Six years ago I was upside down, dangling by my feet from the top of the Pyramid
of the Sun in the amazing ancient city of Teotihuacán, Mexico. It was
not your average dangling; I had a morbid fear of heights and barely made it
to the top of the massive structure that day. Never did I believe I would trust
someone to hang me by my feet off the side of such a high place! But, in the
end, I did and I let go of my fear of heights and a few other fears in the bargain.
My gratitude for this experience was beyond measure as this miracle was not
what I had expected when I signed up for this adventure. To be honest, the things
I experienced I could have never imagined even in my wildest dreams! Just to
clarify things, this was my first power journey with Toltec master don Miguel
Ruiz, and climbing the Pyramid was the culmination of my five day voyage to
this incredible city. Even more importantly, as I stood on the top of the Pyramid
merging with the sun, I experienced the true presence of my inner spirit and
my heart for the first time in my life.
The magnificent ruins of the ancient Toltec city of Teotihuacán are approximately
40 minutes northeast of Mexico City and one mile high in altitude. The Toltec
were not a religious or racial group, rather they were humans who practiced
a certain philosophy of life. According to don Miguel, Teotihuacán was
a huge university dedicated to the transcendence of humanity. The layout of
the city was modeled on the image of a long double-headed snake; one head on
each end of its body. The apprentice would progress down the Avenue of the Dead,
the body of the snake, section by section after entering the first plaza. Though
this process, the snake digested all of the student’s lies and beliefs
that were limiting the full expression of their Spirit. As a result, they died
to everything they believed about themselves and their world.
Lifetimes were spent letting go of all the boundaries man has put upon himself
through the domestication of his mind. When there was finally nothing left of
the student’s personality, ego, and domestication they became what they
really were; the divine expression of Love or Spirit. After finally exiting
the body of the snake, the apprentice would climb the Pyramid of the Sun and,
using the energy of the structure, would merge and become one with the light.
Under the tutelage of masters, these apprentices would pass through the different
sections of the snake until they had completed their training and transcended
their physical bodies and earthly dream.
For years don Miguel and the apprentices he personally trained, myself included,
have taken thousands of seekers to this wonderful city. I have watched hundreds
of people come on these journeys stressed, confused, and wishing for something
more in their lives, hoping to find what is missing. By the end of the journey
their faces are glowing, they are relaxed, and they have clarity about the direction
they are going in life. Even more importantly, they have a glimpse of the divinity
that they truly are and the wonderment of that experience. It is a miracle to
see people recognize themselves as the magical beings that they are and to take
full responsibility for what they have created in their lives. After leaving
the journey, they choose to use their magic to create beauty, love, and joy
in their world rather than anger, frustration, fear, and drama.
When we journey to Teotihuacán we do not travel as tourists to take pictures
of the ruins, look at, and climb the Pyramids. We go to experience the dream
of the city as it was thousands of years ago and to connect with the intent
of the place itself. Teotihuacán was built with the intent to transform
the dream of the humans from one of fear to one of love and to assist us in
detaching from the beliefs we have that do not serve our higher good. Our ceremonies,
rituals, and activities on the grounds of the city are designed to access this
energy directly. Because of this, our transformational process work is made
more intense but easier as a result of tapping into the spirit of the sacred
site itself. Miracles occur in Teotihuacán if your heart and mind are
open to receive what the universe has available for you.
You are probably wondering what possessed me to go on this journey in the first
place. Just like so many of you, I had reached a point in my life where I was
so unhappy I felt like I could not go on another day. Feeling dead, like a robot
repeating its boring daily activities, I could not believe this was my life.
I had many moments of happiness of course, but I could not say that I was happy
inside. Systematically I kept changing my outer circumstances thinking that
would fix things, never realizing what needed to be fixed was me! At the time
I was a practicing Podiatrist of 16 years and director of a surgical residency
program. I had a wonderful home, career, car, and friends. But I did not have
a healthy relationship with a partner, nor did I have a healthy relationship
with myself!
Upon reading don Miguel’s book, The Four Agreements®, I decided to give
the Toltec path a chance. Teotihuacán is where I discovered that nothing
outside of me was ever the problem in my life. What was preventing me from enjoying
my life was my programming and all the limiting beliefs I had about myself and
my world. From that point on I started to dismantle those beliefs and started
living my life according to my heart and my integrity instead of what I had
been taught in the domestication of my life.
As a result, I sold my home, my stuff, and my practice, broke up with my boyfriend,
and traveled west to apprentice with don Miguel. It has been a challenging process
to be sure, but one I would not have traded for anything in the world. Of course,
you do not need to sell your home and travel to do accomplish this; you can
do it wherever you are, no matter what your circumstances may be. And believe
me, if I could change my life, you can too! No written description can substitute
for your own magical experience of this place. I invite each of you to come
and feel the energy of Teotihuacán for yourselves. Come and gain the
tools of awareness needed to make the necessary changes in your life. Create
a dream of love rather than one of fear. Take a chance and transform your life,
discover the light within you and expand your ideas about who you are and what
you can be. Please consider joining us on our next power journey to Teotihuacán.
With All my love & blessings. Sheri Rosenthal
You are welcome to reprint this article with the following information at the
conclusion of the text:
Sheri Rosenthal DPM is a master Toltec teacher and author of The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Toltec Wisdom and Banish Mind Spam!. Having trained with don Miguel
Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements®, she currently takes students on spiritual
journeys (you can see them at www.journeysofthespirit.com
), works with personal apprentices and enjoys being extremely happy. You can
reach her at info@sherirosenthal.com
or www.sherirosenthal.com and www.withforgiveness.com.