Carlos Castaneda, Ph.D. was the author of The Teachings of Don Juan and 11 other best-selling books about his apprenticeship with don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian from Sonora, Mexico. Don Juan was a nagual or leader of a group of men and women shamans whose lineage began in ancient Mexico. Dr. Castaneda was a graduate student in anthropology at UCLA seeking a native expert on medicinal plants of the American Southwest when he met don Juan in Yuma, Arizona. His field guide became his teacher, and Castaneda’s books chronicle his transformation from student to shaman apprentice.
While his initiation via hallucinogenic plants was a cultural keystone of the 60s, galvanizing the hearts and minds of a generation and spurring a breakthrough in anthropological research, Dr. Castaneda later eschewed the use of those plants, choosing alternate methods to break the boundaries of normal perception. He came to believe that one could most effectively access “separate realities” through the discipline of self-examination and physical movements he called Tensegrity.
Dr. Castaneda’s readers number millions worldwide, and his books are in continuous print in 17 languages. His first book, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, appeared in 1968 and was an immediate bestseller. Dr. Castaneda maintained that shamanism is an evolutionary journey of return—to the spirit, and the freedom to perceive not only the world taken for granted but everything else that is humanly possible: “the known, the unknown, and the unknowable.”
Cleargreen, Incorporated, is the organization Carlos Castaneda established in 1995 to promote seminars and workshops throughout the world. These include the teaching of Tensegrity, a series of light and focused movements that require no special equipment and can be performed by practitioners of all ages. Announcements regarding upcoming workshops and feedback from participants are continuously updated on the company’s web site at www.castaneda.com.
• To seek freedom is the only driving force I know. Freedom is to fly off into that infinity out there. Freedom is to dissolve, to lift off, to be like the flame of a candle, which, in spite of being up against the light of a billion stars, remains intact because it never pretended to be more than what it is: a mere candle. (Art of Dreaming)
• To be impeccable means to put your life in the line to back up your decisions and then do quite a lot more than your best to realize those decisions. (Art of Dreaming)
• The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same. (Journey to Ixtlan)
• A man of knowledge lives by acting, not by thinking about acting. (Separate Reality)
• Look at every path closely and deliberately, then ask ourselves this crucial question: Does this path have a heart? If it does, then the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use. (Teachings of don Juan)
To be angry at people means that one considers their acts to be important. It is imperative to cease to feel that way. The acts of men cannot be important enough to offset our only viable alternative: our unchangeable encounter with infinity. (Teachings of don Juan)
• A rule of thumb for a warrior is that he makes his decisions so carefully that nothing that may happen as a result of them can surprise him, much less drain his power. (Tales of Power)
• The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse. (Tales of Power)
• The most effective way to live is as a warrior. A warrior may worry and think before making any decision, but once he makes it, he goes his way, free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting him. That’s the warrior’s way. (Separate Reality)
The Teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda’s first book, remains a magical touchstone for millions of readers. It is a marvelous introduction to his work, setting the pace and tone for the volumes to come. I recommend it as the place to get started.
In The Teachings of Don Juan, Dr. Castaneda describes Don Juan’s perception and mastery of the “non-ordinary reality” and how peyote and other plants sacred to the Mexican Indians were used as gateways to the mysteries of dread, clarity, and power. Dr. Castaneda uses a storytelling technique to introduce you to Don Juan’s teachings and wealth of knowledge.
The Wheel of Time, written much later, is another good place to begin. It is a compendium of quotations from many of his books, with the author providing invaluable commentary from the view of a lifetime on the warrior’s path. Other important sources include two books written by don Juan’s female apprentices: Being-in-Dreaming by Florinda Donner-Grau and The Sorcerers’ Crossing by Taisha Abelar.
The practical aspects of Carlos Castaneda’s teachings are delineated in the book, Magical Passes, and four videos that demonstrate the physical movements he called Tensegrity (a term coined by R. Buckminster Fuller). These movements, taught to Dr. Castaneda by his own teacher, consist of an elegant tensing and relaxing of one’s tendons and muscles in a way that promotes physical and energetic vitality. For more information, visit www.castaneda.com and click on “Tensegrity.”
ADDRESS: Cleargreen, Incorporated
10812A Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
PHONE: (310) 839-7150
WEBSITE: www.castaneda.com
(also reached by typing www.cleargreen.com)