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The Teachings of Don Juan #2
A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan
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."
In 1961, a young anthropologist subjected himself to an extraordinary apprenticeship with Yaqui Indian spiritual leader don Juan Matus 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.
In 1961, a young anthropologist subjected himself to an extraordinary apprenticeship with Yaqui Indian spiritual leader don Juan Matus 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.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
About the author
Carlos Castaneda
120 books2,407 followersCarlos Castaneda was an Latin-American author.
Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his training in shamanism, particularly with a group whose lineage descended from the Toltecs.
The books, narrated in the first person, relate his experiences under the tutelage of a man that Castaneda claimed was a Yaqui "Man of Knowledge" named don Juan Matus. His 12 books have sold more than 28 million copies in 17 languages.
Critics have suggested that they are works of fiction; supporters claim the books are either true or at least valuable works of philosophy.
Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his training in shamanism, particularly with a group whose lineage descended from the Toltecs.
The books, narrated in the first person, relate his experiences under the tutelage of a man that Castaneda claimed was a Yaqui "Man of Knowledge" named don Juan Matus. His 12 books have sold more than 28 million copies in 17 languages.
Critics have suggested that they are works of fiction; supporters claim the books are either true or at least valuable works of philosophy.
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March 29, 2022
A Separate Reality: Further Conversation with Don Juan (The Teachings of Don Juan #2), Carlos Castaneda
A Separate Reality: Further Conversations With Don Juan Matus between 1960 and 1965, is a book written by anthropologist/author Carlos Castaneda, published in 1971, concerning the events that took place during his apprenticeship with a Yaqui Indian Sorcerer.
ناریخ نخستین خوانش: روز یازدهم ماه ژوئن سال1986 میلادی
سری این دوازده کتاب، به توالی تاریخ انتشار به زبان اصلی، که همه به فارسی ترجمه شده به قرار زیر است
1-The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1968)
تعلیمات دون خوان (طریقه ی معرفت نزد یاکی ها)؛ سال1365هجری خورشیدی انتشارات فردوس ـ ترجمه ی حسین نیر
2 - A Separate Reality: Further Conversation with Don Juan (1971)
حقیقتی دیگر (باز هم گفت و شنودی با دون خوان) سال1364هجری خورشیدی انتشارات آگاه، ترجمه ی ابراهیم مکلا
3 - Journey to Xtlan: Lessons of Don Juan (1972)
سفر به ایختلان (سفر به ناکجا آباد ـ درسهای دونخوان) کتاب باعنوان «سفر به دیگر سو» در ایران منتشر شده است
4- Tales of Power (1974)
افسانه های قدرت (نخستین حلقه ی قدرت) سال1363هجری خورشیدی انتشارات فردوس ـ ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
5- The Second Ring of Power (1975)
دومین حلقه ی قدرت ـ چاپ اول سال1364هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
6- The Eagle's Gift (1981)
هدیه ی عقاب ـ سال1365هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
7- The Fire from Within (1984)
آتش درون ـ سال1368هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
8-The Power of Silence, Further Lessons of don Juan (1988)
قدرت سکوت ـ سال1368هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری
9- The Art of Dreaming (1994)
هنر خواب بینی ـ سال1374هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی فرزاد همدانی
10- Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico
عنوان: حرکات جادویی - خرد شمنان مکزیک کهن؛ کارلوس کاستاندا؛ برگردان: مهران کندری؛ تهران، نشر میترا، سال1377هجری خورشیدی، در330ص، مصور، شابک ایکس-964599831؛
11- The Wheel of Time: The Shamans of Mexico Their Thoughts About Life Death & the Universe (The Teachings of Don Juan #11), Carlos Castaneda
عنوان: چرخ زمان: شمنان مکزیک کهن، افکار آنان در باره ی زندگی، زندگی مرگ و جهان؛ نویسنده: کارلوس کاستاندا، برگردان مهدی کندری؛ تهران، میترا، سال1377هجری خورشیدی، در278ص، شابک9645998360؛ موضوع: کارلوس کاستاندا از سال1931میلادی تا سال1998میلادی، عرفان سرخپوستی، دین سرخپوستان یاکوئی، دین و اساطیر سده20م
12- The Active Side of Infinity (1998)
کرانه ی فعال بیکرانگی ـ سال1379هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 05/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 08/01/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
A Separate Reality: Further Conversations With Don Juan Matus between 1960 and 1965, is a book written by anthropologist/author Carlos Castaneda, published in 1971, concerning the events that took place during his apprenticeship with a Yaqui Indian Sorcerer.
ناریخ نخستین خوانش: روز یازدهم ماه ژوئن سال1986 میلادی
سری این دوازده کتاب، به توالی تاریخ انتشار به زبان اصلی، که همه به فارسی ترجمه شده به قرار زیر است
1-The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1968)
تعلیمات دون خوان (طریقه ی معرفت نزد یاکی ها)؛ سال1365هجری خورشیدی انتشارات فردوس ـ ترجمه ی حسین نیر
2 - A Separate Reality: Further Conversation with Don Juan (1971)
حقیقتی دیگر (باز هم گفت و شنودی با دون خوان) سال1364هجری خورشیدی انتشارات آگاه، ترجمه ی ابراهیم مکلا
3 - Journey to Xtlan: Lessons of Don Juan (1972)
سفر به ایختلان (سفر به ناکجا آباد ـ درسهای دونخوان) کتاب باعنوان «سفر به دیگر سو» در ایران منتشر شده است
4- Tales of Power (1974)
افسانه های قدرت (نخستین حلقه ی قدرت) سال1363هجری خورشیدی انتشارات فردوس ـ ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
5- The Second Ring of Power (1975)
دومین حلقه ی قدرت ـ چاپ اول سال1364هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
6- The Eagle's Gift (1981)
هدیه ی عقاب ـ سال1365هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
7- The Fire from Within (1984)
آتش درون ـ سال1368هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری و مسعود کاظمی
8-The Power of Silence, Further Lessons of don Juan (1988)
قدرت سکوت ـ سال1368هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری
9- The Art of Dreaming (1994)
هنر خواب بینی ـ سال1374هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی فرزاد همدانی
10- Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico
عنوان: حرکات جادویی - خرد شمنان مکزیک کهن؛ کارلوس کاستاندا؛ برگردان: مهران کندری؛ تهران، نشر میترا، سال1377هجری خورشیدی، در330ص، مصور، شابک ایکس-964599831؛
11- The Wheel of Time: The Shamans of Mexico Their Thoughts About Life Death & the Universe (The Teachings of Don Juan #11), Carlos Castaneda
عنوان: چرخ زمان: شمنان مکزیک کهن، افکار آنان در باره ی زندگی، زندگی مرگ و جهان؛ نویسنده: کارلوس کاستاندا، برگردان مهدی کندری؛ تهران، میترا، سال1377هجری خورشیدی، در278ص، شابک9645998360؛ موضوع: کارلوس کاستاندا از سال1931میلادی تا سال1998میلادی، عرفان سرخپوستی، دین سرخپوستان یاکوئی، دین و اساطیر سده20م
12- The Active Side of Infinity (1998)
کرانه ی فعال بیکرانگی ـ سال1379هجری خورشیدی ترجمه ی مهران کندری
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 05/03/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ 08/01/1401هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
August 21, 2024
I loved this, and the following Castaneda books in the sequence. But you know, it is a truism that fools like me tend to rush into places in which Angels are seriously circumspect, and therefore few and far between.
