Nagual
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The Spanish-language word nagual derives from the Nahuatl nahualli , a term that itself has several meanings, namely: one facile with words, witch, shapeshifter, and animal co-essence. The last is a name for an entity, to which refers a widespread and ancient Mesoamerican belief that one part of the souls of humans (or human-like figures, such as gods), manifests itself as a sort of animal (or phenomenon, such as lightning) of a spiritual character. The Mayan term is way. The belief is still current in many parts of Mesoamerica, though the term may vary. Nagual has found its way into the Mexican Spanish idiom, with the meaning lie or trick.
'Nagual' (pronounced nah-wa'hl) is also a term used in the books by Carlos Castaneda to describe a person [1] who is able to lead people to new areas of consciousness. Carlos Castaneda's guide “Don Juan Matus” often referred to himself as the Nagual for his "party of warriors". Also, Nagual is considered by Castaneda's followers to be related to Eastern concepts of Tao, meditation, or infinity. As Castaneda's teacher says: "We cannot understand the Nagual, we can only see for ourselves that it exists". Even the term 'Nagual' exists only as a very inaccurate way of talking about 'what really isn't any-thing at all.' In Casteneda's books one reference to the meaning of nagual is: "... Turn everything into what it really is: the abstract, the spirit, the nagual." don Juan Matus
In the modern New Age beliefs based off of the works of Carlos Castaneda reality is seen as multi-dimensional or mulit-faceted. Usually it is said that a person is only able to see a certain limited aspect of the multi-faceted reality during any given experience. The Nagual is considered an alternete "unknown" side or dimension of reality, as opposed to the Tonal, which can be considered the everyday "known" dimension of reality. It has also been said that the Nagual is all that is, and that it condenses to form what is called the Tonal. The Nagual and the Tonal as dual aspects of reality and being are perceived either through the First Attention, where we experience the Tonal, or the Second Attention where we experience the Nagual. To the Toltec of Castaneda the Tonal is often associated with the masculine aspect of the universe and the Nagual to the feminine. The Tonal can roughly be linked to the concept of Ego, the conscious mind, and subconscious minds.
A Nagual is the "benefactor" of an apprentice in Castaneda's system and is also the great unnameable Spirit. The "benefactor" is born to be a direct link to the great unnameable spirit and guide an apprentice to obtain what has been called Total Freedom. The Second Attention or Nagual awareness is a goal that the warrior apprentice strives to attain. In some Mesoamerican traditions hallucinogenic plants or as Castaneda called them "power plants" where utilized to experience the Nagual as well as other states of awareness. When one is able to perceive the Second attention they are considered a "seer". Castaneda's books as well as the books of Victor Sanchez, Don Miguel Ruiz, Theun Mares and others have detailed techniques to use to come into an experience of the Second Attention.
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[edit] Controversy
The word nagual has in recent years come to mean a spiritual leader.It is believed that this maybe a modern incorrect usage of the word originating in California and Arizona New Age groups. Like the modern perversion of the term Shaman this has created a lot of confusion. The term nagual was probably not used to denote a spiritual leader though many today call their spiritual guide the nagual. The original meaning of the word “nagual” is believed to come from the Nahuatl language and it is the counterpart of "tonal." Nahuatl was the language spoken by the Toltecs, Aztecs and other native peoples of Mexico and parts of Central America. Together, tonal and nagual are the two sides of the duality present in the view of the world shared by many indigenous peoples of the region.
However, some sources show that Nagual and Nagualism were associated with "men of knowledge" long before the new age movement and Carlos Castaneda. During the conquest and inquisition, many priests and explorers recorded the use of the word Nahuatl being used to represent both a language, a culture and people, as well as the act of knowing itself, and those specialized in dealing with this direct knowing were called nagualists. In 1894 a noted archaeologist, linguist and ethnologist named Daniel Griffin Brinton wrote a book called "Nagualism: A Study in Native-American Folklore and History" which chronicled historical interpretations of the word and those who practiced nagualism. The book is publicly available here
[edit] Nagualism Techniques
"A man of knowledge lives by acting, not by thinking about acting." don Juan Matus
Since the Nagual is something truly unnameable we can never accurately understand it through the use of words alone it is believed necessary to experience it. Here are some techniques that may aid in accessing the Nagual aspect of reality and being.
[edit] Alternate Death
One way to becomes a Nagual (Manifestation of the Cosmic Spirit) might be by the act of Alternate Death, a process in which the seeker's awareness dies, becomes formless, and is imprinted with the qualities of the five elements in the following fashion:
- Earth (white, north) sinking into Water (Green, West) Enemy: Fear
- Water (Green, West) sinking into Fire (Red, South) Enemy: Clarity
- Fire (Red, South) sinking into Air (Blue, East) Enemy: Power
- Air (Blue, East) sinking into Space (infinite expansion in all ten directions) Enemy: Old Age
- Space sinking into mind (Infinite contraction) Enemy: Death
Also known as the Grand Banishing followed by
- Air sinking into Fire (life)
- Fire sinking into Water (liberty)
- Water sinking into Earth (love)
- Earth sinking into Space (light)
- Space sinking into Mind (Atonement)
Also known as the Grand Invocation
This is the process through which the Nagual produces the energy necessary to administer the "Nagual's Blow". Nagual's Blow refers to the shamanic act of blowing one's "Spirit" into somebody's body (Note: Castaneda changed it to being a slap between the shoulder blades) causing a state of Heightened Awareness.
[edit] Right Brain-Left Brain
Anyone who has experienced left-brain-dominance AND right-brain-dominance will recognize Don Juan's left-side = Nagual ( left-side crossing-over neurologically to right-brain ) and right-side = Tonal mind as simply different modes-of-knowing.
Left-field-of-view is processed by right-brain, and that means a non-words, totality mode-of-knowing.
Right-field-of-view is processed by left-brain, and that means words, and words-cognition, controlling what one can-know.
Recent tests[citation needed] of colour-identification in right-field-of-view vs left-field-of-view has proven that words control our perceptions at a low-level.
Working through The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards, ISBN 0-87477-424-1, one gets to experience the fundamental difference between Tonal-knowing and Nagual-knowing directly.
[edit] Inner Silence
Inner silence is a key technique for Nagualism as noted in The Active Side Of Infinity, by Carlos Castaneda:
"Inner silence works from the moment you begin to accrue it. The desired result is what the old sorcerers called stopping the world, the moment when everything around us ceases to be what it's been. It is this moment when man the slave becomes man the free being, capable of feats of perception that defy our linear imagination."
And in: The Power of Silence: Further Lessons of Don Juan by Carlos Castaneda available here
Inner silence is often achieved in the New Age community through meditation. The meditation used does not matter so long as it induces a state where thoughts are temporarily still. As the above books describe Castaneda was taught various techniques to induce inner silence including walking while gazing at single point in the distance while at the same time using your peripheral vision to see as much of your surrounding as you can.
[edit] Dreaming
The Art of Dreaming is an area of great interest to the Nagualist community. Dreaming is believed to be the easiest gate into states like the Second Attention since in dreaming the Assemblage Point moves freely.
[edit] External links
- Nagualism (Collection of information, interviews and forum discussion on Nagualism, Carlos Castaneda, and Shamanism)
- Carlos Castaneda's Tensegrity (site maintained by ClearGreen Inc., the direct apprentices of Carlos Castaneda, who also inherited his estate and currently conduct Tensegrity seminars and classes)
- Introduction to Nagualism
- Nagualism (A Study in Native-American Folklore and History, by Daniel G Brinton)
- The Toltec Nagual(The Toltec Nagual site run by author Kristopher Raphael)
