Moral Code

The myth of Quetzalcoatl tells a story of a god who took form as a human, like many other myths that you might know. Quetzalcoatl took on human form to teach humanity valuable lessons. Throughout the story, you may initially think, well, why did he have to take on a human form to teach humanity? Why could he not just teach them in his godly form? The answer to these questions are not simple, but we can hypothesize that to truly understand something or someone, you have to become it. See, if Quetzalcoatl remained in god form, these teachings of his would not be lessons to humans but commands. We can see that now, even in this day and time, no matter what religion you decide to believe in, the words of god or the gods are commands to live by, not necessarily thought of as lessons. The beings that come along to teach the words of god or the gods are the teachers who teach us how to live in the truthfulness of our beliefs. They are examples. Even though the commands are given by god or the gods, they will not be followed unless the individual is being physically watched with the notion of punishment upon defiance. We see and live this reality every day, and none of us are innocent to this fact. For a god who wants to help their people, of course they must take on the same form, not only to gain a better understanding but also to be able to be an example for change that people can relate to. How can one ask you to live in a way that they have not lived themselves? This is the essence of Quetzalcoatl’s story. The story begins with Quetzalcoatl living a just and moral life as the priest king of Tollan, under the name of Ce Acatl, until temptation and desire starts to take hold of his heart. His godly brother, Tezcatlipoca, comes as the personification of imbalance to corrupt his moral consciousness by showing him his own reflection and getting him drunk with pulque, causing him to break his vow of chastity. Once Ce Acatl sobered the next day, he realized what he had done and decided to give up his crown and depart from the people. Ce Acatl saw for himself that he was not fit to lead anymore because of his disturbed and broken heart, which was the result of his actions. He set off as a priest, not as a king, leaving his kingdom behind even though his people begged him to stay.  Before Ce Acatl took his departure, he marked the end of human sacrifice in the Toltec empire for a period of time, and the city became the center of learning and philosophical reasoning, giving way for agriculture, trade and craftsmanship to flourish. Peace in Tollan, the golden age, lasted for many years until Tezcatlipoca, the force of chaos, arrived. Ce Acatl headed toward the east to Tlapallan and along the way, stopped in several places to teach ethical conduct to the people. Once Ce Acatl reaches the eastern shore, he sacrifices himself and becomes Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, “Lord of the Dawn” the morning star, Venus. Ce Acatl turns into Venus the morning star because it is the only form that was fitting for him, because once he relinquishes authority, he must transform into a guiding force and Venus is the celestial embodiment of guidance through cycles of loss, withdrawal, and return. Event if a ruler must cease to rule, wisdom must still guide. 

To my understanding, the moral code of Quetzalcoatl’s story is that a broken heart and spirit must be mended before it can guide others because power without inner balance is not strength; it is essentially danger. To be truly great, wisdom must be active in one’s life. Quetzalcoatl knew that he would not be able to gain insight into humanity without becoming human. This is the incarnation step Quetzalcoatl takes in his quest for wisdom, but let me break this down clearly. The concept of Quetzalcoatl becoming Ce Acatl might be a bit complex when the question of why comes into play, but I will explain this to the best of my ability. For a divine being to incarnate as a human is not unfamiliar to most of us, considering the story of Jesus that most of us are familiar with. Quetzalcoatl’s incarnation as Ce Acatl differs slightly, but does show parallels. Quetzalcoatl becomes human because wisdom can not exist only as a principle; wisdom is active, requiring lived experience, and it is not just something based on theoretical knowledge. What is true in the cosmos must be lived on Earth. So, yes, Queztalcoatl’s incarnation into Ce Acatl was planned, not by intention but by obligation, because the gods are processes rather than individuals like us with desires. Quetzalcoatl represented breath, balance, and life order, so when humanity reached the point where these embodiments were required, Quetzalcoatl appeared. He does not essentially become Ce Acatl, Ce Acatl becomes an expression of him. See Ce Acatl means “1 reed” which is a day sign in the sacred calender and certain days bring on certain forces, so a god does not choose a day, the day aligns with the god. Ce Acatl day is associated with renewal, the return of teachers, ethics, priest-hood and Venus cycles. Quetzalcoatl incarnates as Ce Acatl because it was simply meant to be. Quetzalcoatl is still Quetzalcoatl, the cosmic principle, just expressing himself through Ce Acatl, which is human life. He sacrifices the perfection of his divine form to make wisdom real, not just theoretical. And once his job is finished, he returns to the cosmos through sacrifice. These sacrifices are not surrounded by despair; these sacrifices are more like self-offerings with a purpose to restore balance. Power is not wisdom, for wisdom is power.

-Jameek Braggs