Page:Para leer a Carlos Castaneda.djvu/58

 The Nagual warned all of them that warriors, both men and women, must be impeccable in their effort to change, with the purpose to scare the human form away and get rid of it...

—The Nagual made us aware that we were Toltec. We are all Toltec. According to him, a Toltec is a receiver and preserves mysteries. The Nagual and Genaro are Toltec. They gave us their luminosity and mysteries. We received their mysteries and now we preserve them.

His use of the word <> baffled me. I was only familiar with its anthropological meaning. In that context, it always refers to the Nahuatl speaking culture of the center and south of Mexico, already extinct at the time of the conquest.

—Why did he call us Toltec? —asked, not having anything else to say.

—Because that is what we are. Instead of saying we were witches or sorcerers, he said we were Toltec.

—Did the Nagual tell you at any time that the Toltec were ancient people that lived in this part of Mexico? —I asked. —Do you see where are you going? That is why it did not tell you anything. It is likely the old Raven did not know it was ancient people.

He rocked in the chair while laughing. His laughter was very pleasant and contagious.

—We are Toltec, Teacher —he said—. Be sure of what we are...

Nestor asserted that they were used to walking in the dark and that the art of a witch was being unnoticed even in the midst of a crowd...

They learned to be unnoticed through the midst of all this. They knew the art of stalking...

The Nagual said that being a warrior is an honor and a satisfaction, and the warrior fortune is to do what must be done...         5 The art of dreaming

-Made me know that the Nagual had recommended to be a vehement warrior and to follow any of the paths set by his destiny...

A hunter is limited to hunt —he said—. A stalker stalks everything, even himself...

The Nagual told me that it is possible to stalk our own weaknesses...

—How is it possible to stalk our own weaknesses, fat lady?

—In the same way you stalk a prey. You decipher your customs until you know all your weakness consequences and you leap on them and take them as rabbits in a cage...

Actually, what a warrior needs to be an impeccable stalker is having a purpose...

We all have personal power for something...

Was convinced that death consciousness could give us enough strength to resist life pressure and pain and the fear of the unknown...

Asserted that it took him a lot time to understand that the Nagual also had to abandon the human form. It was not cruel. Simply, did not experiment human feelings. Everything was the same for him. He had accepted his fate...

—The Nagual did not establish the rules —said—. The rules were established somewhere, out there; not by a man...

—Does not matter what anyone says or does —stated—. You must be impeccable. The fight takes place in our chest.

—Gave me some light blows on the chest.

—If your father or your grandfather had proposed to be impeccable warriors —don Juan continued—, they would not have wasted time in byzantine discussions. It is necessary to devote all the time and energy to overcome our own stupidity. And that is important. The rest is not worth it...

The Nagual told me that witches used to be called Toltec in the language their ''benefactor... ''