It was of course the seventies, for me - but more carelessly so for so many of my friends. But in my case, fried and fricaseed in those years, I didn't dive into this Mexican Twilight Zone till the eighties: And then it was these books.
And somewhat like our alienated Guardian Angels, I too had become circumspect about street drugs by then - and by the fine line between White Magic and Necromancy!
Especially that.
You see, I now had gained a glimmer of understanding into the largely unrecognised fact that a love of the paranormal can lead to a egotistical and laissez-faire Death of the Spirit. Misunderstanding that link leads, alas, to Hell - whether the real thing (I am Catholic) or its mental manifestation in psychosis, as I had seen in myself.
Once bitten being twice shy, I was no longer interested, as Isherwood's Mr Norris was, in constantly changing trains. Bland normalcy was my new Mecca - a fact that will seem odd to those never burned by neuroleptics.
And with this new insight in my vest pocket, I relished these tales of that Dangerous Duo - Dons Juan and Genaro - with the nervous trepidation that to speak of the devil is to invite him to appear.
Our gnostic daemon is a rum thing. If we flag him down, he can whisk us in the self-exaltation of daemonic misadventure into brutally weird worlds -
But unless we're as rigorously impeccable as Don Juan (and none of us is) -
We'll fall flat.
So don't flag that taxi, friends.
Enjoy this book -
But be advised of the black, dangerous Karma that goes with it.
It was of course the seventies, for me - but more carelessly so for so many of my friends. But in my case, fried and fricaseed in those years, I didn't dive into this Mexican Twilight Zone till the eighties: And then it was these books.
And somewhat like our alienated Guardian Angels, I too had become circumspect about street drugs by then - and by the fine line between White Magic and Necromancy!
Especially that.
You see, I now had gained a glimmer of understanding into the largely unrecognised fact that a love of the paranormal can lead to a egotistical and laissez-faire Death of the Spirit. Misunderstanding that link leads, alas, to Hell - whether the real thing (I am Catholic) or its mental manifestation in psychosis, as I had seen in myself.
Once bitten being twice shy, I was no longer interested, as Isherwood's Mr Norris was, in constantly changing trains. Bland normalcy was my new Mecca - a fact that will seem odd to those never burned by neuroleptics.
And with this new insight in my vest pocket, I relished these tales of that Dangerous Duo - Dons Juan and Genaro - with the nervous trepidation that to speak of the devil is to invite him to appear.
Our gnostic daemon is a rum thing. If we flag him down, he can whisk us in the self-exaltation of daemonic misadventure into brutally weird worlds -
But unless we're as rigorously impeccable as Don Juan (and none of us is) -
We'll fall flat.
So don't flag that taxi, friends.
Enjoy this book -
But be advised of the black, dangerous Karma that goes with it.
March 5, 2011
Castaneda books were very popular when I was an undergraduate, and when I first started teaching in the 1970s. I remember reading all three and being amused and confused. I suspect I was mostly interested in the author's descriptions of his experiences with peyote. Years have passed, and I revisited A Separate Reality after a friend's adult son passed away. I saw imagery and a quote from Castaneda in his artwork, and thought this might be a time to see what I could learn from the book. What a difference all those years of living made in my interest and understanding! I was fascinated in the student and mentor's different ways of perceiving the world, and in the ongoing conversation they have about the differences between looking and really seeing, between an intellectual understanding of the world and and experiential understanding. This time I felt Don Juan had something to teach me, not just Carlos, about living life as fully aware as possible, with intention, and respect for death, that comes for each of us.
February 25, 2022
We read and we read, and then, we encounter, well, A Separate Reality. Much depends on how we read. If we're too immersed in story, we miss the More, if we're to concerned with artificial criteria of evaluation, we miss the Value, if we're too bubbled in our cocoon-of-self we miss the Usefulness. Within the distinct realism of A Separate Reality we find an overwhelm of potency, which, if we're not prepared to actually change our world, will pass us by.
To read this powerful and transformative work we have to DO much. Such as set aside our habits, including the habit of reading. Here we're required to stop, absorb, hear, imbibe, incorporate, assimilate, Apply, integrate, and actually Change. Not only who we are, but our entire conception of ourselves and which world we live in. We have to set aside our continuity, a difficult challenge for many, unhook from our conformity, our cosiness and indulgences. Discarding our habits-of-perception and our assumptions of focus is another. We have to perceive past the obvious and pay close Attention to that which requires no faith or belief, no external agents to implement, and in these pages we can find such power. There's much to gain if we make that effort to determine Value, Usefulness and Applicability for ourselves, with an open being.
Too many get lost in the indulgence of connecting to the drug-story lure, which is immaterial to the magic of this book. Or they unnecessarily sideline themselves by needlessly debating whether Don Juan is real or not. What does it matter where a self-evident Value comes from? If you need someone to be real to determine whether an utterance or communication has Value or validity, well, then you're lost before you begin. Only you have that particular power, since you and you alone, are the Final-Arbiter-of-Truth. When we discern the wisdom and conceptualising genius so abundant in A Separate Reality we encounter a treasure trove of Life-Change.
