Excerpt from The Wheel of Time, by Carlos Castaneda

[manitou]

This excerpt from The Wheel of Time, written by Castaneda, is where he is commenting on another book he wrote, Tales of Power. His description of the loneliness and the impeccable intent required to be a warrior reminds me a lot of some of our recent threads here. Thought you might enjoy it....

 

"Tales of Power" is the mark of my ultimate downfall. At the time that the events narrated in that book took place, I suffered a profound emotional upheaval, a warrior's breakdown. Don Juan Matus left this world, and left his four apprentices in it. Each of those apprentices was approached personally by don Juan, and assigned a specific task. I considered the task given to me to be a placebo that had no significance whatsoever in comparison to the loss. (The task given to him was to write another book)

Not to see don Juan anymore could not be soothed by pseudo-tasks. My first plea with don Juan was, naturally, to tell him that I wanted to go with him.

"You are not ready yet", he said. "Let's be realistic."

"But I could make myself ready in the blink of an eye," I assured him.

"I don't doubt that. You'll be ready, but not for me. I demand perfect efficiency. I demand an impeccable Intent, an impeccable discipline. You don't have that yet. You will, you're coming to it, but you're not there yet."

"You have the power to take me, don Juan. Raw and imperfect."

"I suppose I do, but I won't, because it would be a shameful waste for you. You stand to lose everything, take my word. Don't insist. Insisting is not in the realm of warriors."

That statement was sufficient to stop me. Internally, however, I yearned to go with him, to venture beyond the boundaries of everything that I knew as normal and real.

When the moment came in which don Juan actually left the world, he turned into some colored, vaporous luminosity. He was pure energy, flowing freely in the universe. My sensation of loss was so immense at that moment that I wanted to die. I disregarded everything don Juan had said, and without any hesitation, I proceeded to throw myself off a precipice. I reasoned that if I did that, in death, don Juan would have been obliged to take me with him, and save whatever bit of awareness was left in me.

But for reasons that are inexplicable, whether I view it from the premises of my normal cognition, or from the cognition of the shamans' world, I didn't die. I was left alone in the world of everyday life, while my three cohorts were scattered all over the world. I was unknown to myself, something which made my loneliness more poignant than ever.

I saw myself as an agent provocateur, a spy of sorts, that don Juan had left behind for some obscure reasons. The quotations drawn from the corpus of Tales of Power show the unknown quality of the world, not the world of shamans, but the world of everyday life, which, according to don Juan, is as mysterious and rich as anything can be. All we need to pluck the wonders of this world of everyday life is enough detachment. But more than detachment, we need enough affection and abandon.

"A warrior must love this world," don Juan had warned me, "in order for this world that seems so commonplace to open up and show its wonders."

We were, at the time that he voiced this statement, in the desert of Sonora.

"It is a sublime feeling," he said, "to be in this marvelous desert, to see those ragged peaks of pseudo-mountains that were really made by the flow of lava of long-gone volcanoes. It is a glorious feeling to find that some of those nuggets of obsidian were created at such high temperatures that they still retain the mark of their origin. They have power galore. To wander aimlessly in those ragged peaks and actually find a piece of quartz that picks up radio waves is extraordinary. The only drawback to this marvelous picture is that to enter into the marvels of this world, or into the marvels of another world, a man needs to be a warrior: calm, collected, indifferent, seasoned by the onslaughts of the unknown. You are not seasoned that way yet. Therefore, it is your duty to seek that fulfillment before you could talk about venturing into the infinite."

I have spent thirty-five years of my life seeking the maturity of a warrior. I have gone to places that defy description, seeking that sensation of being seasoned by the onslaughts of the unknown. I went unobtrusively, unannounced, and I came back in the same fashion.

The worlds of warriors are silent and solitary, and when warriors go, or come back, they do it so inconspicuously that nobody is the wiser. To seek a warrior's maturity in any other fashion would be ostentatious, and therefore, inadmissible.

The quotations from Tales of Power were the most poignant reminder to me that the Intent of the shamans who lived in Mexico in ancient times was still impeccably at work. The Wheel of Time was moving inexorably around me, forcing me to look into grooves which one cannot talk about and still remain coherent.

"Suffice it to say," don Juan said to me once, "that the immensity of this world, be it the shamans' world or the average man's, is so conspicuous that only an aberration could keep us from noticing it. Trying to explain to aberrant beings what it is like to be lost in the grooves of the Wheel of Time is the most absurd thing that a warrior can undertake. Therefore, he makes sure that his journeys are only the property of his condition of being a warrior."

