Charles: Theun, as an author of 6 books that bring the legacy of the Toltec Tradition to the world, can you summarise the main purpose of your work in a few words?

Theun: My work is primarily directed towards providing people with concepts and practical tools with which to empower themselves. We teach that if you uplift yourself, you also uplift all those around you. The reason for this is that as each individual learns to take full responsibility for his or her life, the benefits upon the greater whole, through the interrelationship of life, are vast and far-reaching.

Charles: How do the Toltec Teachings help people in practical terms?

Theun: The Warrior's Path is a practical approach to life that is founded upon taking action in one's own life. Taking action leads to gaining one's own experience. Through learning how to value our own experience, as opposed to relying too much on information gleaned from others, we build greater self-reliance and self-belief. This also results in a deeper knowledge of oneself and others, and we can experience true joy and fulfilment.

Charles: Why is the individual so important in the Toltec perspective?

Theun: Since all of life is interrelated, each one of us bears individual responsibility for shaping the world, as well as for whatever mess we may find ourselves in. Accordingly, we teach the importance of always bringing things back to ourselves. What this means is that if you do not like what you see in the world around you, then the first place to begin is with yourself. Essentially, this is the same as saying: "If you do not like the mess in your own neighborhood, then don't just complain about what other people are doing - start clearing up the mess in your own back yard!"

Charles: Are all Toltecs the same?

Theun: No. My work is based upon the Path of Freedom, through which individuals discover their own value. Once we have discovered our value, we do not need to exercise control over other things or people in order to feel worthwhile. There are many other practitioners today, claiming Toltec status, who advocate shamanism and such outdated practices. We call this the Path of High Adventure. Followers of this path place their value outside of themselves, and so they resort to magical and shamanistic practices in order to increase their power and control over other things and people. The two Paths are mutually exclusive.

Charles: Don't we have to resolve the past before we can make any real progress?

Theun: Although we all have to resolve our past, it is important not to get hung up on looking backwards. This just keeps so many people stuck and unable to move forward. The important thing always to remember is that what is happening right now in our lives is the product of everything that has happened before. Therefore, if you deal with what is happening now, you will automatically start to resolve your past. Another way of putting this is as follows. By taking the first step towards realising your dreams right now you will automatically start materialising the challenges you need to face, in order for you to take the second step. Once you have taken all the steps you will find that the past is not such a big issue.

Charles: What two things can we do to improve our lives right now?

Theun: Start being impeccable, rather than wanting to be perfect. Perfectionism kills countless dreams and stops us from being creative. Being impeccable means "doing the best you can, based on the knowledge that is available to you in the moment." Through being impeccable you learn to take action immediately, based on your own knowledge, rather than spending your time worrying about being perfect. By acting in this way, you give yourself the space to learn, and to have fun.

The other vital thing when planning your action, is to learn to follow your heart, rather than your social conditioning. This means doing what is right for you, as opposed to what you think is expected of you. We all have unique gifts to make of our lives a success, if we could just value them, rather than wasting our time trying to be like other people. Through starting to follow our heart, we learn to rely on and value our uniqueness.

Charles: Theun, Thank you.

Further Information: press@lionheartpublishing.com

web: www.toltec-foundation.org

© Lionheart Publishing 2002

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