Folly, A System of Knowledge & The Lunatic Fringe
Carlos Castaneda wrote:Once a man learns to see he finds himself alone in the world with nothing but folly. (Don Juan, A Separate Reality)
***
One thing that has consistently surprised me since beginning these forums back in the year 2001, is that there would appear to be relatively few *seers* in cyberspace, and perhaps even less who have actually assimilated the core teachings of Toltec. An ominous opening statement? Perhaps. But allow me to explain...
Just looking at the books of Carlos Castaneda (leaving out all the other Toltec writers for a moment), it has come to my attention that most would-be warriors appear (at least on the surface) to incorporate certain aspects of the teachings into their lives, while selectively discarding others. And while I can relate to the possibility that some techniques will work better for some than for others, it has been my experience that it is only prudent to discard a technique or method after thoroughly exploring its potential value. Otherwise, the warrior risks an incomplete foundation, particularly if the element being discarded is intrinsic to the system itself. Throwing away the steering wheel won't make the car stop, but it can make for a quick trip to the morgue unless some other manner of piloting the vehicle can be implemented muy pronto.
One warrior I knew for many years had become an adept at recapitulation, but knew virtually nothing about stopping the internal dialogue or moving the assemblage point. Another warrior in the same group had become a masterful dreamer, but clung to her self-importance so fiercely that it eventually derailed her from the path altogether. She's now an accountant for Sears in some dark back room, miserable, and has forgotten the path altogether. Still another warrior could quote chapter and verse from any of the books, had mastered shutting down his internal dialogue, dreaming & stalking... but knew not one thing about "the right way to live", and eventually ended up becoming disillusioned with the path because he could not find any meaning to life beyond the folly itself.
What's the common thread here? Two things: 1) The Toltec teachings are not "just" a series of multiple-choice options to be selected like unrelated courses at some second-rate junior college. And if one were to really look as a *seer*, one would quickly determine that any single component of the Toltec teachings is no more valuable than a single screw when one has an entire house to assemble. And 2) The individuals in this group had denounced entirely any idea of a "teacher", and so from the perspective of hindsight, it is now clearly *seen* that they were floundering in the old cliche of "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Without some manner of guidance, they were able to work with certain components, but were altogether unable to assimilate the components into a working system.
Toltec is a system of Knowledge. And, frankly, I hesitate to even use the word "toltec" here, because ultimately Toltec is about evolving beyond all "teachings", including its own. But be that as it may, what I want to stress here is that the warriors who seem to succeed on their path are those who approach the path as a system, and not as some willy-nilly bunch of building blocks to be selected and discarded at random.
When starting out on the path, newbies have expressed to me a certain frustration that - in essence - they cannot see the forest for the trees. And, sure, that can be an issue. And it's also precisely why some manner of guidance may be desirable, at least in the early phases of one's journey. It further amazes me that "teacher" has become a bad word in many Toltec circles, but maybe that's not surprising when I really look at that phenomenon through the eyes of a seer. Those who criticize teachers the loudest are usually those who know in their own hearts that they probably really need a teacher, but are too burdered with the self-importance of their pride or the gravity of their ego to even consider the remote possibility that maybe - just maybe - they do not know everything there is to know about this path just by virtue of having read The Four Agreements or The Teachings of Don Juan.
The bottom line is that without the system, the Knowledge itself may become so fragmented and disjointed that no real cohesion may be seen. And that is precisely when warriors fall off their path, denounce it as rubbish, and essentially give themselves over to failure, when it is really only a lack of understanding of the system which leads to this type of (de)manifestation.
To further complicate matters, there is a certain lunatic fringe running around in cyberspace, calling themselves Toltecs, who would tell you that Stalking is the answer! Or, just as verbal, Dreaming is the answer! Starts to remind me of a Monty Python movie: "Follow the shoe!" "No, follow the holy gourd!" And at that point, the entire system is rendered ineffective, and becomes nothing more than a fragment of yet one more hokey religion. This same lunatic fringe will also tell you that all teachers are cult leaders, and all cults are out to get you, and out the other side of their mouth, they will denounce "fear-based programming", even though they themselves are the most vocal proponents of, "The goblins will get you if you don't watch out!"
It's amazing to me how much of this goes on - this abject madness disguised as something intended for your well-being, when the bottom line is that it is how the lunatic fringe attempts to fill in the gaping cracks in their own foundation, which were created - simply and wholly - by a refusal or inability to do the work for themselves, and by flitting from one system to the next like a kid with attention deficit disorder flipping channels on the tube, desperately searching for something that might have meaning, but unwilling to focus on any one thing for more than a fraction of a fragmented gnat's attention. While they are frantically looking for "answers," they have forgotten to ask the one question which leads to all others: "Who am I?"
