Imagine being able to listen in while a shaman of any tradition teaches his apprentice through practical experiences that shake the very foundation of the student's world view. Few of us will ever have that chance in today's high-tech fast-paced world. This book is entirely dialogue recorded by the student along with his impressions of what happened next. At times whimsical, this book can shake your world view as well when you contemplate the truths within and practice your discernment from afar. ( )

This is the first book I’ve read by Castaneda in the last many, many years. I’m afraid I’m not good at reading books in the correct order, and this applies with Castaneda’s books too. It would perhaps have been easier to begin with his first books.

In this book we are instructed, among other things, about the art of stalking and the mastery of intent.

We learn about a point of brilliance called the assemblage point on the surface of the luminous ball surrounding our body. When this is moved from its usual position, it brightens up new energy fields, making them perceivable. This perception is known as seeing. Movement of the assemblage point enables perception of an entirely different world. “Sorcerers go into that other world to get energy power, solutions to … problems, or to face the unimaginable.”

Intent is what causes us to perceive. The aim of sorcerers is to reach a state of total awareness.

We are given the dramatic story of how the nagual Elias meets Julian, saves his life and takes him as his apprentice. Julian becomes the benefactor of Don Juan.

Don Juan accompanies Castaneda on long treks and in particular to a special cave which was created as “an instrument to push the apprentice deep into heightened awareness”.

Don Juan tells about a time years ago when he was kept prisoner by his benefactor, tricked into believing that the house belonged to a “monstrous man” and that he needed to wear women’s clothes in order to escape. Eventually he did manage to do so but kept being pursued by the monstrous man until he realized it was a figment of his imagination (actually, an “inorganic being”, a formless energy field).

Don Juan keeps banging Castaneda on the back, thus enabling him to move his assemblage point and enter a heightened state of awareness, in which state he clearly understands everything. However, later, he may have forgotten not only his understandings, but everything that happened.
(Don Juan states at one point that striking C’s back was actually more a trick to trap his attention than a bone fide maneuver to manipulate his perception.)

We need to intend the movement of our assemblage point. We want it to reach the place of no pity, which is the site of ruthlessness. When this happens the eyes of the sorcerer begin to shine.

Don Juan frequently bursts out laughing when Carlos opens his mouth, just as Don Juan’s benefactor Julian continually weeps profusely when together with Don Juan (which he does to hide his laughter).

We learn about the art of stalking and its four moods – ruthlessness, cunning, patience and sweetness. Stalking is “special behaviour – it is secretive, furtive, deceptive behaviour designed to deliver a jolt. And, when you stalk yourself you jolt yourself using your own behaviour in a ruthless, cunning way.”

You can use the idea of your death to stalk yourself. Death is our challenger – the only worthy opponent we have.

I found comprehension of all the presented information to be extremely challenging. Carlos himself found the material challenging/incomprehensible. This is because it is a totally different sort of information than that we are used to understanding with the logical left part of the brain.

But the book is well-written, fascinating, engrossing and highly entertaining, and I recommend it highly, although it may be preferable to begin by reading “The teachings of Don Juan” and the other early books before tackling this one. ( )

All books of Carlos Castaneda are very important to me. He (and his Don Juan), Vadim Zeland - writer from Russia, quantum physicist and Alexey Bachev - an unusual psychologist from Bulgaria, protagonist of my book Life Can Be a Miracle have shaped my way of thinking, perceiving, experiencing the reality. Very grateful for showing me the miraculous way of living!!!! ( )