Ricardo I. Flores AKA Koyote the Blind (Tequihua, Xicoco, New Aeon, Aka Dua)

[Concerned Friend]

Does anyone know anything about Ricardo I. Flores, AKA Koyote the Blind?  He is based in Southern California (Riverside/Rialto area) and claims to be a Toltec Nahual/Shaman and a "Thelemic magician".  I have learned that an elderly relative has been giving him hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars, and needless to say, I am extremely concerned.

It seems that Flores has variously been affiliated with: Tequihua Foundation, Xicoco Shamanic Arts, New Aeon Awakening, Aka Dua.



His website:
http://www.koyotetheblind.com

His Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Telling-by-Koyote-the-Blind/179235052471

Some more info I've researched on Flores, his teachings, claims, and affiliations:

From http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-koyote-the-blind-on-the-telling-part-one:

The Telling is the ancient art of Toltec Storytelling, as told by Koyote the Blind, a Toltec Nagual and the founder of the Tequihua Foundation in downtown Riverside, California. The Tequihua Foundation seeks to serve the community by making available the rare arts and teachings of the Toltecs. The Telling, when given by a master storyteller, is a magical art and an invocation[...]

From http://california.tribe.net/event/Healing-Talk-on-Aka-Dua-Innermost-Light-by-Toltec-Shaman-Koyote-Nagual/california-us/b021dbf8-41b5-420c-bf55-19c5acaec30a

Koyote has recently opened the doors to reveal some secret knowledge that has been previously unavailable to the masses for the last five hundred years. This door is closing soon.
Come meet and hear Toltec Survivor Koyote the Blind, a Man of Knowledge, in this up-coming free talk at The One Center in Orange, California.
Koyote's powers have been experienced by many. Come be exposed to the Cleansing Radiations, hear the voice of the ancients, listen to the words of old.
There is a message, a sacred Work. Koyote is a holder of this esoteric knowledge. His message is not unique, and he is not the first one to speak it, but he is genuine.
In previous talks, Koyote talked about the uses of Aka Dua in relation to the Dreaming, energy and Dreaming magic, working with the archetypes and “the forces that underlie our reality to create change in bounds and leaps.”

From http://www.blogtalkradio.com/talkingfeather/2009/10/07/the-power-of-ancient-traditions--aka-dua-energy:

Koyote The Blind is a carrier of an ancient Toltec tradition known as Aka Dua. Aka Dua is an ancient Solar energy refined and purified by the spiritual descendents of the Toltec King Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl. Its legendary roots may be traced to Atlantis. Aka Dua is used today for many practical purposes, including healing. Listen to Koyote The Blind as he delves into Aka Dua's fascinating history and explains the mastery levels and frequency signatures of Aka Dua energy.

From http://losangeles.tribe.net/event/Aka-Dua-Introduction-Instruction-and-Transmission-Class/riverside-ca-92501/91500b81-75c9-46ed-9c96-067228501c5b:

Like the Mayans, the Toltecs use calendars that follow the natural cycles. The largest cycle in the Toltec and Mayan calendars spans 26,000 years. The Aka Dua is important because it was designed specifically for use at the end of the current 26,000 year cycle, ending in 2012.

The Aka Dua must be distributed (according to the Toltecs' plan) to at least 1,000 people in the Western Hemisphere. If such a Matrix of Light can be created by that time, the occupants of this hemisphere will have done their part in setting the stage for an evolution of planet Earth and her inhabitants at the culmination of the upcoming galactic alignment.

More writings on Flores' Aka Dua energy healing that seem pretty out there:
http://www.examiner.com/article/aka-dua-energy
http://www.article-buzz.com/Article/Aka-Dua-in-the-Atlantean-Science-of-the-Toltecs/380803#.VOUkGKPLcqc
http://www.mystic-expressions.net/akaduaenergyhealing.htm

Perhaps not surprisingly, several people who claim to have obtained Aka Dua energy from Flores are offering to pass it on to others - at a steep price:
http://www.naeona.com/aka-dua/
http://www.phyllisdouglass.com/aka-dua/
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aka-dua-level-1-transmission-with-narayan-tickets-1741868977
http://www.maritzamoreno.com/aka-dua-energy-healing.html
http://aka-dua.weebly.com/uploads/7/6/5/4/7654995/7769746.jpg?620

Here are some comments from others who question Flores' legitimacy - these were posted on http://www.examiner.com/article/interview-with-koyote-the-blind-on-the-telling-part-one:

Aaaaaaah! Another Carlos Castaneda Wanna be!!

