witness-In terms of a Toltec Warriors party, the assistant or witness can be a man or a woman, Dreamer or Stalker; if the witness is a woman she is usually from the south. A witness can also be one who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced. He sees exactly what is from a neutral point of view without judgment or opinion.

wounds-Our wounds consist of all those hurts that we have accumulated in our emotional bodies over the years as a result of painful experiences that we took personally.