A master key is one that opens all doors. What door do we want to open? Man desires to open the door to happiness... and the definition of happiness varies from one person to another. For some, it is feeling intense sensations; for others, it is achieving inner peace, finding the ideal partner, or having power, money, status, possessions... Ideals that take on all the shapes, colors, and possibilities of a kaleidoscope... Attention is the master key that opens these doors! Hello, friends: One of the basic pillars on which Toltec knowledge rests is the specialized management of attention. However, before we can do such a thing, it is necessary to understand how attention functions within the ego's personality, the game we play with attention, which unfortunately is exhausting and leads to a very sad life. The good news is that we are not condemned to this dungeon for life; by understanding this game of attention and subsequently applying strategies to direct attention differently, we will have access to creating a different reality and living a more awakened, healthy, and beautiful life. And then, yes, we can begin to have specialized control over our attention and, finally, make “magic” with it. (Fragment from the book "The Game of Attention" by Marly Kuenerz) THE GAME OF ATTENTION Introduction: To understand the enormous power of attention, one must first accept the enormous power of our mind. Many of us identify exclusively with the body, saying that the mind depends on the state of our brain: if it deteriorates, mental capacity is lost. While this is true, it is only part of the story... We know that a part of our brain, which we neither fully understand nor control, is responsible for the functioning of this incredible machine, so delicate yet so resilient, which is our body. Although our life depends on it, we frequently mistreat it, neglect its most basic needs, disregard the chemistry that occurs daily through nutrition, and hinder its functioning by filling our bodies with alcohol, drugs, tobacco, fats, and all kinds of excesses. We ignore it until one day it gives us a scare: something stops working! Paralyzed and powerless, we become aware that we were playing with fire... At this moment, we depend on a part of our mind that governs our emotional life. In it, all the strong impressions we have had throughout our lives are recorded, which will mark countless tendencies and talents, as well as difficulties and limitations. From this "cocktail" of impressions, mechanical reactions, thoughts, tendencies, and impulses, in addition to genetic information, comes our reaction to the scare our body has given us. If the resulting "cocktail" is in our favor, we will take care of the body, focus our attention on healing it, and begin to give it the care and support it deserves. If, on the contrary, the mix is corrosive, we will continue in the process of deterioration, feeling powerless against the self-destruction that has taken hold. In this case, we will see the body as a separate and enemy entity that betrays and dominates us. The separation between the mind and the body will become more pronounced, and with it, the feeling of impotence. We believe that the body holds all the power... While we cannot deny that the body is governed by a small innate brain center that gives all the physiological and biochemical orders, we also cannot deny the influence that emotional content and thoughts have on this center. In a dangerous situation, there will be a series of organic, measurable, and visible reactions that vary from person to person. The emotional reaction of a man to a lion is not the same as that of its tamer; the latter will not panic, his legs will not tremble, nor will he feel cold sweat... Even though his body is in a state of alert, he does not feel powerless; he knows what he has to do, and moreover, his attention is trained, he knows how to focus on the animal, recognizing its smallest reactions. His mental and emotional attitude will not only determine his physiological reactions but also his actions. It is therefore undeniable that judging oneself as powerless in a given situation or, on the contrary, feeling resourceful, will determine the resulting emotion, which in turn will trigger the corresponding physiological reaction. All our life is like that... according to the information we have about a situation, we judge it, and that judgment will determine the ideas, which will in turn trigger emotions that will influence our body. But it also happens the other way around: if our body hurts and we feel fear and helplessness, we create the idea that we are sick, and this will influence our ability to heal. The circle works in both directions. Our personal computer We can easily understand that a computer program faithfully responds to the commands we give it. However, we find it hard to accept that our mind reacts mechanically to what is recorded in it. If a certain smell elicits feelings of well-being or tension, it is natural that this is due to the fact that the smell is linked to a joyful or distressing experience previously recorded in our mental computer. And how are these