The Initiation

By Joyce Wycoff
November 2001

Quetzalcoatl's Pyramid
blazed with sacred fires.

The student stopped,
staring at the steep rock face of the pyramid.
Seeing only pain and death, he stepped back.
fear gripping him as he wanted to run.

"Trust me," whispered el nagual.
"Surrender to your true self.
Surrender to the power.
Quetzalcoatl is waiting to catch you.
See his face in the sacred flames.
See his hand held out to you.
Leap!"

"The leap of faith," said the teacher,
the morning sun warm on his face,
"looked like certain death."
Sitting on the ancient stone steps
facing the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl,
each student knew that no one,
no human, could leap that awful distance.
Fear began to creep into each heart.

"The naguals asked
their students to trust them,
to make the leap
in order to continue their journey.
You also have a leap of faith.
a leap into the unknown.
But I ask you not to trust me;
rather, trust yourself.
trust your heart.
Your leap is making a commitment
to follow the path of your true self,
to follow your heart as it walks in unconditional love.

"The question is:
Are you ready to make the leap?"

The night was quiet
As the student breathed deeply.
The night wind touched the torches
that lit the way to the edge of the Temple.
El nagual viejo breathed again,
"Trust me."
The student tensed then relaxed.
Without thought, he ran then flew
into the dark abyss.

The reflection of the sacred flames
burst apart as the student
splashed into the deep pool.
Gasping and laughing
he shot up, out of the black water
into his new life, his true self,
his juevo luminoso.

Dedicated to Luis Molinar,
November 5, 2001 © Joyce Wycoff, 2001