"The Earth does not give up her secrets easily, only through hard work and respect for all living things will this knowledge be gained."

Don Juan Matus, Toltec/Navaho Elder

The modern Toltecs are the contemporary practitioners of an ancient body of shamanic practices, dating back to the Toltec empire in the 10th century. These practices were handed down orally, until finally documented by Carlos Castaneda in the 1960s and further developed by Don Miguel Ruiz, Victor Sanchez, myself, and various others.

Earth as Shaman

Many a spiritual aspirant has searched wide and hard for gurus, masters, Naguals, and medicine men to "apprentice" them and teach them to be "Shamans," or "persons of power," healing, etc. It is strictly forbidden in every indigenous culture we worked in, for anyone to anoint themselves a "shaman," as only the people in the culture can do that. Shamans are only humble mediators, with knowledge and power on loan from the spirit world – they don’t own it and never will.

The greatest "shaman" or "medicine person" is the one we walk on every day, the earth. There is no more powerful elder or healer, teacher or mother.

Spiritual systems fall into two great categories: those stemming from books and man-made laws, mythologies, etc., and those stemming from the earth and the spirits around the earth. The second is the oldest way on the earth and the one that will survive all others. To me, Nature is my bible, religion, guru, and church.

Natural Intelligence

The natural world is nonlinear, yet has a cohesive, integrated, holistic balance. Nature is the very face of spirit and creation. There is nothing "wild" about the natural world, only human beings’ "wild," destructive behavior towards the earth and each other.
                 
Everything in Nature has a physical and nonphysical side and a function. Every tree, body of water, rock, and animal has a song attached to it and a unique vibrational frequency that modern Toltecs are trained in listening to and interpreting. Natural intelligence goes around in a circle and is a whole; it does not need to be analyzed, divided, or even understood in any logical way. The natural world is also the major source of energetic renewal and cleansing for modern Toltecs, as water, fire, sun, and woodlands are pure chi (power).

Power Spots 

In all of Nature there are specific areas that have a centralized convergence of natural powers that are set up in a grid around the earth like a chakra system. Each power spot has a unique kind of power that a warrior needs to be very aware of before treading onto. There are a lot of natural dos and don’ts in theses areas, as spirits have their own way of protecting themselves and maintaining their power. One goes to these areas for vision quests, power, prayers, healings, and visions. One must follow certain natural protocols in these areas, as "power" is a double-edged sword and can go in various directions. If one is weak or ill, my advice is to stay away from these areas. Power spots include the following and more: the Grand Canyon, Mount Shasta, Mount Fuji, Hawaiian volcanoes, the Sedona (AZ) area, Teotihuacan pyramids, Machu Picchu, rainforests, etc.

I’ve taken many a group out into natural areas and power spots, only to hear some people say, "It’s boring out here, too quiet." Au contraire. To me, there is endless mystery, hidden knowledge, adventure, healing, and love that are bestowed upon a warrior from the Grandmother Earth. Those who are bored forgot how to listen. Conversely, I’ve seen others in these areas become agitated as their self-importance is pushed out of their bodies by Mother Earth’s power. Then there are others moved to tears as Grandmother cradles their open hearts and reminds them what is real.

Nature’s Doorways

To work with Nature directly, we need to erase this Eurocentric concept we have of dominion over her. The earth and all her inhabitants are our family. All living things are equal on the web of life, and one affects the next. Humans aren’t that intelligent; there is a great deal to learn from all forms of natural life. Humility is the first key to learning from Nature, as humans are the most dependent species in Nature.

The Toltecs, as well as all indigenous cultures, learned their knowledge over time, directly from the earth and spirits of the earth. There is no substitute, spiritually, for direct experience. The natural world speaks to us in symbols, feelings, subtle psychic impressions, and silent knowledge. There are spiritual and dimensional doorways/gateways in nature, and as a warrior, one can move in and out of these. The more your soul is purified, the easier it is to enter these doorways, as nature does not care about our titles, achievements, money, or intelligence, only the purity of our hearts. It’s that simple. We are her children. We go to the mother with our hearts and cradle her as she cradles us.

The Hunter of Silent Knowledge

There is a basic exercise I have in my Toltec Earth-walking courses and it is called "The Hunter of Silent Knowledge." Here are a few tips for the next time you take a walk in the woods or on the lakefront – these exercises will help optimize any energetic encounters you have in nature. It prepares you to be "energetically available," to feel and acquiesce to the indications of spirit, interwoven in the mystical tapestry of Mother Earth. (Before entering into nature, always leave an offering of tobacco, sage, hair, or food for the spirits that live there.)

1. Silent the mind and inner chatter.
2. Let go of any sense of linear time.
3. Slow down everything (thinking, walking, breathing, etc.).
4. Sit down for long periods and really listen.
5. Try to blend into your surroundings.
6. Don’t analyze what you feel, sense, see, smell, etc.
7. No talking – only use hand gestures/sounds.
8. Don’t label what you see in words; see it as energy.
9. Open your heart to your family in nature.
10. Don’t complain about small discomforts; ignore them (cold, heat, bugs).
11. Listen from within, not from your mind.

After your earth-walks, journal what you felt, saw, and intuited, and Grandmother Earth will reveal mysteries to you that no human could possibly do. This is the heart of being a Modern Toltec.

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

Lao Tzu

Through a 27-year ongoing relationship with indigenous "medicine elders" in America and Mexico, Mark Edwards provides a unique form of intuitive spiritual guidance and direction. He has been a student of Victor Sanchez, Don Miguel Ruiz, Robert Moss, James Van Praagh, and Lillian Celic. He has appeared on the Rolanda Show, Network News, Wild Chicago, the M.U.F.O.N. lecture series, and Channel 5 News. His numerous articles have appeared in the Monthly Aspectarian, the Roosevelt Journal, the Sun Times, Magical Blend magazine, and the Hyde Park Herald. To learn more, visit www.edwardsees.com.