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The name of this step, Teochiwa, from the Aztec/toltec language Nahuatl, translates as devotion and breaks down into two meanings: teo means God, and chiwa is to make. One could say it is the devotion needed to achieve one’s own divinity. It’s not, however, devotion as western religion sees it, as worship and prayer, and it is not necessarily aimed at an outward being or deity, either. Devotion flourishes within, to make of oneself a god (small g), to find and use one’s own divinity here and now.

The word teo also translates as energy and indeed, one requires energy to make oneself the best one can be, perhaps a god. One’s relationship with energy and its appropriate manipulation becomes functional and dynamic; it is not something one seeks on one’s knees. This is the kind of “devotion” that built the pyramids…but wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The “process and step” refer to the toltec way, aka the Black & Red Ink, and the teaching comes from ancient toltec/Aztec artifacts, ancient references created by toltec hands 500 to 7000 years ago. One of our primary references for this article, and our forthcoming book, is a compilation of many ancient sources, such as the Florentine Codex, The Chilam Balam and the Vatican Codex, all which stem from the Conquest of Mexico by Spain in 1521:

Diaz, Frank, Kinam, El Poder del Equilibrio, antiguas técnicas toltecas, Editorial Alba, 2002; (Kinam, The Power of Equilibrium), ancient toltec techniques, Editorial Alba, 2002

In the study and practice of things toltec the ancient is very much alive in the modern. The toltec way moves constantly whether we are aware of it or not. Our experience with this step is to have been learning and applying the knowledge before we knew it was an actual “step in a process,” set out hundreds of years ago to boot. This experience taught us the tradition dances whether or not we are in step. Our discovery of the ancient sources both explains the modern and affirms its validity. The toltec way is alive and well, dynamic one could say.

In Chapter 3: Teochiwa, author Diaz says the Spanish came to find many similarities to Catholic conventions, especially among the holy sacraments. Baptism, Communion, Confession, Marriage and Extreme Unction were and are a part of toltec life, long before the Spanish came. Each sacrament, however, has some similarities along with various differences to the Catholic versions. Baptism, for instance, features a fire devotion and water poured over the baby’s head. The toltec baptism also includes calling upon the infant’s spirit animal for guidance and protection, a convention quite common throughout the Americas, aka Turtle Island.

Communion was observed every 20 days, a month on the Aztec calendar, and served up by priests to individual participants. The difference came in the mindset of the culture, community,in how they lived the 20 days in between, and naturally so, considering different values and needs in attaining the necessities of life.

Confession, aside from the good that comes from coming clean, the perspective of sin was/is quite different. There was no attention given to Original Sin and all the issues that ensue from that concept, especially since sin is a curable problem. The toltec stance is that since we were originally divine, and being that we still are divine, it takes a lot of work to get it back. Confession was a relief that brought happiness and the will to change things, as opposed to punishments and labels.

Marriage was more about the education and the raising of the children — the future of the tribe, than the “happily ever after picket fence” myth. A common wedding lasted four days, with the couple spending lots of time alone. The ceremony revolved around invoking the four elements of Earth and the four winds, as well as seeking the will of the Creator.

Finally, there was Extreme Unction, death rites. At a time of dying, the priest was called to deliver the final rites. The awareness of death, however, is a core principle in the toltec cosmovision. To list the differences in the death journey would change the context of the article. Suffice it to say that this journey for a toltec relates more to the Tibetan or Egyptian way of understanding death, such as the Books of the Dead, than other religious backgrounds, like Christian or Jewish. Yet, all the religions, including toltec, seek heaven in the end.

Most of these conventions continue to this day, but the toltec way, never stale and rote, is ever-evolving. New knowledge about divinity has come into play now. We find that much of the toltec and other ancient reasoning holds current relevance in our lives.

For instance, there are two beliefs/concepts/theories coming from ancient times that we are all aware of, at some level. We’re pointing at freewill and the divinity within. Most of us have opinions and beliefs about these two ideas, in a thousand different, and mostly silent, corners of our lives and minds. While we know about these concepts to some extent, awareness of them ranges somewhere from polite agreement to great curiosity and eventually to living divinity in the flesh.

The idea that our Creator gave us free will, to do as we choose, is affirmed by most religions. It’s taught. What’s rare is for any religion to promote free will, or God-forbid, learn how to use that freedom to create better lives. Instead we’re taught how to comply, fit in, sacrifice, be scared and somewhat stupid at times. How long has this freedom and the lack of it been a human issue?

Toltecs embrace freedom, study it, crack it open, stretch it. Anything toltec you study will have the appreciation and development of that freedom built in.

Another ancient tidbit that finds confirmation in many religions, as well as within the newer genre of New Age beliefs and practices, is the concept of humans possessing divinity within. From the early Bible divinity within is explained in The Book of Saint Thomas, a book, by the way, edited out of the Bible a few hundred years ago. Most of us have heard, from some source or another, that we human beings all have a little piece of God inside. If humans were fully aware of that fact, what a Merry Christmas it would be.

