Magic and Danger in Mexico
Departing the Caribbean islands, I bicycled around Mexico to explore the ceremonial sites of the Olmecs, Mayans, Mixtecs, Zapotecs, and other ancient Mesoamerican cultures. The teaching or energetic effect I was to receive from the combined power places in this region was magician energy and psychic protection. Not understanding what this meant, I was somewhat apprehensive about how the teachings might be given. From the start I felt a subtle yet ominous foreboding. I had an intuition that I should maintain a high degree of awareness and impeccability while traveling across the countryside. This intuition was correct. My Mexico travels were full of adventure, surprise, and also danger. Perhaps one day I will write in detail of the many fascinating Indiana Jones experiences that occurred during the years of my worldwide pilgrimage. Because of the space restrictions of this book I cannot write in such detail here. The following two stories, however, give a sense of the magic and adventure of my Mexico travels.
The first happened in a temple at a seldom-visited Maya site in central Yucatan. I encountered a presence or spirit that initially seemed to be sinister and dangerous. A few months previous I had come upon a similar presence at a power place in Hawaii. After disregarding an intuition to leave the place, and subsequently having a most disturbing psychic experience, I resolved to be more prudent in the future. The Maya temple triggered my intuition in a similar way and I left quickly. Some days later, after a dream in which I felt directed to look deeply into the experience of overwhelming fear, I returned to the mysterious temple. I spent four hours there, alone, in the absolute darkness, in total silence. Sitting on the cold rock floor, I began with the practice of two meditation techniques: one to still my thinking, and the other to gather my psychic powers and concentrate them into a field or protective shell around me. I next invoked the spirits of the place in order to test myself against them, as a student of the martial arts will seek training partners stronger than himself. What ensued was perhaps the most frightening experience of my thirty years of life. I encountered what seemed to be the presence of a powerful evil, and it required all my physical courage and psychic strength to remain in the temple. Three times I almost ran away, fearing that if I stayed I would be overcome by the demonic forces confronting me.
During each of these periods I was able to tap into unknown depths of my being that enabled me to resist the darkness and remain centered in peace. The key to this exercise was simply to observe the seemingly sinister presence without judgment and without reacting to it. The more I practiced this observation without reaction, the more I came to recognize that the presence was not actually evil but merely the face of the great unknown. I had found a doorway into the void. The immensity of that domain and the impossibility of intellectually comprehending it gave rise to the emotion of fear and the pronouncement of evil. Yet, there was no evil, only an awesome experience of emptiness that awakened a quiet humility in my being. I recognized this gift of humility to be an important part of the "magician energy and psychic protection" that I was to receive during my travels to sacred sites in Mexico.
What a powerful and mysterious experience this had been. How to explain it: Had it been caused by the energy of the Earth at the power place? By the charged field resulting from the centuries of ceremonies the Maya priests had performed in the temple? Had my own intention catalyzed it? Or was the cause a combination of all these factors? Some months later, I came upon a fascinating book, The Fire From Within, by the anthropologist Carlos Castaneda, which offered a tantalizing answer. Writing of teachings he received from the Mexican sorcerers don Juan and don Genaro, Castaneda says:
"He [don Juan] explained that the earth's boost is the force of alignment...It is a boost that heightens awareness to unthinkable degrees. To the new seers it is a blast of unlimited consciousness, which they call total freedom." (4)
Seeking further understanding, Castaneda asks,
" Is the boost from the earth the same for every man, don Juan?" "Of course. The difficulty for the average man is the internal dialogue. Only when a state of total silence is attained can one use the boost. You will corroborate that truth the day you try to use that boost by yourself." "I wouldn't recommend that you try it," Genaro said sincerely. "It takes years to become an impeccable warrior. In order to withstand the impact of the earth's boost you must be better than you are now." "The speed of that boost will dissolve every thing about you," don Juan said. "Under its impact we become nothing." (5)
I received another significant lesson during my Mexico pilgrimage. It concerned the importance of paying attention to intuitions and messages from spirit. I had been bicycling around the Yucatan peninsula for a few months, visiting and photographing many of the Maya sites, when I came to the ancient ruins of Uxmal. Immediately upon entering the extensive complex of temples I felt a presence that reminded me of a stern and very serious schoolteacher from my youth. Exploring the ruins over the next two days, I was constantly aware of this presence. During this time I had three significant visionary experiences, two of which indicated Uxmal had been the site of a major esoteric school in ancient times, and a third that indicated I was finished with my Mexican travels and should depart for the next geographic region of my pilgrimage.
This third directive was most perplexing. I had only recently arrived in Mexico, accompanied with maps and plans for a thoroughly researched journey to sacred sites all over Central America. Instead of trusting and following the odd directive, I got on my bicycle and continued with my plans. At first, spirit was gentle with me. On three separate occasions during the next week I experienced strong intuitions and messages that confirmed that I should leave Mexico and go elsewhere. Ignoring each of these messages, I came face to face with an arrogant, tenacious aspect of my personality. Part of me was clear that I should leave Mexico but another part stubbornly resisted. Adopting a tough-guy attitude, I kept plugging along, albeit with growing trepidation that a powerful lesson was soon coming my way. Indeed, this was the case. A few days later, late at night, six robbers with sinister-looking daggers violently stole all my cameras and lenses. Finally getting the message that I should trust my inner guidance, I left Mexico, returned to the U.S. to replace the stolen equipment, and then made my way to Europe. The emotional impact of the violence of the robbery stayed with me for many months. It was an uncomfortable feeling but a needed reminder that an arrogant ignoring of intuition results only in unpleasant situations. Both experiences - the mysterious presence in the Maya temple and the robbery - although difficult to endure, were nonetheless beneficial for my personal development. Strangely, they were indeed gifts of a "magician energy and psychic protection" that would serve me well in years to come.
