Freedom—a word that resonates across the globe, a universal aspiration, an ideal that transcends borders. But what does freedom truly entail? In the United States, people pride ourselves on living in a “free country,” yet the shackles of true freedom often elude them. In this article, we embark on a journey to explore the essence of freedom through the lens of the Toltec philosophy, delving deep into the intricacies of breaking old agreements that bind us.
The Illusion of Freedom
We are quick to cast blame on external forces for our lack of freedom—the government, the weather, our upbringing, religion, even divine intervention. Yet, the stark truth is that the primary architects of our confinement are often none other than ourselves. We impose self-restrictions that hinder the unbridled expression of our authentic selves.
Rediscovering the Child Within
Picture, for a moment, the unspoiled spirit of a two or three-year-old child—a symbol of unfettered freedom. These young souls radiate unadulterated joy, boundless curiosity, and unconditional love. They embody the epitome of our true nature, the blueprint we once embodied as children.
The Domestication Process
So, what drives the transformation from uninhibited child to constrained adult? The answer lies in the process of domestication. Society, family, and culture collectively shape us, molding us into beings ensnared by what the Toltecs call the “Book of Law.” Within this construct, the Judge and the Victim emerge as dominant players, dictating the roles we must play.
Liberating Ourselves from Domestication
Blaming our parents or those who have caused us harm is a fruitless endeavor. They too were ensnared in the cycle of domestication. The true key to freedom lies in our ability to liberate ourselves from the clutches of the Judge and the Victim by rewriting the foundation of our agreements and relinquishing the Victim’s role.
Awakening the Inner Child
At our core, we retain the essence of that carefree child, forever youthful and unburdened. In sporadic moments of creativity, play, or authentic self-expression, this inner child resurfaces. In these fleeting instances, the chains of the past and future dissolve, leaving us childlike and free in the present moment.
The Weight of Responsibilities
As we grow, responsibilities descend upon us like a heavy cloud. The Judge admonishes us, reminding us of our duties—work, education, financial stability—all necessary, but often overshadowing our carefree, childlike spirit.
Pleasing Others vs. Pleasing Ourselves
In our quest for external validation, we often abandon our dreams, desires, and authentic selves. This sacrifice slowly erodes our freedom, thrusting us into a world where the majority conform to societal expectations, at the expense of their individuality.
The Unaware Victims
Regrettably, countless individuals remain oblivious to their lack of freedom. They may sense an inner whisper, an inkling that something is amiss, yet remain unaware of its origin.
The Power of Awareness
The voyage to freedom commences with a profound awakening—an awareness of our lack of freedom. We must confront our internal constraints, confront the Judge and the Victim head-on, and recognize the barriers that shackle us.
Healing Our Emotional Wounds
Once awareness dawns, emotional wounds and the poison they inject into our lives become apparent. This awareness marks the first step toward healing and transformation, enabling us to eradicate needless suffering.
The Deceptive Belief System
Crucially, we must recognize that our belief system often rests on a foundation of falsehoods. By daring to challenge these beliefs, we unveil the unnecessary emotional dramas that have haunted us for years.
Becoming Masters of Our Own Dream
Our lives serve as canvases upon which we paint our dreams. To embrace the Toltec path to freedom, we must become masters of our destiny. This mastery entails making conscious choices that lead to happiness and freedom.
Breaking Old Agreements: The Three Masteries
The Toltec journey toward freedom revolves around three pivotal masteries:
- Mastery of Awareness: This entails comprehending our true selves, uncovering latent potential, and recognizing the myriad possibilities that reside within us.
- Mastery of Transformation: Liberation from the constraints of domestication forms the core of this mastery. It involves rekindling our authentic selves and escaping the clutches of the Judge and the Victim.
- Mastery of Intent: Intent, from the Toltec perspective, serves as the driving force behind transformation. It embodies unconditional love and powers our journey toward freedom.
The Parasite Within
The Toltecs liken the Judge, the Victim, and the belief system to a psychic parasite that invades the human mind. This parasite thrives on the negative emotions born from fear.