This same lunatic fringe will tell you that their "work" is of utmost importance and relevance, yet when you really start to question them, you will find that their "work" is largely in their own mind, and altogether unmanifested in any definition of "the real world". Have they produced a website? Have they published (or even written?) a book? Can they give you even a brief description of what they work actually is? Have they brought forth any forward thinking to the existing systems? Or, are they the victim of their own fragmentation, doomed to wander the earth like lost energy vampires desperately seeking attention through the act of condemning anyone who actually has contributed to the system of Knowledge?
Ultimately, some would say that the lunatic fringe doesn't matter, and should be ignored. However, I have found that a certain awareness of their methods and their agendas is a good idea, because it has been my observation over many years that sometimes these folks are not "just" misguided souls who have lost their way. Many times, their darker purpose is to distract and even divert the warrior from her path. The logic used here is that if one can be diverted, one is not worthy, and so they have taken it upon themselves to be your personal devil.
It's their mission from on high. Just ask 'em. (And don't expect to get a straight answer, because you may be talking to Personality A today, and Personality B tomorrow... and in this crazy world of the toltec lunatic fringe, there is little possibility that either personality is in any manner sane or coherent). And yet... they have come to Earth to help you by slapping you in the face and throwing glass in your eyes and intentionally attempting to bring out the worst in you - not to actually help you, but to make themselves feel superior in the process. "Look, I hit you and you bleed! How weak and lame is that? You're not a warrior! You're just a bleeding human! I'm better, you see! I'm the better warrior! Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!" Worse than Cartman on South Park!
I mean... does that logic really work? And even if, on some twisted level, you might think it does work, does it not seem more reasonable and productive to work with people who bring out your strengths and assist in augmenting those aspects? Frankly, I don't need some mentally ill, self-appointed Don Juanita forever poking at my weaknesses and telling me it's for my own good. Who needs that? Do you need it? I rather doubt it! So my policy over the years has become one of aligning myself with people who bring out the best in one another at the level of Spirit. In doing so, our strengths begin to gradually but inevitably reveal our weaknesses to us in such a manner that they can be dealt with in a positive manner, rather than being waved under one's nose like some red flag wielded by a character assassin.
If that kind of engagement works for you, so be it. But it certainly does not work for me, nor any other sane being I know, so when you find yourself confronted by the lunatic fringe, my best advice is to see the toxicity for what it is, recognize the mental abberations for what they are (usually a form of narcissism or some deep-seated need for recognition in a field where they themselves have not done the work - rather like a patient putting on a lab coat and pretending to be a doctor), and simply do not engage. Silence really is the answer - and it is through the silence that we begin to assimilate our own path, rather than trying to assemble someone else's idea of who we should be.
So I repeat again... it is a system of Knowledge - comprised of many components which, when assembled (ergo - assemblage point) actually form a workable and cohesive path.
So, the good news is that while the components by themselves (dreaming, stalking, stopping the internal dialogue, recapitulation, finding the place of silent knowing, creating the double, mastering detachment, losing self-importance, dropping the human form, etc) may be only building blocks, when those blocks are used together to create a cohesive foundation of Knowledge, the system not only works, but actually begins to provide the warrior with a sense of meaning and purpose which cannot be captured in words, but only experienced in spirit. And it is from that inner sense of meaning and purpose that the warrior begins to expand her awareness, and evolve beyond the sum of her parts. This is where the singularity of consciousness begins to mold itself - and the starting point has always been and always will be a system of Knowledge which is unique to the individual's personal experiences.
Information does not make a wo/man of Knowledge. Experience alone does not make a wo/man of Knowlede. What does make a wo/man of Knowledge is a system which might be loosely defined as: Information > Experience > Assimilation > Expanding Awareness.
Information (Read, learn the basics, talk to others on the path)
Experience (DO the work - not as a chore, but as a joy)
Assimilation (Pause and test your foundation from time to time)
Expanding Awareness (Each step leads to the next question)
Why does this matter? Because it is only when one has built his or her own workable foundation of Knowledge that s/he is able to begin moving into the more advanced workings of self-evolution. Those aspects might include working directly with the double through Dreaming, achieving a permanent and irrevocable connection to the place of silent knowing (gnosis), and beginning to shift one's own assemblage point fluidly, as well as essentially mastering what can only be described as a "surrender to the nagual." To those who have experienced this surrender to the nagual, no further explanation is necessary. To those who have not yet experienced it, no further explanation is possible - except to say that it is a definitive act which essentially propels the warrior into the next phase of her ongoing evolution.
All material in this blog (essays, rants, images, poetry, et al) is copyright © by Della Van Hise, and may not be reprinted elsewhere without the prior written permission of the author. Quantum ShamanTM is a trademark of QuantumShaman.ComTM and reserves all rights to this material. This includes all print and electronic media, including other blogs, other websites, and so on. Thanks for respecting copyrights.
