The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz

Book Description

For the past twenty-five years an extraordinary art movement has been underway in the remote countryside of northern Mexico, a renaissance of ceramic art in the tiny village of Mata Ortiz. As unlikely as it may seem, this phenomenon was sparked by the genius of a village woodcutter of rare artistic talent and equally rare determination, Juan Quezada.

Over the years, by trial and error, Juan Quezada gradually recreated the technology of the ancient pre-Columbian masterpieces, until modern masterpieces also emerged from his own hands. Now this reawakening of the ancient art is taking many forms in the hands of some three hundred villagers.

Noted Arizona author Susan Lowell has written a fascinating traveler's introduction to the region, the town, Juan Quezada, and many other village artists. Lowell's essay is followed by a biographical survey of a cross-section of 100 potters along with color photographs of their work and portraits of the potters. Included is a guide for travelers planning to visit the village, an index of Mata Ortiz potters, a schedule of exhibitions in the U. S. and Mexico of Mata Ortiz pottery featured in this book, a glossary, and a bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

Treasure on Treasures.......2007-01-10

"The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" is a treasure trove of information about the treasures that are the Mata Ortiz people and pottery. It is well laid-out, well written, and well...wonderful!! The only thing that would make my copy better are autographs by Juan Quezada himself and every other potter in the book.

Unfortunately for whatever reason, Juan's son Alvaro is not featured in the book. He is indeed an exceptional artist.

I was able to meet Alvaro and Juan Quezada in Nov 2006 in their family gallery in Mata Ortiz and found them and their entire family to be humble friendly and genuinely thrilled that people love their wonderful creations.

If you have not had the opportunity to visit Mata Ortiz, "The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz" will inspire you to go. If you have, it will make you pine for it and it's people.

Want to know more about Mata Ortiz and its potters?.......2005-09-24

This is a great book for all that are curious about Mata Ortiz pottery and the people who make it. If you want to start collecting, it's a great book to have for a reference source. All artists mentioned in this book are of high caliber, as good, some even better than the Native American potters of the Southwest. At this time, these wares are also less expensive and affordable to most people. Hopefully they will be a good investment for the future.

Susan Moesch

Mata Ortiz Pottery.......2005-07-19

A wonderful collection of photographs combined with dialoge about this remote village in Mexico. It describes the journey to get there, then details the lives of the talented people who live there. The photogtaphy is outstanding. A must for any person collecting or thinking of collecting pottery from this village.

The Next Best Thing To Owning A Pot.......2003-07-18

Almost 40 years ago Juan Quesada from the village of Mata Ortiz in Chihuahua singlehandedly revived Casa Grande style pottery. This book is a beautifully illustrated account of his success, along with the other artists of the village who learned from him. Becoming familiar with these artists should lay to rest the notion held by many Americans that Mexican imports are second class. These paper-thin pots are as beautiful as any you will ever see. This book has color photographs of many of the potters from Mata Ortiz as well as pictures of their pots. There is information on how the pots are made-- they are all built by hand from native materials, painted with brushes made from the artists' children's hair and fired over cow dung.

The book has a lot of interesting details-- for instance, when the Pope visited Mexico a few years ago, he was given three of these magnificent pots. Another fascinating tidbit is that one of every seven citizens of this village makes these pots. They have gone from doing manual labor to creating works of art.

Owning this book is the next best thing to owning a Mata Ortiz pot.

The Many Faces Of Mata Ortiz.......2000-09-08

This is the best pottery book I have ever found! It is layed out in an informative, and beautiful manner. Not only is the pottery exquisite, but the photographs represent the pieces at their best. It is easy to understand, and gets one passionate about an art movement, that we can actually be a part of, in this twenty-first century. It is highly unsual to be living during a time when a new art movement is going on, and still striving for it's pinnacle. We see this with the unequalled workmanship of the Matiz Ortiz people in their Casas Grandes/Matiz Ortiz pottery. I really enjoyed getting to know each potter by name and photo, coupled with seeing their work, and feeling a part of their extended family. Juan Quesada, the founder of this artistic movement, is a highly spiritual individual, generous and gifted beyond belief. He is the reason that this wonderful pottery is being shown to the world. I am an artist that does pottery, and a retired teacher. I would recommend this book to all art teachers, and anyone who appreciates great art.

Average customer rating:

Castaneda
To Carlos, with gratitude
buy, buy, buy
Un-Reviewable
Ambiguous at Best

Separate Reality
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0671732498

Book Description

"A man of knowledge is free...he has no honor, no dignity, no family, no home, no country, but only life to be lived."

--don Juan

In 1961 a young anthropologist subjected himself to an extraordinary apprenticeship to bring back a fascinating glimpse of a Yaqui Indian's world of "non-ordinary reality" and the difficult and dangerous road a man must travel to become "a man of knowledge." Yet on the bring of that world, challenging to all that we believe, he drew back.

Then in 1968, Carlos Castaneda returned to Mexico, to don Juan and his hallucinogenic drugs, and to a world of experience no man from our Western civilization had ever entered before.

Customer Reviews:

Castaneda.......2007-07-01

Not my favorite of his books but still worth reading it. Mentions many of the discussed topics to follow as Castaneda takes you further on the journey of self-discovery. It opens up a new field as he reaches out with this book. Strays away further from the beaten path of hallucinigens and all and starts to elucidate on the subject matter on hand - sorcery. Be careful, not for the faint of heart.

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

Carlos Castaneda was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century. Some in academia branded him a fraud for claiming his stories were biographical rather than fiction, while lauding him as a great novelist for exposing a mass audience to otherwise inaccessible philosophical abstractions they claimed were largely plagiarized. Each of his works is a piece of a larger puzzle, which makes it impossible to critique any one book without addressing the larger context into which it fits.

