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Tonal
Ruiz defines nagual as having a dual meaning according to the Toltec people: the term refers to the light between the stars and also refers to a shaman or “master” of Toltec wisdom. Ruiz describes himself as a nagual descended from the “Eagle Knight lineage.” A nagual, for Ruiz, is a person who recognizes their true nature: as light that shines an abundance of love, just like everything else in the universe, including God, as well as the stars (which are named tonal). Matter, therefore, is just an illusion. Instead, reality is made up of tonal (the light of the stars) and nagual (the light between the stars), and a nagual is also a person who has mastered the art of perceiving the world this way.
Nagual Quotes in The Four Agreements
The The Four Agreements quotes below are all either spoken by Nagual or refer to Nagual. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 6. The Toltec Path to Freedom
Quotes
A Toltec becomes wise, becomes wild, and becomes free again.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Nagual Term Timeline in The Four Agreements
The timeline below shows where the term Nagual appears in The Four Agreements. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Toltec
...of scholars who were centered around Teotihuacan (near Mexico City) thousands of years ago. The naguals (“masters”) of Toltec wisdom held ancient knowledge about a way of life focused on happiness...
(full context)
Introduction: The Smokey Mirror
...being spread throughout the universe. He calls the stars “tonal” and the light between them—including himself—“nagual.” The student concludes that “Everything is God,” and that human perception is “light perceiving light.” ...
(full context)
...life as we know it manifests as varied mixtures of the tonal (starlight) and the nagual (light between the stars). Suddenly, the student feels an overwhelming sensation of peace and wants...
(full context)