***
One thing that has consistently surprised me since beginning these forums back in the year 2001, is that there would appear to be relatively few *seers* in cyberspace, and perhaps even less who have actually assimilated the core teachings of Toltec. An ominous opening statement? Perhaps. But allow me to explain...
Just looking at the books of Carlos Castaneda (leaving out all the other Toltec writers for a moment), it has come to my attention that most would-be warriors appear (at least on the surface) to incorporate certain aspects of the teachings into their lives, while selectively discarding others. And while I can relate to the possibility that some techniques will work better for some than for others, it has been my experience that it is only prudent to discard a technique or method after thoroughly exploring its potential value. Otherwise, the warrior risks an incomplete foundation, particularly if the element being discarded is intrinsic to the system itself. Throwing away the steering wheel won't make the car stop, but it can make for a quick trip to the morgue unless some other manner of piloting the vehicle can be implemented muy pronto.
One warrior I knew for many years had become an adept at recapitulation, but knew virtually nothing about stopping the internal dialogue or moving the assemblage point. Another warrior in the same group had become a masterful dreamer, but clung to her self-importance so fiercely that it eventually derailed her from the path altogether. She's now an accountant for Sears in some dark back room, miserable, and has forgotten the path altogether. Still another warrior could quote chapter and verse from any of the books, had mastered shutting down his internal dialogue, dreaming & stalking... but knew not one thing about "the right way to live", and eventually ended up becoming disillusioned with the path because he could not find any meaning to life beyond the folly itself.
What's the common thread here? Two things: 1) The Toltec teachings are not "just" a series of multiple-choice options to be selected like unrelated courses at some second-rate junior college. And if one were to really look as a *seer*, one would quickly determine that any single component of the Toltec teachings is no more valuable than a single screw when one has an entire house to assemble. And 2) The individuals in this group had denounced entirely any idea of a "teacher", and so from the perspective of hindsight, it is now clearly *seen* that they were floundering in the old cliche of "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Without some manner of guidance, they were able to work with certain components, but were altogether unable to assimilate the components into a working system.
Toltec is a system of Knowledge. And, frankly, I hesitate to even use the word "toltec" here, because ultimately Toltec is about evolving beyond all "teachings", including its own. But be that as it may, what I want to stress here is that the warriors who seem to succeed on their path are those who approach the path as a system, and not as some willy-nilly bunch of building blocks to be selected and discarded at random.
When starting out on the path, newbies have expressed to me a certain frustration that - in essence - they cannot see the forest for the trees. And, sure, that can be an issue. And it's also precisely why some manner of guidance may be desirable, at least in the early phases of one's journey. It further amazes me that "teacher" has become a bad word in many Toltec circles, but maybe that's not surprising when I really look at that phenomenon through the eyes of a seer. Those who criticize teachers the loudest are usually those who know in their own hearts that they probably really need a teacher, but are too burdered with the self-importance of their pride or the gravity of their ego to even consider the remote possibility that maybe - just maybe - they do not know everything there is to know about this path just by virtue of having read The Four Agreements or The Teachings of Don Juan.
The bottom line is that without the system, the Knowledge itself may become so fragmented and disjointed that no real cohesion may be seen. And that is precisely when warriors fall off their path, denounce it as rubbish, and essentially give themselves over to failure, when it is really only a lack of understanding of the system which leads to this type of (de)manifestation.
To further complicate matters, there is a certain lunatic fringe running around in cyberspace, calling themselves Toltecs, who would tell you that Stalking is the answer! Or, just as verbal, Dreaming is the answer! Starts to remind me of a Monty Python movie: "Follow the shoe!" "No, follow the holy gourd!" And at that point, the entire system is rendered ineffective, and becomes nothing more than a fragment of yet one more hokey religion. This same lunatic fringe will also tell you that all teachers are cult leaders, and all cults are out to get you, and out the other side of their mouth, they will denounce "fear-based programming", even though they themselves are the most vocal proponents of, "The goblins will get you if you don't watch out!"
It's amazing to me how much of this goes on - this abject madness disguised as something intended for your well-being, when the bottom line is that it is how the lunatic fringe attempts to fill in the gaping cracks in their own foundation, which were created - simply and wholly - by a refusal or inability to do the work for themselves, and by flitting from one system to the next like a kid with attention deficit disorder flipping channels on the tube, desperately searching for something that might have meaning, but unwilling to focus on any one thing for more than a fraction of a fragmented gnat's attention. While they are frantically looking for "answers," they have forgotten to ask the one question which leads to all others: "Who am I?"
