Dance of the Jaguar: The Path to Transformation

Terry Andrews
Trafford Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9781412097345
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (4/07)

“Dance of the Jaguar” is a story about transformation, of letting go of fear, and becoming a more authentic person.  The heroine, Martha, receives an amulet and a quetzal feather that helps her channel her energy to travel through portals and to fly.  As she learns to release her fears she discovers the true depth of her inner power.  She learns that she doesn’t need to rely on tools to work her magic.  Martha is able to discover who she is, without losing herself.

Martha travels through a portal to attend an Ancient Wisdom School.  She makes friends with a kindred soul named Angela.  In the mundane world, she also finds a romantic interest named Ned.  Ned respects her beliefs and recognizes what a wonderful woman she is.  He is also interested in learning the ancient wisdom. 

I found that I could really relate to Martha.  To access her true power, she had to learn to overcome the same self-doubts and fears that we all carry within us.  We must overcome these obstacles to find true happiness and freedom.  This also frees us from the people who seek to control us by taking away our power.

By synchronicity, the morning that I started reading “Dance of the Jaguar,” I recited a powerful Tibetan prayer to take back my power from individuals with whom I have been having difficulties.  Through Martha’s story, I was able to learn how and why I was giving my power away.  Terry Andrews writes, “If you don’t own your own power, then someone else does.”  To stop giving it away, we need to learn how to respond, rather than to react.

In the story, she writes about people who give up their power so readily, they make it easy for the people who feed off of their energy and use it to control them.  In the story, there was a man who learned to manipulate people into operating off of their irrational fears, so that he could distract them into giving their power away.  The control that people seem to have over us is just an illusion; it is not about authentic power.

I loved “Dance of the Jaguar.”  I know that it is one book that I will be rereading many times through out my life.  The story about Martha’s journey is fascinating, and the messages contained within it are life changing.  I highly recommend “Dance of the Jaguar,” especially to women’s readers groups.

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