From the Publisher

"One of the most important aspects of shamanism is that within every one of us is the light, the divinity, or as my ancestors would say, the nagual. Each one of us has our own truth inside ourselves."

- don Jose Ruiz

The Toltec Wisdom of don Jose Ruiz

The Wisdom of the Shamans: What the Ancient Masters Can Teach Us About Love and Life

For generation after generation, Toltec shamans have passed down their wisdom through teaching stories. The purpose of these stories is to implant a seed of knowledge in the mind of the listener, where it can ultimately sprout and blossom into a new and better way of life. In The Wisdom of the Shamans, Toltec shaman and master storyteller don Jose Ruiz shares some of the most popular stories from his family’s oral tradition, and offers corresponding lessons that illustrate the larger ideas within each story. Ruiz begins by explaining that contrary to the stereotypical image of “witchdoctor,” the ancient shamans were men and women who fulfilled several roles within their communities: philosopher, spiritual guide, medical doctor, psychologist, and friend. The shamans taught that the truth you seek is inside of you. Let these stories, lessons, and tools be your guide to finding the innate wisdom that lives within.

The Medicine Bag: Shamanic Rituals and Ceremonies for Personal Transformation

One of the main tenets of shamanism is a belief in the power of ceremony to manifest change in the physical world. Virtually all shamanic traditions use a variety of ritual practices as tools for personal transformation, healing, and celebration. Now, in this exciting and practical book, Toltec shaman and New York Times best-selling author don Jose Ruiz introduces and explains a wealth of these shamanic rituals and ceremonies, and provides a detailed and accessible guide to performing them on your own.

Like the medicine bag itself, this book is a potent tool kit of spiritual practices meant to open you to a world of beauty, exploration, and transformation. By offering step-by-step instructions in each chapter, don Jose Ruiz has made these rituals and ceremonies accessible to everyone who feels called to travel the shamanic path.

Shamanic Power Animals: Embracing the Teachings of Our Non-Human Friends

In Shamanic Power Animals: Embracing the Teachings of Our Non-Human Friends, Toltec shaman don José Ruiz takes a deep dive into this rich and vital store of animal wisdom and demonstrates how we can incorporate its lessons into our daily lives. In the first section of this book, Ruiz explains how power animals represent a path to our own personal power and provides a foundational understanding of the animal world based on the symbol of the medicine wheel and its association with the elements of earth, air, fire, and water. The second section contains a power animal compendium covering over 200 animals. Each entry includes exercises, prayers, and chants for use in communicating and collaborating with these powerful allies on your own personal journey toward awareness and healing. The result is both a reference guide to the wisdom of the animal world and a road map for activating this wisdom within yourself.

"If the Toltec tradition is the way of the artist, then we can say that the shamanic path is really an invitation to you, the artist, to create your own masterpiece, to use everything in your life as a brush to paint your own picture of personal freedom."