The most current support for the “divinity within” concept comes from within the field of quantum physics. The idea is no longer considered a superstition. We’ll get into some of the science supporting that divinity in later articles, but the facts are pouring in about a field of energy within our reach that taps divine power.

Long before the Catholic Church came to Mexico we had baptism, communion, confession, marriage and death rites. While some of the rites have parallels with Catholic rites, there are some marked differences. For instance, original sin and its consequences are not in the toltec belief system. Sin is something, after all, that can be cured. The toltec relationship to death and the ancestors is also unique, a major dynamic in the toltec way, as you may come to see.

The toltec way of thinking developed in an imminently mystical environment. Instead of wars and wealth, the toltec turned to the wonders inside, exploring the hidden archives of consciousness, extracting enormous amounts of information about the energy that animates us. For a toltec who believes deeply in the unlimited potentials of humanity, this information is infinitely practical and useful, and when information is used in that way, it turns to knowledge, as in the “Knowledge is Power” way of thinking.

The emphasis on practical functionality, as opposed to theories, makes this devotion more about using energy wisely than about seeking deities for favor or succor. Indeed, if you walk Teochiwa, you’ll wind up seeking, learning and mastering various states of consciousness, for optimal performance in your chosen role, whatever that may be.

Our forthcoming book, the Black & Red Ink, A Course in Freedom sees this divine spark as a path to enlightenment and empowerment. It’s not something you smile nicely about in religious gatherings, while holding immense amounts of doubt about it, in denial. It’s a challenge you take, worthy of our best efforts, worthy of a warrior’s spirit. Most human beings, offered this freedom, won’t accept the discipline, and much less, give what it takes to spark the divinity within, and that’s OK. Each of us has the freedom to decide.

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El Sexto Sol, the Sixth Sun, is a toltec name for the new solar age, now birthing, yes, now, as we live through Earth’s most chaotic times. If you’re aware of terms like the New Age, the Great Awakening, or maybe more negative depictions like the End Times and the Apocalypse, then you know we’re talking about the Earth’s future. What can we do?

Good thing we know more about our planet and ourselves than we ever have in the history of human beings, which is something like 6500 years of recorded history. As per the proclamation featured below, the Toltec Fifth Sun began and ended in that same space of time, since recorded history began. It’s time now for El Sexto Sol, the Sixth Sun to bring evolution and healing to our Mother, Earth.

STANZAS

The proclamation below shares how the Fifth Sun was created and who will be responsible for creating the Sixth Sun. The stanzas are from a decree, a proclamation, made by a council of 30 or so, mostly Mexican and South American tribes. They all gathered in Mexico City in March of 1994. Considering the amount of political strife, racism, violence and hunger indigenous communities yet endure, one might suppose the proclamation gathering was about those issues.

But no, the stanzas speak to the dawning of the Sixth Sun, referring to an ancient Toltec prophecy. The toltec knowledge of the stars and cosmos, you should know going in, make it more a deduction or a calculated prediction than a prophecy. Many believe toltec knowledge must be based on superstition and primitive rationales, but there is more evidence of an ancient-based science, built on experiential evidence collected over generations within a secretive discipline.

This 1994 gathering of the tribes was, in essence, a review of that ancient science. The first stanza tells us the Fifth Sun cannot end until there is a rain of consciousness, because the Fifth Sun is one of awareness, awakening consciousness.

EARTHQUAKES

1

The Grandfathers left word

That this Fifth Sun which we are living,

Is going to end, end its movements,

With earthquakes on Earth and earthquakes in society.

But this Fifth Sun cannot be finished

until all are aware,

until awareness spreads and grows,

until there is a rain of consciousness,

for this Fifth Sun is precisely,

a Sun of Consciousness.

The second stanza covers the creation of the Fifth Sun, from the oral tradition. This cosmic event occurred at the pyramids of Teotihuacan , north of Mexico City, around 6500 years ago, at the dawn of civilization.

RABBIT

2

This ending sun was created by the Chief Lords:

Tecucistécatl, the Lord who became the Moon;

Nanahuatzin, the sick and wounded who became the Sun;

Papálotl and Mixcóatl, who volunteered

to give movement to the Sky, to the Stars;

and also by the Tochtli (Rabbit), the youngest of them all;

it was by His sacrifice that the Fifth Sun was created.

While the myth in stanza two(2) may be new for many, it’s been in the bloodlines of american indigenous people since the beginning of mesoamerican history.

The third stanza of the proclamation names the new creators of the Sixth Sun.

COMMON PEOPLE

3

Now a new Sun is announced,

that is going to be one of Justice.

But this new Sun must be made by the common people,

The Macehuales, with our sacrifice.

Now it’s our turn.

The Macehuales are the common people who share the characteristic of possessing merit in various forms throughout their lives. It’s common people of merit who will create and nourish this new Sun, setting in motion el Sexto Sol.

If the Fifth Sun has been about consciousness and awareness ,it’s safe to say we are more aware now than ever, of how we have screwed things up for our planet. The Sixth Sun offers Justice and a new opportunity but there is no mention of how good it will get, or even how bad. The Proclamation announces that it’s up to us, the common people — the macehuales — to determine what the new Sun does on Earth going forward.

