Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning

The spiritual teacher Don Juan says that there are two worlds – one that we perceive with our five senses, and one that is outside of this sensual reality. The former, which we are all familiar with, is called the Tonal, while the latter, which almost no one can perceive is called the Nagual. Our home, work, exercise, belief system, our relationship with others – these are all part of the Tonal. The power of creation, true knowledge, the “Infinite Source” resides in the Nagual. According to Don Juan, in order to perceive the Nagual we must keep our Tonal perfectly clean. Regularly “sweeping” our Tonal is extremely important. We…

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How to Lose Fear

How to Lose Fear

I found myself on the most deserted stretch of beach I know of in the world, near the southern tip of the island of Niijima. There wasn’t another person as far as the eye could see. The still air, the warm autumn sun, the coarse glass sand that coats the skin but brushes away just as easily, the gently lapping waves, the large rock protruding from the water a few hundred meters offshore – these were my companions for the afternoon. I reached a place where I thought I might take a rest. The beach rose up from the water and gradually steepened into a hill, and I wondered about camping…

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