The inordinate Gift of A Separate reality is exactly that, a separate Reality-of-Being. Such a potential is gifted us in this monumental work if we can see past the tests-of-self which are part of this challenge-of-being. We have to look at the real power, which is the presentation of new conceptions of what it means to BE. Ways-of-Being which are distinct, new, foreign, even alien, yet attainable. Simple but complex, such as relinquishing the seduction of self-importance. We are not merely informed this may be valuable, the usefulness of this life-transformation is amply demonstrated for us by that marvellous example of Impeccability, Don Juan.
I feel many make the mistake of identifying with the fool Carlos, because yes, of course we too are similar nincompoops, but, the real Gift I believe lies in stretching ourselves to identify with the *possibility* of being as much like Don Juan as we can. Once we grasp this as an actual potential actuality, we begin a Path where his Way-of-Being becomes our model, or standard, our code, our sensibility, and default measure for our Impeccability. If we simply ask ourselves how Don Juan would behave in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, we have a fantastic self-leverage which is powerful and transformative. If we connect to Don Juan not for his magical powers, but to his essential Character-of-Self, we connect to his ethics, his integrity, his Joy-of-Being and all the other marvellous examples of a self we can move toward being. If we read this book in this way, well, it becomes much more than reading. Such is the nature of this mind-bloom.
But, to connect to this power of the book, we have to read past the story, past the character interactions, and truly listen, truly hear what's conveyed. Our read-perception has to include identifying what we *don't* want, what's irrelevant and immaterial, and in that simple selectivity, we come to see what's truly of issue and important to our Deep-Self. We are thus required to read and connect to the implications of what's imparted, to look past the tests-of-self such as the rituals and the indulgences of Carlos and look at the Way-of-Living and Deep Sobriety Don Juan Shares so incredibly. Doing so connects us to what he's really offering, which is of course, a Gift of Power.
Of all the thousands of books I've read, which include a substantial selection of classics from around the world, this incredible book stands out, and is a definite must-read and multiple-read. (Along with its extension, A Journey to Ixtlan.) To be sure, one can find all the conceptions and ideas elsewhere, however, not so compacted and cohesive, not presented as an example in practice, and also not in the excellent resonating language of Don Juan. When we read to hear him, feel him, know him, imbibe him, and connect to this paragon of possibility who is Don Juan, especially if we don't over-mythologise him, and read not to remember what he said, but to BE what he Shares, then we shift into our journey toward living in a reality which more and more becomes A Magic Reality of actuality.
To read this powerful and transformative work we have to DO much. Such as set aside our habits, including the habit of reading. Here we're required to stop, absorb, hear, imbibe, incorporate, assimilate, Apply, integrate, and actually Change. Not only who we are, but our entire conception of ourselves and which world we live in. We have to set aside our continuity, a difficult challenge for many, unhook from our conformity, our cosiness and indulgences. Discarding our habits-of-perception and our assumptions of focus is another. We have to perceive past the obvious and pay close Attention to that which requires no faith or belief, no external agents to implement, and in these pages we can find such power. There's much to gain if we make that effort to determine Value, Usefulness and Applicability for ourselves, with an open being.
Too many get lost in the indulgence of connecting to the drug-story lure, which is immaterial to the magic of this book. Or they unnecessarily sideline themselves by needlessly debating whether Don Juan is real or not. What does it matter where a self-evident Value comes from? If you need someone to be real to determine whether an utterance or communication has Value or validity, well, then you're lost before you begin. Only you have that particular power, since you and you alone, are the Final-Arbiter-of-Truth. When we discern the wisdom and conceptualising genius so abundant in A Separate Reality we encounter a treasure trove of Life-Change.
The inordinate Gift of A Separate reality is exactly that, a separate Reality-of-Being. Such a potential is gifted us in this monumental work if we can see past the tests-of-self which are part of this challenge-of-being. We have to look at the real power, which is the presentation of new conceptions of what it means to BE. Ways-of-Being which are distinct, new, foreign, even alien, yet attainable. Simple but complex, such as relinquishing the seduction of self-importance. We are not merely informed this may be valuable, the usefulness of this life-transformation is amply demonstrated for us by that marvellous example of Impeccability, Don Juan.
I feel many make the mistake of identifying with the fool Carlos, because yes, of course we too are similar nincompoops, but, the real Gift I believe lies in stretching ourselves to identify with the *possibility* of being as much like Don Juan as we can. Once we grasp this as an actual potential actuality, we begin a Path where his Way-of-Being becomes our model, or standard, our code, our sensibility, and default measure for our Impeccability. If we simply ask ourselves how Don Juan would behave in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in, we have a fantastic self-leverage which is powerful and transformative. If we connect to Don Juan not for his magical powers, but to his essential Character-of-Self, we connect to his ethics, his integrity, his Joy-of-Being and all the other marvellous examples of a self we can move toward being. If we read this book in this way, well, it becomes much more than reading. Such is the nature of this mind-bloom.
But, to connect to this power of the book, we have to read past the story, past the character interactions, and truly listen, truly hear what's conveyed. Our read-perception has to include identifying what we *don't* want, what's irrelevant and immaterial, and in that simple selectivity, we come to see what's truly of issue and important to our Deep-Self. We are thus required to read and connect to the implications of what's imparted, to look past the tests-of-self such as the rituals and the indulgences of Carlos and look at the Way-of-Living and Deep Sobriety Don Juan Shares so incredibly. Doing so connects us to what he's really offering, which is of course, a Gift of Power.
Of all the thousands of books I've read, which include a substantial selection of classics from around the world, this incredible book stands out, and is a definite must-read and multiple-read. (Along with its extension, A Journey to Ixtlan.) To be sure, one can find all the conceptions and ideas elsewhere, however, not so compacted and cohesive, not presented as an example in practice, and also not in the excellent resonating language of Don Juan. When we read to hear him, feel him, know him, imbibe him, and connect to this paragon of possibility who is Don Juan, especially if we don't over-mythologise him, and read not to remember what he said, but to BE what he Shares, then we shift into our journey toward living in a reality which more and more becomes A Magic Reality of actuality.
June 20, 2024
حتماً که برای اهلش کتاب خوب و ارزشمندیه، ولی با حال و هوای من سازگار نیست و تصمیم گرفتم بعد کتاب دوم با دون خوان و کاستاندا خداحافظی کنم.شاید یه وقت دیگه…
June 7, 2011
I recommend Carlos Castaneda's body of work, which had a great impact on my worldview. A Separate Reality (the second in the series) describes his studies with Don Juan, the Yaqui shaman that he first wrote about in Teachings of Don Juan, a Yaqui Way of Knowledge. Like Teachings, A Separate Reality explores the multiple realities that we experience in our lives, such as our dreams, which while we're dreaming are our true universe, and our waking reality, in which our dreams are just a fantasy. A key concept in A Separate Reality is the difference between looking (which is what we do most of the time) and seeing (in which we perceive the essence of something). It is truly a mind-expanding book.