Again, we know more about our planet and ourselves than we ever have in human history. As we live out the transition from the Fifth to the Sixth Sun it’s pertinent to note that amazing, incredible evolution is in process: great things in science, medicine, space travel and so forth, emerge as we speak.

Will we common people of merit create our desired reality in this unprecedented time upon Earth?

We care that you care because no matter your race, creed, color, location, political party, occupation, sex or religion we all breathe and struggle on the same planet, in the same air. If we know it depends on us, it’s time for some decisions.

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To those who see and hear, the Black & Red Ink refers to generations of highly skilled artists — lineages of painters, writers, storytellers, sculptors, cartographers, healers and shamans. They lived a discipline, a code, that originated in pre-columbian times in Mexico, a certain knowledge said to be 7,000–10,000 years old. Our book’s title, The Black & Red Ink, A Course in Freedom, honors these warrior artists.

The warrior artists of the Black & Red Ink define legendary, with a special place in history, both before the conquest of Mexico in 1521, and after, into the emergence of New Spain. While we are fascinated and guided by our history, our greatest thrill is that the Black & Red Ink is alive and well today.

The Mexican historian, philosopher, poet, Miguel Leon-Portilla, in his anthology of nahuatl poetry, titled The Black & Red Ink, La Tinta Negra y Roja, quotes the Florentine Codex, VI,P, 180 r-v:

Care for the black and red ink,
The books, the paintings,
Place yourself near them, on your side,
Of those who are prudent and those who are wise.

In this verse an Elder exhorts a young man to choose the wise path, the one of the Black & Red Ink. The artist-authors of these verses are known as tlaquilos — scribes, painters, writers, sages. Their discipline enables them to reach far above average abilities in language, culture, customs, religion, medicine, politics and more.

The art had to be more than beautiful. It had to be functional, in support of the People’s lives and communities. The artists earned, for instance, great fame as cartographers. Their maps helped the growth and progress of the conquerors, but the quality and method of their work saved many tribal people from extinction.

The nahuatl words intlilli, intlapalli, translate to the Black & Red Ink, but a more exact translation reads, “the black paint and the colored ink,” — as in a painter’s palette. This symbol, both subtle and simple, refers to the “tradition and knowledge that flowed through their artwork,” (Portilla).

At the source of the tlaquilos’ knowledge were the tlamatinime: the wise men, elders, ancestors, leaders and honored women and men. The word translates literally as a “person who makes art of their life,” and serves as a perfect introduction to the toltec way.

The Spanish accounts of the conquest and colonization, by mostly priests and scholars, paint the words toltec, tlaquilo, tlamatinime and intlilli intlapalli as the ultimate evil, orchestrated among the “savages” by Lucifer himself. This immediately put toltecs on the Holy Inquisition’s Most Wanted list.

Between the church and the army, the colonizers proceeded to silence, assassinate, burn, destroy artifacts and books, along with the people associated with them. Only a handful of priests and several indigenous scholars saw the value of the material and fought a good enough fight for many of the books to have survived. Conquerors don’t like bright people, yet the bright find a way to shine.

The functionality and power of the toltec way, of the Black & Red Ink, to survive the harshest of genocidal attacks is now more apparent as history plays out, 500 years later. The knowledge continued to produce functional art , in the arts, of course, but in medicine, nutrition, fighting skills and simply, finding a better way, as well. The way was artfully interwoven into daily life, hidden in plain sight, as they say. While the Spanish made us the devil and damn near wiped us out, the practitioners of the art went underground. We hid it as we lived it, in our homes and in our hearts.

We’re grateful for the length and breadth of this wisdom as it crosses mental, physical, emotional and spiritual scenarios with life-sustaining information that continues to be instrumental to the survival of not only the knowledge, but the People! Our ancestors left us with well-proven knowledge that now must be shared with the world.

Many good reasons exist for the knowledge to be kept secret, primarily for the defense of the People against the conquering hoards of the European invaders. When the indigenous cultures that survived by virtue of this knowledge are told they must share this treasure with the world, you can imagine it to be quite upsetting. We indigenous, however, were also told long ago that the knowledge would have to go out to the whole world at a certain time. We know there’s a good reason for that, too.

First the toltec way came back in academics, starting in earnest in the mid 20th century. Many of the indigenous artifacts, like the “books” given by Spain to other countries 500 years ago, came back to Mexico. Much of toltec ideology, systems and methods were uncovered and now form an ancient reference to our work here.

That book — the Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of knowledge — and 11 others would make a large splash in the world, in social studies, self-help, the New Age genre, the sorcery arts, healing and overall, in any activity that stretches human consciousness. In short, the knowledge of this ancient path attracted authors, philosophers and spiritual leaders all over the world. The path had been a secret for most of the last seven thousand years. and here it came, gushing out!

Along the way this knowledge has saved many indigenous peoples from extinction, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, even now. The toltec way began revealing itself and is now pretty well established for those who want to live the wisdom. People literally everywhere are in some way imitating the art of the Black and Red Ink.

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