recordings made? Always through our senses. Just as a smell can evoke one feeling or another, it will not provoke any response if there is no previous recording associated with that smell. Thus, a gesture, a tone of voice, or a noise, the taste of certain food, or the bodily contact with some type of roughness or softness may have been recorded. Similarly, a bodily sensation, painful or pleasant, muscle tension, hunger, or other bodily sensations, may have been associated with specific situations. All of this will evoke moods and even physiological reactions that may seem inexplicable if we are not aware of what was previously recorded. When our senses capture something that corresponds to a previous recording, it triggers a backward movement in time, and the same sensations from the past are relived. This often leads to behavior that is completely inappropriate to the reality of the moment, to incomprehensible and childish attitudes. Thus, our reactions, ways of thinking, and judgments are intimately related to these recordings that have occurred throughout our history and provoke mechanical reactions that we do not always understand because the emotion may not be accessible. What's more: many powerful recordings act and determine countless actions and judgments without us feeling anything! These are the hardest to access and the ones that provoke skepticism... Emotion is the bridge to the past; if we do not feel, we cannot reach the root, and it seems to us that our reactions and sensations are inexplicable, as if they came out of nowhere... However, these recordings are precisely the ones that most influence our life! In the same way, words are also recorded, and they come to condition our lives disproportionately and astonishingly. As the logic of adulthood has covered the emotion of past experience with a thick veil, it is sometimes difficult to believe that a word can have such weight, such influence on our feelings and decisions. An order recorded literally will influence the entire set of ideas... The mere fact of discovering it and keeping it present through attention will alter ancient and forgotten recordings! All these recordings continuously color our perception, and perception will determine how we judge a situation... Imagine, for a moment, that instead of eyes, we had microscopes, our concept of the world would be completely different! If we could choose between three visual positions: "normal," the microscope, or a telescope, we would have information about three realities that seem completely different to us and yet coexist peacefully every day... Our mind would have to become flexible, processing three different angles of the same reality at the same time. We would realize that the world we see is only a tiny part of reality...! And what is even more important: we would not be able to forget it! Because perception would be constantly reminding us of it. As things are, we know it but forget it, because our conception of the world is chained to the characteristics and limitations of our sensory apparatus... but this does not change what the world really is. The fact that we forget everything we cannot see and hear does not make it cease to exist. This forgetfulness leads us to judge everything with the same smallness and limitation of our sensory organs. And we end up judging our mind from this same limitation, forgetting that it is capable of seeing everything from all angles, of perceiving everything, of abstracting from the sensory, of connecting with all realities. The capacity of our mind is something so prodigious that instead of doubting it, we could spend time learning to use it much better, making our life richer and more harmonious. Beyond Memory and Forgetting To illustrate the enormous power of the mind and the fascinating way in which the body stores all the experiences it is exposed to, I will mention two very clarifying facts. A short time ago, the first book written by an autistic person was published in Germany. A boy who had never been able to speak a single word was able, through an ingenious computer program, to describe his haunting inner world. From the first faulty sentences, he gradually moved on to describing complete moods and experiences, recounting an astonishing amount of information. It was known that this boy had spent entire days of his childhood leafing through the books in his parents’ library. What was not known is that he was endowed with an immeasurable photographic memory, capable of retaining every single page he had flipped through for countless hours... A ll this knowledge, covering the most diverse topics from the Bible to books on biology, history, and psychology, remained stored in his mind, constituting the foundation on which he was able, years later, to describe his tortured and fascinating inner world. Equally astonishing is our body's memory. Years ago, during a breathing session, an unmistakable and strong smell of chloroform was noticed in the room. It came from one of the participants in the group, who was breathing along with the others. We later learned that this 36-year-old man’s mother inhaled a very high dose of