This is part of a series, where I’d like to look at the roles and range of influential people who we term naguals, gurus and teachers. In this post, I want to begin with naguals.
Nagual is a Toltec word, and comes from that tradition. It is first used to describe the unknowable universe. The basic concept is that the universe, both inner, outer and supersensual, is divided into two parts - that which we know, and that which we don’t know. The border has a grey area which is the unknown - within our reach, and dimly perceived, or perceivable with not too much effort. But in essence the primary distinction is between the world which is available to our perceptual knowledge, and that which is utterly beyond - unknowable and forever without the slightest grasp.
But this conceptual handle goes further, because it positions us, as living beings, as divided - we have two parts, one the Tonal, and the other the Nagual. One the known, the other the unknowable. One is light and seen, understood and familiar. The other is forever mystery, beyond our grasp, and yet strangely still a part of us. We ‘know’ it, but not like we know the Tonal - we know it because it is also us, in our deepest core. There as a part of us, as single individual beings, that will always be beyond our ken. Yet it’s influence plays through us always. Toltec investigators became aware of this part, and undertook to explore it. Well at least that part which lent itself to exploration.
But there is another use of the word nagual. The Toltecs applied this word to a specific type of being. In the popular field of people influenced by CC’s books, the idea grew to assume a desired identity. That is rubbish. Everyone wants to be a rock guitarist, stock broker, writer, film actor, guru or nagual. Lets put that drivel behind us. Toltecs had only one reason for assigning a specific type to this word. They were interested in gaining precise outcomes - energetic outcomes. They saw that some people were different to others in a significant, and useful energetic way.
It doesn’t matter at all if you are a nagual or not - that is not what counts in the end. The task at hand is so extraordinary, so way beyond the possibility of the average person, or even the prodigy, that every available opportunity has to be grasped and exploited. Thus they realised that these nagual types were of inestimable value due to certain configurations they possessed.
There is a common belief that we can all be naguals - this is both idiocy and true. It is idiocy, because in energetic essence, you either are one of these being-types or not, and wishful thinking or hard work won’t make the slightest difference. It is true, in the sense that everyone has within them the ‘nagual’ part. In that sense everyone can ‘become’ the ‘nagual’ as everyone is both tonal and nagual. But that is entirely a different use of the word - not however, without great significance.
One of the greatest mistakes is to assume that a nagual being is in any way wiser or more advanced. That is pure rubbish. This is a specific energetic type - specific pattern of inner configuration, that has access to resources the other types of beings don’t possess. But they are no more ‘advanced’ than your cat and dog. It is possible they can become advanced, and then they have unbelievable potency, but still, never acquaint or mistake that for wisdom, holiness or god forbid, a balanced person in your expectations. If anything, they are extremely dangerous, when their type is accompanied with awareness. Let me draw a picture of these people:
They are not rare. I have one living next door to me, and one of his previous friends, and an acquaintance of mine, was also a nagual. There are perfectly ordinary people, with all the stupidities and foibles of every other person you meet. But they have a very discernible characteristic. They are ‘centred’. In fact they are ‘centre’ itself. You can knock them down, undermine their confidence, destroy their personality and so forth, but you can never take away their unique quality of being centred. It goes deeper that their bones - it just is.
When in their company, you can feel this if you aren’t too obsessed with your own desire for importance. You will feel the world is real around them. They emanate an energetic field, and when you are within their range, you just know the world is solid. They carry an absolutism about them. This is not pushed out, or imposing in any way. It is a quiet sense that they are the custodians of the sacred pillar. Just quietly, the world ‘is’, when in their company.
By comparison, other beings have a floating quality. An instability. Often, these floating unstable beings become jealous of the nagual beings. I have to say in all cases I have observed, that naguals do not understand this jealousy, because it is a jealousy of something they take for granted. They look bewildered upon the flapping of the unstable beings, and just carry on with a shrug of their shoulders. Of course, those with awareness, know what is afoot, but naguals with awareness are very rare. That is only because beings with awareness are very rare.
I haven’t said anything here about the four or three compartments of a nagual’s being, as that is an esoteric subject, and best left for your own personal investigations.
Unstable beings, with awareness, who have grown beyond the jealous stage, see naguals as a gift from god. They associate with them and are able to draw in a vital energetic substance that naguals give off as a purely natural condition - nothing associated with spiritual development. In the common world, naguals have a type of charisma - not excitement, but you will notice people like to near them. They carry an unconscious attractiveness. This has nothing to do with their personality, which may be obnoxious. It doesn’t matter, as there is still a subtle desire to be next to them. They seem to dispel the deep subconscious feeling of uncertainty that exists for all people, naguals included - it just with them, they have a psychological balm against this deep fear, which has nothing to do with their own sense of confidence. It is on an energetic structural level.
Because of this they often find themselves in positions of leadership, though not necessarily ‘structural’ leadership, i.e.. they are not so much in positions of organisational authority, but will often be sought after, or deferred to, in moments of crisis. They themselves find they are the only ones remaining sane while everyone around them is flipping left and right. As such they are often the only ones left to complete a task, while others spin out when the pressure gets too much. Naguals have some inbuilt ability to sustain under pressure, past the normal threshold - it is all part of their access to more channels from the cosmos, for strength and certitude. Purely an energetic structural condition - don’t attempt to ascribe moral or ethical qualities to it.
