The Toltec worldview, a type of shamanism in which the energy body plays a central role. Based on this core theme, I've discovered that these ancient teachings reveal underlying mechanisms of consciousness and cognition, including how we shape meaning, and give us the ability to intentionally cultivate ever-expanding worldviews over the course of 35 years. These teachings aren't isolated from the rest of the world. They are, beyond a doubt, a natural extension of existing fields such as philosophy and research. They have the potential to have an effect on other fields and to greatly expand the boundaries of agreed expertise.
Others have written about Toltec beliefs and rituals as well, bringing what was once obscure to the forefront of mystical literature. Toltec literature has grown in popularity worldwide since Carlos Castaneda's first novel, The Teachings of Don Juan, was written in the late 1960s. Victor Sanchez, Florinda Donner, Taisha Abelar, Miguel Ruiz, Susan Gregg, and other Toltec practitioners have since contributed to a growing body of practice.
Though Castaneda and his books became well-known, his work in presenting an emic account of Toltec teachings (from the perspective of a participant rather than an outside, "objective" observer) won him a doctorate in anthropology from UCLA. Carlos Castaneda's doctorate has not been revoked, despite claims to the contrary. When assessing Castaneda's work, the emic format must be taken into account. The substance of his books has been accused of being intuited or even invented by him.
However, if we apply an emic criterion to his work and see it as coming from within the Toltec shamanic culture rather than the more traditional watching and documenting from a distance from the event under investigation, the expression of his instruction is completely compatible with that body of teachings. His books should then be interpreted as the conclusion of a learning project in which one must put the lessons into practice. As a result, rather than intuiting his books as is customary, he used directions from his teacher, don Juan Matus, for "dreaming."
He greatly expanded conversation and action into new areas of human capacity by doing so. Castaneda's books are a good part of having understood and enacted the method in this light, a true reflection of emic anthropology.
Shamanism for the Age of Science, on the other hand, is not a "Toltec" book in the sense that it does not provide rituals based exclusively on that experience. It instead focuses on facets of the energy body that are important to all, not just those of esoteric interests. It distils the nature of what Toltec shamans learned about the fundamental framework of the human energy body—particularly when it applies to person and collective learning—and examines it and its impact on consciousness via a modern lens. References to don Juan's teachings, the central character of Castaneda's novels, are intended to maintain the lineage's continuity. When Castaneda codified a formerly oral culture, a new mold was cast, undermining the evolution sequence; only time can tell what consequences this had. Since the Toltec strain of shamanism is based on discovering the energy body rather than instilling a fixed theory, it always takes unexpected turns. “There is no official version of Toltec knowledge,” don Juan said, “and the passing of time necessitates new ways of reading and elucidating it.”
Shamanism has always been articulated in words that are important to the people it represents, as one of the oldest traditions in philosophy, regeneration, education, and other means of speech related to the people it serves. Since we live in a scientific age, the depiction of shamanism offers an incentive for shamanism and science to engage in more than a passing conversation.
Gerald Piel, the father of Scientific American and author of The Age of Science, eloquently portrays a world where committed men and women have mapped facets of life that were once confined to the realms of mystics and alchemists. Our understanding of subjects like light, space, time, genes, and geology, to name a few, has been transformed dramatically thanks to the efforts of dedicated scientists.
However, the realms of science and shamanism remain diametrically opposed, with those in each camp scratching their heads as they observe the other. Philosophical propositions that occur only as mental objects are challenging, if not impossible, to research scientifically. The foundation of what might be called speculation is not observational, not based on experiment and observation, the bedrock of science.
You may also want to read more about Shamanism here.
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