chloroform during his birth. He told us that, even recently, his mother’s body still reacted to the slightest smell of chloroform, suffering from bouts of vomiting and nausea. In that breathing session, through one of these wonderful and mysterious mechanisms that our body has, the chloroform impregnated in the cells of that man for no less than 36 years, came to the surface and was released! Another interesting case occurred when a person, during a breathing session in the bathtub, began to let out an uncontrollable speech, expressing explosive resentment that had been repressed for years. Their body began to release dark residues, so much so that, within minutes, the water line was marked with a thick, black border of impurities! If we pay attention, we don't have to stray from our day-to-day lives to discover examples that undoubtedly demonstrate the unknown capacities of our astonishing mental potential. In a psychological experiment, one hundred women were invited to sit in an empty cinema. Half of them were "happy" women, with stable personalities and fulfilling romantic lives, as well as professional success and good financial standing. The other half consisted of women with unstable personalities, with conflicted romantic and social lives and no professional success. The seats each woman had chosen were noted. Then, one hundred men were invited to sit in the same empty cinema, and the seats they chose were also recorded. The result was conclusive and surprising: almost all the seats occupied by the "happy" women were chosen by the men, while the seats of the "unhappy" women remained empty! Behind what appeared to be a coincidence was the perception of something beyond reason... When your attention is scattered in daily life, you carry out a series of involuntary, seemingly "casual" acts that are trying to tell you something. You forget something, so you have to go back to a specific place; you hit yourself when thinking about something dense and unpleasant; coffee spills over an important text... These are mechanical actions that, if you analyze them, you will discover are pointing to a purpose! As if your car were driving itself. And this is where attention comes in! Because you can let yourself be carried by this car forever, without even realizing what is happening, in which case the program will repeat itself without much variation. Or you can start to pay attention. Understanding what your unconscious recordings are aiming for is the first step. Then, you can add information to the program, modify recordings, and steer your life toward new paths, more harmonious and aligned with your choices. In reality, we have an advantage because the program doesn't think, but you do! By focusing your attention on this parallel world, you discover a script whose content unfolds alongside you, like a double life that is both foreign and close, perfectly coherent... You begin to connect with a hidden and powerful part of yourself, unknown and familiar, strange and familiar, hopeful and mysterious. After this discovery, your life will never be the same. By learning to direct your attention, you can intervene and modify the script of your life. The Teachings of Yogis and Some Indigenous Groups The ancient yogis or certain indigenous groups already knew this; they trained their attention as if their lives depended on it. Millennia ago, they already knew that it was and is the key to self-mastery. They devoted the same effort and perseverance to it that in the West is often applied to social and material success. They have always known that, if they master attention, they can influence the entire functioning of the body, mind, and emotions; they can expose their bodies to cold and heat, undergo surgeries without feeling pain, and they can also choose their emotions and direct their thoughts where they see fit. They are the masters of their computer, and therefore, of their lives and their bodies. In the West, we understand the importance of attention for studying and work, but not for mastering our inner life. This is what the yogis have been teaching us since time immemorial. Attention is the key... with it, we can stop suffering, physically or morally; with it, we can choose happiness. They also know that, as long as we are not masters of our attention, we are nothing more than corks floating in the sea of emotions... In the West, we are still debating whether it is the mind that influences the body's health or whether it is the body that influences mental health. