Testimonial
On the first day of this year I returned from a month’s journey in Guatemala.
Though I did give myself some time out to relax and explore a land new to me, my clear and sole purpose for visiting was to undertake a continuation of shamanic training with a most extraordinary man, the shaman and nagual (don’t ask me what that means I still don’t know!!!) Lujan Matus. I had been to see Lujan for the first time in September 2009, and had then followed this up earlier this year with some on-line tuition. Before I had met him, I knew that I was to encounter an exceptional being. In my experience, Lujan is a true shaman, an impeccable warrior, a man of great power, and a wonderful teacher, but most of all a truly open hearted, infinitely considerate and loving individual.
My first experience with Lujan was the single most life changing event for me up to that point. It was also one of the most difficult, as he helped to separate the real, essential me from the deeply embedded dysfunctional identities within my consciousness, a burden which had dictated how I had related to the world. It was an encounter that confronted me with only one possible course of action, and that was to begin to take responsibility for myself, to begin to grow up and grow into being a man. And I am forever in gratitude to Lujan for his help.
This second encounter was of a very different nature, without the intense, difficult and dramatic upheavals of my previous transformative experience. It was a smoother, gentler passage for me but no less powerful, transformative or uplifting. It was an experience of total immersion in myself, and the teachings, for its duration, a bubble outside of the world and my daily life.
Though each day presented something new, magical and awe inspiring, the keystone of what I take away most brilliantly is the living memory of connecting so deeply through the heart with another being, with Lujan and the others present. It was a deeply moving experience, of being perfectly real and vulnerable, existing only in the moment, from my heart, and connecting with others from this place of heart felt love, where everything is felt joy, pain, compassion, sorrow, everything possible within the human experience.
Lujan evoked in me such deep unconditional love, often in an overwhelming but most joyous and abandoned way, something that I have not felt much of in this life so far. But I take this away with me as an imprint of how I may live, from the heart, and teach myself, through my encounters with life, to live only from this place. This will not make life easier, I learned, for everything will be felt and seen, ever more vividly, but what choice is there now for me, now my heart has glimpsed the possibility of living what it perpetually dreams of?
Lujan teaches varying forms of shamanic oriental movement (a useful analogy would be with Tai Chi), martial arts, meditations and more, and his practice, demonstration and transmission of these techniques is sublime in its mastery. The 3 weeks I spent with Lujan was divided between learning the beautiful, flowing, graceful and meditative movements of the Dragon’s Tear’s and the Lotus/Quetzalcoatl Series and the often physically and emotionally gruelling Earth Energy Tapping set.
It was clear to me that beyond technique the clear intention of the teachings is to support the student towards realising the truth of oneself, by shedding the imposed illusions, so we may live more freely and powerfully as the person we were born to be, and are, yet fear to be. I experienced Lujan as a formless being who was aware of everything that presented itself in every moment, responding accordingly, and always with directness, incisiveness, wisdom and tenderness.
Much of our time was spent sitting talking with Lujan which was always an integral part of the teaching. I cannot emphasis how wonderful these times were to me. I sat always with complete attention and intent to absorb all that nourished me so deeply. My heart was filled with joy as I witnessed the joy and love Lujan would feel and express from his depths as he watched us learn and grow and make personal breakthroughs. And I so enjoyed laughing with Lujan, sometimes for no apparent reason and always at the smallest opportunity.
For anyone seeking to live a life of unbounded truth and empowerment, and who would like to know more, click through to Lujan’s website Parallel Perception. It is a great opportunity to be able to study intensively with such a man, possibly even on a 1-2-1 basis. He is a teacher for life, someone you will wish to return to again and again, over the years.
Through the pure lovingness of his being, Lujan made it possible for me to connect with and feel that lovingness within myself, and I felt that for him, as an unconditional love. This is now a benchmark for me, a personal challenge to greet others and life with the same love and respect I feel for Lujan.
Since my visit, I have felt that we all deeply wish to, indeed, need to love, to be in love, to live in a state of loving being-ness a need greater than our need to be loved. What an impoverished life it must be to live without love for that life. Who cares if anyone loves you or not, when you love the world around you. After all, there is more to life than just the world of humans, and the love for us of the earth and of the heavens is eternal, immutable and unconditional. If only we could turn our attention away from our perpetual desire to be significant in the eyes of, and loved by, other people.
Blessings,
Jag
London, UK