Starving the Parasite
One approach to liberation involves starving the parasite—seizing control of our emotions and refusing to nourish it with fear-induced feelings. However, this endeavor proves challenging as the Judge and the Victim relentlessly strive to maintain control.
The Initiation of the Dead
For the boldest souls, the initiation of the dead beckons—a symbolic death that eradicates the parasite without causing harm to our physical bodies. Undertaking this formidable challenge demands extraordinary courage and resilience, compelling us to confront the darkest corners of our psyche.
We shall now look at each of the solutions in detail and discover how they can help us unlock the path to freedom.
The Art of Transformation: The Dream of the Second Attention
The journey of personal transformation and self-realization is an extraordinary odyssey that takes us deep into the recesses of our minds, where the power of belief and the art of controlling our attention are revealed. Within this transformative exploration, we embark on a profound quest to understand and harness the concept of the “second attention,” a realm that holds the potential to redefine our reality, liberate us from the constraints of limiting beliefs, and enable us to nurture unshakable faith in our own potential.
The Dream of the First Attention
Our expedition commences with an illuminating comprehension of the “first attention.” This initial phase of life represents the period when our attention is tethered to and molded by external influences – what can be termed as the “outside dream.” In our formative years, we possess little autonomy, serving as sponges that absorb the beliefs and agreements of our environment. This process of domestication lays the bedrock for the dream of our first attention, shaping our perceptions of the world around us.
The Power of Choice
As we mature into adulthood, we find ourselves standing at a pivotal juncture in our lives. We have acquired the invaluable power to exercise choice in determining our beliefs and in discarding those that no longer resonate with our inner truth. The innocence of childhood is gradually supplanted by the responsibility of sculpting our own reality. It is within our grasp to believe in anything, including the paramount belief in ourselves – an unwavering conviction in our inherent potential.
Breaking Through the Fog
Initiating the transformative journey necessitates a fundamental awakening to the continuous mental fog that envelops our consciousness. This awakening is akin to discovering that we exist in a perpetual state of dreaming. This newfound awareness is the master key that unlocks the door to profound change. It is the realization that our entire life’s narrative, with its myriad twists and turns, is a mere manifestation of our beliefs – beliefs that, upon closer scrutiny, are not intrinsically real. This awakening constitutes the cornerstone of our transformation.
Identifying Self-Limiting Beliefs
To effect meaningful change, we must conscientiously direct our attention toward the identification of self-limiting, fear-based beliefs that have held us captive. This introspective process resembles taking inventory of our psychological baggage, wherein we meticulously unearth the agreements we have unwittingly forged with ourselves. This process, referred to as the Art of Transformation, represents a profound mastery of the self.
Embracing the Four Agreements
In our relentless pursuit of transformation, we encounter a formidable ally in the form of the Four Agreements. These agreements serve as guiding principles, offering us a well-lit path to emancipation from the fetters of constraining beliefs. They function as a bold declaration of war against parasitic thoughts that thrive on sapping our happiness. By wholeheartedly embracing these agreements, we liberate ourselves from the clutches of emotional anguish and embark on a new dream – one characterized by personal empowerment and inner strength.
The Journey into the Desert
To achieve genuine liberation from our old, constrictive agreements, we must embark on a profound journey into the very core of our beliefs. This expedition is metaphorically likened to venturing into the desert, where we confront our innermost demons face-to-face. Emerging from the desert, we discover that these very demons have metamorphosed into benevolent angels, guiding us towards the luminous shores of a more radiant reality.
The Power of Repetition
The process of extricating ourselves from the shackles of old agreements and replacing them with new, empowering ones is not a swift endeavor. It demands a generous dose of patience and a meticulous, step-by-step approach. It is imperative to acknowledge that our present way of life has been meticulously crafted over years of domestication. Breaking these agreements is comparable to breaking an addiction – it requires an equal or even greater amount of personal power. With each agreement we shatter, our reservoir of strength grows, enabling us to confront even the most deeply entrenched beliefs with resilience and determination.