July 24, 2007
When I was an undergraduate in the mid-70's, Castaneda's "Don Juan" trilogy (with maybe a little Hermann Hesse thrown in) was what one read to be considered deep and interesting. Thirty years on, Hesse still holds up (for the most part). For Castaneda one can only ask "What was I thinking?".
But presumably that's what undergraduate time should be used for - to read broadly and indiscriminately. So not everything you read in college is going to be good.
But presumably that's what undergraduate time should be used for - to read broadly and indiscriminately. So not everything you read in college is going to be good.
March 20, 2023
At best a long winded discursive ramblings about hallucinations, delusions and trippy drug excursions under the tutelage of an all knowing but irritating wise shaman, or as I would like to believe the Trickster God, Coyote, made a fool out of gullible sap. Either way, there is nothing worthwhile within this juvenilely presented book that pretends to be philosophically a mile deep, but in the end is so simplistic that it is void of worth
February 16, 2016
Second Don Juan book. A little weaker than the first. Plus, there are hints of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy re-packaged as native American wisdom. Old wine in new [age] skins...
But instead of reading these as the non-fiction they are marketed as, I am reading them as fantasies.
That said, I love the new character Castaneda introduces here, don Genaro. A true trickster, he makes me laugh. But the "wisdom" revealed here is less interesting than the "wisdom" revealed in the first volume. Instead of grounded, here Castaneda seems to imply that the etheric body has physical manifestations.
It may or it may not. But as most true spiritual masters have pointed out -- Jesus, Buddha, etc. -- grasping for power gets you stuck. So perceiving and using your etheric body to gain power over the spiritual realm is a trap.
That said, I do not know how to rate these books. As fantasies, they are okay, ranking as a lesser Ursula K. Le Guin. What's more, the "wisdom," is often pretty good, and more grounded than the "think and grow rich" nonsense that New Age has developed into, like "The Secret."
The problem is that today, most (if not all) archaeologists who look at Castenada's work in depth think he made "Don Juan" up. There are many tip-offs, but the most notable are his naming of plants and animals. Instead of Amerindian names, he gives them common American and Spanish names.
And Castenada died defending (if not believing) his own guff. I can understand Castaneda's delusions. He was, from all appearances, a seeker who created a powerful "imaginary friend" who was an ally in his maturation. He fell prey to one of the seven deadly sins -- pride. He had used don Juan to get his PhD at UCLA. To state the truth would have made him admit he was a fraud. So he hunkered down, and his pride made him believe his fiction.
So while I understand, though do not excuse, Castenada, I cannot understand the publisher. By now, they know that Castaneda's field work was fraudulent. And yet the market it as non-fiction. So I can only give the book two stars.
For my full explanation of my feelings on Castaneda, please read my review of "The teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge."
But instead of reading these as the non-fiction they are marketed as, I am reading them as fantasies.
That said, I love the new character Castaneda introduces here, don Genaro. A true trickster, he makes me laugh. But the "wisdom" revealed here is less interesting than the "wisdom" revealed in the first volume. Instead of grounded, here Castaneda seems to imply that the etheric body has physical manifestations.
It may or it may not. But as most true spiritual masters have pointed out -- Jesus, Buddha, etc. -- grasping for power gets you stuck. So perceiving and using your etheric body to gain power over the spiritual realm is a trap.
That said, I do not know how to rate these books. As fantasies, they are okay, ranking as a lesser Ursula K. Le Guin. What's more, the "wisdom," is often pretty good, and more grounded than the "think and grow rich" nonsense that New Age has developed into, like "The Secret."
The problem is that today, most (if not all) archaeologists who look at Castenada's work in depth think he made "Don Juan" up. There are many tip-offs, but the most notable are his naming of plants and animals. Instead of Amerindian names, he gives them common American and Spanish names.
And Castenada died defending (if not believing) his own guff. I can understand Castaneda's delusions. He was, from all appearances, a seeker who created a powerful "imaginary friend" who was an ally in his maturation. He fell prey to one of the seven deadly sins -- pride. He had used don Juan to get his PhD at UCLA. To state the truth would have made him admit he was a fraud. So he hunkered down, and his pride made him believe his fiction.
So while I understand, though do not excuse, Castenada, I cannot understand the publisher. By now, they know that Castaneda's field work was fraudulent. And yet the market it as non-fiction. So I can only give the book two stars.
For my full explanation of my feelings on Castaneda, please read my review of "The teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge."
March 23, 2013
You can either view Castaneda's work as extremely well written psychedelic fiction prose or you can view it as a collection of vital truths that will help you live a better life. Either way you would be right in my opinion, and the fact that it is all most likely completely made up only makes the fiction that much more magical to me, and more true.
"It was as if the point of departure had always been myself. It was as if Don Juan had never really been there, and when I looked for him he became what he really was; a fleeting image that vanished over a hill. "
"It was as if the point of departure had always been myself. It was as if Don Juan had never really been there, and when I looked for him he became what he really was; a fleeting image that vanished over a hill. "
November 10, 2020
This is the volume following Castaneda's revised doctoral dissertation, 'The Teachings of Don Juan' (1968), and preceding 'Journey to Ixtlan' (1972). The three were eventually issued as a cloth trilogy. I started the series in paperback, but found the trilogy soon after and purchased it, probably at Stuart Brent Bookstore in Chicago near where I worked during the summer months between college and seminary.
January 3, 2018
Don Juan had once told me that a man of knowledge had predilections. I asked him to explain his statement.
"My predilection is to see," he said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I like to see" he said, "because only by seeing can a man of knowledge know."
"What kind of things do you see?"
"Everything."
"But I also see everything and I'm not a man of knowledge."
"No. You don't see.
"I think I do."
"I tell you, you don't."
"What makes you say that, don Juan?"
"You only look at the surface of things."
"Do you mean that every man of knowledge actually sees through everything he looks at?"
"No. That's not what I mean. I said that a man of knowledge has his own predilections; mine is just to see and
to know; others do other things."
"What other things, for example?"