[strawdog65]

 

All we need to pluck the wonders of this world of everyday life is enough detachment. But more than detachment, we need enough affection and abandon.

 

"A warrior must love this world," don Juan had warned me, "in order for this world that seems so commonplace to open up and show its wonders."

 

 

 

Hi Manitou!

 

 

Nice!

 

The entire excerpt is very moving and illuminating.

 

I picked out these two parts because of their personal significance to me.

The idea of having affection and abandon... of wholly offering yourself to this world,

of complete acceptance and Love of all things, seeing the majesty of the world and

and the world that exists within ourselves.

Is there an inherent need to become cynical when cultivating spiritual awareness?

I think not. The things that occur, the things that we judge and say are "bad",

are of no significance to the universe, they only matter to the mind of man.

 

Loving this world, seeing the beauty in everything.

Appreciating every moment as a beautiful, wholly contained,

pearl of eternal nature, this is the world to me.

 

A never ending string of pearls.... every moment is in and of it's self a life time,

and when we have affection and let ourselves experience life without expectation...

that is when the majesty of the world opens her petals to us...

And welcomes us home.

 

Peace

[Jetsun]

I loved reading the Castaneda books, thanks for the quote.

[manitou]

Sounds like you're in a pretty stripped down moment.

[manitou]

 

 

 

Loving this world, seeing the beauty in everything.

Appreciating every moment as a beautiful, wholly contained,

pearl of eternal nature, this is the world to me.

 

 

Or....It's all good.

 

Hate to get so pedestrian on you, but my favorite self-imagine, when I'm in the Tao, is Snoopy sitting on top of his doghouse with the wind blowing his ears back. A big smile on his face.

[Fu_dog]

I am slowly working my way through Casteneda's books, but have not yet read this one. I always enjoy the words of don Juan, so thanks for posting. Pretty strong stuff.

[trailmaker]

I am slowly working my way through Casteneda's books, but have not yet read this one. I always enjoy the words of don Juan, so thanks for posting. Pretty strong stuff.

 

Yes - "A Yaqui way of Knowledge" not difficult for this taoist to appreciate...

[doc benway]

Loved the books myself. I read them when they were first published and re-read all of them a few years ago.

It was an interesting experience - while reading through one of the books that talked a lot about dreaming, I realized one day that I would have a completely lucid dream that very night. Sure enough, became lucid in my dream and spent the time traveling around and doing a bunch of fun stuff. Haven't had a lucid dream since.

[Stigweard]

Loved the books myself. I read them when they were first published and re-read all of them a few years ago.

It was an interesting experience - while reading through one of the books that talked a lot about dreaming, I realized one day that I would have a completely lucid dream that very night. Sure enough, became lucid in my dream and spent the time traveling around and doing a bunch of fun stuff. Haven't had a lucid dream since.

Exactly the same thing happened to me ... found my hands in my dream ... very groovy!

 

[Cloudhand]

Castaneda was a big fake and disappointment.

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Castaneda was a big fake and disappointment.

 

Castaneda was a trickster, and pulled off his scam. That some of it may have been fake...does it matter? The teachings stand on their own.

[RiverSnake]

The only drawback to this marvelous picture is that to enter into the marvels of this world, or into the marvels of another world, a man needs to be a warrior: calm, collected, indifferent, seasoned by the onslaughts of the unknown. You are not seasoned that way yet. Therefore, it is your duty to seek that fulfillment before you could talk about venturing into the infinite."

I have spent thirty-five years of my life seeking the maturity of a warrior. I have gone to places that defy description, seeking that sensation of being seasoned by the onslaughts of the unknown. I went unobtrusively, unannounced, and I came back in the same fashion.

The worlds of warriors are silent and solitary, and when warriors go, or come back, they do it so inconspicuously that nobody is the wiser. To seek a warrior's maturity in any other fashion would be ostentatious, and therefore, inadmissible.

 

 

This part spoke to me.

 

I actually just purchased the book Esoteric Warriors, you have inspired me to take it off my shelf and begin reading.

[Vajrahridaya]

Castaneda was a trickster, and pulled off his scam. That some of it may have been fake...does it matter? The teachings stand on their own.

 

I agree. I read one of his books about 20 years ago and thought it was interesting. Imagination can be inspirational. He does seem to pull from some Shamanistic truths to give the stories more validity.

 

I read his interview with Muktananda around the same time and he does say some things that contradict his stories, revealing holes of untruth.

[manitou]

Castaneda was a big fake and disappointment.

 

LOL. Not true.

[Cloudhand]

LOL. Not true.

 

 

Follow your cults and your fakes. But the truth is, people died because they followed this rip off. Cloudhand

[manitou]

Well, then, you must be right.

[fiveelementtao]

LOL. Not true.

Sadly, it is true. some of his followers did commit suicide after he died. I studied all of his books intensely for years and was devastated when I learned that he was a fraud. I denied it too, but I did some research and was convinced. Do some research and you will see. His books are brilliant fiction with some very beautiful, powerful and truthful concepts which if applied can help one's practice. But, he made it all up.

His writings about the assemblage point and other energy concepts are his fantasy and have no basis in any real energy teachings. Try his "tensegrity" forms and you will see. Worthless. I have the videos and practiced them for a while and NOTHING. He was brilliant, but he was a complete fraud.

[manitou]

Sadly, it is true. some of his followers did commit suicide after he died. I studied all of his books intensely for years and was devastated when I learned that he was a fraud. I denied it too, but I did some research and was convinced. Do some research and you will see. His books are brilliant fiction with some very beautiful, powerful and truthful concepts which if applied can help one's practice. But, he made it all up.

His writings about the assemblage point and other energy concepts are his fantasy and have no basis in any real energy teachings. Try his "tensegrity" forms and you will see. Worthless. I have the videos and practiced them for a while and NOTHING. He was brilliant, but he was a complete fraud.

 

Dear friend - My husband and I have walked this path for years and this certainly has not been our experience. Please forgive me if I don't go to the trouble of researching his fraudulent work. My guess is that the path may not have worked for you if you weren't serious about recapitulating your life. That's where most people fall short. It's a personal inventory that purges one's character flaws and develops the warrior spirit; it breeds impeccability in one's actions and thoughts. It is also the very thing that frees us from the blockages that impede our clarity. But most folks don't want to bother with that - it's too hard and too time-consuming. Did you find that to be the case?

[Stigweard]

Sadly, it is true. some of his followers did commit suicide after he died. I studied all of his books intensely for years and was devastated when I learned that he was a fraud. I denied it too, but I did some research and was convinced. Do some research and you will see. His books are brilliant fiction with some very beautiful, powerful and truthful concepts which if applied can help one's practice. But, he made it all up.

His writings about the assemblage point and other energy concepts are his fantasy and have no basis in any real energy teachings. Try his "tensegrity" forms and you will see. Worthless. I have the videos and practiced them for a while and NOTHING. He was brilliant, but he was a complete fraud.

Ahhh ... so black and white is it?

 

Here is the BBC documentary on Carlos:

 

Carlos Castaneda And The Shaman. Tales From The Jungle | ultraorange.net

 

The truth is that, as any good work of fiction is, Carlos' books were part anthropological research and part story-telling. So there is verifiable Toltec cultural ontology within his work. Unfortunately its all the other crap that you have to sift through to get to the good stuff.

 

If anyone is interested in getting a more practical transmission of the Toltec Way of the Warrior then I would highly recommend Warriors Keep: The Toltec Teachings by Theun Mares

[fiveelementtao]

Dear friend - My husband and I have walked this path for years and this certainly has not been our experience. Please forgive me if I don't go to the trouble of researching his fraudulent work. My guess is that the path may not have worked for you if you weren't serious about recapitulating your life. That's where most people fall short. It's a personal inventory that purges one's character flaws and develops the warrior spirit; it breeds impeccability in one's actions and thoughts. It is also the very thing that frees us from the blockages that impede our clarity. But most folks don't want to bother with that - it's too hard and too time-consuming. Did you find that to be the case?

This is not about your personal experience. That is not nor has it ever been in question. Your personal experience is valid and worthy. It is not an either/or proposition. Your personal experiences are not nullified because Castaneda lied. You can still practice his teachings and enjoy them AND he can still be a liar and a fraud. and to answer your (passive aggressive) question: No. I did not find that to be the case. I am not rejecting Castenada because I am lazy or wasn't "ruthless" enough to face myself. As I stated previously, I practiced his teachings intensely for years. Including many recapitulations. They were very powerful. However, that does not change the fact that Castaneda himself was a fraud.

[fiveelementtao]

Ahhh ... so black and white is it?

 

Here is the BBC documentary on Carlos:

 

Carlos Castaneda And The Shaman. Tales From The Jungle | ultraorange.net

 

The truth is that, as any good work of fiction is, Carlos' books were part anthropological research and part story-telling. So there is verifiable Toltec cultural ontology within his work. Unfortunately its all the other crap that you have to sift through to get to the good stuff.

 

If anyone is interested in getting a more practical transmission of the Toltec Way of the Warrior then I would highly recommend Warriors Keep: The Toltec Teachings by Theun Mares

 

Well... Yes. the man lied. He wasn't consciously writing myth to heal and teach. He was falsely portraying himself as having actually experienced what he wrote about. there is a difference. As any good writer of fiction, he obviously borrowed from truth. But, as has been pointed out, many people were harmed greatly by him personally. He was an abusive, cult leader whose reputation was based on lies. That is a far cry from writers of myth who knowingly use poetic truths to teach and enhance peoples' lives...

here are some examples...

http://www.toltecas.com/Castaneda%20Controversies/ArticleCast.htm

http://www.sustainedaction.org/Wallace_Book/Ellis%20FAQ.htm

[Stigweard]

Well... Yes. the man lied. He wasn't consciously writing myth to heal and teach. He was falsely portraying himself as having actually experienced what he wrote about. there is a difference. As any good writer of fiction, he obviously borrowed from truth. But, as has been pointed out, many people were harmed greatly by him personally. He was an abusive, cult leader whose reputation was based on lies. That is a far cry from writers of myth who knowingly use poetic truths to teach and enhance peoples' lives...

here are some examples...

http://www.toltecas.com/Castaneda%20Controversies/ArticleCast.htm

http://www.sustainedaction.org/Wallace_Book/Ellis%20FAQ.htm

 

I am not questioning anything you are saying about CC ... there's plenty of evidence to support all allegations.

 

My point is that it's too rigid a view to say that Carlos' contributions were "all bad".

 

Are you upset that Zhang Sanfeng, the legendary founder of Taijiquan, is a nothing more then a literary myth?

 

Are you upset by possibility that Laozi was not really a living person but perhaps a collective of sages including women?

 

We are told they were real people so they are just different shades of lies, aren't they?

 

Poisons are bad right? But at homeopathic doses poisons can heal. So are poisons "all bad"?

 

Pain is bad right? But pain can be the catalyst for positive change and helps us learn. So is pain "all bad"?

 

My point again is that it may be rash and somewhat prejudiced thinking to simply whitewash a persons contribution to society as "all bad".

 

[fiveelementtao]

 

 

My point is that it's too rigid a view to say that Carlos' contributions were "all bad".

 

 

 

I never said that... In fact, if you go back and read my initial post on this thread, you will see I said quite the opposite... I said

 

His books are brilliant fiction with some very beautiful, powerful and truthful concepts which if applied can help one's practice.

 

Stiggie, I'm surprised at you... tsk, tsk...

[Vajrahridaya]

 

I am not questioning anything you are saying about CC ... there's plenty of evidence to support all allegations.

 

My point is that it's too rigid a view to say that Carlos' contributions were "all bad".

 

Are you upset that Zhang Sanfeng, the legendary founder of Taijiquan, is a nothing more then a literary myth?

 

Are you upset by possibility that Laozi was not really a living person but perhaps a collective of sages including women?

 

We are told they were real people so they are just different shades of lies, aren't they?

 

Poisons are bad right? But at homeopathic doses poisons can heal. So are poisons "all bad"?

 

Pain is bad right? But pain can be the catalyst for positive change and helps us learn. So is pain "all bad"?

 

My point again is that it may be rash and somewhat prejudiced thinking to simply whitewash a persons contribution to society as "all bad".

 

 

This is wise. But, that doesn't take away from CC's personal karma and personal intentions behind doing what he did. If people walk away with the good and feel inspired, that is talking more towards where these inspired people are coming from and their karmas, having nothing to do with what kind of future CC might have... simply based upon his hidden intentions for fame and glory... maybe? I'm assuming here. I don't know really. But to claim for so long that something is real and grounded in this material world as a truth that they experienced, but then we all find out that it was all a fabrication, much of it based upon a collection of information made of truths... is none the less molded into lies, will effect the person who made such claims.

 

I wouldn't want his afterlife, then again, that too is complicated and not linear, so who knows? He might have made amends on his death bed? I'm not judging him. He is his only judge. He could be sitting high in a cloud right now, laughing about the multifarious display of karmic occurrences? I don't feel very connected to him, so I couldn't tell ya.

Edited December 7, 2010 by Vajrahridaya

[Stigweard]

I never said that... In fact, if you go back and read my initial post on this thread, you will see I said quite the opposite... I said

 

 

 

Stiggie, I'm surprised at you... tsk, tsk...

LOL Guilty as charged

 

Didn't see your earlier post ... many apologies.