He is fraud, no toltec wisdom survived, was partially incorperated by later people including the Mexica among many, closer to the truth [...] study what can be proven through codex, painting, statue and stone. Truth is there, the ancestors are awaiting you but do not let new agers pervert our true blood lineage!

From a more skeptical review of Flores' presentations at http://ieweekly.com/2010/03/arts/arts-feature/speak-uneasy/:

1. Koyote the Blind’s “The Telling” is brought to you by the Tequihua Foundation, whose goal is to expose the world to the ancient art form of the Toltecs.

Wikipedia says the Toltecs were the pre-Columbian population of central Mexico. Supposedly, the Toltecs were an ancient society of priests and warriors, and their practices were supposed to lead people to the highest possible spiritual attainment.

2. Koyote the Blind is The Tequihua Foundation’s resident artist and most of their work revolves around him.

The members of the Tequihua Foundation believe that Koyote is descended from a Toltec shamanic lineage of Mesoamerica. He inherited the sacred art of “The Telling,” by which he is able to lead audiences to other dimensions, other worlds and spiritual enlightenment. The foundation’s mission: “Through the lineage of Koyote the Blind, The Tequihua Foundation makes available the arts and teachings of the ancient Toltec for the attainment of self-transformation and the benefit of All Beings Everywhere.”

3. The Tequihua Foundation also believes in a bunch of other things that are crunchy granola and out of this world.

Before we watched “The Telling,” the audience was ushered into a small sitting room at the Life Arts Building in Riverside to prep us for the show. It was the Tequihua Foundation’s office, and there they sold beta blocker amulets, books on the healing powers of AkaDua (similar to Japanese Reiki healing), and pamphlets with transcriptions of previous Tellings by Koyote the Blind.

Another critical comment from http://theprimalgrimoire.proboards.com/thread/215/quetzalcoatl-mictlantecuhtli-analogue-typhon-set#post-1684 (an online forum called "Typhonian Mysteries"):

Much "contemporary Mesoamerican shamanism" appears to have got mixed up with the very New Age 'Toltec Mystery Schools' and a so-called Toltec Tradition.  Not related to some of these groups on the web, but using the Toltec label, were the articles that appeared in the last issue of Starfire, and I have to say that I was not very impressed with these, in fact, I actually disliked the one "On Toltec Art" by Koyote the Blind.  He came across as another wannabe Carlos Castaneda cult leader. And there was not any actual Toltec art in it either !

If anyone has any further information regarding Ricardo I. Flores, AKA Koyote the Blind, please let me know.  I am pretty disturbed by what I've turned up already!

Thank you in advance for your help.

[educatedindian]

You've already done an impressive amount of research. Let me add to what you already know: He's as fake as a three dollar bill. Not just Castaneda wannabe ism either.

On his website he admits to being Salvadoran. The Toltecs, in addition to not existing for 800 years, were never near what's now El Salvador. And the great majority of what he peddles has no part of any Mesoamerican tradition. Things like Atlantis, transubstantiation, Thelemic magic, and Tantra. Transub is from alchemy, Thelemic from nuts like Aleister Crowley. Tantra is EAST Indian, from India.

It's also obvious from that Flores is not NDN but mestizo. He never mentions any tribal people of El Salvador and seems to be a mestizo dabbler whose pulled a bit of everything from a lot of European pagan and Nuage books and sites.

Flores claims he was trained by "Tezaki Watami Cachora." No doubt he believes the name will sound authentically NDN to the unwary, just like the creative misspelling of coyote. As best I could find, Tezaki and Watami are both Japanese names. Cachora is the name of a famous fraud, Victor Gonzalez who calls himself Tata (Uncle) Cachora and claims to be the true Don Juan in Castaneda's series of fraudulent books. So Flores is a not very creative fraud imitator of a fraud of a fraud.

Tequiha promoted the discredited 2012 scam as well as illuminati conspiracy theories. They don't seem active and Guidestar believe they don't exist anymore.
http://www.guidestar.org/organizations/55-0909069/tequihua-foundation.aspx

Aka Dua was their claimed Toltec teaching, that supposedly they've been gathering solar energy for 1000 years for some vague purpose.

Xicoco seems to be an altmed place selling aromatherapy and crystal healing. And a flotation tank.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/07/prweb266705.htm
Their website is down and so is their Vimeo page.

New Aeon is itself a hodgepodge of alchemy, Taoism, reiki, Tantra, Crowley's nonsense, and faux Egyptian nonsense. They also peddle an altmed concoction called Ormus.
http://www.naeona.com/

Show this information to your relative and to other family who may be concerned about them. If they are taking any of these altmed treatments, that would be esp. of concern since the elderly may be more affected and may stop taking their medications.

