Medicine Wheel: The West and the Way of the Luminous Warrior

Cleaning Up Our Rivers

Feb 26, 2024

As I continue my discussion on “cleaning up our rivers” as a metaphor for clearing out and releasing the energetic imprints of painful, traumatic and destructive stories of our past that keep us stuck in victim and blaming patterns and projecting them onto the world around us, we step into the direction of the West. In the Inca tradition, the West is the way of the luminous warrior. The animal associated with the West is the Jaguar.

The Luminous Warrior[1]

The Luminous Warrior has no enemies in this world or the next. He is impeccable in word and deed. He focusses on his light rather than on what hides in the dark. He is as radiant as the sun and can transform his most terrible enemy into his ally by bringing light—consciousness and understanding to the relationship. His power comes not from the sword but from speaking his truth at all costs.

The Luminous Warrior reminds us to focus on our power, wisdom, and beauty. He asks us not to be seduced by what seems wrong with us or with the world. Rather, he asks us to remember that intention follows attention, so focus on your positive traits; feed your light with more light, until you feel truly empowered. Then there will be little need for action, as you resolve all situations from within. The outer then begins to mirror the inner. As above, so below. As within, so without.

Jaguar Medicine[2]

As an archetype Jaguar is a magical, mythical feline connected to the darkness of the night. Her eyes shine in the night. She is “the one who sees in the dark.” She can see the invisible, unveiling what hides in the shadows, including our own shadow. Jaguar is our “tracker” tracking down things that are hidden in us or in a situation.

Jaguar and the way of the West bring us to a point where we face our own death, leaving all fears and worries behind. With this archetype we take a conscious leap from the material world into the spiritual world. Jaguar encourages us to walk with courage, bravery, daring and tenderness all at the same time. She teaches us to step beyond fear, violence and death. Her gifts are fearlessness and fierceness to walk our path.

Jaguar knows how to be present in each moment, knowing when to be still and when to move. She is fully present, fully grounded and sure footed. She has a deep inner knowing and a sense of what her next step should be. She then proceeds with it fearlessly.

As a perceptual state Jaguar is the level of mind and emotional perception. In jaguar we recognize that our mind interprets our reality and that our experiences are influenced by our thoughts. Everything isn’t necessarily as it seems to be in the physical realm. In the perception of Jaguar, we rise above the literal level and see a wider range of possibilities in any situation. For example, if we have a headache, we ask ourselves, “What could be the cause? What is my body trying to tell me?” We ask, “how is my thinking or my belief creating my experience?” In a single insight Jaguar helps us to break free from our negative feelings or an old way of operating and step onto a new path.

The Practices of the West[3]

The practices of the West are (1) The Practice of Fearlessness-Practice peace and non-violence, (2) The Practice of Non-Doing-Immerse yourself in the flow of the universe, (3) The Practice of Certainty-Have an unwavering commitment to the course you’ve chosen, and (4) The Practice of Non-Engagement-Select your battles carefully.

In the Practice of Fearlessness, we actively practice peace and nonviolence. We respond from a place of love and light instead of from a place of anger or fear. We respond from a high level of integrity instead of agreeing with what everyone else is doing and with consensual reality. We respond from a powerful state of ethics, rather than buying into everyone else’s beliefs.

To live fearlessly is to actively practice peace and non-violence, even when it seems like we’re being threatened. This doesn’t mean that we don’t protect ourselves and our loved ones—it means that we don’t respond from a place of anger or violence.

Practicing fearlessness means that we first eliminate the poverty, terrorism and war that rages inside us. We eliminate our addiction to being right and fix our perception of every problem within us before we actually attempt the problem itself.

When we practice fearlessness, we don’t have to create enemies or obsess about “bad guys” in order to feel reassured that we’re always righteous victims. If we see ourselves as victims, we excuse ourselves from further sacrifices. We find creative ways to negotiate with the people we disagree with, and we don’t ignore our common ground because we become stuck in the belief that we’re the good guys.

When we step beyond fear, violence, and death, we can embrace the way of the luminous warriors; we can wage peace.

In the practice of non-doing, we immerse ourselves in the flow of the universe. We stay in the present and rather than pushing to make things happen, we allow things to unfold.

We practice non-doing by immersing ourselves in the flow of the universe, receiving and working with the opportunities it presents to us rather than struggling to get everyone and everything to go along with our plans.

Non-doing means that rather than pushing and battling, we live in the light of love, creativity, and possibility; and we allow things to unfold as we surrender to the intelligence of the universe, trusting in its benevolence and abundance. When we practice non-doing, we don’t put energy into doing things today that will take care of themselves by tomorrow. We don’t micromanage our lives because we know in our very core that we’re in the hands of Spirit.

In the practice of certainty, we have an unwavering commitment to the course we’ve chosen. We close our back doors—those ways that leave us an out and burn our bridges. We don’t create what keeps us from being fully engaged in our present. We let go of beliefs and statements like “If this doesn’t work I can always . . .” We rest in absolute trust, fully stepping into our life.

To practice certainty is to have an unwavering commitment to the course that you’ve chosen. That is, you let go of your worry that you’re making a mistake or that you’re not good enough, rich enough, young enough, smart enough, etc. for an endeavor.

Certainty means that we deliberately choose not to leave ourselves any escape that would allow us to keep one foot in the new track while keeping the other foot out the door. But use wisdom. We want to be courageous, but not foolish.

In the practice of non-engagement, we no longer participate in predatory relationships where we either prey on others for our own benefit, nor do we allow others to prey on us. We recognize and come to terms with our violent shadow. We pay attention to our energy and select our battles carefully. We ask, “is this conflict worth my energy?”

Move from Karma do Dharma

Another aspect of the West is turning our karma into dharma. Karma is the belief that a person’s actions in one life will determine his or her fate in the next. Dharma, on the other hand, is the moral force that orders the universe. It's the power that keeps the world in motion and keeps society ticking. It keeps the trees blooming, the grass growing and the birds singing. It is sometimes seen as “the divine plan” or the “divine plan of our lives.” The more we work towards a transmutation of our Karma (which is what we do in the energy work), the more we manifest our Dharmic purpose in life. When the complete strength of the Soul becomes awakened in the physical form, Karma and Dharma balance and they become the same. It is a movement from unconsciousness to consciousness. Spiritual accountability emerges. Miracles become more common place. We have found our soul’s calling and our medicine, and we live from that place. The inside matches the outside.

One of the practices to change your Karma to Dharma is to clear out of your Luminous Energy Field (LEF) a previous lifetime that holds your karma so you can step fully into Dharma. In this guided journey we will visit a lifetime where you suffered the most and clear it from your field so that you don’t have to continue to repeat patterns of suffering. Rather you can find the soul’s purpose in it all so you can turn that suffering story into one of power and compassion and step more fully into your divine calling. You will need a stone for this journey.

Guided Journey to Release a Karmic Story of Suffering

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[1]Alberto Villoldo, Marcela Lobos, Collette Baron-Reid. Mystical Shamans Oracle Deck.

[2] Alberto Villoldo, Shaman, Healer, Sage

[3] Alberto Villoldo, The Four Insights

The Psychotherapist and the Shaman

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