His first two books, "Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality" describe experiences induced by ingesting psychotropic hallucinogenics prepared by a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico he called don Juan Matus, and accounted for his becoming a guru to a generation seeking short cuts to spiritual enlightenment, as well as his lifelong interest in the relationship between perception and reality, a theme now explored in many popular books on consciousness and quantum physics. Unfortunately, these books remain his best selling works, in spite of Castaneda refuting their importance in his later works. Readers would be best served to skip these and avoid the risk of being turned off to Castaneda and missing the more stimulating works that followed.

His third and fourth works were "Journey to Ixtlan" and "Tales of Power." In Ixtlan he admits to over-estimating the value of his drug experiences, which caused him to overlook the more profound teachings of don Juan which became the focus of future writings. What emerges is a spiritual discipline dating back to the Pre-Colombian Toltec sorcerers of Latin America, culminating with don Juan's departure from our world, effectively ending Castaneda's direct affiliation.

In his fifth and sixth works "Second Ring of Power" and "Eagles Gift" Castaneda suffers strange flashbacks of what seem to be memory fragments of events he is unable to fit into any logical time sequence. In his seventh and eighth works, "Fire From Within" and "Power of Silence," Castaneda succeeds in reconstructing his lost memories, which derive from teachings previously administered by don Juan while Castaneda was in a "heightened" state of awareness.

In books nine and ten, "Art of Dreaming" and "Active Side of Infinity," Castaneda focuses on what he describes as inorganic predators from another dimension, some having the power to imprison humanity in "ordinary reality" so they can feed on the dark emotional energies we produce when succumbing to the negative thoughts they insert into our minds.

In later years several seemingly substantiating works appeared by two of Castaneda's female apprentices, Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner-Grau. In addition, two scathing exposés were also published by two of his ex-wives. The first, "Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda" by first wife, Margaret Runyon, offers little corroboration, since her marriage pre-dates the time when the bulk of Castaneda's adventures were claimed to have occurred. While steadfast that Castaneda was a sorcerer, she doubts the existence of don Juan, even claiming authorship of many of the concepts Castaneda ascribed to him.

The second, and more credible work, is "Sorcerer's Apprentice," by well-known writer Amy Wallace, daughter of the late best selling novelist Irving Wallace. Here again, we find little corroboration since the time of the events she describes is well after the period when Castaneda's relationship with don Juan is alleged to occur. What the book does provide is a troubling look inside Castaneda's final years, a picture of descent into what seems sexual addiction and possibly madness, leaving one to wonder if Castaneda was just one cup of cool-aid short of a Jonestown.

Many have asked why I put any stock whatsoever in Castaneda. A story from my autobiography, "The Vortex" may shed some light. A year before Castaneda published his first book I had an experience that would remain a mystery until Castaneda published "Power of Silence" twenty years later.

For a brief time, in my youth, I became a practicing Muslim, meticulously performing the complex prayer ritual five times a day. Then one night, sitting in my car, frustrated and complaining at not being able to find the address of my next sales appointment, something inside me snapped. It was as if some part of me had disconnected from my body and assumed control, lecturing me about my lack of discipline. A profound calm settled over me, rendering me simultaneously detached and engaged. For two days my sales figures soared. It was as if no one could say no to me. On the evening of the second day I decided to put my new state of being to the acid test by visiting my parents. Their behavior was so uncharacteristically supportive I hardly recognized them. It was enough to convince me that I was now living in an altered reality. But by the following morning I had returned to "normal." So distracting had this event been that I completely forgot to perform my Muslim prayers, and in fact, never did so again.

Twenty years later, in a chapter of "Power of Silence" entitled "Place of No Pity" Castaneda describes a very similar experience. In the aftermath of the event don Juan explains that humans are like televisions stuck on a channel called "self-preoccupation," lacking the energy to tune into any of the vast array of other channels available to us. To change channels, he explains, we first need to accumulate energy, by practicing rituals that are deliberate, precise and repetitious. Do this long enough and eventually our stored energy precipitates a shift to a channel where self-importance and self pity become impossible. Once this happens we connect with the force that controls the entire universe, a force don Juan called "intent," and everything can be bent to our will and even more channels can be opened, assuming we remember to keep practicing the rituals that save our energy.

This one realization alone was enough to inspire me to dedicate my autobiography "To Carlos, with gratitude."

Maxwell Austin van Lack, Author of The Vortex: A True Story of Passion and Karma

buy, buy, buy.......2007-06-11

Unless you are a die hard christian who could not ever consider any other possibilities for life except the one in the Bible then this is for you. I loved it you will too.

Un-Reviewable.......2007-05-28

To write a review for this book, positive or negative, is fruitless and futile. For the most part, readers will begin with some sort of inherent bias. Whether you have a predilection for psychedelic drugs or you think the entire premise is a sham, this is not a book that can be reviewed in the standard way.

Whatever you take from this book, regardless of whether that is nothing at all or a newly-inspired way of living, I do think one point must be made. Whether or not don Juan Matus was real or fictional, and whether or not any of Castaneda's experiences are credible, I think one must realize that this book is not a bible. There is present what one may construe as advice for living, but primarily this is a first-hand account of a set of experiences that most likely nobody else has or will come to undergo. I personally think it is beautifully and convincingly written, and I think it would take a truly rare person to replicate any of Castaneda's experiences, real or imagined. Impossible? Perhaps not. But I think that, unfortunately or not, this is brain candy for virtually all readers, and cannot be anything more.

Ambiguous at Best.......2007-01-08

Story of an American anthropologist's 1960s experiences with the possibly fictional Indian shaman "Don Juan Matus." Reads a little like a cross between a research log and ethnopoetry. In their conversations Don Juan constantly challenges Western ideas of knowledge and perception. Carlos can look but he really does not "see." "You don't see, you only look at the surface of things." He tells Carlos that when one "sees," one sees human beings as "fibers of light." When the two discuss accidents, Don Juan says, "No man can control everything around him, but not everything is an unavoidable accident. Life for a warrior is an exercise in strategy." The text is strewn with other examples of magical thinking. Now primitive people do frequently engage in magical thinking, but so do people who have ingested mind altering drugs. We don't know whether we are hearing the actual words and thoughts of a genuine shaman, or the ramblings of a 1960 UCLA anthropology student in a drug induced haze.