"Take Sacateca, he's a man of knowledge and his predilection is dancing. So he dances and knows."
"Is the predilection of a man of knowledge something he does in order to know?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"But how could dancing help Sacateca to know?"
"One can say that Sacateca dances with all he has."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What's it like to see, don Juan?"
"You have to learn to see in order to know that. I can't tell you."
"Is it a secret I shouldn't know?"
"No. It's just that I can't describe it."
"Why?"
"It wouldn't make sense to you."
"Try me, don Juan. Maybe it'll make sense to me."
"No. You must do it yourself. Once you learn, you can see every single thing in the world in a different way."
"Then, don Juan, you don't see the world in the usual way any more."
"I see both ways. When I want to look at the world I see it the way you do. Then when I want to see it I look
at it the way I know and I perceive it in a different way."
"Do things look consistently the same every time you see them?"
"Things don't change. You change your way of looking, that's all"
"I mean, don Juan, that if you see, for instance, the same tree, does it remain the same every time you see it?"
"No. It changes and yet it's the same."
"But if the same tree changes every time you see it, your seeing may be a mere illusion."
He laughed and did not answer for some time, but seemed to be thinking. Finally he said, "Whenever you
look at things you don't see them. You just look at them, I suppose, to make sure that something is there. Since
you're not concerned with seeing, things look very much the same every time you look at them. When you learn
to see, on the other hand, a thing is never the same every time you see it, and yet it is the same. I told you, for instance, that a man is like an egg. Every time I see the same man I see an egg, yet it is not the same egg."
"But you won't be able to recognize anything, since nothing is the same; so what's the advantage of learning
to see?"
"You can tell things apart. You can see them for what they really are."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
twisted book...
"My predilection is to see," he said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I like to see" he said, "because only by seeing can a man of knowledge know."
"What kind of things do you see?"
"Everything."
"But I also see everything and I'm not a man of knowledge."
"No. You don't see.
"I think I do."
"I tell you, you don't."
"What makes you say that, don Juan?"
"You only look at the surface of things."
"Do you mean that every man of knowledge actually sees through everything he looks at?"
"No. That's not what I mean. I said that a man of knowledge has his own predilections; mine is just to see and
to know; others do other things."
"What other things, for example?"
"Take Sacateca, he's a man of knowledge and his predilection is dancing. So he dances and knows."
"Is the predilection of a man of knowledge something he does in order to know?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"But how could dancing help Sacateca to know?"
"One can say that Sacateca dances with all he has."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"What's it like to see, don Juan?"
"You have to learn to see in order to know that. I can't tell you."
"Is it a secret I shouldn't know?"
"No. It's just that I can't describe it."
"Why?"
"It wouldn't make sense to you."
"Try me, don Juan. Maybe it'll make sense to me."
"No. You must do it yourself. Once you learn, you can see every single thing in the world in a different way."
"Then, don Juan, you don't see the world in the usual way any more."
"I see both ways. When I want to look at the world I see it the way you do. Then when I want to see it I look
at it the way I know and I perceive it in a different way."
"Do things look consistently the same every time you see them?"
"Things don't change. You change your way of looking, that's all"
"I mean, don Juan, that if you see, for instance, the same tree, does it remain the same every time you see it?"
"No. It changes and yet it's the same."
"But if the same tree changes every time you see it, your seeing may be a mere illusion."
He laughed and did not answer for some time, but seemed to be thinking. Finally he said, "Whenever you
look at things you don't see them. You just look at them, I suppose, to make sure that something is there. Since
you're not concerned with seeing, things look very much the same every time you look at them. When you learn
to see, on the other hand, a thing is never the same every time you see it, and yet it is the same. I told you, for instance, that a man is like an egg. Every time I see the same man I see an egg, yet it is not the same egg."
"But you won't be able to recognize anything, since nothing is the same; so what's the advantage of learning
to see?"
"You can tell things apart. You can see them for what they really are."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
twisted book...
March 27, 2013
There is another world just beyond our reach and we only need to seek it to find it.
In the 1960s Carlos Castaneda made his way to Mexico to learn more about Yaqui Indians and to do a little soul searching. What he found was a man named don Juan, a very powerful sorcerer and a force to be reckoned with. Don Juan turns Castaneda's whole world upside down by teaching him the ways of a sorcerer and the results are some of the most beautiful and touching pieces of nonfiction.
In "A Separate Reality" Castaneda attempts to explain don Juan's teachings about the art of 'seeing'. Through the use of a hallucinogenic substance of don Juan's own creation Castaneda experiences visions that shake him to his very core.
Don Juan also explains the importance of becoming a warrior. A warrior is someone who is ever ready to perform to the best of their ability by being aware of every opportunity and using it to their advantage. According to don Juan it is inherent that one become a warrior before becoming a sorcerer.
Often Castaneda finds himself in over his head. He rushes into this new world with a childlike wonder that is refreshing and a curiosity that is commendable. However, his curiosity seems insatiable. There is no end to his quest to understand the world of don Juan's sorcery, and this leads him to question don Juan's teachings until they are imperceptible. Every new experience brings innumerable questions from Castaneda's brain and many of them are unanswerable. Don Juan seems to do his absolute best to explain and some of his explanations are truly beautiful, but at times it seems like Castaneda is missing the point.
Throughout "A Separate Reality" I found myself questioning my own views of the world. Don Juan has a way of making you think twice about nearly everything you've come to accept and Castaneda describes his experiences with a deftness the likes of which I have rarely seen.
I enjoy Carlos Castaneda's work. His quiet prose and humble outlook ring true in my heart. I feel for Carlos in every situation that don Juan puts him through. I understand his fear and confusion almost inherently. There were moments in "A Separate Reality" where I found myself laughing out loud, Castaneda's experiences with don Juan's friend don Genaro are especially hilarious. There were moments where I found myself gripped with fear, such as Castaneda's first experience with an 'ally.' Castaneda has an incredible ability to pour his heart on to every page.
My overall impression of "A Separate Reality" has left me wanting more. The intriguing world of don Juan has inspired me. To paraphrase don Juan, once you are introduced to his world there is no turning back as you realize there is no other way to live.
In the 1960s Carlos Castaneda made his way to Mexico to learn more about Yaqui Indians and to do a little soul searching. What he found was a man named don Juan, a very powerful sorcerer and a force to be reckoned with. Don Juan turns Castaneda's whole world upside down by teaching him the ways of a sorcerer and the results are some of the most beautiful and touching pieces of nonfiction.
