The Mastery of Intent
There are many theories about humans' place in creation, and their ability to influence the unfolding of the health, wealth, and destiny of nations, wars, crops, romance, and individuals' lives. It is not surprising that humans have investigated these theories and possibilities throughout history — they have often felt powerless compared to the unknowable vastness of the universe.
Humans have created mythologies about the power and relative benefits of planetary influences, past lives, karma, animal spirits, punishing gods, benevolent gods, heaven and hell, mind control, tea leaves, the afterlife, human sacrifices, black cats, astral travel, card reading, prayer, séances, akashic records, willpower, affirmations, the law of attraction, love potions, amulets, voodoo, luck, rain dances, spilled salt, positive thinking, miracles, and lucky socks.
Every system of beliefs has its structure and form, and people who are attached to any one will be able to gather valid evidence that their system gives them power to understand and/or control the universe around them. Every mythology and belief listed here, and each of the many more like them, is valid and real — or not, depending on how you dream them.
The Quest for Power
Earlier in this book, the mastery of intent was compared to a firefighter who has a firm grasp on the nozzle of the fire hose, and is able to direct the stream of water exactly where she wants it to go. Although this analogy serves on one level, it misses an important aspect of intent on another. Intent is the same as the force that animates creation. To be able to harness and direct that force is the dream of most humans who seek empowerment from various sources and practices.
Teachers of the Toltec tradition share diverse explanations of the source and power of the warrior's intent. A common thread in these teachings is the relationship between intent and the force that creates and animates the universe. The Toltec student often wants to know how she can become a master of intent and use her power to control her world. It is a difficult question for the teacher to answer, because if the student were ready to hear the answer, she would not be asking the question.
Mastering the Power of Love
In the previous chapter you learned about the relationship among love, acceptance, personal power, and the life force that animates creation. Some Toltec teachers are now using “intent” and “love” to describe the same force. To master the power of love is to know yourself as love, as life, and as intent. The Toltec master is the nagual, manifesting the tonal. To live in this understanding is the essence of living a spiritual life — knowing you are the force of life that animates creation, enjoying being your creation.
In some of the older writings about the Toltec tradition, a great emphasis was placed on accumulating power — because crows were really witches, and unseen forces could attack at any time. Modern teachers tend to focus more on self-acceptance and love as a source of personal power, no matter what the danger.
To become a master of love (intent) you only need to accept the perfection of all of creation, including, always, yourself. Since creation is here, and has been here for billions of years, if not forever, and it is here doing what it does in perfect harmonious oneness with itself, it should not be hard to recognize its perfection. As you have learned through reading this book, the only thing that might be keeping you from knowing the perfection around you is your human mind, trained to take the universe apart and categorize the infinite pieces.
The master of love stops her mind's habit and puts the universe back together again in one whole being. Living in that wholeness she is life, and she has total control over her creation. Living in that wholeness, she has acceptance, and no need to control creation for her benefit. Thus, the student finds the answer to her question, and the question disappears.