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Many doctors treat the body as if it were completely independent of the mind... They don't believe that a person with a properly trained mind is capable of seeing, in another person's energy field, diseases long before they can be physically detected. They simply deny what is still unknown and uncontrolled. It is not given attention. But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It just means that the enormous power of the mind is once again wasted. These ancient sages left us another very important legacy: with our mental power and mastery of our attention, we can do much, very much, but we can't do everything! There is a part that escapes our control, that we have no choice but to accept, to acknowledge from a broader perspective. Why are we given this specific destiny and not another? Why was I given this country, this family, this body, this eye color? Why did I have to experience these "injustices"? Why me? In the acceptance of the imponderable, in the acceptance of our destiny and the concrete and particular experiences we have had to endure, lies the key to happiness. WHAT IS THE GAME OF ATTENTION? Attention is nourishment. In countless scenarios, countless characters move. In this frenetic anthill, some play the role of bosses, others of subordinates; some are good, others bad; some rich, others poor; there's the patriarch, the beggar, the benefactor, and the thief; the heartthrob, the seducer, and the seduced; the rejected and the arrogant; the victim and the executioner... an endless array of roles that mix and cross paths, innumerable scripts that meet and part, countless stories that merge, materializing new characters and new combinations that blend together, creating a tangle whose sole writer is life itself. Each of us is assigned certain roles, some of which we like more than others. After playing these roles for so long, we come to believe in the character, we identify with it, and whether it's a Greek tragedy or an American musical, we laugh, cry, despair, suffer, rejoice... How did we get entangled in this incredible game of existence? From childhood to old age, human beings crave attention: they want to be seen, cared for, shown affection, respect, love... to be considered, to be acknowledged. They can't manage alone, so humans are always seeking attention outside themselves. First, from their parents, then from siblings, later from peers and friends, from a partner, from children. It's an endless search, always focused on others, feeling good when they get the attention they desire, and anguished when they fail. Like a vampire, they get their nourishment from others. To achieve this, they use all the means at their disposal. If they don't manage to get noticed, they begin to try all kinds of behaviors, attitudes, and ways of being... they use every "game" they know to achieve their goal. They are capable of trying their hardest to please, and if they fail, they will seek attention at any cost by becoming the problem child, the incapable one, the fool, the depressed one, the aggressive one, even making themselves sick... Anything goes, because their sense of being alive, of being recognized, of being loved, depends on it. So our child tries different things until they find the "game" that works! At this moment, something unexpected happens: from now on, they are no longer at the mercy of circumstances; now they have resources! They will never again have to endure the powerlessness of being unseen and unacknowledged. From now on, they have a fundamental weapon in their hands: they know how to take control of the situation, they manage to be the center of attention, even if it's by receiving scoldings or reprimands. They can drive their parents crazy whenever they feel like it! They can even punish them if they don't give them the love and respect they need. They now have power in their hands. Naturally, they won't give this up easily. Even at their own expense, they learned the lesson well. It can also be a "game" that is socially accepted and applauded: being the top student, the funny one, the smart one, the responsible one, the loyal one, the pretty one, the seductive one, the sweet one. They will get the attention they need; they know what to do to be noticed, praised... but at the cost of their spontaneity, at the cost of themselves, because now this attitude has trapped them, has imprisoned them. The plan backfires. Logically, the child clings with all their might to this attitude, to this behavior or way of being that makes them powerful. This "game" becomes fixed. It becomes a core part of their personality, everything else is built around what succeeded in achieving the ultimate goal of being seen and heard. And this "game" becomes increasingly habitual, it just happens on its own, viscerally, like a broken record. There is also another important consequence. Naturally, all the child's attention is directed outward, observing their parents, on whom they depend for everything they need, even for survival. This instills the habit of constantly placing attention on others. As long as this continues, nothing can change or transform. The way back consists of doing the opposite: little by little, step by step, day by day, turning attention inward, just as it was at the beginning. The newborn knows only themselves. Time goes by, and what began as a way of getting noticed gradually turns into a compulsive way of being. So much energy was put into that behavior that now it seems to have a life of its own! That attitude begins to dominate the adolescent and then the adult, in such a powerful way that they no longer have control over the situation! They want to behave differently and can't; they are at the mercy of the "game" that made them