In "A Separate Reality" Castaneda attempts to explain don Juan's teachings about the art of 'seeing'. Through the use of a hallucinogenic substance of don Juan's own creation Castaneda experiences visions that shake him to his very core.
Don Juan also explains the importance of becoming a warrior. A warrior is someone who is ever ready to perform to the best of their ability by being aware of every opportunity and using it to their advantage. According to don Juan it is inherent that one become a warrior before becoming a sorcerer.
Often Castaneda finds himself in over his head. He rushes into this new world with a childlike wonder that is refreshing and a curiosity that is commendable. However, his curiosity seems insatiable. There is no end to his quest to understand the world of don Juan's sorcery, and this leads him to question don Juan's teachings until they are imperceptible. Every new experience brings innumerable questions from Castaneda's brain and many of them are unanswerable. Don Juan seems to do his absolute best to explain and some of his explanations are truly beautiful, but at times it seems like Castaneda is missing the point.
Throughout "A Separate Reality" I found myself questioning my own views of the world. Don Juan has a way of making you think twice about nearly everything you've come to accept and Castaneda describes his experiences with a deftness the likes of which I have rarely seen.
I enjoy Carlos Castaneda's work. His quiet prose and humble outlook ring true in my heart. I feel for Carlos in every situation that don Juan puts him through. I understand his fear and confusion almost inherently. There were moments in "A Separate Reality" where I found myself laughing out loud, Castaneda's experiences with don Juan's friend don Genaro are especially hilarious. There were moments where I found myself gripped with fear, such as Castaneda's first experience with an 'ally.' Castaneda has an incredible ability to pour his heart on to every page.
My overall impression of "A Separate Reality" has left me wanting more. The intriguing world of don Juan has inspired me. To paraphrase don Juan, once you are introduced to his world there is no turning back as you realize there is no other way to live.
December 24, 2017
The greatest celebration of gullibility and lack of any ability to discern or investigate I have ever read. Also, poorly written.
January 10, 2016
The first half-hour did not compel me to finish the audiobook.
June 9, 2018
silly, pretentious, outdated
March 30, 2024
This book ended up on my shelves after my husband and I got together many years ago, it was a book of his that he couldn't remember much about (I should have known from that that the book would be trouble!)
So this is basically the book:-
-Oh Don Juan tell me things about "seeing"
-No, you're not ready, if you don't know what seeing is, you'll never know
-Oh but I'm sorry, I just need to get it down on paper to understand
-No you must understand with your soul and spirit, here smoke this "erb"!
-No, I'm scared, I don't like the feeling of being under the influence of a hallucinogen
-Just smoke it dickhead (or sentiments to that effect!)
-Oh I don't know, I feel like I need more time, I don't understand, I don't know, I'm the king of the ditherers! Maybe I'll go visit some other random Don
-Do what you want then
-Hi random Don, how are you
-(Random Don says nothing but starts to dance in an oddly feminine fashion, writhing his hips and flinging his hands out, spaced out in a Madchester rave type way)
-Er ok, I'll leave now this is weird, bye random Don
-Don Juan, random Don acted weird and I don't know what to think, I'm so dithery and daft
-How dare you go visit Dancing Don! He could have put a major spell on you and you can't handle the power of the dance, what were you thinking ............
On and on this shit goes for page after page!!!!!!!!!!!! It is utter shite. Give me Terence McKenna any day of the week. Castaneda, have a word with yourself!! Kin' ell!
So this is basically the book:-
-Oh Don Juan tell me things about "seeing"
-No, you're not ready, if you don't know what seeing is, you'll never know
-Oh but I'm sorry, I just need to get it down on paper to understand
-No you must understand with your soul and spirit, here smoke this "erb"!
-No, I'm scared, I don't like the feeling of being under the influence of a hallucinogen
-Just smoke it dickhead (or sentiments to that effect!)
-Oh I don't know, I feel like I need more time, I don't understand, I don't know, I'm the king of the ditherers! Maybe I'll go visit some other random Don
-Do what you want then
-Hi random Don, how are you
-(Random Don says nothing but starts to dance in an oddly feminine fashion, writhing his hips and flinging his hands out, spaced out in a Madchester rave type way)
-Er ok, I'll leave now this is weird, bye random Don
-Don Juan, random Don acted weird and I don't know what to think, I'm so dithery and daft
-How dare you go visit Dancing Don! He could have put a major spell on you and you can't handle the power of the dance, what were you thinking ............
On and on this shit goes for page after page!!!!!!!!!!!! It is utter shite. Give me Terence McKenna any day of the week. Castaneda, have a word with yourself!! Kin' ell!
October 28, 2017
بالاخره بعد از 1.5 سال انتظار فرصت مناسب برای خوندن این کتاب پیدا کردم. آشنایی با دون خوان گنجیه که نمیشه روش قیمتی گذاشت. تمام چیزهایی رو که فلاسفه با تلاش های فکری بسیار میتونن در ذهن بیارن دون خوان براحتی زندگی میکنه و بسیار هم از اونها فراتر میره. مهمترین تفاوتش اینه که سلوک دون خوان عملیه و به جای تلاش فکری برای تصور کردن حقیقت اون با سلوک عملیش مستقیم به حقیقت چشم میدوزه.
واسه همین بدون هیچ تلاش فکری و استدلالی حقیقت رو توصیف و زندگی میکنه.
تفاوت سالک با فیلسوف در همینه. فیلسوف کلی تلاش میکنه یک چیزی رو که ندیده در خیال خودش با استدلال مجسم کنه اما یک سالکبا عملش خودش رو به اون میرسونه و بدون هیچ تلاشی اون رو میبینه و باهاش زندگی میکنه.
فیلسوف کسیه که تو یک جنگل انبوه با درختهای بلند گرفتاره و برای درک عظمت جنگل تنها میتونه با توجه به ناحیه ی کوچکی که درش قرار داره استدلال کنه و تصو�� خیلی ذهنی از عظمت جنگل بدست بیاره اما سالک با سلوک عملی خودش گویی از سطح زمین ارتفاع میگیره و با میدان دید وسیع تر به جنگل نگاه میکنه و عظمت جنگل رو به چشم میبینه.
فیلسوف از عدد یک میلیارد تصور ناچیزی داره چون میدان دیدش محدوده اما سالک میدان دید خودش رو با تلاش زیاد بزرگ کرده و میتونه یکمیلیارد رو واقعا درک کنه.
