You forget too easily, don Juan said. The path of knowledge is a forced one. In order to learn we must be spurred. In the path of knowledge we are always fighting something, avoiding something, prepared for something; and that something is always inexplicable, greater, more powerful than us. ~ A Separate Reality

There is no better way to hone awareness than a walk in the desert under the light of the full moon. I did this for years while living in the Sonoran desert but, I’ve also done it in the mountains, the forest, the ocean and just about any area outdoors as far away from light pollution and noise as I could get. Walking outdoors at any time of day, with intent, was my honing ground, my ultimate teacher, and the allies that reside in those places definitely did spur me on. And depending on where you are will determine which allies appear.

Don Juan continues…The world is indeed full of frightening things and we are helpless creatures surrounded by forces that are inexplicable and unbending. Encountering forces that are not part of the rational mind with a cohesive explanation is terrifying! And, exciting as all get out. When you walk through the desert at night it becomes illuminated when there is a moon, even if it is not full. Your eyes adjust to the darkness and you begin to see so well that a flashlight becomes a huge distraction since it only illuminates the path immediately in front of you. Without the light beam your eyes adjust and you can see for many yards.

This provides you with the ability to see with your other senses. It’s a scary place, the desert at night, and one must walk with extreme awareness to ensure that they are not bumping into prickly pear cactus, and worse, chollas! Also, the rattlesnakes like to come out at night and soak up the warmth from the dirt. And you must never discount the fact that a tarantula or scorpion may be right on that rock you want to sit on. Yes, a walk in the desert at night is a fine teacher and will assist you greatly in honing your awareness.

Your ears awaken and you begin to hear the smallest sounds, the snap of a small creosote twig. It’s probably only a rabbit but it sounds so loud when everything is dark and quiet. A coyote in the distance that is getting closer, the hoot of a great-horned owl. Everything amplified so you are seeing with your ears as well as your eyes.

There are allies all over the desert at night and they are so curious as to what the heck you are doing. They are curious beings and like to mess with us. But most of all, they are teachers and incredible ones at that. They come at you as a warm breeze, maybe 110 degrees instead of the night time temperature of 90 during the summer desert nights. You stop when you feel them and you pay attention with your entire being. You strain your ears to hear where they are and begin to walk in a manner that allows you to not only see, hear and feel, you walk in a manner that allows you to perceive. This is the kind of walk that will develop your seeing.

Sometimes the inorganic beings arrive, alone or in groups and they murmur. It’s weird and you know they are talking about you. And then you realize that they are doing what inorganic beings do; they are trying to figure out how get some of your energy. And this is where fear comes in. You want to run, you want to get in your car and drive away as fast as you can. But you really can’t because they’ll chase you. They love the chase! You must exercise your self-control, detachment and courage and hold your ground. When you do, they will go away and your personal power increases. Practice.

Until you have done this for a while it is scary. This is why one must walk with discipline, determination and strategy with a good dose of courage. This is part of the warrior’s practice, walking with intent, honing your awareness, perceiving something new without trying to rationalize it and being completely aware of your surroundings, even if you can’t see them clearly. This practice will increase your personal power, open you to new levels of perception and foster your ability to see.

~ Keep Dancing!

First of all you must use your ears to take some of the burden from your eyes. We have been using our eyes to judge the world since the time we were born. We talk to others and to ourselves mainly about what we see. A warrior is aware of that and listens to the world; he listens to the sounds of the world. ~ Don Juan, A Separate Reality