• Registered: 2006-11-12

Topic: Casteneda and Don Juan

Take a look at http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007 … index.html

I always believed that Don Juan was a real person and that Casteneda experienced what he said he did. Reading the books gave me a bad feeling, though; some of the "experiences" appeared to be from hypnotic effects I was very familiar with. I was also familiar with the half-truths pushed by Scientology and knew how appealing they were. So I didn't follow his path.

The article at the link says he was a fraud. He made it all up.

I know many of the folks on this forum are trying to follow Casteneda's teachings so I'll ask; have any of you succeded? Do his books contain enough truth to be useful?

We're all butterflies flapping our wings and changing the world.

2 Reply by Tom Paine (edited by Tom Paine 2007-05-06 18:04:42)

  • Registered: 2004-10-26

Re: Casteneda and Don Juan

I found a lot of useful insights from his books, but I've never considered
following his path.  Some of his proteges have started workshops on the
"Toltec Path" and things like that, but I've never wanted to get involved.
His "Magical Passes" may come in handy in the afterlife but I haven't
read them yet.

A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan provoked a real sense of awe.
After all, here was a real live "sorcerer" telling some secrets.  Never
mind that there wasn't a real Don Juan.  The subject matter was so
interesting that one could allow a little artistic license in order to relate
the stories and principles he was trying to convey.  No one had ever
attempted to explain sorcery from the Yaqui-Indian-Toltec traditions.
I am certain that Castaneda talked with every person he could find who
knew anything about magic and sorcery in Mexico.  Many of the stories
he related could have been true.  But as far as giving the reader a clear
path to enlightenment, no.  He wasn't able to do that.  He did, however
provide the reader with a fair warning about the dangers of embarking
on that path, with the assertion that becoming a "warrior" was the
first step on the path of becoming "a man of knowledge," and without
that one was destined to fail.

Plus every book has some really quotable quotes like:

Man's greatest enemies:  1. FEAR  2. CLARITY  3. POWER  4. OLD AGE

"Whenever the internal dialogue stops, the world collapses, and
extraordinary facets of ourselves surface, as though they had
been heavily guarded by our words."

So, one can read Castaneda's books and be entertained and find
some very useful insights into the world.  Ideas and concepts
which could never really be imparted in some other context.

  • From: West Brockenshire, UK
  • Registered: 2007-04-07

Re: Casteneda and Don Juan

recently someone posted an article about one of his former loves(just one smile)  she claimed don juan was a person, but what casteneda wrote in his books was taken from all over the place, even USA territory native tradition.  well, i found the link so you dont have to search. 

http://www.wallowacountychieftain.info/ … leID=12218

but, a lot of his techniques are just too simple and innocent to be considered a untruthful(like finding your hands in your dreams, or sungazing, which i see a few posters refer too a lot)

pardon my fear, friend
  • Registered: 2004-04-21

Re: Casteneda and Don Juan

For whatever reason I was never able to stick with any of Castenada's books.  Now that I've become familiar with other Toltec lineage teachings I can recognize some of the same things in Castenada, but I still can't read his books.  Now that it's come out that he's a fraud it makes sense that I was "protected" from his work.

  • Registered: 2006-08-21

Re: Casteneda and Don Juan

You know what there is not one 'teacher' out there that isn't giving disinfo either on purpose or by accident. That's just how it is we get a mix of truth and lies. Even the stuff that everyone is rejecting now might have something in it that is very important to know! It's like with the bible there are so many hidden histories and messages in that book it's not even funny. Look at Maxwell and Tsarion's reinterpretation of it. Yet people want to throw it out because religion is mind control. I personally wouldn't throw away any books just because someone doesn't want you to read it anymore because they don't think it’s valid. Read everything you can get your hands on and try to see the underlining theme to everything in this reality.

  • Registered: 2004-10-26

Re: Casteneda and Don Juan

pickinngrinnin--I remember that link but didn't have a clue where to find it
again.  Thanks for posting that.

  • morningsun76
  • morningsun76
  • the answer has been with you the whole time
  • Offline
  • From: In two worlds
  • Registered: 2004-09-10

Re: Casteneda and Don Juan

http://www.verzend.be/v/2556681/Castane … s.zip.html