[Lhtfajba]

Those of you who've read Carlos Castenada will know that his shaman teacher, Don Juan, is called a nagual. Nagual is the Mesoamerican word for 'shaman' and the nagual also appears in their mythology. However, the invading Spanish Christians, in medieval times, gave the nagual a bad name (as is their wont with any 'pagan' practice) and associated the nagual in peoples' minds with curses and black magic, very much as the Christians in Britain blackened the reputations of witches.

A recent conference in Mexico City sought to restablish the good street creds of the nagual.

This picture from the Ihuatlan Canvas was painted by indigenous artists, the Tlacuilos, and is symbolic of the shaman nagual's ability to shapeshift into many different animal forms.



MEXICO CITY.- The Nagual was a being that protected sacred spaces among Mesoamerican cultures. To present this concept has been distorted to the point of being associated with curses.

To study and rescue the original concept and cultural value of these and other Prehispanic mythological beings, the “Primer Congreso Internacional de Folklore y Tradicion Oral en Arqueologia”, (1st Congress on Folklore and Oral Tradition in Archaeology) takes place from August 18th to 20th 2010 at the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH), with the participation of nearly 50 experts from Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

The expert in oral tradition Francisco Rivas Castro, from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), mentioned that parting from representations of Naguals in Prehispanic codices and 16th century Colonial canvases, it has been achieved to deepen into the symbolism behind these characters.

Anthropologist Rivas Castro commented that the image of Naguals is present in Borbonic, Laud, Fejérváry-Mayer and Bodley codices, as well as the Ihuatlan Canvas, documents that allow knowing the conception of Mesoamerican cultures, mainly Mexica and Mixteca.

“The objective of the congress is to rescue the original meaning of the concept, since the protective connotation has been lost. In the ancient times the Nagual took care of fields and sacred spaces, keeping everything in order and punishing people who transgressed religious regulations”.

The ability to transform into animals was a “gift that gave them the strength and skills of certain animals such as birds, jaguars and coyotes to fulfill their duties”, declared Rivas.

During Colonial times, this perception began to change. Prehispanic syncretism integrated European elements such as curses and witchcraft. “This oral tradition is deeply-rooted in Indigenous imaginary, so it is important to study it and see how it has modified through time”.

During his participation at the congress, in August 19th 2010, Francisco Rivas Castro will talk about the presence of Naguals in Mixteca culture by analyzing Ihuatlan Canvas.

“This cloth was painted by Indigenous artists, the Tlacuilos, and has a Nagual, half man, half beast, represented in the upper right corner, protecting the fields”, mentioned the doctor in Anthropology. With thanks to Art Daily

[ChyFDjfed]

This picture from the Ihuatlan Canvas was painted by indigenous artists, the Tlacuilos, and is symbolic of the shaman nagual's ability to shapeshift into many different animal forms.

Nein, meine leiben. I think someone mixed the pictures up there. That picture is from Codex Fejervary-Mayer (Valley of Mexico or Cholula, not Mixtec) and is a representation of Tezcatlipoca (distinguished by missing foot and smoking mirror pictogram behind ear) with a list of days within the 260 day tonalpohualli count with which he was strongly associated, all with the coefficient 12 - 12-wind, 12-grass and so on, so has no direct relation to transformation into animal spirits beyond being part of the same tradition (as is the moon being a rabbit, which similarly is not referred to in the image). I know there's animal heads there. Those are day-signs. There's also day-signs depicting wind, grass, and a house.

Not sure what the Ihuatlan Canvas is, though I don't think I've seen it.

I'm actually keen to get to the root of this one as I suspect that the nagual (as the animal guide which accompanies one in the underworld or in other noumenal places) is closely related to the earlier concept of the ihiyotl, the shadowy third of the nahua soul (the other two parts being tonalli and and yolia). Even as something separate, is the nagual / ihiyotl in some sense part of oneself given that when termed nagual it is supposed to be an animal that was born on the same day?

PreHispanic / conquest-era material is extremely sketchy on the ihiyotl, although most will know the yolia as 'the breath of life' (sometimes identified with the bananaquit) and the tonalli as the heat - the part which carries the personality, located in the forehead, and which can ascend to a heaven (pending conditions of death) or else incarnate as a butterfly or hummingbird, depending I suppose on which bit of the small print you bothered to read.

T.J. Knab's A War of Witches is, I would say, essential reading on this subject, and for me he gets as close to the truth of nagualism as anything I've read - without reading like there should be a Grateful Dead LP playing in the background, and also without trying to rationalise everything into oblivion. Also a lot of good stuff in Jill Furst's Natural History of the Soul in Ancient Mexico but it's real work getting those two books to join in the middle (essentially a 1500s and then a present-day view of the same thing).

[Wezfyowk]

Also Knab's "Dialogue of Earth and Sky" is great.

[StoyaFanst]

Whoops, sorry War. ops:

I took that from the article. Thanks for the correction.

Welcome Xibalbalam!

As you can see, my brain's knowledge bank is sadly lacking in all things MesoAmerican and I am totally dependent on War Arrow in that department. So a second person who specialises in that area is more than welcome to the Gate, and please don't be afraid to correct me if I get stuff wrong.

[IronpumpedLady]

Welcome, Xibalbalam - not read that other Knab title but I will certainly take your recommendation. 'A War of Witches,' was truly astonishing I thought.

I googled up that canvas as mentioned in the article but got nothing which is frustrating as I'd really like to see it.

[bUqLfXRI]

For once, Wiki may be helpful in exploring the Mexican idea of the nagual. The editors are complaining that it "does not cite any reference or sources" but it's written in such a way as to give me the impression, instinctively, that, for once, the author knows what he's talking about from his own research. In fact, he is using just one source: Carlos Castaneda. See what you think anyway.