واسه همین بدون هیچ تلاش فکری و استدلالی حقیقت رو توصیف و زندگی میکنه.
تفاوت سالک با فیلسوف در همینه. فیلسوف کلی تلاش میکنه یک چیزی رو که ندیده در خیال خودش با استدلال مجسم کنه اما یک سالکبا عملش خودش رو به اون میرسونه و بدون هیچ تلاشی اون رو میبینه و باهاش زندگی میکنه.
فیلسوف کسیه که تو یک جنگل انبوه با درختهای بلند گرفتاره و برای درک عظمت جنگل تنها میتونه با توجه به ناحیه ی کوچکی که درش قرار داره استدلال کنه و تصو�� خیلی ذهنی از عظمت جنگل بدست بیاره اما سالک با سلوک عملی خودش گویی از سطح زمین ارتفاع میگیره و با میدان دید وسیع تر به جنگل نگاه میکنه و عظمت جنگل رو به چشم میبینه.
فیلسوف از عدد یک میلیارد تصور ناچیزی داره چون میدان دیدش محدوده اما سالک میدان دید خودش رو با تلاش زیاد بزرگ کرده و میتونه یکمیلیارد رو واقعا درک کنه.
November 27, 2017
Read this mostly in one sitting at the DMV. A world-altering read for me. The book starts slow but careens into mystical extremes by the second half. Castaneda plays the role of the modern person: rational, verbal, objective. Castaneda is amazingly, remarkably bad at succumbing to metaphysical experience. This is hilarious and endearing. Castaneda might have been resisting the non-linear because he was ostensibly doing anthropological research. In any case this makes Castaneda a relatable foil to the winking Don Juan.
The format of the book, a series of conversations between teacher and student, is poetic. It would make a beautiful novel.
The format of the book, a series of conversations between teacher and student, is poetic. It would make a beautiful novel.
April 22, 2009
This book was hard to follow, I found myself asking wether or not what was being read was actually occuring or if it was part of a story. I still enjoyed it, the book has the potential to open a mind and explore different dimensions outside of this world. I really think I would have captured more of the books teachings if I had joined in the peyote smoking! :>
November 20, 2010
This book would probably seem strange to most and only interesting to a few. For me I can only say that this book chose me, it came to me at a time in my life in which I was approaching a major spiritual awakening, though I didn't know it. This book helped push me over the edge. I feel if I would have read it any time sooner than when I did it would have been lost on me.
February 17, 2015
Wow. Tubular. Totally. What a load of new age claptrap. Discard reason and embrace animism and experience. A completely untenable and unlivable worldview. Spirituality for commitment-phobics.
March 8, 2021
این کتاب دوم از سری کتاب های کارلوس کاستاندا به بازگشت ایشان به پیش دن خوان میپردازه که از اونجا مجددا تحت تعلیم قرار میگیرند٬
کارلوس همچنان در اسارت منطق به سر میبره و دن خوان سعی میکنه اون رو با جواب دادن به سوال هاش آمورش بده٬
اطلاعات زیاد تری نسبت به جلد اول در این کتاب نوشته شده و به نظر تازه اول راهه٬ شما این رو در آخرین خط کتاب خواهید فهمید.
کارلوس همچنان در اسارت منطق به سر میبره و دن خوان سعی میکنه اون رو با جواب دادن به سوال هاش آمورش بده٬
اطلاعات زیاد تری نسبت به جلد اول در این کتاب نوشته شده و به نظر تازه اول راهه٬ شما این رو در آخرین خط کتاب خواهید فهمید.
September 15, 2007
I am going to give the same review to all the Carlos Castaneda books I read in that series, simply because they are all outstanding. I was lucky to come across Castaneda very early on my magickal path. My spells and rituals have always relied on the power of intent, and I have found no better education on how to focus your intent than in this series of books. Back then (1994) they were classifed as nonfiction. Lately, they say they are fiction. All I know is much of what is in these books works. And having been a Wiccan Faery Witch now for 13 years I know much of what is real to us is fiction to those not walking a magickal path. These are life-changing books you will never forget, and their teachings still influence my life today. Can't get any better than that!
April 15, 2015
Դոն Խուանի հետ առաջին հանդիպման պահից անցավ արդեն 10 տարի։ Մարտիկ դառնալու ու տեսնելու ճանապարհը լի է դժվարություններով, որոնք հեղինակը փորձում է հաղթահարել այս անգամ ավելի պրակտիկ գործողություններով, սակայն ամենաբարդ բանը՝ լիովին ընդունել սկսած ճանապարհը, կողքի դնելով սովորական ընկալումը, դեռ չի ստացվում։ Բայց սառույցը արդեն շարժվել է, դեպի ետ ճանապարհ այլևս չկա։ Մյուսը՝ Ճանապարհորդություն դեպի Իստկլանն է, որն, թվում է, էլ ավելի հետաքրքիր կլինի։
Անհնար է պոկվել գրքից։ Իրականությունը փոխվում է, հեղինակի հետ կապը գնալով ուժեղանում է։ Անմոռանալի զգացմունքներ, մտածելու շատ թեմաներ, օգտակար խորհուրդներ ու այլընտրանքներ եմ տանում հետս գիրքը կարդալուց հետո։ Շատ եմ խորհուրդ տալիս, աշխարհընկալումը ռեվոլյուցիա անելու պոտենցիալով լի է գիրքը։ <3 <3 <3
Անհնար է պոկվել գրքից։ Իրականությունը փոխվում է, հեղինակի հետ կապը գնալով ուժեղանում է։ Անմոռանալի զգացմունքներ, մտածելու շատ թեմաներ, օգտակար խորհուրդներ ու այլընտրանքներ եմ տանում հետս գիրքը կարդալուց հետո։ Շատ եմ խորհուրդ տալիս, աշխարհընկալումը ռեվոլյուցիա անելու պոտենցիալով լի է գիրքը։ <3 <3 <3
June 8, 2021
Different than , but as good as 'Travels with Don Juan' . Castaneda's books are hard to find , but well worth reading , especially if you were part of the 1960s counter-culture . Second time I've read this book, first time was 45 years ago. Still interesting but the advancement of the apprentice is a lot slower than I had recalled. Helps if you were a part or around the drug culture of the late 60s and the early to mid 70s. I'd say 3.57 but upgrade to 4-stars for old times sake.
