The Powerstone:
by Sadhaka

Nearly 20 years ago when I first received Xayun Waho, there was much debate over the modern map and model to give it. The shamans in the Mexica lineages it came from simply called it ‘power.’ There were no given chakra associations, no descriptions of the various Aspects, no talk of the ‘end result’ of working with this sacred power. Many of us came up with our own descriptions and explanations for what the energy was, how it worked, what the various Aspects felt like, and what they were good for. And some of us created our own unique maps and models to work with the energy in a cultivated and consistent way.

One of the first maps I came up with was a rough correspondence to Western alchemical practice. Although my years of experience with Xayun Waho have drastically changed my conceptions of it, an alchemical model still rings true. I shy away from using preset models and classical terms from Western alchemy – like negredo, rubedo, and so on – because the energy of Xayun Waho is unique in and of itself. However, the idea of a ‘stone of transmutation’ still feels right.

The Nine Aspects of Xayun Waho – or at least the poetic names of them – are either ‘physical’ or ‘spiritual/energetic’ in nature, i.e., Obsidian (earth), Lunar (spiritual/energetic) , Volcanic (earth), etc. In essence, these substances and forces that they represent become what I’ve come to call The Shaman’s Powerstone. You could call it ‘the Philosopher’s Stone’, or perhaps a ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, but I wanted to stay away from such loaded terms.

The term ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ may be misunderstood today, if but for the fact that the word ‘philosopher’ has taken on a different meaning in modern times. This alchemical jewel, the ‘Living Stone’, capable of transmuting material lead into spiritual gold, was not the purview of ‘philosophers’ as we think of them. It was the purview of ‘lovers of knowledge’ or ‘gnosis’, that is, initiates who were seeking transcendence, or what we today would call ‘enlightenment.’

The idea of spiritual or shamanic power is also little understood in today’s murky spiritual waters. People are afraid of power because they hear their elders’ words echoing in their heads, ‘All power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.’ People think that in order to really be spiritual, you have to be powerless. On the other side of that notion are the positive thinkers and manic manifesters who think that thinking a lot about a desire is going to suddenly grant them the power of gods and spiritual adepts, and they’ll be able to manifest boatloads of money, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect life, without doing any actual spiritual work to gain that power.

I call Xayun Waho ‘shamanic’ because of its ‘substantial nature’ – it exists in a space somewhere between substance and subtle energy – and its ability to significantly alter consciousness. Indeed, it is through the consistent alchemy of consciousness that Xayun Waho creates ‘spiritual gold’ within us – our bodies, our heart-minds, and our spirits.

It is also a type of ‘power’ because it absorbs and dissolves anything it touches, using it as fuel for expanded awareness, more physical energy, and balanced emotional states. It acts not just as bridge between normally disparate energies but as an inexhaustible energy source that you can use for ritual, magic, high spiritual pursuits, or to keep yourself from becoming depleted in difficult everyday situations.

The ‘power’ that this living stone offers is not to be feared. It has been cultivated my high spiritual adepts for so long that it seems to have a built-in failsafe in line with Divine Will. You cannot use it to do harm, for selfish personal gain out of alignment with Divine Will, or to become something ‘unnatural’ or ‘unholy.’ You can use it for frivolous pursuits, like entering altered states of consciousness just to ‘get high’ or entertain yourself, but the spiritual power behind it is such that it will eventually bring you around to actual spiritual cultivation.

There is also the notion of ‘too much power too soon’ to address. I have seen a few people over the years immediately jump to Level 2 – able to express all Nine Aspects immediately after receiving the initial transmission – but I believe that’s because of their personal karma and spiritual virtue. I’ve also seen some people struggle to express and feel even one Aspect. The point is that everyone is different, and most of us don’t get to the level of being able to ‘impose our will’, spiritual or otherwise, upon others or the world around us without a great deal of hard work and practice. Xayun Waho starts out as a small alchemical fire within each of us, and with time and effort, it smelts the Powerstone, and we become luminous and free.