[debbieredbear]

I have learned that an elderly relative has been giving him hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars, and needless to say, I am extremely concerned.

You may want to contact the state agency that deals with elder abuse. Because this IS abuse. It's financial abuse. If California does not have something like that, or if you have trouble finding the agency, AARP has info on protecting loved ones from fraud and abuse.

[Epiphany]

I have learned that an elderly relative has been giving him hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars, and needless to say, I am extremely concerned.

You may want to contact the state agency that deals with elder abuse. Because this IS abuse. It's financial abuse. If California does not have something like that, or if you have trouble finding the agency, AARP has info on protecting loved ones from fraud and abuse.

California elder abuse information with relevant agency links: http://www.dca.ca.gov/consumer/seniors/elder_abuse.shtml
County hotlines: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/agedblinddisabled/PG2300.htm

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader: http://www.culteducation.com/warningsigns.html
A great cult education site: http://www.culteducation.com/help.html
This book includes detailed info on how to help someone in a cult, including how to possibly do an education intervention, I highly recommend the book: http://www.amazon.com/Cults-Inside-Out-How-People/dp/149731660X

I'll run some corporation searches and list those in next post.

[Epiphany]

Entity Name:   THE TEQUIHUA FOUNDATION
Entity Number:   C2745062
Date Filed:   04/04/2005
Status:   DISSOLVED
Jurisdiction:   CALIFORNIA
Entity Address:   3750 UNIVERSITY AVE. 4TH FLOOR
Entity City, State, Zip:   RIVERSIDE CA 92501
Agent for Service of Process:   JACK CLARKE
Agent Address:   3750 UNIVERSITY AVE. 4TH FLOOR
Agent City, State, Zip:   RIVERSIDE CA 92501


This is the only related California corporation record I've found so far.
----------------

Koyote the Blind is a member of the Grady McMurtry lineage of the A .'. A .'

http://www.koyotetheblind.com/biography.html

Here is McMurtry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grady_Louis_McMurtry

-----------------

He is leading vision quests, using pipes etc., this from his Facebook:

Crystal Sanchez is now a pipe carrier. Here she is descending from her three day vision quest. She is the first woman pipe carrier in the lineage.

[Epiphany]

Looks like he started out as a storyteller and artist and then went off the deep end into fraud.

2007:

The Tequihua Foundation is a nonprofit research and educational organization dedicated to the continuity and expression of human creative potential through the Arts.  These Arts include both visual and performance art such as painting and sculpture, dance, music, theatre, poetry, ritual, and storytelling.

While rooted in Indigenous American and ancient European sources, our focus is on contemporary artistic interpretations and evolutions.  Following the inspiration and teaching of our ancestors and benefactors, our Art is exploratory, providing opportunities to express and expand our perceptions and experience of life, death, and the spaces in between.

Our vision is to create a dynamic environment in which these “Exploratory Arts” may be interpreted and expressed for the benefit of All Beings Everywhere.  Toward this goal, it is our mission to establish a multifaceted organization for the study, creation, and promotion of a contemporary body of artistic work that explores the potentials of awareness.

https://web.archive.org/web/20071215003013/http://www.tequihuafoundation.org/Mission.htm

Although he was already claiming he was teaching Toltec traditions: https://web.archive.org/web/20080214130744/http://www.tequihuafoundation.org/Toltec%20Traditions%20and%20Teachings%20of%20a%20Toltec%20Survivor.htm

[Concerned Friend]

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share more information.  I appreciate the insights from people who are more familiar with this phenomenon than I am.

I spoke to the relative in question.  She has bought into Flores, his teachings, and his sob stories - hook, line, and sinker.  She insists that she wants to keep giving him money.  I'm aghast because it is a sizable percentage of her income, and she is not in great financial shape herself.

I also spoke to Adult Protective Services in the state where she resides (she's out-of-state) to ask them about the process for reporting elder financial abuse.  The response I got was not very promising.  If the victim is legally competent (she is, although her judgement on this matter is questionable to say the least) and the victim refuses to acknowledge the situation as financial abuse, Adult Protective Services may not be able to do anything further.  It's possible this policy may vary from state to state, but that is the Adult Protective Services policy in the state where she lives.

So I'm contemplating my next move.

