Twilight Language of the Nagual- The Spiritual Power of Shamanic Dreaming Author: Merilyn Tunneshende Bear & Company / Inner Traditions 2004 ISBN #159143041-0 Dreamtime is a fascinating subject all on its own - shamanic dreaming takes on mythical, magickal qualities far beyond even lucid dreaming. Twilight Language of the Nagual is the story of Merilyn Tunneshende, and her apprenticeship with the Toltec shaman don Juan Matos, and the sorceress doņa Celestina. Tunneshende starts out talking about her childhood, where it was understood by all that she had that indefinable "it" - the art of seeing and knowing without being told. She experienced a deep connection with an old woman in the basement that she never saw, and never talked to. In her young adult years, she experienced tragedy in the loss of a loved one. At this time - she set out in search of herself. In Yuma, Arizona, on her way down to Mexico, she meets don Juan Matos, and after a series of events becomes apprenticed to him and to doņa Celestina, who will teach her about the feminine warrior - the true strength and path of womankind. Tunneshende experiences many different pilgrimages, to peyote ceremonies, mountain tops, female shamans and Tibetan monks. In each there is a different lesson, all centered around finding the silence within oneself and accessing directly the energy of life. This is a humble story, but an exciting one, and one that contains many lessons. At the end of each chapter, Tunneshende includes a Practice - a detailed map of what the reader is to do if they wish to follow the lesson contained with in that chapter. Practice One teaches how to enter the state of lucid dreaming. Practice Two has the dreamer creating their own literal bridge that will connect them to the next dimension. Practice Three is an interesting outdoor dream quest. Practice Four shows the reader how to offer themselves - to open their hearts in dreamtime. Practice Five is a ritual to connect with mother earth through her own sacred space. Practice Six teaches how to intend a meeting place with others and go there in dreamtime. (I have done this in meditation - and it does work!) Practice Seven teaches the three levels of reciprocity. Practice Eight teaches one to recognize emptiness - to realize that all form is of an illusionary nature. Each Practice brings its own gifts - tangible and intangible. It is interesting to note that the true time of transformation for Tunneshende came about with the death of don Juan and her friend Carlo, and her energetic connection with them. Things that don Juan, doņa Celestina and Carlo told her were coming to pass. Her life was changing, and she had found her path, and her time to give back of the teachings. There are three main aspects to this book: (1) the initiatory experiences that allow the reader to understand the wisdom being presented, (2) the practices listed at the end of each chapter that give the reader experiential tasks that connect to their daily life and work and (3) practical wisdom, and how it is applied. In the words of Tunneshende: "Although one may be pursuing the path of illumination, another being may be in darkness. At times we may be in either, or in both, and one must find the harmony and incorruptible passes in each. This work is a matter of reciprocating the energy properly and of accepting and receiving well what is reciprocated, thus activating what potential is there and putting what should be there into place. The source energy comes directly from the energy of which all things come, released by the appropriate intent. It is accessed through the understanding of what is intended to be there, which is conveyed via energy, by the Twilight Language of Dreaming, and through true energetic Seeing. It is a simple as that. The Twilight Language of Dreaming is the language of the energy itself. Energy conveys all of the necessary information and conveys intent, and the sublime original intent. Thus one does not need other medicine. One simply follows t he language of the energy and all of its instructions and guidance, and one receives the initiations and the results when one is ready to receive and understand. The energy is the source." If you wish to find your spiritual path and commit to it, then this is the book for you. Through following the listed practices, and engaging in nightly lucid dreaming, what you need will come to you. You need not search - it will come to you. This is a book that any level of student, from any background could understand and follow with good results. You need not try and understand your dreams, for your dreams become a channel to connecting you to pure energy sources. You will become all that you can be. Š October 2004 Bonnie Cehovet Personal Lifestyle Reading - I offer a Personal Lifestyle Reading using Tarot that looks at past, present and future influences in your life, at the energies that are currently available to help you along your path, and at those energies that are appearing as challanges. My goal is to offer you insight into your decision making process, as well as tools that you can use to both better understand your path and make conscious, choice centered decisions. Home Personal Empowerment links Personal Empowerment articles View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook Graphics by Art for the web