Carlos Castaneda was an anthropologist and author who wrote
about his training by a shaman.
His books are first person accounts of his apprenticeship
under don Juan Matus, a Native American sorcerer.
Carlos Castaneda wrote 12 books in all that offer intriguing
personal development ideas towards inner awareness and
enlightenment.
Biography of Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda was born in Peru on December 25, 1925. He moved
to the United States in his 20s and became a citizen of the US
in 1957. He attended UCLA and majored in anthropology.
His first books were written while he was still a student and
were composed as log books that chronicled his apprenticeship
under the wise man from Mexico.
His books were initially celebrated as important contributions
to the world of anthropology, but later, critics came to believe
the works were in part, or entirely, fiction, and belonged in
the realm of philosophy or spirituality. Carlos Castaneda was a
very private person and lived most of his life in seclusion. He
never gave a definitive answer as to whether his works were
actual first hand accounts of real experiences.
Castaneda died of cancer in 1998. His death and disposal of his
remains was as secretive and mysterious as his life. His
obituary wasn't published until two months after his death. A
writer for 'Time' magazine aptly described Carlos Castaneda as
"an enigma wrapped in a mystery."
The Beliefs of Carlos
Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda often used the term 'nagual' when speaking of
the realm that is removed, yet reachable by man. Shamans used
the term when referring to seers, or those with the ability to
shape shift into other forms. Castaneda believed that through
the practice of rituals or exercises, one could enter the realm
of the nagual and experience a different reality.
He wrote about magical passes, or meditative movements, that
were taught to him by shamans that could help one broaden
perceptual abilities. He refined the movements into a set of
exercises called Tensegrity that tenses and
relaxes various body structures and systems so there is improved
flow of energy throughout the body. This improved flow was said
to have a beneficial effect on the practitioner and the
community of mankind as a whole.
Carlos Castaneda and his followers established Cleargreen in
1995. Cleargreen is an organization dedicated to teaching the
personal development ideas of Castaneda and the movements used
in Tensegrity through workshops and classes around the world.
The name is derived from Castaneda's belief that the energy aura
of ancient humans was clear green while today our auras have
become off-white. He taught his shamanistic movements to help
his followers return to a natural human state of increased
perception that allows glimpses into alternate realities.
Even though Castaneda is no longer with us, his work and
teachings continue to be carried on by his followers through the
Cleargreen organization.
The Books of Carlos Castaneda
Yaqui Way of Knowledge' was the first book
written by Carlos Castaneda. It was submitted as his
master's thesis at UCLA School of Anthropology, and was
published in 1968. This book begins his story of a
five-year apprenticeship under Yaqui Indian sorcerer,
don Juan Matus, or Don Juan as he is sometimes called.
The book is a first person account of the initial
meeting and teachings he underwent, and an attempt to
understand and describe the nagual world and its logic.
Castaneda helps readers understand that our world is
merely a cultural construct and when we can perceive
other worlds and realities we can see our world for what
it really is.
Conversations With Don Juan' was published
in 1971. This book describes the next three years under
the tutelage of Don Juan and his experiences with
psychotropic plants. This book centers on Castaneda's
struggle to 'see'. 'Seeing' was an integral part of the
teachings of Don Juan, who referred to it as the ability
to see universal energy flowing through the components
of the world around us.
was published in 1972. In this book, Don Juan teaches
Carlos Castaneda that once a human being has expanded
his perception, he can never truly go back to life as
normal again. Instead, he longs for Ixtlan, a
metaphorical location, where the alternate world is
real, and humans are mere phantoms. Castaneda uses this
volume to refine his teachings in regards to using
psychotropic plants. He previously believed they were
the gateway to sorcery, but came to believe they weren't
necessary. Instead, he felt that 'warriors' were chosen
for the path by the unseen world.
was published in 1974 and is an account of the
experiences of Carlos Castaneda up to his final meeting
with Don Juan in 1973. This book describes a series of
visions that some have come to believe was a form of
lucid dreaming. This book acts as an initiation into the
mysterious and magical world of the shaman.
As you can see some of the books here described are also
available as ebooks and audibles.
was published in 1977 and is the first book written
after the final meeting with the sorcerer Don Juan. In
it, Castaneda introduces other apprentices and describes
his adventures towards awareness with them. He begins to
question the validity of some of the unusual experiences
he had under Don Juan, so he retraces his past in Mexico
to discover if what happened was real.
Eagle's Gift' was published in 1981. It
contains further tales of Carlos Castaneda and his
fellow apprentices. He describes the eagle's role in
delivering awareness at birth and reclaiming it late in
life. He tells how Don Juan left this world and delves
into the world of sorcery which he finds both terrifying
and mind expanding.
was published in 1984. This book by Carlos Castaneda
remembers the teachings of Don Juan, and pairs them with
his own experiences, to deepen his explanation of the
sorcerer's world.
Lessons of Don Juan' contains further
elaboration on the personal development ideas Carlos
Castaneda learned in the dessert during the late 70s.
His visions offer a glimpse into an alternate world that
is mind expanding for readers and leads to better self
realization. This book was first published in 1987.
Dreaming' was published in 1993. This book
relays the teachings of Don Juan as they relate to the
dream world. In it, Carlos Castaneda describes the steps
needed to control consciousness during dreaming. Don
Juan taught there were barriers to the dream world that
he called The Seven Gates of Dreaming. Castaneda
presented practical exercises that today are considered
steps to lucid dreaming. He believed that one could
achieve total awareness by controlling dreams.
Furthermore, he felt that behaving in specific ways
during dreams could cause changes in a person's
non-dreaming life, including creating an alternate way
of dying as happened with Don Juan. Castaneda felt that
dreaming was the door to sorcery and sorcery was the
path to paradise.
Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico'
teaches readers that in order to access the unseen
worlds of the sorcerer, sufficient energy is needed. In
this book published in 1998, Carlos Castaneda teaches
physical movements needed to gather and deploy energy
for the purposes of enhancing vitality, increasing
alertness, and perceiving other worlds.
Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death and the
Universe' was published in 1998 and offers
readers a concise overview of the personal development
ideas and teachings of Don Juan by presenting his quotes
along with interpretations by Carlos Castaneda that he
developed through years of visions, dreaming, and soul
searching.
was published in 1999 and is filled with stories and
tales of the adventures of Carlos Castaneda during his
quest for awareness and self-realization under the hand
of the sorcerer Don Juan. He offers personal development
ideas to help readers being their own quests for
expanded awareness.
The Teachings of Carlos
Castaneda Today
The teachings of don Juan Matus and the experiences of Carlos
Castaneda continue to inspire millions of people around the
world.
The personal development ideas and practical lessons in his
books and the workshops by the Cleargreen organization teach
seekers how to awaken to a greater awareness of reality.
His works are available as books, ebooks, DVDs, and audio books.
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