If you like 1960s counter-cultural philosophy, you'll love this book. For those more grounded in reality, you find reading it at least frustrating, if not repulsive. One thing, anthropologists, especially the 1960s variety, had a very distorted picture of pre state people. They thought that bands, tribes and chiefdoms were largely peaceful people. We now know the very opposite is true as they existed in an almost constant state of savage warfare. This whole story lacks credibility.

Average customer rating:

The Fire from Within
Castaneda
To Carlos, with gratitude
Forget your self-help books: try this guide to business survival
Impeccability and the Art of Facing Infinity...

Fire from Within
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0671732501

Book Description

Each of Carlos Castaneda's books is a brilliant and tantalizing burst of illumination into the depths of our deepest mysteries, like a sudden flash of light, like a burst of lightning over the desert at night, which shows us a world that is both alien and totally familiar -- the landscape of our dreams.

Fire from Within is the author's most brilliant thought-provoking and unusual book, one in which Castaneda, under the tutelage of don Juan and his "disciples," at last constructs, from the teachings of don Juan and his own experiences, a stunning portrait of the "sorcerer's world" that is crystal-clear and dizzying in its implications.

Customer Reviews:

The Fire from Within.......2007-08-01

I have been a fan of Carlos Castanda since his first novel, the teaching of Don Juan. This book is easily to grapse and interesting to learn about the life of a socery of Don Juan. Carlos experience so many vision in the fire from within. Being abstract, Carlos explain to the reader about his appreanticeship with Don Juan. From his hiliarous antic, Don Juan display his experience growing up as a seer. The book is highly recommended for any type of reader.

Castaneda.......2007-07-01

Like all his books. Difficult subject to discuss. People read it to either follow his path or follow for themselves. Either or great book.

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

Forget your self-help books: try this guide to business survival.......2007-05-10

I am very happy to write a short review of this fabulous book which I hope will peak the interest of potential readers.

"The Fire From Within" has a timeless quality like other great works. Although much controversy surrounded Castenada as an Academic who became a student to don Juan Matus to learn the way of the Toltec seers, you cannot criticize Castenada's priceless images of the interactions between him and his benefactors.

As if the entertainment value is not enough, many of the "principles" within don Juan's teachings have high application in the corporate world and for personal success - believe it or not.

You can't discover this unless you read Castenada for yourself, but it should be clear that developing Unbending Intent; becoming Impeccable and gaining control over our Internal Dialogue and Sobriety can have powerful meaning to anyone hoping to focus their lives in a world where good leadership is hard to find and victims are too many.

I would leave my comments at this except for the debate about whether Castenda's tales are fiction or not. I don't think that it matters. Maybe it is just an extreme coincidence that Castenada's ideas can blossom into usefulness. Take the concept of Self Importance, for example. Anyone in America's corporate workplace has seen individuals self-destruct as a result of an over-inflated ego. How about Petty Tyrants? Isn't there always someone in the company who uses their position to torment weaker members of a group?

And what about the achievers who really pull it off? Can you see how their Unbending Intent, Impeccability and Sobriety, were big factors in their success? Of course!

Roy Cuzner, WorldsTallestAgent, Arizona

Impeccability and the Art of Facing Infinity..........2007-05-01

Castenda gives hints and clues toward and ancient philosophy. Specifically he deal's with "Petty Tyrants" - those who use their position and abilities to enslave or torment others - and teaches the reader the art of facing them without flinching.

It is thought, that if one can do this successfully, repeatedly, he can face anything the universe can throw at him. This is the subtle art of becoming Impeccable.

Also reccomended in the superhero 101 collection is Bouris Mouravieff's Gnosis I, Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous, and everything by Georges Gurdjieff.

Fight the Future, Save the World.

The Maya, Seventh Edition (Ancient Peoples and Places)

Average customer rating:

An Excellent Inrtoduction to the Maya
Any Author Who Can Make El Mirador Come To Life Deserves Five Stars
A very good introduction to Maya archeology
Introduction to the Mayan culture
The Gold Standard by which to measure all others

The Maya, Seventh Edition (Ancient Peoples and Places)
Michael D. Coe
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Mayan | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

Guidebooks | Reference & Tips | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0500285055

Book Description

"A clear and intelligent description of the development and organization of Maya civilization." —Natural History

The Maya has long been established as the best, most readable introduction to the New World's greatest ancient civilization. In these pages Professor Coe distills a lifetime's scholarship for the general reader and student.

Since the publication of the sixth edition of The Maya, new sites have been uncovered and further excavations in old sites have proceeded at an unprecedented pace. Among the many new discoveries is the chance find of extraordinary murals dating to ca. AD 100 at San Bartolo in the Petén. New epigraphic, archaeological, and osteological research has thrown light on the identity of the "founding fathers" of such great sites as Tikal and Copan, and their close affiliation with Teotihuacan in central Mexico. The previously little known center of Ek' Balam in northeastern Yucatan has turned out to be a regional kingdom of major importance, with extraordinary stucco reliefs and a plethora of painted inscriptions.

It has now become apparent that the birth of Maya civilization lies not in the Classic but during the Preclassic period, above all in the Mirador Basin of northern Guatemala, where the builders of gigantic ancient cities (interconnected by causeways) erected the world's largest pyramid as early as 200 BC. All of these finds suggest that we must rethink what we mean by "Classic."

