In this work, Carlos Casteneda revisits a plethora of events that he had previously discussed in his earlier two books, which pertained to his apprenticeship with Don Juan Matus.

He opined that the first two books were overly concentrated on the extremely weird and psychedelic experiences, perhaps making those experiences seem unobtainable. In this particular work, he truly steers clear of dealing with the psychedelic facets of his anthropological study of the Yaqui Indians. Instead, he zeroes in on the personal psychological and emotional development that he underwent.

Casteneda placed a great deal of emphasis on the dialogue between himself and Don Juan Matus, especially on those conversations where he was being rebuked to alter certain aspects of his behavior. A more distinct line is delineated between useful and useless psychological patterns. These include inflated views of self-importance, indulging in thought patterns that yield no constructive benefit, and attempting to overly-rationalize what one experiences in life and force it into a socially-accepted perspective of the world.

Although numerous events are comparable to those expounded upon in the first two books, this book is by no means a mere rehash of the previous episodes. The conversations are more detailed, and upon concluding this work, one departs with the sense that they have gained a somewhat enhanced understanding of the mind of the Yaqui shaman.

Kelionė į dvasingumą su narkotikų pagalba yra labai pavojingas kelias.

Narkotikai gali turėti labai rimtas pasekmes žmonijos sveikatai. Jie gali paveikti nervų sistemą, aplinkosaugą ir žmonijos gyvenimą kartu.

Taip pat, naudojant narkotikus, žmonės gali būti kankinami nuo įkusčių, nusikalstamų veiksmų ir kitų problemas.

Taigi, būtina suprasti, kad kelionė į dvasingumą su narkotikų pagalba nėra tinkamas būdas išsivaikščioti nuo gyvenimo problemų.

Užuot naudoję narkotikus, žmonės turėtų ieškoti geresnių būdų išspręsti savo problemas, tokių kaip konsultacijos su psichologu, fizinių aktyvumų praktikavimas ar kiti sveiki gyvenimo būdai.

Tai yra tiksliau ir saugesnis būdas išsivaikščioti nuo stresų ir problemų, o ne keliauti į pavojingą dvasingumą su narkotikų pagalba.

It’s truly arduous to comprehensively depict the senselessness of this book without veering into the territory of insult. However, even the author, towards the conclusion of the book, informs the reader that the trickster God, Coyote, has been steering Castaneda towards a preordained revelation. That is, his journey back to Los Angeles can never come to pass as he is now a warrior who practices detachment from life by accepting the knowledge of his own mortality and gullibility. He believes that his inner thoughts form reality simply because he feels they must be true, enabling him to resolve his own psychoanalytical conundrums at the reader’s expense.

I don't really mind that this book is fictional, or that he contends the path to understanding is lined with drugs, or that he asserts a master must lead us, or that he clearly has faith in magic. What I do care about is that his philosophical meanderings are childish and not worthy of serious thought. (I am aware that he has toned down the drug use in this book, but he still makes allusions to it throughout.)

Willful ignorance and delusion scarcely give rise to profound and incisive insights that assist one in solving the enigma of existence. Consequently, this book is best left unread. I would even venture to say that it is the most philosophically immature of the books in the series thus far, as the author is now beginning to believe his own drivel.

I didn't like it and I didn't finish it. Damn it. I don't like leaving books unfinished, but when I reached the middle and saw that I was only reading it out of inertia and because of an assignment, I felt very bad about that book. Maybe I'll manage to finish it later. For now, I still don't believe in Castañeda's work. It remains in fiction, nothing more.

I had high hopes when I started reading this book, but as I delved deeper, those hopes gradually faded. The story didn't grip me as I expected, and the characters seemed rather flat. I found myself constantly losing interest and having to force myself to continue reading.

Despite my initial reluctance to give up, I finally reached a point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I decided to put the book aside and move on to something else. Maybe in the future, when my mood and circumstances are different, I'll give it another try. But for now, I'm content with leaving it unfinished.

Header Book. Five stars for the teachings of Master Don Juan that show us another way to see and understand the world.

Filled with sentences to underline and memorize as life lessons.

To be read in one go, if possible, during a long bus journey.

This book is truly a gem. It offers profound insights and perspectives that can change the way we view our daily lives and the world around us.

The teachings of Master Don Juan are presented in a clear and accessible manner, making it easy for readers to absorb and apply them.

Each sentence is like a precious pearl, waiting to be discovered and cherished.

Whether you are looking for inspiration, guidance, or simply a new way of thinking, this book is sure to deliver.

So, grab a copy, hop on a bus, and embark on a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.

Leído en un viaje al sur por recomendación de mi analista.

Although I think the book has several superfluous chapters (particularly Carlos' outings to the mountains), the conversations between Juan and Carlos should be mandatory reading for humanity.

The data it presents is fundamental for living as a hunter and eventually, a warrior. This is a metaphor for a life with fewer neuroses.

Among the recommendations as a way of life, the following stand out: 1) Act based on the understanding that death is always on the left; 2) Forget personal history; 3) Don't consider oneself important; 4) Don't be in the middle of the road; 5) Seek power and seize the cm3 of luck; 6) Know that it is possible to "see" instead of "look" (this is explained in depth in Another Reality).

This book offers profound insights and practical advice that can transform one's perspective on life. It challenges us to question our assumptions and behaviors, and to strive for a more meaningful and fulfilling existence.

Whether you are a seeker of truth, a warrior at heart, or simply someone looking for a new way of thinking, this book is well worth reading.

Castaneda's works had a profound impact on me, keeping me in a state of constant speculation and causing me to focus on my life from various perspectives for approximately 4 years.