[Concerned Friend]

Piff, thank you for doing a corporation search.  I did some more searching and found these:

From http://kepler.sos.ca.gov:

Entity Name:   NEW AEON, INC.
Entity Number:   C3020064
Date Filed:   08/01/2007
Status:   SOS SUSPENDED
Jurisdiction:   CALIFORNIA
Entity Address:   2634 W. SUNRISE DR.
Entity City, State, Zip:   RIALTO CA 92377
Agent for Service of Process:   LEGALZOOM.COM, INC.
Agent Address:   100 WEST BROADWAY SUITE 100
Agent City, State, Zip:   GLENDALE CA 91210

From http://www.asrclkrec.com/Clerk/OnlineFBNSearch.aspx:

Fictitious Business Name Records

File Number: R-201101247
Number of Names: 1
Business Name: NEW AEON AWAKENING
Number of Registrants: 1
Registrant Name: JENNER, MARSHALL HENRY
File Date: 1/31/2011
Expiration Date: 1/31/2016
Type: An Individual
Status: PB

File Number: R-200411131
Number of Names:    1
Business Name:    XICOCO SHAMANIC ARTS
Number of Registrants:    1
Registrant Name:    FLORES, RICARDO ISAAC
File Date:    9/21/2004
Expiration Date:    9/21/2009
Type:    An Individual
Status: PB

File Number: R-200411131
Number of Names: 1
Business Name: XICOCO SHAMANIC ARTS
Number of Registrants: 1
Registrant Name: FLORES, RICARDO ISAAC
File Date: 9/21/2004
Expiration Date: 9/21/2009
Type: An Individual
Status: PB

File Number: R-200312837
Number of Names:    1
Business Name:    ANANDA BOOKS AND GIFTS
Number of Registrants:    2
Registrant Name:    FLORES, RICARDO
File Date:    12/11/2003
Expiration Date:    12/11/2008
Type:    General Partnership
Status: AB
Abandoned Date:     08/16/2006

File Number: R-200312837
Number of Names:    1
Business Name:    ANANDA BOOKS AND GIFTS
Number of Registrants:    2
Registrant Name:    PETERSON, ERIC NATHAN
File Date:    12/11/2003
Expiration Date:    12/11/2008
Type:    General Partnership
Status: AB
Abandoned Date:     08/16/2006

[Epiphany]

Maybe you can find out if Flores is telling his victims that their donations are tax deductible, or not.

You could eventually fill this out and submit, a cult expert will do a free review and response: http://culteducation.com/legalassistance.html

Some ideas I learned from the book Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out:

*Cultivate a calm, friendly relationship with the cult member, don't do any dramatic confrontations. This gives the cult member someone from the outside world to talk with and possibly can help them leave the group.

*Gather information and keep records.

*Read up on cult dynamics, unethical persuasion, and the general types of cults. The reason I highly recommend this book by Rick Ross is because I myself was in a cult, the information and forum on his Cult Education site helped me immensely, and I also participated in giving a deposition concerning my cult experiences (this particular cult was trying to sue Rick Ross).

The Cults Inside Out book details how to gather information on the cult of interest. It also walks the reader through how Ross does educational interventions. These are not confrontational interventions, not therapy, they are all about providing education to the cult member so they have an opportunity to make healthier choices.

You may want to post a query also on the Cult Education forum, you may or may not get a response, but this will build the likelihood that someone else with questions will read it.

Take good care of yourself also. Keep your own safety and abilities in mind. If you get hassled by a cult member or Flores, keep good notes and tell law enforcement right away.

As for other friends and relatives who know of this situation but who do not yet understand the importance - you could keep them casually in the loop, they may eventually want to know more, they may see worrying signs in your relative, and they may ultimately want to help out.

[Epiphany]

Tequihua Foundation
31381 Contour Avenue
Nuevo, CA 92567
United States
Permanently closed

Metaphysical Supply Store

This is info from Google maps that they gleaned from http://people.tribe.net/f49ca6c6-8557-452e-a2de-96f0fa26d565. That house and property sold in Aug 2013. $245,000. https://www.redfin.com/CA/Nuevo/31381-Contour-Ave-92567/home/5467147

It would be good to find out where Flores lives now.

Along with other information collected, it can be helpful to get a sense of his lifestyle. If your relative ends up suffering financially while he lives an opulent lifestyle - this might be something you can eventually share with your relative, so she can get a sense of the injustice and fraud.

We can keep watch for his online life, see if he participates in forums about his interests, you know - like collecting expensive classic cars or something.

Also keep a list of the regular cast of characters. Maybe we can figure out who is in his inner circle, your relative might know who they are from observation.