The seventh edition also presents new evidence for the use of wetlands by the Classic Maya, and fresh perspectives on the catastrophic demise of Classic civilization by the close of the ninth century. 175 illustrations, 17 in color.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Inrtoduction to the Maya.......2007-08-05

This is an excellent introduction to the Maya. It is well-written and flows nicely. Of particular use are the fine illustrations that accompany the text; as you read the text you are refermed by numbers in the margin to a suitable illustration. One of the strong points of this book is that the author criticizes other works and himself in view of the latest research on the topic. The book also has an excellent bibliography that refers the reader to both scholarly and popular works.
A final strong point of this work is that it is only one-half to one-third the length of other works; better a shorter book that you will read than a longer one that will rest upon a shelf!
My only criticism of this book is the final chapter. Like many academics Prof Coe hates American influence (tourists innundate ruins, evangelical christianity threatens the shamans, and the cattle ranches that produce meat for "American hamburgers") and Republicans (things improved for the Maya with a Democrat in the White House). Also, he accepts the lies in Rigoberta Menchu's book as true.
Yet, overall this is a valuable book.

Any Author Who Can Make El Mirador Come To Life Deserves Five Stars.......2007-06-01

The ruins of the ancient Mayan city of El Mirador are deep in the jungles of northern Guatamala. Once one of the largest cities in North America with 80,000 people, El Mirador today is accessible only by helicopter or by long distance hiking. Before its mysterious abandonment in the third century AD, El Mirador boasted the Danta Pyramid, the largest structure of this type in the world. Michael Coe has written a facinating book about the world of the ancient Maya. His ability to make El Mirador and many similar sites come to life makes this book well worth the purchase price even if Yucatan and vicinity are not in one's travel plans.

Professor Coe traces the rise of Mayan civilization from earliest times, to the splendor of the Late Classic Period when as many as ten million people lived in the lowlands, to the "Mayan Apocalypse"of the eighth century AD when the greatest cities of the New World were abandoned and returned to the jungle. Each of the major sites is described in detail with a complete description of artifacts and numerous photographs and maps. The author concludes with an extended discussion of Mayan thought and culture, and with his personal tribute to "The Enduring Maya". The Mayan population of southern Mexico and Central America has returned to over seven million people despite five hundred years of European diseases and economic oppression.

It is important that we not miss the practical implications of this book. The "Mayan Apocalpse" had ecological roots. The population had increased beyond the carrying capacity of the land, and there was massive deforestation and soil erosion. Years of severe drought followed. There is currently a debate about whether global warming is real, and if so whether it matters. One of the first great civilizations in the New World came to a disastrous end because of its inability or unwillingness to deal with environmental issues. We need to draw proper conclusions from the Mayan experience.

A very good introduction to Maya archeology.......2007-03-29

From one of the most important mayanists, a very good introduction to Maya archeology.

Introduction to the Mayan culture.......2007-01-10

I found this book to be a very good introduction to the Mayan culture, however, introduction may be an understatement. This book is very indepth, and academic in nature which gives it a high level of credibility.

The Gold Standard by which to measure all others.......2006-03-10

Tho' I was "just" wanting to be informed before my brief trip to Mexico, it was a joy to read the Michael Coe book, & immerse myself in this rich history of the Mayan people. It made my visits to the ruins so very much more rewarding than a tour book could ever begin to do!

Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History

Average customer rating:

Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History
Susan Toby Evans
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mexico | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0500284407

Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico

Average customer rating:

the cubic centimeter of luck
To Carlos, with gratitude
The Path Impossible to Follow with Magical Passes
The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico
Castaneda is a tricky subject

Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mysticism | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0060928824
Release Date: 1998-12-09

Book Description

For us to perceive any of the worlds that exist beside our own, not only do we have to covet them but we need to have sufficient energy to seize them. In this revolutionary book, Carlos Castaneda offers readers the key to this energetic conditioning for the first time, revealing a series of body positions and physical movements that enabled various sorcerers, and their apprentices, to navigate their own sorceric journeys. By sharing this centuries-old wisdom, Carlos Castaneda makes it possible for readers to travel to some of these other realms, which are as real, unique, absolute, and engulfing as our own world. Castaneda offers both a philosophical history of magical passes and an innovative, easy-to-understand instructional format, complete with more than 450 computer-generated illustrations. Written with humor, clarity, and authority, Magical Passes further illuminates the true meaning of sorcery and magic.

Customer Reviews:

the cubic centimeter of luck.......2007-09-10

This is really the question of your personal cubic centimeter of luck - if you will use it or you will hesitate and the moment is over.

If you have read the other books of Carlos Castaneda then you know what it is about, but in the other books there were never mentioned the Magical Passes. This is something that is available thorough this book and dvd-s but mostly thorough the Cleargreen workshops.

The Passes really works but there is no way to write what it means. This is something you should try and then decide whether you want to know about it or not:)

The Passes works for everybody but may not suit to everybody.
At least you can take this book and try at home before to go to seminar. What is also important that in the book is included explanatory materials which are not in the other books.

Take your chance;)

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

Carlos Castaneda was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century. Some in academia branded him a fraud for claiming his stories were biographical rather than fiction, while lauding him as a great novelist for exposing a mass audience to otherwise inaccessible philosophical abstractions they claimed were largely plagiarized. Each of his works is a piece of a larger puzzle, which makes it impossible to critique any one book without addressing the larger context into which it fits.

His first two books, "Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality" describe experiences induced by ingesting psychotropic hallucinogenics prepared by a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico he called don Juan Matus, and accounted for his becoming a guru to a generation seeking short cuts to spiritual enlightenment, as well as his lifelong interest in the relationship between perception and reality, a theme now explored in many popular books on consciousness and quantum physics. Unfortunately, these books remain his best selling works, in spite of Castaneda refuting their importance in his later works. Readers would be best served to skip these and avoid the risk of being turned off to Castaneda and missing the more stimulating works that followed.