This same lunatic fringe will tell you that their "work" is of utmost importance and relevance, yet when you really start to question them, you will find that their "work" is largely in their own mind, and altogether unmanifested in any definition of "the real world". Have they produced a website? Have they published (or even written?) a book? Can they give you even a brief description of what they work actually is? Have they brought forth any forward thinking to the existing systems? Or, are they the victim of their own fragmentation, doomed to wander the earth like lost energy vampires desperately seeking attention through the act of condemning anyone who actually has contributed to the system of Knowledge?
Ultimately, some would say that the lunatic fringe doesn't matter, and should be ignored. However, I have found that a certain awareness of their methods and their agendas is a good idea, because it has been my observation over many years that sometimes these folks are not "just" misguided souls who have lost their way. Many times, their darker purpose is to distract and even divert the warrior from her path. The logic used here is that if one can be diverted, one is not worthy, and so they have taken it upon themselves to be your personal devil.
It's their mission from on high. Just ask 'em. (And don't expect to get a straight answer, because you may be talking to Personality A today, and Personality B tomorrow... and in this crazy world of the toltec lunatic fringe, there is little possibility that either personality is in any manner sane or coherent). And yet... they have come to Earth to help you by slapping you in the face and throwing glass in your eyes and intentionally attempting to bring out the worst in you - not to actually help you, but to make themselves feel superior in the process. "Look, I hit you and you bleed! How weak and lame is that? You're not a warrior! You're just a bleeding human! I'm better, you see! I'm the better warrior! Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!" Worse than Cartman on South Park!
I mean... does that logic really work? And even if, on some twisted level, you might think it does work, does it not seem more reasonable and productive to work with people who bring out your strengths and assist in augmenting those aspects? Frankly, I don't need some mentally ill, self-appointed Don Juanita forever poking at my weaknesses and telling me it's for my own good. Who needs that? Do you need it? I rather doubt it! So my policy over the years has become one of aligning myself with people who bring out the best in one another at the level of Spirit. In doing so, our strengths begin to gradually but inevitably reveal our weaknesses to us in such a manner that they can be dealt with in a positive manner, rather than being waved under one's nose like some red flag wielded by a character assassin.
If that kind of engagement works for you, so be it. But it certainly does not work for me, nor any other sane being I know, so when you find yourself confronted by the lunatic fringe, my best advice is to see the toxicity for what it is, recognize the mental abberations for what they are (usually a form of narcissism or some deep-seated need for recognition in a field where they themselves have not done the work - rather like a patient putting on a lab coat and pretending to be a doctor), and simply do not engage. Silence really is the answer - and it is through the silence that we begin to assimilate our own path, rather than trying to assemble someone else's idea of who we should be.
So I repeat again... it is a system of Knowledge - comprised of many components which, when assembled (ergo - assemblage point) actually form a workable and cohesive path.
So, the good news is that while the components by themselves (dreaming, stalking, stopping the internal dialogue, recapitulation, finding the place of silent knowing, creating the double, mastering detachment, losing self-importance, dropping the human form, etc) may be only building blocks, when those blocks are used together to create a cohesive foundation of Knowledge, the system not only works, but actually begins to provide the warrior with a sense of meaning and purpose which cannot be captured in words, but only experienced in spirit. And it is from that inner sense of meaning and purpose that the warrior begins to expand her awareness, and evolve beyond the sum of her parts. This is where the singularity of consciousness begins to mold itself - and the starting point has always been and always will be a system of Knowledge which is unique to the individual's personal experiences.
Information does not make a wo/man of Knowledge. Experience alone does not make a wo/man of Knowlede. What does make a wo/man of Knowledge is a system which might be loosely defined as: Information > Experience > Assimilation > Expanding Awareness.
Information (Read, learn the basics, talk to others on the path)
Experience (DO the work - not as a chore, but as a joy)
Assimilation (Pause and test your foundation from time to time)
Expanding Awareness (Each step leads to the next question)
Why does this matter? Because it is only when one has built his or her own workable foundation of Knowledge that s/he is able to begin moving into the more advanced workings of self-evolution. Those aspects might include working directly with the double through Dreaming, achieving a permanent and irrevocable connection to the place of silent knowing (gnosis), and beginning to shift one's own assemblage point fluidly, as well as essentially mastering what can only be described as a "surrender to the nagual." To those who have experienced this surrender to the nagual, no further explanation is necessary. To those who have not yet experienced it, no further explanation is possible - except to say that it is a definitive act which essentially propels the warrior into the next phase of her ongoing evolution.
All material in this blog (essays, rants, images, poetry, et al) is copyright © by Della Van Hise, and may not be reprinted elsewhere without the prior written permission of the author. Quantum ShamanTM is a trademark of QuantumShaman.ComTM and reserves all rights to this material. This includes all print and electronic media, including other blogs, other websites, and so on. Thanks for respecting copyrights.