December 2, 2016
it got tiring how idiotic Carlos was and how he refused to just accept Don Juan's way of the world. Don Juan using the mind to do things differently seemed simple and following his instructions made me feel capable of seeing and living like a warrior too. I just wish we didn't have Carlos as the narrator or that Carlos eventually saw.
July 27, 2023
Carlos Castaneda's "A Separate Reality" is a mind-expanding journey into the world of shamanism and spirituality. Thought-provoking and immersive, it challenges perceptions and ignites a quest for deeper understanding.
September 27, 2022
Although I am not 100% a believer in Carlos Castaneda's veracity, I am enthralled by some of his ideas as expressed in A Separate Reality: Further Conversations with Don Juan.
December 3, 2019
I read a biography (The life and teachings of Carlos Castaneda) of Castaneda previously and was rather put off about him, since it turned out he was by no means a pleasant character. I thus did not plan to read any more of his books. But then I found this one and thought I would try it.
I didn’t find it as good as some of the other books. Don Juan, the Yaqui Indian who was training Carlos to be a sorcerer, or whatever, kept getting him to do such strange, complicated, and, according to what Don Juan said, deadly dangerous, things that it was difficult to find rhyme or reason in them.
And Carlos did not seem to get anything out of it at all.
Previously, Carlos was wanting information about plants, especially peyote, which is a hallucinogenic cactus.
Carlos was a student of anthropology interested in medicinal plants but was also extremely curious about Don Juan. His eyes shone “with a light of their own”.
They became friends. But Carlos was interested in “academic knowledge that transcends experience” whereas Don Juan talked about direct knowledge of the world.
Don Juan tells Carlos he must “feel everything, otherwise the world loses its sense”.
Don Juan tells him that Carlos shuts off the world around him and clings to his arguments: therefore all he has are problems.
Don Juan calls peyote “Mescalito” and said Mescalito taught “the right way of life”, He regarded jimson weed and the mushrooms as powers of a different sort. He called them “allies” and said a sorcerer “drew his strength from manipulating an ally”. The power contained in the mushroom was Don Juan��s personal ally, and he called it “smoke” or “little smoke”.
Carlos began to lose the certainty that “the reality of everyday life is something we can take for granted”.
Don Juan’s premise was that a light, amenable disposition was needed in order to understand the impact and strangeness of the knowledge he was teaching Carlos.
“To be a man of knowledge one needs to be light and fluid.”
Don Juan tried to teach Carlos to “see”. “Looking” was the ordinary way of perceiving the world, while “seeing” entailed a complex process by which a man of knowledge perceives the “essence” of the things of the world.
Smoking the mixture was indispensable for “seeing”.
Part One of the book is called “The Preliminaries of Seeing” and Part Two “The Task of Seeing”.
Don Juan tells Carlos that “the little smoke” will help him to “see” men as fibres of light.
Don Juan had a sense of drama, and humour.
Many things Don Juan says seem cryptic. Carlos keeps asking him to explain what he means. Don Juan tells about “controlled folly”.
Nothing one does is important. “Controlled folly” is very much like “seeing”; it is something you cannot think about.
In order to become a man of knowledge one must be a warrior. “One must strive without giving up --- until one “sees”., only to realize then that nothing matters.”
He records everything that occurs in great detail, including the exact dates on which they occur. He describes everything accurately, pedantically.
I found the book absolutely readable, though didn’t feel I really understood everything, perhaps nothing. Don Juan’s world was a different one from ours and his knowledge a different sort of knowledge.
But if the world of sorcery. “seeing” and becoming a man of knowledge interest you, then read the book. I’m not sure, but I think it was Castaneda’s second book. Happy reading!
I didn’t find it as good as some of the other books. Don Juan, the Yaqui Indian who was training Carlos to be a sorcerer, or whatever, kept getting him to do such strange, complicated, and, according to what Don Juan said, deadly dangerous, things that it was difficult to find rhyme or reason in them.
And Carlos did not seem to get anything out of it at all.
Previously, Carlos was wanting information about plants, especially peyote, which is a hallucinogenic cactus.
Carlos was a student of anthropology interested in medicinal plants but was also extremely curious about Don Juan. His eyes shone “with a light of their own”.
They became friends. But Carlos was interested in “academic knowledge that transcends experience” whereas Don Juan talked about direct knowledge of the world.
Don Juan tells Carlos he must “feel everything, otherwise the world loses its sense”.
Don Juan tells him that Carlos shuts off the world around him and clings to his arguments: therefore all he has are problems.
Don Juan calls peyote “Mescalito” and said Mescalito taught “the right way of life”, He regarded jimson weed and the mushrooms as powers of a different sort. He called them “allies” and said a sorcerer “drew his strength from manipulating an ally”. The power contained in the mushroom was Don Juan��s personal ally, and he called it “smoke” or “little smoke”.
Carlos began to lose the certainty that “the reality of everyday life is something we can take for granted”.
Don Juan’s premise was that a light, amenable disposition was needed in order to understand the impact and strangeness of the knowledge he was teaching Carlos.
“To be a man of knowledge one needs to be light and fluid.”
Don Juan tried to teach Carlos to “see”. “Looking” was the ordinary way of perceiving the world, while “seeing” entailed a complex process by which a man of knowledge perceives the “essence” of the things of the world.
Smoking the mixture was indispensable for “seeing”.
Part One of the book is called “The Preliminaries of Seeing” and Part Two “The Task of Seeing”.
Don Juan tells Carlos that “the little smoke” will help him to “see” men as fibres of light.
Don Juan had a sense of drama, and humour.
Many things Don Juan says seem cryptic. Carlos keeps asking him to explain what he means. Don Juan tells about “controlled folly”.
Nothing one does is important. “Controlled folly” is very much like “seeing”; it is something you cannot think about.
In order to become a man of knowledge one must be a warrior. “One must strive without giving up --- until one “sees”., only to realize then that nothing matters.”
He records everything that occurs in great detail, including the exact dates on which they occur. He describes everything accurately, pedantically.
I found the book absolutely readable, though didn’t feel I really understood everything, perhaps nothing. Don Juan’s world was a different one from ours and his knowledge a different sort of knowledge.
But if the world of sorcery. “seeing” and becoming a man of knowledge interest you, then read the book. I’m not sure, but I think it was Castaneda’s second book. Happy reading!
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