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Mastering the Toltec Way: A Daily Guide to Happiness, Freedom, and Joy

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I have begun my days with this book since January 1, 2004. It is like having a conversation with a loving, learned teacher full of accptance and joy.

Each day brings something to try; a new way to look at life. There are stories from the Grandma that teach as well. There are meditations to try. It is a book for "doing", not just reading. The reading is quite good, but it is the action that makes the book come alive.

Perhaps this is what makes this book different from other, similar kinds of books. It is an invitation to take action, to change one's life.

So far, my life is changing quite nicely as I read and "do" this book

If you have never really started your own exploration into your personal spirituality then this book will give you a good start.

However, there is not much, that is really Toltec in this book. Yes, there are exercises and suggestions around awareness but that is not a uniquely Toltec trait. Yoga, Sufism, mysticism, and meditation all use awareness as an approach to inner truth.

Not Castenada, Mares, Ken Eagle Feather, nor Ruiz have really captured the full vision of a Toltec. What is promoted as a Toltec being the awakening dreamer is only part of the story. Toltec means a master craftsman or person of knowledge. However a Toltec is also someone who knows the limits to knowledge and that no system of knowledge can bring freedom in itself. Knowledge and freedom are just more concepts if all you have is a knowledge based approach to life.

A Toltec was a seer who realized that beauty, wisdom, and movement was the way to catalyze and transcend the apparent duality of the universe (and the 'self' is part of the apparent duality). Central to Toltec thoughts were also the progression of the soul (just like in Ancient Egypt). Also primary were self-sacrifice and penitence. And if any path claims to be Toltec and does not emphasize the importance of purifying the heart that system is not clearly Toltec. (If you want to go really deep and follow me in this paragraph you need to read this book Burning Water)

But still in the field of 'Toltec' don Miguel Ruiz is a safe choice. You will not have to filter out as much as with the other sources. 'The Mastery of Love' would be a better place to start with Ruiz than 'The Four Agreements' (which carries a very negative and distracting view of the world).

When I think of Toltec I think of Tula and Teotihuacan. You really need to go to these old sacred sites and tune into the vision of the people that were there. You cannot just read books and figure out what a Toltec was. It also appears that the linguistic roots of the Nahuatl language originate from Chaco Canyon. The Chaco Canyon people were part of the Anasazi, the Ancient Ones. So if you want the full Toltec vision you need to track back into the Anasazi was well. This is deep wisdom here, much deeper than you will find in any books. And no one has written a full story of the Toltec encompassing this wider perspective.

You can read my review of 'The Way of the Toltec Nagual' to get more of my insights here.

Susan Gregg's book 'The Toltec Way: A Guide to Personal Transformation' is her better attempt to convey the Toltec orientation.

'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Toltec Wisdom' by Rosenthal should be considered required reading to get a foundational level-set of Toltec views.

If after your initial intro into 'Toltec' you want some very deep insights, short of going to the Toltec sites and walking around and meditating, you can really get somewhere with 'Burning Water' by Laurette Sejourne.

This book is an invitation to open up and play, a rare adventurous gift with a myriad of deep and insightful inspirations for our time. The power of this book is in ourselves if we can allow ourselves to open up to the meditations and questions.
If we allow ourselves to step into this book's element a loving world opens up as lightly as a magical dream.
This book is a new friend for life.

I love the simplicity in which this is written. All of Susan's books are written with powerful and loving simplicity that touches my heart and gently opens it. I like being able to open to any page and either get a story or do an exercise. Or that I can have a routine and go day by day. It helps me to explore me and to connect to me. I have many daily journals and this is fast becoming my fav. It puts words into action and that is where true change occurs. It helps me along that 12 inch journey from my head to my heart. Have fun with it!!!!

As a student of Susan Gregg's for many years I can highly recommend this to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of the Toltec Wisdom/Teachings.

Susan approaches "Mastering the Toltec Way" with love and kindness, making it very easy to understand. If you have read her book "The Toltec Way," you need this book. It takes the process a giant leap forward, and makes it comfortable to incorporate into your daily life. You will not be disappointed.

I have read them all but this book is the best yet - simple yet full of wisdom - the insights are profound and the real gift is they are all your own. They do require you to do the work - to actually do the exercises - not just read them!! But once you do your life will never be the same.

If you buy only one book make it this one -

The entire collection of exercises in this book can be found in the archives of the yahoo discussion group "toltecmastery" which is run by the author for the purpose of accumulating these juvenile suggestions. Furthermore, don't be fooled by the title. The book has very little to do with Toltec practice.