It is not natural for humans to reject themselves. It is a learned “skill,” and young children must be forced to learn it in order to fit into the culture of their birth. There is no other species on earth that rejects itself. Trees do not see themselves as superior or inferior to other trees, or to bushes or grass. Squirrels do not compare themselves to other squirrels, or to monkeys, which have better tails for leaping through the treetops. Comparing, compartmentalizing, and judging are all a special gift endowed only to humans.

Humans have perfected the gift of comparing and rejecting, especially in regard to themselves. In Western cultures, almost all commerce is dependent on people's dissatisfaction with who they are and what they have. As noted in an earlier chapter, a majority of advertising is specifically designed to create or stimulate the “not enough” judgment of self that motivates consumption of the solution to the lack. In a culture that has perfected the art of self-rejection, this is very smart advertising.

The Art of Active Self-Acceptance

Toltecs are artists of the spirit, and the highest form of their art is absolute and complete self-acceptance. Liberation from the old dream has been achieved when there is no longer any personal importance standing in the way of total acceptance of the self. Self-rejection was learned, and so self-acceptance must be actively relearned. The warrior applies herself diligently to cherish the truth of her perfection — in spite of the judge and parasite comparing, rating, and rejecting her.

The Toltec warrior knows that the parasite will do everything in its power to sabotage her personal growth. Her constant motivation is liberation from the limiting lies of the judge and parasite in her mind. The warrior is an artist, and she creates her life with her thoughts, words, and actions. As she continues to stalk her mind as the Toltec jaguar, her prey is all of her negative self-rejecting thoughts and judgments. Whenever she finds self-rejecting judgments, she attacks them with all the love and acceptance she can muster. With her love, she transforms self-rejection to self-acceptance, and fear and negativity into love.

Living in Active Self-Acceptance

To totally accept yourself the way you are is an amazing act of power. It means that you, the warrior, have convinced the victim child that she is okay just the way she is — and just the way she is not. The child has relearned that she is worthy of love and acceptance without meeting anybody's expectations, without bargaining, and without getting anything right. She is comfortable and happy just as she is.

Living in complete acceptance of yourself means that you never believe criticism or judgment from others, because you know they are not talking about you; they are simply describing their dream of you. Your mind is quiet, and if the judge happens to arise, nobody in your inner world believes him anymore.

The real magic of self-acceptance is your peace with the rest of creation. When you accept yourself the way you are, that acceptance radiates out of you to include everyone and everything. You accept yourself the way you are, and you accept all of creation exactly as it is. When you accept yourself the way you are, you cannot be a victim of people or events, because you know and accept their perfection. You are free to be in the world with your heart wide open, celebrating life in every precious moment.