Nagual: Encyclopedia - Nagual

Nagual

The Spanish word nagual derives from the Nahuatl nahualli or nawalli, a term that itself has several meanings, namely: one facile with words, witch, shape-shifter, and animal co-essence. The last is a name for an entity, to which refers a widespread and ancient Mesoamerican belief that one part of the souls of humans (or human-like figures, such as gods), manifests itself as a sort of animal (or phenomenon, such as lightning) of a spiritual character. The Mayan term is way. The belief is still current in many parts of Mesoamerica, though the term may vary. Nagual has found its way into the Mexican Spanish idiom, with the meaning lie or trick.

Nagual is also a term used in the books by Carlos Castaneda to describe a person who is able to lead people to new areas of consciousness. Also, Nagual is considered by Castaneda's followers to be related to Eastern concepts of Tao, meditation, or infinity. As Castaneda's teacher says: "We cannot understand the Nagual, we can only see for ourselves that it exists". Even the term 'Nagual' exists only as a very inaccurate way of talking about 'what really isn't any-thing at all.' The Nagual is also considered as a side of our awareness, as opposed to the Nagual stands the Tonal, which can roughly be linked to the concept of Ego. To the Toltec of Castaneda the Tonal is often associated with the masculine aspect of the universe and the Nagual to the feminine. Like the Gnostics the Toltec of today often consider women not only equal to men but in some ways more spiritually intelligent. A Nagual is the "benefactor" of an apprentice in Castaneda's system and is also the great unnameable Spirit. A Nagual is said to help an apprentice obtain that which is called Total Freedom.

One becomes a Nagual (Manifestation of the Cosmic Spirit) by the act of Alternate Death, a process in which the seeker's awareness dies, becomes formless, and is inprinted with the qualities of the five elements in the following fashion:

• Fire sinking into water
• Water sinking into earth
• Earth sinking into air
• Air sinking into space
• Space sinking into mind.

This is the process through which one can obtain the title of Nagual.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Nagual", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki