The Toltec Way: A Guide to Personal Transformation

By Susan Gregg and Don Miguel Ruiz

Achieve personal freedom using Toltec wisdom

The gift of the Toltec is the ability to transcend ordinary human awareness and achieve personal freedom—the ability to choose how to act rather than react to the events in your life. The three Toltec Masteries of Awareness, Transformation, and Intent are the key to transcending your limitations and experiencing yourself as the creator of your life.

Designed to make Toltec wisdom accessible and simple, this book is about change, transforming yourself, and the wildly empowering freedom of personal responsibility. Included in each chapter are exercises and guided visualizations, along with parable-like stories that are powerful sources of wisdom.

Susan Gregg's new edition of The Toltec Way is part of the Essential Wisdom Library, a collection of books bringing sacred wisdom to modern readers. Refreshed with a new design and a new introduction by the author, along with a foreword by don Miguel Ruiz, The Toltec Way will introduce a new generation of readers to the power of Toltec wisdom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Jul 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781250623478

Susan Gregg

Dr. Susan Gregg has studied the Toltec oral traditions under Sister Sarita and don Miguel Ruiz, and is now a Toltec Master and Nagual. She has a doctorate in clinical hypnotherapy and is the author of Dance of Power: A Shamanic Journey and Finding the Sacred Self: A Shamanic Workbook. Since 1991 she has been living in Hawaii and working as a counselor in private practice.

Book preview

Introduction

Since The Toltec Way was first released, I have studied with shamans, gurus, and teachers all over the world. Yet I always find myself coming back to the simple and powerful concepts of the Toltec Tradition.

The Toltec Tradition is rich with tools, but the main concepts that keep calling me back to the tradition are the three Masteries—Awareness, Transformation, and Intent—and the idea of dividing the universe into the knowable and the unknowable.

This book will show you how to apply these concepts in your own life. I’ve watched thousands of people’s lives dramatically transform. I know; I went from being depressed and suicidal to living a life beyond my wildest dreams.

I have always loved the idea of dividing the universe into the knowable and the unknowable. The unknowable is by definition unknowable so there is no sense wasting time trying to understand it. Such a simple yet extremely powerful idea.

In broad strokes the nature of God is unknowable from our limited, physical perspective. We can conjecture about what happens when we die, but until we die we can’t really know. There are absolutes we can put in the unknowable bin and then there are things we can put there temporarily.

Instead of wondering why something happened to you, temporarily put it in the unknowable category. It makes it easier for you to focus on what you do want instead of focusing on what you don’t want.

There are so many questions we habitually ask ourselves that lead nowhere. Why, what if, and if only are questions we can temporarily release by putting them in the unknowable bin. The quality of your life is dependent on the questions you ask yourself. Those questions determine the results you get in life.

By putting questions into the unknowable bin—you know, the ones that get you nowhere and take up a lot of your time—you free yourself up to ask other questions. One of the most important questions to ask yourself is, What do I really want more of in my life?

Experiment and play with the idea of your questions being part of the great mystery of the unknowable. See what happens and where it takes you.

Ask questions that remind you about your awesome nature. Life is a gift best savored in the moment.

And now onto the three Masteries. You don’t work on one and then move on to the next. They work together in life, much more like the threads in a beautiful tapestry. They weave together, deepen your experiences and the choices you make. As you apply them they assist you in creating an amazing life, relatively free of limitations.

When I talk about the three Masteries, I often use the analogy of a sailboat. I think of the wind as Intent (the power that is moving you). The rudder is Awareness (you know where you want to go) while adjusting the sail is Transformation.

Awareness is just like the word implies, awareness. What are you aware of? When I first started exploring spirituality, I had no idea what a profound effect my thoughts had on my choices in life and the results I got.

As I deepened my understanding of my erroneous beliefs, saw how they dictated my choices, I could clearly see how I had invited certain undesirable events into my life. As my Awareness expanded so did my ability to make new choices. I could create wonderful new opportunities while I let go of blaming myself, others, and the world.

The awareness that we never see life directly is freeing. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I found it confusing at first.

What we see is our filter system’s version of reality. Reality, as we perceive it, accurately reflects our beliefs, agreements, assumptions, and attitudes.

Transforming your thinking, setting your Intent to have greater clarity will set you free. I had no idea that my beliefs weren’t the truth or how profoundly those beliefs affected my experiences.

What we think we see is distorted by what we believe. At first, we are totally unaware of how distorted our reality is by our habitual thinking. What we believe is reinforced by the results we get in our lives.

That is where Intent comes into play. As we expand our Awareness, we can begin to set our Intent to clearly see our filter system and then decide to move beyond our limited thinking.