In essence, the voyage of transformation is a profound and enlightening sojourn into the depths of self-discovery, self-renewal, and self-empowerment. It is a process of shedding the layers of limiting beliefs that have ensnared us for far too long. By embarking on this odyssey, we acquire the capacity to consciously select our beliefs, craft our own reality, and ascend to the position of masters of our own destinies.
The Discipline of the Warrior: Controlling Your Own Behavior
Imagine awakening each day with an abundance of enthusiasm, ready to embrace life’s challenges. You feel content and energized, eagerly prepared to seize the opportunities the day presents. However, life’s intricate twists and turns occasionally lead to emotional outbursts, swiftly depleting our precious energy reserves. Controlling our behavior, particularly during moments of emotional turmoil, stands as a crucial facet of personal discipline and self-mastery.
The Currency of Energy
On a daily basis, we are endowed with a finite reservoir of mental, emotional, and physical energy. How we manage and allocate this energy profoundly impacts the quality of our lives. Emotional eruptions, often fueled by anger or other negative emotions, serve as voracious consumers of our energy, rapidly draining our reserves and leaving us feeling utterly depleted, yearning for solitude to recuperate.
Emotions Shape Our Reality
Consider for a moment the profound influence our emotional state wields over our perception of the world. When anger courses through our veins, the world before us appears deeply flawed and unsatisfactory. Similarly, the lens of sadness tints our view, rendering even the most beautiful aspects of existence with a melancholic hue. These emotions, if left unchecked, can engender a perpetual state of fear, mistrust, and vulnerability, ultimately shaping the course of our lives.
The Infection of Emotional Wounds
In our quest for understanding, it is helpful to envision the human mind as akin to skin; healthy skin, a delight to touch. However, emotional wounds clothe our emotional bodies in the guise of infected sores. These wounds fester with emotional poison – hatred, anger, envy, and sadness. The mere notion of injustice can act as a catalyst, triggering the release of emotional poison within us, perpetuating a vicious cycle of worsening mental anguish.
The Path to Healing: Forgiveness
To embark on the road to healing, we must undertake a profound journey, one guided by the compass of forgiveness. It is essential to clarify that forgiveness is not granted because those who have wronged us necessarily deserve it. Rather, it is an act of self-compassion, a testament to the value we place on our own well-being, and a declaration that we refuse to continue paying the price for the actions of others. Forgiveness serves as the key that unshackles us from the chains of resentment and self-blame, offering us the opportunity to break free from the cycle of victimhood.
The Measure of True Forgiveness
The litmus test for genuine forgiveness is when the mere mention of the individual’s name no longer stirs a tumultuous emotional reaction within us. True forgiveness affords us liberation from the pain and anguish, enabling us to embrace love, compassion, and, most importantly, self-acceptance.
The Scalpel of Truth
In our pursuit of healing, we must acknowledge the surgical precision of truth. Truth operates much like a skilled surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through the layers of deception and lies that have served as shields protecting our emotional injuries. These falsehoods are our coping mechanisms, concealing the pain that resides beneath the surface. However, a healthy mind, much like healthy skin, can be touched without provoking discomfort. Truth, while sometimes painful, grants us the opportunity to confront our wounds head-on, promoting healing and growth.
The Warrior’s Discipline
To regain mastery over our emotions and behavior, we must aspire to embody the qualities of a warrior. The warrior is characterized by their unwavering awareness, discipline, and self-control. They understand the perpetual battle raging within their minds and remain resolute in their commitment to authenticity and self-truth.
The Art of Refraining
In stark contrast to victims who suppress their emotions, warriors choose the path of refraining. They abstain from impulsive reactions, holding their emotions in abeyance until the precise moment for expression arises. This discipline ensures impeccable behavior and empowers them to alter fear-based agreements, thereby extricating themselves from the clutches of suffering and forging a path towards personal enlightenment and the creation of their personal heaven.
In essence, the path of the warrior entails the mastery of oneself, the regulation of emotions, and the unwavering commitment to living a life characterized by impeccable behavior. This discipline liberates us from the chains of our own reactions, paving the way for personal transformation and the ability to live a life of genuine self-expression and authenticity.