powerful. They realize they no longer control the situation. But the sense of power endures, and more so: it seems to them that if they abandon that way of being, they will once again be powerless, vulnerable, at the mercy of others! So they continue to cling to their "game" as if their life depended on it, completely forgetting that the situation has changed, that they are no longer a child without resources, that time has passed, and as an adult, they have a range of possibilities they didn't have before... At this moment, the person identifies with the role: "I am aggressive..." Read: depressed, dependent, rebellious, a victim, sick, crazy, incapable, distracted, a winner, a loser... whatever the character may be. It doesn't matter whether it's a problematic or admired character. The compulsive extrovert... the one who always has to be friendly, lively, and cheerful. It's what's expected of them. The mask has already fused with the skin, the smile is now obligatory, it has lost its freshness and beauty. Now, identified with their game, our friend is putting all their mental energy into this belief! Everything they think about life and things will be tinged with this judgment about themselves. And by believing it, they will crystallize it more and more, constantly creating situations that convince them that truly... "I am like this." At some point in their life, they find themselves identified with a repertoire of characters they use to move through and relate to the world. Each character has a function and provides or has provided a benefit, although perhaps the initial purpose is already forgotten. It's like repeating the performance over and over again... they don't even remember why they are always so responsible, so irritable, or so marginalized... They no longer remember that it was a mask they used once to achieve an end... perhaps they didn't even realize it. One day, they feel something strange in their chest, like a void, a painful memory of something missing, a distressing and endless emptiness, the feeling of nothingness. A question lingers in the air, like a desperate cry: "Who am I?" And our friend doesn't understand what happened to them...! This is the Game of Attention. A mechanism through which we identify with what we are not. We identify with a role, a mask, a specific character, and forget what we really are. What we have felt and been before judgments separated us from our instincts, from our impulses, and from our capacity to love. Before seeing our image in the mirror and hearing a voice say: "Look at the little one..." At that moment, the child doesn't understand anything: who am I, the one I feel inside me, vibrating, pulsing, or this image I see in the mirror? The division, the doubt, the confusion between inside and outside have already begun. The image starts to become more important than the Being that vibrates within us. The image already has a life of its own, it dominates us, and we sacrifice our most cherished ideals to it. We identify the image with power, put it on a pedestal because we believe it protects us, and without it, we are lost. We start living for the image and not for our Being, our feelings, and our source of love. It seems that if we let go of the image, the world will collapse, and we will be left like a little bird just out of the egg in the midst of a battle. We have sold our soul in exchange for a misunderstood power... 1.- What am I playing at? Now it's important to pause for a moment and try to discover what is my Game of Attention? It's not always easy to identify your own game... It's something that is done so automatically, unconsciously, that it often escapes us. How do you get others to notice you? What do you believe makes you special and different? What attitude do you have that seems natural and unchangeable to you? Look at the list mentioned below and try to discover how you manage to get the attention of others: • By being a victim, lamenting and complaining about all the injustices you have had to endure, all the illnesses, abandonments, efforts, ingratitude, irrationalities, and the wickedness of others, carrying the melancholy and sharp pain of being mistreated? • Or by being the one who always has the solutions, knows the way out, knows what everyone should do, how to solve everything, knows the answers to all doubts? • Or perhaps you are the funny one, the one who entertains, distracts, tells jokes, cheers everyone up, distributing energy and good humor in all directions? • Or are you the one who always finds the weak point, the flaw, the incomplete and inadequate part of everything, always in search of an unattainable perfection? • Or are you the one who is always looking for a fight, friction, struggle, confrontation, indignant with the world and life, demanding and overwhelming others despite yourself? • Or are you the incompetent one, the fool, the one who can't get things done or achieve results, the one who is not smart enough, informed, HOW TO OPEN THE DOOR The Travel Companion. If you're locked inside the cubicle of what you believe you are, a prisoner of your own image, with your true Self wanting to