Intent is defined as showing earnest and eager attention. Intent and Awareness work hand in hand. They allow you to transform your thinking and your life.

I often remind people that only the love is real, you are loved, you are lovable, you are love, and you swim in a sea of love. Remember no matter what the question, love is always the answer!

You can release your fear-based, limiting thinking and move into a world full of love.

I love talking about magic and miracles because as we release our limiting beliefs, magic and miracles do become a regular occurrence in life.

I hope you enjoy this book and apply the simple concepts to your life. Allow yourself to see what is possible in your life and in the lives of those you love.

PART I

The Toltec Tradition

The Toltecs flourished as a civilization in southern Mexico around A.D. 900. They were a rather violent society that introduced militarism to Mesoamerica, but they also were known as master builders and craftsmen. Their stone figures are magnificent. After they conquered the city of Teotihuacan, a secret society formed within their civilization that was dedicated to preserving the knowledge of the ancient ones. The ancient ones were a race of people who were teachers of spirituality, science, and the arts. This secret society embraced the ideals of priestly rule and peaceful behavior that the city was known for, and they later became known as men and women of knowledge.

According to the Toltec, the ancient ones understood the illusionary nature of reality and were able to use the universal laws of nature to create a life based on unconditional love and self-discovery. They considered all of life to be part of a great mystery and knew there was no way to separate the secular from the sacred or science from spirit. To a normal person, they appeared to be magicians or wizards; they could perform great feats, heal the sick, and create whatever they wanted. They could also transform matter.

The Toltec preserved this knowledge and taught it to their apprentices. After the Spanish conquest, the knowledge became a carefully guarded secret passed down through various lineages. Today, this information is again being shared more openly.

The Toltec tradition is a wonderful journey, a journey in which you will find yourself and have the opportunity to re-create your life. It is a guide and a blueprint for living that shows you how to experience life in a limitless manner. It will show you how to make profound, permanent changes in your life. And it will help you remember your ability to create whatever you want, whenever you want it.

CHAPTER 1

My Introduction to the Toltec Way

I remember the night I started my journey. I had no idea where it was leading, but I knew I had to follow the path magically unfolding before me. And what a magnificent journey it has been.

I have always known at a core level that life could be easy and effortless and filled with joy. However, before my philosophical studies, my life was far from easy. I was working at a job that gave me no fulfillment and I experienced a great deal of drama, pain, and struggle. At times, I thought that life was not worth living and thought about suicide. Then I met a Mexican Indian named don Miguel Angel Ruiz. Don Miguel is a charismatic Toltec Master and nagual (one who guides an individual to personal freedom). I went from being chronically depressed, lonely, and generally miserable to a person who lives life passionately and is joyful most of the time. Today I enjoy what I do and my life is filled with love and magic. My life now is far better than anything I could have ever imagined. As you gain this new perspective and exert a little discipline and dedication, anything is possible.

I had lived in Vermont for over twenty years and I was tired of the cold, so I decided to move to California. I settled in San Diego in the fall of 1986. Within a few days I met an older woman named Mary who took me under her wing. When she met me she announced to anyone who would listen that I was a powerful healer and teacher. I figured that she was just a typical West Coast resident.

One evening, a few weeks later, she suggested I join her in the barrio to meet a friend of hers named Sister Sarita who was a very well-known healer. It was a rainy evening in late September. The wind was coming in off the ocean making the air feel cool. I could taste the salty air on my lips and smell the sweet scent of kelp.

Trying to stay warm, I paced impatiently, nervously awaiting my friend outside the clinic where we were to meet. When she arrived, we walked into a place she called the temple. Actually, it had been a Laundromat; there was a large and colorful painting of an eye surrounded by a triangle painted on the front window. At the front of the room was an altar enclosed by faded purple velvet curtains. An assortment of glass jars held bouquets of mums and gladiolas in various stages of decomposition. Even though the surroundings were old and dingy, the atmosphere was vibrant and alive, almost magical. People gathered in small clusters, speaking with animation in Spanish.

Mary took me over to meet Sister Sarita, who spoke rapidly to Mary. She then smiled at me and embraced me warmly. She looked pleased. Mary and I found a seat and I sat there waiting; I had no idea what to expect. As Sister Sarita stood and lovingly looked around the room, the crowd quieted. She said a beautiful prayer in Spanish; her voice was hypnotic. Even though I couldn’t understand the words, I could feel the gratitude and the love she was expressing.

After she finished the prayer, she and her students began moving around the room. I had never seen anything quite like it. It looked like an ancient ballet—gentle, graceful movements in slow motion, pauses, and then rhythmic movement again. I watched intently, feeling slightly confused and out of