These included Journey to Ixtlan, Tales of Power, Second Ring of Power, Eagles Gift, Fire From Within, Power of Silence, Art of Dreaming and Active Side of Infinity. In Ixtlan Castaneda admits to grossly over-estimating the value of his early drug experiences, causing him to overlook the more profound teachings of don Juan which became the focus of his future writings. What emerges through the books that followed is a spellbinding exploration of a spiritual path and discipline reputed to date back to the Pre-Colombian Toltec sorcerers of Latin America.

By the 1990's Castaneda's writings were becoming fewer and farther between. It seemed he was finally running out of tales to share with us. As we learn in "Sorcerer's Apprentice," Amy Wallace's scathing expose of her intimate relationship with Castaneda from 1991 until his death in 1998, this was the period when Castaneda opted to exploit his literary fame by launching training seminars called Tensegrity, an architectural term borrowed from Bucky Fuller. Castaneda's rendition of Tensegrity turned out to be a set of ritualistic physical exercises, allegedly called Magical Passes by don Juan, whose purpose was to enable practitioners to collect and store the energy necessary to shift their awareness into the altered states sought by sorcerers. Somewhat suspiciously, the term Magical Passes had never appeared in any of Castaneda's earlier works. Still, Castaneda's final book, an illustrated Tensegrity manual entitled "Magical Passes" was released in 1998, presumably for all of us who couldn't afford to attend his high priced seminars.

Many have asked why I put any stock whatsoever in Castaneda. A story from my autobiography, "The Vortex" may shed some light. A year before Castaneda published his first book I had an experience that would remain a mystery until Castaneda published "Power of Silence" twenty years later.

For a brief time, in my youth, I became a practicing Muslim, meticulously performing the complex prayer ritual five times a day. Then one night, sitting in my car, frustrated and complaining at not being able to find the address of my next sales appointment, something inside me snapped. It was as if some part of me had disconnected from my body and assumed control, lecturing me about my lack of discipline. A profound calm settled over me, rendering me simultaneously detached and engaged. For two days my sales figures soared. It was as if no one could say no to me. On the evening of the second day I decided to put my new state of being to the acid test by visiting my parents. Their behavior was so uncharacteristically supportive I hardly recognized them. It was enough to convince me that I was now living in an altered reality. But by the following morning I had returned to "normal." So distracting had this event been that I completely forgot to perform my Muslim prayers, and in fact, never did so again.

Twenty years later, in a chapter of "Power of Silence" entitled "Place of No Pity" Castaneda describes a very similar experience. In the aftermath of the event don Juan explains that humans are like televisions stuck on a channel called "self-preoccupation," lacking the energy to tune into any of the vast array of other channels available to us. To change channels, he explains, we first need to accumulate energy, by practicing rituals that are deliberate, precise and repetitious. Do this long enough and eventually our stored energy precipitates a shift to a channel where self-importance and self pity become impossible. Once this happens we connect with the force that controls the entire universe, a force don Juan called "intent," and everything can be bent to our will and even more channels can be opened, assuming we remember to keep practicing the rituals that save our energy.

Needless to say, with such a dramatic experience behind me using a ritual of my own choosing I couldn't wait to try out the exercises found in "Magical Passes" as soon as it was released. Within a matter of weeks, however, I concluded that the Passes produced nothing even vaguely similar to what I had experienced decades earlier. Maybe it was just me. Then again, maybe Castaneda knew enough to lay out the general theory as he had done so well in "Power of Silence" but was only grasping at straws when it came to prescribing actual procedures. We'll never know.

And although I cannot in good faith recommend "Magical Passes," the countless clues I managed to uncover in his writings were more than enough to inspire me to dedicate my own autobiography "To Carlos, with gratitude."

Maxwell Austin van Lack, Author of The Vortex: A True Story of Passion and Karma

The Path Impossible to Follow with Magical Passes.......2006-05-01

Very simple. The path of the warrior-seer is impossible to follow without Magical Passes. Now, must these passes come from this book? Not necessarily. Those called to the path, there to acquiesce to the spirit, are often given passes in dreams. However, this book details the basic passes; and once they are begun in a routine of practice, very often more dreams follow detailing extra moves and even new passes not mentioned in the book.

The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico.......2006-03-16

Being a great fan of Carlos Castaneda and the teachings of don Juan, I obviously enjoyed this book. I was intrigued to note the similarities between the physical exercises recommended by the Shamans of Ancient Mexico and those recommended by proponents of Yoga and the Martial Arts; people from widely disparate lineages, and yet all have discovered the power and benefit that can be derived from a very similar style of physical exercise and breathing technique.

For me though, I would suggest that one should have read some of the other works of Carlos Castaneda before the power of this book can be fully appreciated.

Castaneda is a tricky subject.......2004-12-18

This book is basically another approach to the same things Tai Chi and Yoga have already been doing, and in fact the movements are essentially the same most of the time.
Well, by now, we should all be aware that Carlos Castaneda is a creative individual who created his world of Don Juan and the Mexican Shamans himself, and not the esoteric initiate of any super sacred line. This doesnt make the practices he describes less valid. If his words speak to you in a way the other materials did not, then he has succeeded as an author. If he has opened your eyes to a wider world, he has done his job. His language is a fair amount more engaging and open than the more "serious" materials can be, so it is an excellent book for your spiritually minded High Schooler, or new age beginner.

Average customer rating:

Power of silence and power of intention
To Carlos, with gratitude
Power of Silence
Excellent and Informative
A Spritual Journey

Power of Silence
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 067173248X

Book Description

Millions of readers worldwide have treasured the visionary brilliance of Carlos Castaneda, who first explore the world of the Yaqui Indian sorcerer in The Teachings of don Juan. Now, at last, don Juan returns in The Power of Silence -- wise, infuriating, capable or working miracles and playing practical jokes, but always seeking the wisdom of the warrior.