expand, explode, and reach freedom... how can you get out of there? The time has come to use the key—attention—to insert it into the lock and retrace your steps, to unlock the door. You've been traveling with a stranger: yourself. It's time to get to know this stranger, to observe them, notice their movements, desires, resources, sudden impulses, needs, ideals, illusions, and even their darker tendencies. Like a lion tamer, you must predict, understand the meaning behind their smallest movements, notice when their eyes light up, what projects ignite their vital energy, and what things make them shrink and grow sad. Just as the tamer doesn't blame the lion for its instincts, you can't judge your travel companion or blame them for their hidden darkness, as you know it's simply a result of their history. To understand them, you will need to accompany them through their experiences, know their childhood, the house where they grew up, the parents they had, greet their family, understand what was truly important to them. You'll also need to know how adolescence was for your friend, how they approached the opposite sex, how they entered the arena of life, what challenges they faced, and what lessons they learned. You'll need to know what they demand of themselves, what they long for and desire, what they reject and despise. It's a long journey, but you have time... it's a journey that lasts a lifetime, so don't rush. Surely, you will grow fond of them, understand them, forgive them, love them, and you'll end up as the closest of friends. But for this to happen, you will need a lot of patience, to untangle many knots and misunderstandings, to convince your friend of their power as an adult, of their immense capacity as a human being, of their beauty, purity, and innocence. You'll need to accompany them to their darkest corners, accept their wildest and most morbid instincts without a single gesture of reproach, accept their sadism and masochism with a heart full of gratitude for trusting you enough to show you their miseries. You'll need to gain their trust little by little, day by day, even if sometimes you can't prevent yourself from suffering or enjoying with them; but always by their side, supporting them and open to everything, to descend into the sewers and meet the rats, to climb the mountains and meet the angels. Beyond judgment, beyond good and evil. Beyond the game of power where the image, the character, evil, and goodness were fixed. Live with them the moments when they thought they were going to die and also those in which they blame themselves for all the world's evils. Also live their great hopes, know the ultimate goal of their life, which may not even be the true one... Together, you can discover that beyond the script of the grand theater of life, there is another dimension, where things are different, where there is a great search for balance. A search that doesn't judge what is good or bad, but rather, like a system of communicating vessels, the water goes where the force of gravity takes it, regardless of whether it floods a region or leaves the land dry, crying out for mercy. In this realm, you will be able to understand many things and accept even more. And by understanding, you can stop fighting against the imponderable, the inevitable, against the Whole. You will see that what you judge as something terrible is actually leading the water in the communicating vessels to its rightful place. This other dimension doesn't know about your small and petty sufferings; it only knows about balance… You are invited on this journey; to travel through your entire history, to find the deep engravings that keep you imprisoned by your own beliefs and judgments. To use the key to open the doors and walk the path toward yourself, inward. Although at first, learned habits may lead you back to the old, to the crystallized, little by little, you can learn to focus attention on your silent travel companion: yourself. And the doors will begin to open, new horizons will appear, new solutions never before imagined, new ways to live life, like a great hologram that changes its appearance if you change your position. Work Proposal: This work is based on a therapeutic course, which takes place over seven full days and is titled "The Game of Attention." It is divided into four modules, four phases that deal with different aspects of the human being within their natural evolution. Each one has a defined purpose and shows different psychological mechanisms and aspects of life. It is an incursion into the world of energy and the psyche that you can follow, step by step, through these pages. As if it were about building a house, we start with the foundation, the childhood. In this first phase, we will understand why we are the way we are, what the substrate of our emotional world and our system of ideas is. What to do with the psychic recordings that make us react in a childish and compulsive way, preventing us from having the behavior we want. The goal is to start managing alternatives. It is impossible to understand yourself without first making a deep incursion into the moment of life when the nervous system