From Wiki's page on Nagualism (Carlos Castaneda)

Nagualism (pronounced nah-wa'hl ism) [1] Nagualism is a philosophical "pathway" that utilizes a disciplined set of techniques to achieve the attainment of a transcendent reality. Nagual refers to three subset definitions within the 12 books by Carlos Castaneda The first, Nagual as source of the universe. The Nagual has been described as an Impersonal, yet personal source of the center of spirituality. In short, it interacts in human existence but the Nagual does not have human emotional qualities of compassion, love or empathy, In short the Nagual does not "care" for humans individually. The second being, Nagual as the spiritual realm outside known reality and third Nagual as spiritual leader of a group of apprentice warriors.

The first, refers to a fundamental yet inconceivable dimension of reality that may be harnessed by a 'Man of Knowledge' or 'Sorcerer' (Spanish: Brujo). According to the philosophy of Nagualism some individuals store "energy" to make use of such "Powers" [2]. Such a person (who is referred to as a Nagual - cf. nagual) is able to lead apprentices of the "Warriors Path" and other receptive persons to dimensions of higher consciousness. . Thus Carlos Castaneda's Spirit guide, Nagual Don Juan Matus, often referred to himself as the Nagual for his "party of warriors" - warrior here referring to ones who walk the "Warriors Path" to become 'Men of Knowledge'. Just to briefly interject here, the path in Britain is sometimes referred to as the Way of the Warrior, and in the same way, it's not about actually becoming a soldier, but refers to fighting inner battles with ones "inner demons", which are not actually demons, but just a term for facing up to one's true self.

(Women also play an equal role within Nagualism.The wording could be "Women of Knowledge" and imply equal status within the group.) To understand the nagual one is instructed to: "... Turn everything into what it really is, the abstract, the spirit, the Nagual."[citation needed] this is the final definition of Nagual given in the body of work by Carlos Castaneda. The ultimate power of the universe is also referred to as the "Eagle".

In the worldview of Don Juan Matus's, reality is seen as multi-dimensional, multi-faceted reality that under ordinary circumstances human beings only perceive in part; the known part of reality with which humans are familiar is called the Tonal. The spiritual Nagual is that dimension of reality for which we are not conscious but is in fact constitutes the greater part of reality. Here the Nagual bears some resemblance to the psychoanalytic concept of the unconscious. It has also been said that the Nagual is all that is, and that it condenses to form the Tonal. The Nagual and the Tonal as dual aspects of reality and being such are perceived either through the First Attention, where we experience the Tonal, or the Second Attention where we experience the Nagual. To Don Juan the Tonal is often associated with the masculine aspect of the universe and the Nagual to the feminine. The Tonal can roughly be linked to the concept of Ego or conscious mind. Three states are described in the text by Castaneda, the known, the unknown and the unknowable. When one is able to perceive the Second Attention they are considered "Seers" or "Dreamers".

A Nagual leader is the "Benefactor" of an apprentice in the Nagualist philosophy. The "Benefactor" is a direct link or intermediary to the "Nagual" and guides an apprentice to obtain what has been called "Total Freedom" that is analogous to religious concepts of liberation. The Second Attention or 'Nagual Awareness' is a goal of warriors and their apprentices. In some Mesoamerican traditions psychotropic plants, or as Naguals called them "power plants", were utilized to experience the Nagual, as well as other states of awareness. Three plants were mentioned in the text, Datura wrightii (See "Toxicity" on link Datura) , Lophophora williamsii and Psilocybe mexicana or Psilocybe cubensis. Psilocybe was used by the early natives of Central America over 2,000 years ago and was known to the Aztecs as teonanacatl ("flesh of the gods"). All are hallucinogenic and nonnarcotic. It should be mentioned that no references were made in the text regarding Cannabis Sativa or coca derivatives. It was also stated by Don Juan Matus that "plants" were not absolutely needed to acquire "Knowledge" but were used as an aid in achieving it [3] . Warriors might also use the four winds.[4].

The source of Nagualism is unknown. Don Juan Matus referred to himself as a Shaman and as a Toltec (artisan). The Toltec's predated the Aztec Empire in Mexico, covering most of its present day location. The Toltec's were an advanced civilization, at this time New World civilizations may predate Old World developments in human culture (See, Caral). Shamanism is more representative of a hunting and gathering society. Also was mentioned by Don Juan Matus that his cultural heritage was, "Yoeme" or Yaqui, Native Americans from the Sonora Desert region of North America.

Controversy surrounds Nagualism. Needless to say, using words and phrases like Sorcerer, Witch, Shape Shifter and numerous unorthodox methods to understand and in some instance advocate the use of spiritual knowledge will strike deep chords of objection among many. Nagualism has its detractors, if not its enemies. Some critics believe Nagualism to be a complete hoax and has no merit what-so-ever. In the final analysis the readers of Carlos Castaneda's books on Nagualism must decide. Well, I don't agree with that last sentence if he means that the readers have to decide solely on the contents of Carlos Castaneda's books. They only have to look at all the many well-documented examples of shamanism around the world to see that Don Juan the nagual is by no means unique, that there were thousands of Don Juans throughout the world at one time, and that shamanism was a living force that supported numerous civilisations for hundreds of thousands of years, at least.

In fact, I remember reading one of the objections to Carlos Castaneda's books was that his nagual did not display any unique characteristics other than is found in shamanism the world over. That made me laugh because it's exactly the point. If Don Juan had been too different, I would have been suspicious of him and wondered in Castaneda had made him up. Instead, his very authenticity rings true in Castaneda's books.