The Power of Silence is Castaneda's most astonishing book to date -- a brilliant flash of knowledge that illuminates the far reaches of the human mind. Through don Juan's mesmerizing stories, the true meaning of sorcery and magic is finally revealed. Honed in the desert of Sonora, the visions of don Juan give us the vital secrets of belief and self-realization that are transcendental and valid for us all. It is Castaneda's unique genius to show us that all wisdom, strength, and power lie within ourselves -- unleashed with marvelous energy and imaginative force in the teachings of don Juan -- and in the writings of his famous pupil, Carlos Castaneda

Customer Reviews:

Power of silence and power of intention.......2007-09-03

I came to this Castaneda book upon its mention in Wayne Dyer's "The Power of Intention." Reading them together is a unique experience, and one I suggest.

As much as "Silence" is about the typical themes as other reviewers have pointed out, the book has a great deal to say about the power of intention. Cultivating full, unemotional intention ("ruthlessness") causes powerful ability to harness perception. Weak, conflicted intention causes one to be acted upon. There is much more to it, of course, and Castaneda explains in dense detail. You'll find yourself rereading passages at times in order to follow--but the effort is worthwhile.

The book was written 30 years ago, but is an undated, forceful read. If you have any bent toward spirituality, I'd recommend this book to you.

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

Power of Silence.......2007-04-05

Very "heady" book but what book by Carlos isn't. I would start with "The Teachings of Don Juan; A Yaqui Way of Knowledge ". Be prepared for confusion, doubt and a little fear but these books are great. I began reading them when I was 20. I still love them at 54. They all can be read over and over again.

Excellent and Informative.......2005-12-15

Definitely a wonderful book. For those following the teachings of the other books, this book provides more useful information. The path that Castaneda elucidated is fraught with controvery and extreme views (read the other reviews). I found it useful to read and judge for myself.

What Castaneda wrote about is not fiction however it is a difficult path that very few ever advance upon, thus the angry reviews of those calling Castaneda a fraud due to their own failure. Its also a path that those given to fantasy and believing in their own 'specialness' jump on and thus follow blindly with no lasting gains, making up their experience as they go and making sure others hear about it.

Definitely not a path for everyone but certainly open to sober verification. Also a great book for those looking for a well written and gripping book.

I believe Castaneda's genius as well as his contribution to mankind is yet to be fully appreciated. I am grateful for the gift of his writings and wisdom.

A Spritual Journey.......2005-08-13

Like all of Castaneda's books, "Power of Silence" grips you from the start, and before you know it you've finished the book. I found this one to be interesting because Don Juan talks about his past. He tells Castaneda about how he got started in sorcery, and even gives details about his benefactors past. Crucial details on the path of knowledge.

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, The Original Teachings in a Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition

Average customer rating:

Surprisingly Good
To Carlos, with gratitude
A great read and re-read
Great Fantasy Novel
Caveat for Castaneda's first book

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, The Original Teachings in a Deluxe 30th Anniversary Edition
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Religious | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Mysticism | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Religion & Spirituality | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0520217551

Book Description

Thirty years ago the University of California Press published an unusual manuscript by an anthropology student named Carlos Castaneda. The Teachings of Don Juan initiated a generation of seekers dissatisfied with the limitations of the Western worldview. Castaneda's now classic book remains controversial for the alternative way of seeing that it presents and the revolution in cognition it demands.
In a series of fascinating dialogues, Castaneda sets forth his partial initiation with don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian shaman from the state of Sonora, Mexico. He describes don Juan's perception and mastery of the "non-ordinary reality" and how peyote along with other plants sacred to the Mexican Indians were used as gateways to the mysteries of "dread," "clarity," and "power." The Teachings of Don Juan is the story of a remarkable journey that has left an indelible impression on the life of more than a million readers around the world.
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking breathlessly."--Don Juan
"Carlos Castaneda, under the tutelage of don Juan, takes us through the moment of twilight, through the crack in the universe between daylight and dark into a world not merely other than our own, but of an entirely different order of reality."--Walter Goldschmidt, from the Foreword

Customer Reviews:

Surprisingly Good.......2007-08-19

I decided to read this book because it is one of the only texts I know of that deals with the spirit of datura. I did so reluctantly because of all I had read in the past about Castaneda being a fraud--either making up the figure of the teacher don Juan or importing his LSD experiences into the background of shamanism, etc. I had also been given a copy of one of his books years ago and thought it was just a lot of gobbledy-gook. But this book is worth reading.

There is good information in this book about at least one person's work with the plant spirits of psilocybin mushrooms, peyote, and datura. I can't speak about the other plants, but the descriptions of how the datura spirit behaves deepened my understanding of this plant. I only wish that the information had been more specific. I am sure also that those interested in working with psilocybin mushroom spirit would have liked to know what the five plants were that were combined with the mushroom to make "the little smoke." A lot of detail is missing.

But this book is also just a good read. The descriptions of his emotions when he is met with various "nonordinary realities" is very good. I found myself drawn in and could hardly put the book down.

The structural analysis of the experience at the end of the book is not well done. It seems clumsily imposed on the material and does not reveal anything more than an attentive reading shows. That part does read like a grad student paper written to fulfill an assignment rather than to elucidate a subject.

The rest of the book makes up for it, though.

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

A great read and re-read.......2007-01-05

Read this when it was first published and again last week.
The most interesting thing was to see how my own perceptions have changed over the years but in parallel with this book.
It does question our own belief systems and for that reason I would recommend it for my friends.
With a little luck I'll be around to read it again in another 20 years !