His series of books is truly ingenious. I was completely engrossed in them, devouring each one for the captivating stories they contain. There is so much to learn and unlearn from these books.

This particular book is not only an incredibly unbelievable journey but also an anthropological study. It serves as a reminder that there is far more to life than what meets the eye. Moreover, it shows that there are stranger states of mind and life that exist beyond those induced by drugs.

Castaneda's writing has opened my eyes to new possibilities and has made me question many of the assumptions I had previously held about the world and myself.

I am truly grateful for having discovered his works and look forward to continuing to explore the depths of his ideas in the future.

From an artistic point of view - of course, it's nothing. From a philosophical... still, Castaneda sensed something, but it was perverted by his followers, astral travelers, and dreamers. He writes about the world, but their world is limited by their minds. What he describes - years of the path, serious preparation, experience going beyond the daily life of an ordinary person - and all this cannot be discounted in attempts to gather a group of followers and become a guru for those who flip through magazines or come for a two-week training.

Someday I will read a couple more of his books, but for now it's enough for me. The narrative is rather monotonous, and I already know where it leads.

In conclusion, while Castaneda may have had some interesting insights, his work has been misinterpreted and misused by some. It's important to approach his ideas with a critical eye and not blindly follow the claims of his followers.

There is a book that, if you let it, can deeply inspire you. Among the three books that I read in sequence, it is the best one.

The philosophy it presents is very similar to the Eastern philosophy and the teachings I am familiar with, but the hidden wisdom and the refreshing journey it undertakes make it unforgettable. Especially the descriptions and the places where the encounters occur are very interesting and engaging.

By the way, as always, among the reviews, my eyes caught those written in Persian.

Most of them smelled of copy and paste, and in one of them, the term "the hero of the story" was used, which, considering the content of the book, was strangely reversed :D

I don't know why, but I feel that I shouldn't read Persian reviews anymore.

This book truly had a profound impact on me. To be more precise, it was the very last chapter that touched my heart deeply and almost brought me to tears.

It is my first encounter with the Don Juan series of philosophy and shaman ways. I have been informed that this particular book is the most accessible one, and so far, I wholeheartedly agree. The book was extremely engaging, and it didn't seem to be burdened by excessive philosophy.

However, like many readers, I was in a dilemma as to how much of this story to believe actually occurred. It is classified as a nonfiction book and is written in the first person, detailing what Carlos claims he experienced. Nevertheless, there is a great deal of fantastical magic that takes place right before the eyes of this eyewitness.

Despite all that, I feel that I have gained a great deal from reading it. I sense that much of what I have gone through in my own life has been affirmed by Don Juan's teachings to Carlos. I really liked that aspect.

But the last chapter, with its confession about knowing that once this transformation occurs, there is no turning back. Even after conquering their "ally" and seeing the other worlds, one remains human and cannot return to the place they once called home, despite spending the rest of their life trying to journey back. That was truly heartbreaking for me, and it would seem, for Carlos as well.

Carlos Castaneda's reputation has taken a significant hit since his passing in 1998. Initially, many scholars were captivated by his first books. However, over time, they have come to doubt the existence of Don Juan Matus, the Yaqui Indian who serves as Carlos's teacher in the realm of shamanism. For my part, I am not overly concerned with whether Castaneda was strictly telling the truth. Instead, I am re-reading his books from a different perspective, that of evaluating a system of thought that I find truly fascinating.

"Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan" stands out as the best among his first three books. In it, he continues to maintain the pretense of constantly jotting down notes while being instructed by Don Juan. But rather than simply presenting "A Yaqui Way of Knowledge," I discover a captivating shamanistic way of life set in the desert landscapes of Arizona and the Mexican State of Sonora.

Carlos Castaneda may have indeed become a sort of brujo (sorcerer), but I believe he was a flawed one, lured by the path of power that he so vividly describes in his books.

Carlos Castaneda's work continues to spark debate and curiosity, inviting readers to explore the complex world of shamanism and the boundaries of truth and imagination.

Carlos Castaneda is often dismissed by some as just a hippie "consumer" whose works and visions are solely attributed to the effects of his dependence on the mushrooms and hallucinogenic plants of the Indian shamans. They explain his success by the fact that he hopped on the New Age philosophy and lifestyle bandwagon at the right time. Ironically, in his books, Castaneda himself attempts to explain phenomena like "stopping the world", parallel universes, or "battles of power" by resorting to the same limited rational means, and fails miserably each time, much to the amusement of his Yaqui mentors.

Above all, beyond all the theories regarding the authenticity of the things that abound in "Journey to Ixtlan" and the paranormal feats described therein, what cannot be disputed, in my opinion, is Castaneda's extraordinary talent as a storyteller and "embodier" of experiences, surely borrowed from his peyote-consuming mentors. "Journey" is a plotless book composed of descriptions of walks in the desert in the company of the enigmatic shaman don Juan. Nevertheless, it manages to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, more skillfully than many of the "thrillers" that sell the illusion of suspense by the square meter. It's a book with an often ugly cover and a title that says nothing, perhaps only promising a dull travel guide. And yet it delivers far beyond any expectations, leaving you with a whole bunch of questions. Among them - what would come out if a "collector" with Castaneda's patience and talent were to listen to what the old men who still know something about the teachings and the solitary ways of the shamans have to say?

And a typical fragment for a book that makes almost everything out of nothing: "I and the crow were not different at all. Death, like a shadow, was following both of us from behind the sick one. We had an extraordinary moment of exaltation. I and the crow were on an equal footing. Neither of us was better than the other. Our death made us equal."