The Initiation of the Dead: Embracing the Angel of Death
In the grand tapestry of personal freedom, the final stage invites us to embrace an intriguing concept – the initiation of the dead. At its core, this initiation beckons us to welcome death itself as a teacher, one who holds the keys to unlocking the secrets of living life to its absolute fullest. Through this profound encounter, we unearth the value of each passing moment, the impermanence of existence, and the art of authentically experiencing life in all its glory.
Living in the Present
The angel of death stands as a poignant reminder that the future may not grant us the luxury of time. Each day becomes a precious opportunity to savor life in all its richness. Imagine for a moment being informed that you have a mere week left to live. In such a scenario, two distinct choices unfurl before you – the choice to descend into suffering and create dramatic narratives around your impending fate, or the choice to wholeheartedly immerse yourself in the present moment. It is in this very choice that we uncover the profound essence of existence – the choice to embrace happiness, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to living life to the fullest.
The Parable of Infected Skin
In our quest for self-discovery and healing, it is valuable to contemplate the analogy of emotional wounds as akin to infected skin. Just as touching infected skin yields pain, our emotional wounds wield a potent influence over our behavior and interactions. To truly engage with life without enduring ceaseless suffering, we must embark on a journey of healing. This journey involves cleansing these emotional wounds, ridding them of the emotional poison that festers within. It is through this transformation that we regain the capacity to touch and experience life with grace, without being ensnared by the painful remnants of the past.
The Infection of Fear
The human mind is, in essence, afflicted by a pervasive disease known as fear. This fear serves as the foundation upon which emotions such as anger, hatred, sadness, and envy are constructed. When fear escalates to overwhelming proportions, it can culminate in mental illness. To initiate the healing process, we must confront our deepest fears and offer ourselves the profound gifts of self-forgiveness and self-acceptance. Only through this courageous confrontation can we begin to eradicate the insidious roots of fear from our minds.
The Power of Surrender
Surrendering to the angel of death is an act of transcendence that grants us the extraordinary ability to live with profound gratitude, boundless love, and unshakable authenticity. When we no longer harbor an irrational fear of death, we liberate ourselves from the burdens of the past, freeing our spirits to dwell in the present moment with a sense of profound peace and contentment.
The Initiation of Death
The initiation of death represents a monumental transformation, a profound shift in the very core of our being. It symbolizes the death of parasitic thoughts and beliefs that have insidiously plagued our minds for far too long. As we confront this initiation, the Judge and the Victim within us vehemently resist, for they fear the dissolution of their hold over our consciousness. However, emerging from this transformative experience, we find ourselves reborn, possessing a healthy mind and boundless potential. The once-parasitic thoughts and beliefs have been replaced by an empowered and enlightened self.
The Art of Repetition
The journey to personal freedom is not one of immediate gratification but rather a gradual process, one that demands patience and unwavering commitment. It is crucial to remember that our current beliefs and behaviors have been deeply ingrained over years of conditioning. Breaking free from these self-imposed shackles is akin to breaking an addiction and necessitates time and persistent effort.
In essence, the path to personal freedom is an extraordinary journey, marked by self-discovery, discipline, and profound transformation. By embracing the concept of the second attention, mastering our behavior as warriors, and wholeheartedly welcoming the initiation of the dead, we can liberate ourselves from the chains of our old beliefs and embark on a life filled with boundless joy, authenticity, and limitless love. This journey may present challenges, but it is undeniably worth undertaking, for it leads us to the ultimate realization of our true selves and the freedom to craft our own reality in all its vibrant and unbridled beauty.
In conclusion, freedom extends far beyond the confines of a political or societal construct. True freedom, as illuminated by the Toltec philosophy, is an internal awakening—a journey to rediscover our authentic selves and live life authentically. By comprehending the roles played by the Judge, the Victim, and the belief system, we embark on a profound quest to regain the childlike wonder, happiness, and love that are our birthright. The Toltec path provides a roadmap to reclaiming the freedom to be our authentic selves and live the life we’ve always yearned for, where heaven can be a reality in the present, not just a distant promise in the future.