Great Fantasy Novel.......2007-01-04

The Teachings Of Don Juan is the first of Carlos Castaneda's epic, nine-book fantasy saga centered on the mythical Yaqui Indian "brujo" (wizard) Don Juan Matus. In the first novel, Castaneda casts himself as the novice who stumbles upon Don Juan and his ancient magical wisdom, becoming the wizard's apprentice. This is hardly original stuff, we've seen it from Star Wars to The Matrix and in countless space-operas and sword/sorcery epics. Two things make this series unique:

1] As in Frank Herbert's "Dune" saga, psychoactive drugs (mostly peyote and mushrooms) are used to access amazing, superhuman powers. This lends the whole series a hallucinogenic quality, somewhere between psychedelic science-fiction and primitive mythology.

2] Castaneda writes in first person, creating an elaborate mythology from his anthropological studies at various Californian Universities in the 1960's, and perhaps a little personal experience. Written as a first-person journal, you follow the Hero on every step of his journey to self discovery. Of course, Castaneda eventually discovers that he is the Chosen One, and takes the place of Don Juan as "Nagual", or high wizard. Harry Potter, anyone?

The not-so bright side of all this is that Castaneda passed these obvious fabrications off as fact, creating a cult of personality around himself. Former members of his cult went on to write memoirs about their experiences with the "Nagual". It seems that Castaneda, despite being a gifted myth-maker and talented writer, led a self-centered life which hurt many of the people around him.

At any rate, if you enjoy genre epics such as Lord of the Rings and Dune, you will enjoy the unique and transporting saga of Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda. But for true anthropology, look elsewhere. This is just fiction.

Caveat for Castaneda's first book.......2006-05-15

I waited until I had read books 2 - 8 before I read this first book, and I was glad I did, because I wouldn't have read the other books if I'd read this one first. But with the others under my belt, I was able to see what Castaneda was demonstrating out of his bag of tricks, and also could appreciate his maturing by the time he wrote his subsequent works.
My view is that each word in the title is misleading, especially to someone new to Castaneda. The information and perspectives are not from Yaqui tradition, and this book does not represent what don Juan actually taught.

Average customer rating:

To Carlos, with gratitude
absurd and not absurd
Least favorite
Eagles and other bogies
Amen to that...

The Eagle's Gift
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 067173251X

Book Description

Carlos Castaneda takes the reader into the very heart of sorcery, challenging both imagination and reason, shaking the very foundations of our belief in what is "natural" and "logical." His landscape is full of terrors and mysterious forces, as sharply etched as a flash of lightning on the deserts and mountains where don Juan takes him to pursue the sorcerer's knowledge--the knowledge that it is the Eagle that gives us, at our births, a spark of awareness, that it expects to reclaim at the end of our lives and which the sorcerer, through his discipline, fights to retain. Castaneda describes how don Juan and his party, left this world--"the warriors of don Juan's party had caught me for an eternal instant, before they vanished into the total light, before the Eagle let them go through"--and how he, himself, upon witnessing such a sight, jumped into the abyss.

Customer Reviews:

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

absurd and not absurd.......2006-01-13

of course to any everday rational person, the world of castenda is absurd. how could it be otherwise? nevertheless, read this book with disbelief suspended, and its a great read. for those who have persevered through the previous volumes of carlos' introduction to the ways of 'power', now comes the nub of the argument. the heart of the matter. all that power-plant taking, ally-mongering and what not of the previous volumes is left behind. what was the purpose of don juan's elaborate rituals in the ways of 'power', painstakingly taught to a dense, exasperating carlos? nothing less than a quest for freedom. the practices are not important; what is important is the effect on the practitioner. the world of don juan is entirely re-interpreted for the reader. a completely new framework must be understood. not familiar with the world(s) of don juan and carlos? never mind: this volume, more novel-like and fast moving than the others, reads well as fiction in and of itself, whether or not the reader cares to believe casteneda. comprehending the framework of what casteneda describes is a bonus. casteneda is a quietly skilled writer, who bears re-reading. i recommend reading and understanding all the books in this series, in order. the payoff is for thos who persevere. as for the now eternal question of whether this is true, real, logical, etc., how can the average reader ever know? why worry? as carlos himself was led this way and that by his benefactors, always in a certain direction, tending towards a finer understanding of their realm, so can the reader be led by casteneda.

Least favorite.......2003-06-09

While i was inspired by all of other castaneda books (i have not yet read second ring of power) this one was my least favorite. It did not have any of the great quotes of don Juan Matus or commical actions of Don Genaro, and it was not inspiring. it did have a few interesting parts here and there, but overall was kinda [crummy] compared to his other books

Eagles and other bogies.......2002-05-27

Whether or not Casteneda's yarns are authentic representations of what is alleged to be Toltec is beyond comment. However, it is rather curious to reflect that in this system there is an image of the Creator as an Eagle that seems intent upon devouring what it produces. In purely psychological terms, that's an image of the Evil Mother. Besides being a useful go-get-'um, i.e., reason for doing for all the occult gymnastics, the Eagle, in other words, the Mother Complex, is indeed a major challenge in every man's psychological development. However, is the Mother Complex the same as the Creator, or, God? Which brings us to the other side of this Toltec coin: the so-called Human Form, which, don Juan assures us is our idea of God. This may, indeed, be a common idea of God, but it is altogether misleading to call this God, because what is commonly thought of as being God is not God, God having no image or form or name or whatever you want to ascribe to God unless, of course, you are talking about a god. It might be instructive for the credulous readers and fans of this very fascinating writer, Casteneda, to study such sources of the ancient wisdom tradition of the West as the writings of Plotinus or, God forbid, the Kabbalah. Perhaps, in the light of such readings, the wisdom and occult exercises of this don Juan character will appear in a richer and more balanced light. As for occult exercises, it would behoove the serious student of magic to look into the Golden Dawn system or something comparable. By the way, don Juan's virtuoso feat of disappearing into the void is not the exclusive property of the Toltecs or Aztecs. This technique is known in other cultures, even ones that know nothing about devouring Eagles and such. Attachment to such images is a bigger obstacle on the way than the devouring Eagle itself. All that said, there is much that is valuable in Casteneda. Let his readers sort that out for themselves.