is forming and recording everything that is intense and vital, without considering whether it is positive or negative. Then, we begin to build the walls, install the windows and doors of the house, going through adolescence, relationships, sexuality, and work. Here, we see the consequences of all the previous, in the relationship with others and with life. We delve deeply into the eternal conflict between the sexes since the quality and function of feminine and masculine energy are, in general, misunderstood and misused. We try to see why we build only to destroy later, pushing away the happiness we so long for. Finally, in the third phase, we place the roof of the house, to protect ourselves from the excess of light, water, wind, heat, and cold that is available in the outside world. Now, we will get to know the guilt that prevents us from feeling pleasure and separates us from the Whole, as well as its only escape. We dive fully into the worlds that surround us, both the material and the subtle world, which is always present. We see the concept of God and the Devil, good and evil, within the realm of intelligent energy that creates the Great Web that envelops us all. All of this is to finally be able to enter and leave the house. To be able to participate in the grand theater of existence, enjoying its enormous richness, variety, and magic; and also to be able to retreat into the house, into yourself when necessary. To be able to be within yourself and outside, without losing yourself in either... Learning to enjoy the Great Script and also the personal script that each of us has been given. As we progress, you will have the opportunity to apply the theory to your personal case. Accompanying almost all the topics, you will find exercises with which you can walk on your own two feet and at the pace you choose, on this path that leads you to yourself. The sections are marked, in italics, as Exercise 1, so that you can easily locate them; or skip them if you are only interested in the theoretical part. However, I cannot help but encourage you to do them. Many things can happen, almost without you noticing, that make you wake up in the morning delighted to be alive. It's clear that a text cannot produce the intensity of an experience... Feeling a drop of water sliding on your skin, the smell of wet earth, the emotion of a desired touch... However, you can start the path, start to open the door, even if it's just a crack through which to peek and encourage yourself to open it a little more. To fully enter life, which only unfolds in all its splendor when you accept all its children, both its magic and its miseries. If this is achieved, this text will have fulfilled its purpose. 2. Introductory Exercises Since attention is something so extremely important, you can, if you wish, begin to explore its possibilities and train it. These are simple exercises that you can easily fit into your daily life. Their ultimate goal is for you to be able to make this journey back to yourself, to place your attention inward, on your feelings, your physical sensations, your mechanical and repetitive thoughts, and also on the inner voice that speaks when you give it space and listen. To do this, your attention will have to be inward, concentrated, as this voice usually doesn't shout. It usually sounds like a murmur, soft and delicate. Like a running stream. Exercise 1: Measuring Concentration This is a classic exercise that can serve as a foundation for your practice. It will not only help you improve your concentration but also allow you to measure your progress in a quantifiable way. 1. Preparation: • Sit comfortably in front of a clock with a second hand. • Try to relax your body using whatever technique you are accustomed to. 1. Relaxation Technique: • If you’re not in the habit of relaxing, follow these instructions: Close your eyes and begin by focusing on your breathing, letting it flow through your body like a fresh breeze that clears away dust and opens doors and windows. Breathe more slowly and become increasingly aware of the sensations in your body. • Then, start relaxing your head (scalp, forehead, eyes, eyelids, cheeks, mouth, jaw, tongue, ears). • Release tension in your neck (imagine the nerves there becoming loose, soft, and relaxed), then your shoulders. • Continue to relax your chest, moving down along your spine, imagining all the nerves and nerve ganglia becoming calm, flaccid, and peaceful. • Relax your chest, stomach, lower abdomen, buttocks, and sexual organs. • Keep breathing slowly, feeling the fresh breeze opening and relaxing everything. • Finally, relax your thighs, knees, legs, ankles, and feet. 1. Concentration Exercise: • Once your entire body feels relaxed and loose, focus your attention on the clock's second hand. Follow its movement around the clock face, keeping your mind blank. If thoughts arise, bring them inward, allowing them to dissolve within you. • Observe how long you can stay focused on the second hand without being distracted by your thoughts. This gives you a measurable gauge of your concentration capacity. You can do this exercise daily to track your progress.