As I have said, the idea that a nagual is more spiritually developed, is the fantasy of children. If you know people who think someone should be wise, balanced and above the flux of emotional life, without all the foibles that brings with it, then you are mixing with fools. Naguals are an energetic type, nothing more, nothing less. And if you are an aware being, and can see you are not that type, then you can also see the precious gift of knowing a nagual. If you can find a nagual with knowledge, then you have won the lottery, and may Allah forever bless your soul.
However, that combination brings a whole new ball game. Let us address now the ‘nagual with knowledge’ - I’ll call such a person a Nagual, with a capital N, as a sign of respect.
A Nagual has two sides. Everyone does, but these are more pronounced than other beings. One side, the tonal side, is the part you deal with. The other side will be kept from you under almost all circumstances - you will get glimpses of it, but the Nagual keeps it hidden, because it is extremely dangerous and ultimately devastating. The tonal side of the Nagual is one of the biggest misunderstandings afoot. This misunderstanding has much more to do with Knowledge itself than the Nagual. The reason we apply this to Naguals is because they are most likely the face of dynamic knowledge you will meet. Other beings with knowledge, usually do not make themselves available to you. They don’t have the spare energy, and unless there is a powerful reason, they are busy doing their own work, and simply don’t have the vast resources of energy to put up with the idiocy and stupidity of the aspirant - i.e. the ‘you’ in this essay. Never underestimate the tediousness of having to help a beginner on the Path. The only types who are not driven completely around the bend by the beginner’s ‘baggage’, are Naguals. Who knows why? They just seem to be able to persevere despite the soul destroying tedium of having to separate the world from the beginner on the Path.
The beginner, ‘you’ for argument sake, is filled with the most idiotic expectations of who the Nagual should be. He or she should be above the games and conniving of those around. Should be wise and patient, calm and caring - think about it, it’s really some children’s story of a holy person. Absolute bullshit. The only thing you can expect a Nagual will do, is outlast you.
A Nagual will apply to any situation the full range of moods, be it kindness and patience, or vulgarity and anger. But if you are wise, you will see past this, and know it as the Nagual’s Lila. You know, this is much easier to do when you meet a fiery Nagual, like Gurdjieff, who abused people into the ground with his anger and tongue; than if you meet a friendly and patient Nagual like don Juan. Because you have every reason to look past anger, but we all want to believe our Nagual is a ‘good’ man or woman - it is embedded deep in our cultural soul. Be more wary of the kind Nagual than the angry one, because that one will one day abuse your precious security - Nagual’s can’t help but destroy that, because it is written in their bones. They are darkness personified.
When you come to Knowledge, you come filled with your own expectations on the one hand, and with your jealousy and stupidity on the other.
Expectations: are the baggage we all bring from our world. There are so many stories of this, surely I don’t need to go into it - just know we all have it. These expectations have to be ripped from us. The Nagual will never be the person you hope him or her to be - forget it!
Jealousy: is the next - we all want to see our teacher fall, so we will feel tall. There are always those who want to make themselves taller by chopping off the feet or heads of everyone else. If you are one of those, look and see it. You want your Nagual to be just like everyone, e.g., like you - “come on, don’t put yourself above me, get off your high horse and come down to my level - accept me as your equal you turd! That way I won’t have to make any efforts, and we can all go get drunk and throw up together. Lets not have any separation and specialness - you accept me as the special person I am and I’ll.... what will I do?” [I’ll tell you right now:] “I’ll despise you and myself, instead of just despising myself.” Always remember - your words, your attitudes, your opinions, they are your world. Your baggage, your wallpaper, your soul’s home. To discern is seeing reality, to spit is spitting on ourselves.
The Nagual knows this, and knows the aspirant is projecting his or her own inner world. How the Nagual responds is not something you can anticipate, except, as I have said - the Nagual will outlast you.
Stupidity: so many come with stupidity. This means they come like sponges, ready to suck up ever bit of garbage lying around. One minute they suck up the shakti of the Nagual. The next they suck up the slimy vomit in the gutter. They are so stupid they can’t tell the difference between food and shit. One day they come to the ashram, and they have sucked up so much vomit, they have become irreparably damaged, and the Nagual has no option but to cut off the connection. They may not know the flow has been turned off, but what they find is that they lose interest, wander off back into the world, and may never see the Nagual again in all eternity. It is a tragedy, and with the tonal side of his or her being, the Nagual weeps silently, alone. The sadness of the Nagual is a mystery, even to the Nagual.
Lastly, Toltecs have another trick. Naguals are not by any means incapable of straying from the strong face. The aware beings who work with the Nagual, have a powerful and important role, of keeping the Nagual on track. Wisdom is available to all. Knowledge is available to all, and Awareness is available to all. The Nagual is like a strange mythical beast, which the group feed and work, like a buffalo in the rice paddies. They keep him or her primed and going in the right direction, with numerous proddings and the occasional whip. The Nagual is their ticket out of here, and they guard their ticket with their very lives.
Michael Maher 2008