Amen to that..........2000-05-04

Well put to the person from Germany in summing up not only the "spiritual", "magical", and "philosopical" sides of Castenada's, such as the Eagle's Gift, but also a very logical and scientific side of Don Juan's teachings. The more I think about reality and existance and my place in it, the more I realize just how exacting Don Juan's descriptions of the world are. Instead of experimenting on or guessing about the nature of reality, Don Juan simply sees what is and you really can't get any more exact than that. I encourage anyone with any sort of vague interest to pick up and read one of Carlos Castenada's works. While reading it is easy to disregard what you're reading as fiction, but I encourage you to discretly read between the lines, so to speak, lay down pre-conceived notions and personal dislikes, and discover just how marvelous and profoundly intelligent Don Juan's teachings can be...

Average customer rating:

ONLY VALID IF WILLING TO KILL YOURSELF
To Carlos, with gratitude
The Entire Teachings In One Volume
Overrated
Read this review

Tales of Power
Carlos Castaneda
Manufacturer: Washington Square Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Native American | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Shamanism | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0671732528

Book Description

Don Juan concludes the instruction of Castaneda with his most powerful and mysterious lesson in the sorcerer's art -- a dazzling series of visions that are at once an initiation and a deeply moving farewell.

Customer Reviews:

ONLY VALID IF WILLING TO KILL YOURSELF.......2007-07-03

There is a problem with being a Castaneda follower and that is: you don't see people flying off cliffs and graduating themselves as hombres de conocimiento, yet you need this jumpy ability to regard yourself a follower of this particular tradition...

To Carlos, with gratitude.......2007-06-22

The Entire Teachings In One Volume.......2005-10-27

If you could only choose to read one of Carlos' books, this has to be the one. For those who aren't familiar with the books, this is the fourth. The first three, expected by most readers to be a "trilogy", describe the first several years of Castaneda's apprenticeship to a native nagual, or shaman in Sonora and other parts of Mexico.

In the first volume Carlos describes the weird rituals and exercises that his teacher puts him through as he trains him in the ways of his line of sorcerers. It concludes with a quasi-scholarly analysis, really nothing more than an outline of the concepts of his teacher's world-view. This book focuses on the concept of living like a warrior and the book is structured as a question and answer sequence between student and teacher.

In the second book, whose time frame has a good deal of overlap with the first book, carlos' activites center around coming to believe that the world is an artifical construction of the human ego, a fantasy that we all choose to agree on. Don Juan batters Carlos with psychotropic drugs to break down his ego and force his consciousness over to the other side of awareness, beyond normal human perception.

The trilogy concludes with Carlos pursuing "stopping the world". This offering portrays the final challenge along the path to becoming a sorcerer. The apprentice will be faced with his own imminent death, and either stop the world, disassembling and reassembling "reality" in a way that ensures his survival, or accept death and enter the eternal realm. Obviously Carlos survives, as he wrote a book about it, and in the process spawned an immense controversy. What was all this bizarre stuff? Was it real? Was there a real Don Juan? A Don Genaro? The debate went on and still goes on, in a greatly diminished form, to this day.

The fourth book continues into the time after the cliff jump in book three, but it does a lot more than that. In this book, Don Juan explains to Carlos how it all works, why he was selected for this task, and what he's supposed to do from this point on. In typical thick-headed fashion, Carlos seems to lumber on, writing it all down, and seeming to still miss the real essential points that the teacher is making. What's good about this book is that it explains all of the goings on in the first three books, as well as how the sorcerers structure their view of reality. Very powerful stuff.

The remainder of Carlos' writings are very obscure, fastastical, and just downright strange, except for "The Active Side of Infinity", written towards the end of his life.

Don't get me wrong, I love CC, I've been reading him since 1971. I've read every book, multiple times, as well as his wife's book, and books by detractors and debunkers, and a great many articles and papers on him and his work. If you like it, read them all, it's great literature if nothing else. But if I could only have one. This is it.

Overrated.......2004-12-28

This book is too complicated and not for everyone. It dables too much with drug references that are quite disturbing. Stay away from this and pick up Dr. Phil's autobiography. Thanks. :)

Read this review.......2004-03-06

Back in 1985 I read this book and was fascinated. Was it real or not?

I finally came to the conclusion that I didn't really care, the writing was extraordinary, magical in itself. Then last week (February 20, 2004) I woke up in the night during a dream. I soon found I was still dreaming. I woke up again, and figured I was again still dreaming. This has happened before and I go to great lengths to wake up, because it is terrifying. (You feel as if you will never 'really' wake up.)

This time I let the terror go, and went to use the bathroom, realizing I was dreaming. The bathroom door wasn't there, so I intended it to be there and it materialized. I was experiencing something I later discovered is called lucid dreaming. Why I hadn't come across this concept before is inexplicable, but I'd always considered Castaneda to be in some sort of waking state induced by Don Juan when he did his 'dreaming'. In retrospect, that oversight seems to be a defense mechanism my mind set up to protect me from the obvious fact that Carlos was asleep and doing lucid dreaming.

Now all of Castaneda's work, seen from the viewpoint of lucid dreaming, makes sense in a completely new way. Whether his entire episodes in Mexico are lucid dreams or whether he actually met a 'Don Juan' there who taught him how to enter lucid dreaming, there is no doubt in my mind that THIS is what he is talking about. His feelings of dread, his lapses of consciousness and being shaken awake by Don Juan, the feeling of being in two places at once, all fit with what I've experienced first hand in my false awakenings and my one (so far)lucid dream.

Was Castaneda a sincere communicator of his 'field' experiences or a cynical charlatan or both? I don't know. What I do know is that the reality of lucid dreaming, as I've experienced it, is congruent with his writings.

So I'm reading them all again ....

Contact me by email with your thoughts or experiences. big_bill_jeff@yahoo.com

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books