"There are many paths to death; it is our actions that define the path and type of death that awaits us. What has weighed more in your life? What have you done the most? That is how you will die. Dare to live a life that leads you to a beautiful death. Every day that passes, you have an opportunity, but also one less day: there is no time to lose. The way you treat life, that is, yourself, is the way death will treat you." - Mario Gómez Mayorga

"Yes, tremendous to be existentially alone before life... yet, what a blessing to have consciousness as a lighthouse. At the high seas of existence, at night with a sky full of stars above, and in front, the straight line to your lighthouse, your Soul... a unique jewel, a gift for you, just because of the bliss of love. Trust and surrender." - Mario Gomez Mayorga

Mazatec Testimonial After a chance meeting with Mario and a brief conversation about the workshop in the Mazatec Sierra I was committed to the level of trust and surrender required to truly experience the power of the work, not only of the mushrooms from this sacred place, but also the observations, words of wisdom, insight, and experience of Mario himself. Although the retreat largely focuses on the Mazatec’s traditional use of the psychedelic mushrooms that are scattered along the landscape and sweat lodge or temezcal ceremonies, mine began with a bang. Inhaling a dose of Bufo (5Meo-DMT), propelled me on my guided tour to the centre of the universe, a peak into the otherside, where the realisation that we are everything and nothing, where reality is morphed into a flash of transcendent shimmering white beauty, a place where peace remains for eternity. Over the following 6 days there were 3 mushrooms ceremonies and 2 temezcal sweat lodges. The insights and learnings about myself, reality and how to live a good life that I gained in this short time will shape the rest of my life, I am sure of it. A truly magical learning experience. To be invited into the homes of the indigenous family, eat their food, sleep in their home and participate in sacred mushroom ceremonies, with their mushrooms and under their guidance is a privilege I find hard to believe actually happened. The work being done by Mario, the host Mazatec family, the mountain and the mushrooms during this retreat is life changing. It is impossible to put into words the value this experience will have on my life. I foresee myself thinking about this experience when I’m laying on my death bed looking through the chamber of memories, if I do not implement the lessons I learned on this mountain for the rest of my life I will die disappointed in myself. Forever Grateful Joshua Turnbull July 2022 Retreat Webpage: https://www.concienciaindigena.org/mazatec-sierra

Hello friends! Brotherly greetings! We just arrived home after the journey to the Mazatec Sierra So as promised, here is the update. We had not gone to the Sierra since last year when we visited Julia, to our farewell. Since then, the entire grieving process and the closeness we kept with the family was by phone or text. Doña Julia was the head of the family almost in every possible way. Many times Mazatecs operate in a matriarch frame, this was the case of this family since Julia's husband died decades ago. Julia's loss is big and left a huge empty space, and still, family members don't know exactly how to fill it. Julia passed only last December. Obviously, they are still grieving. Yet they are standing up, they are active, challenged, and still a bit confused, they keep alive their good mood and good humor despite the sadness they live. They all say: "We are learning to live again" The majority are young people, some teens, children, and recently arrived babies. The biggest son of Julia, Fausto, and his wife just received a baby two weeks ago. A girl, Fausto is considering to name her "Julia" To honor his mother. The Ceremonies It was very interesting to see how all related to the sacred plants and ceremonies are such an important aspect of their culture that it is not affected by whatever is going on in everyday life, not even grieving... All their work and attention around sacred plants, ceremonies, and healing is profound, special, and important, you can feel their actions with their minds in silence... Sacred plants, a magical place outside of the everyday world. The ceremony went smoothly, the participants had a very good and transcendental experience and found things they were looking for. We have planed a near visit Basically, because we know they are now struggling, and need support, the pandemic did arrive at the sierra, basically, every business closed, many went broke, and almost everyone is jobless now, but still needing resources to live. Such is what we now saw. Our visit to their home provides them with work to earn very needed resources for the house, family, and animals. The days we visit them every family member has a job and they all team up smoothly, they do it very well. It's an honor to be received at home and be taken care of with such care. In the Mazatec Sierra 35 years ago Hermelinda (The mother of Julieta) taught me that "One hand washes the other hand" because one hand alone cannot fully wash. Meaning they give us something we don't have, and we give them something they don't have. ...two hands help each other, both benefit, both win, both clean both bettered... Would you come with us next August? The Mazatec Sierra has since ever been a territory of magic, healing, lucidity, and consciousness thanks to its extraordinary people and their profound Sacred Plants. A place to transcend, grow, find, detach, forgive, clean, find... This time your visit would have an additional layer of beauty, providing the family with work and resources to have it easier at this moment. Details here: https://www.concienciaindigena.org/mazatec-sierra You can't come but still, wish to support? Your donations are welcome. (They will be given hand to hand) <3 DONATE: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=nBFL8bx8y8Eq-xuPmI487kXJukbomKBjqTvrYRDGd1LnOVebBcm7semWDxwJ-w3Oodkp-O9G4c0oPGJH Thank you! www.concienciaindigena.org

This is a space where we can share ideas, questions comments insights and general brainstorming . Link to the Blog Post: 2020 What if... https://www.concienciaindigena.org/single-post/2020/09/12/2020-What-if