Hm. This is a really tough one for me!

A dear friend of mine, someone I have always deeply admired, recently recommended this book along with several others. I carefully wrote them all down and immediately rushed to look for them at my local library.

Upon arriving at the library, to my great dismay, I discovered that not only had I completely forgotten the list of books, but I also had no clue how to navigate the nonfiction section. For a minute or so, I wandered around aimlessly, with nothing but the name "Carlos" floating in my head. I started back towards the doorway but then paused, reluctant to leave empty-handed. I looked up at the shelf, and lo and behold, there it was! I excitedly told my friend and he said, "It's that kind of book. You'll see." And then he kindly reminded me of the Dewey Decimal System.

Yes, it is indeed that kind of book. And, I can clearly see why my friend recommended it to me. But...

But.

No disrespect to my friend, or the mysterious will of the universe, but I simply can't get into hunter/warrior mysticism. I just can't bring myself to do it! I also firmly refuse to call this "nonfiction".

Sorry, John!

This third installment truly filled in the gaps that existed in the first two books regarding Don Juan.

It was truly remarkable how he deviated from his initial emphasis on the importance of psychotropic drugs within the teachings of Don Juan. Instead, he placed a greater focus on the transformation of one's consciousness without relying on drugs.

This shift in perspective added a new dimension to the overall narrative and provided a more in-depth exploration of the profound teachings and experiences associated with Don Juan.

Readers were able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complex and often mysterious world that Don Juan inhabited.

The author's ability to expand on these themes and present a more nuanced view of consciousness and its alteration was truly impressive.

Overall, this third installment was a valuable addition to the series and left readers eager to learn more about the continued adventures and teachings of Don Juan.

Don Juan said:

We need a warrior-like behavior for all our actions. Otherwise, we will deviate and become evil. Life without such behavior is powerless. Look at yourself. You get angry, cry, complain, and assume that everyone is dancing you to their tune and you are a leaf in the wind. There is no power in your life. Alas, how terrible! Instead, a warrior, like a hunter, calculates everything. This means controlling. But when everything is calculated, he takes action. He frees himself and this is trust. A warrior is not a leaf in the wind. No one can force him to do anything. No one can take any action against him or against his judged actions. A warrior finds his place in his life and lives as best as possible.

I liked his theories. However, in my opinion, they were not practical and seemed too simple for the complex world I lived in.

My words made him laugh. I added that a warrior-like behavior would not be able to help me in any way to overcome my feelings of insult and injury from others. For example, in a hypothetical situation where a violent and malicious person physically harms me and is stronger than me, what can I do?

He replied:

A warrior may be injured but not powerless. For a warrior, as long as he has the right behavior, there is nothing accidental in his actions among humans.

Last night, you didn't get caught by the angry lion and you weren't angry because it chased us. I don't know if you swore or said something that gave it the right to chase us. But because of what you heard about lions, you didn't stay close to it. But when you were running for your life, you didn't think about these things. You were only trying to stay alive, and you succeeded. Now, if you were alone and the lion caught you and tore you apart, you would never think of showing off and complaining, or seeing yourself as defeated. The behavior of a warrior is effective everywhere and does not conflict with your world or the world and society of anyone else. To pass safely through the powers of the world and its people, you need a warrior-like behavior.

I explained to him that mountain lions and their kind should not be lined up with humans. I know the powers of humans. While I knew nothing about mountain lions. What was torturing me about humans was that they deliberately had bad and wrong behavior.

Don Juan said calmly:

I know. I know. Acting like a warrior is not an easy thing. It is a revolution. Aligning mountain lions, water rats, and humans in a row is an amazing thing that only the mind of a warrior can handle.

An elective sociology class that I took a long time ago covered this book. For reasons that were not entirely clear to me, I felt that this book had a significant impact on me. So, decades later, I decided to re-read it to understand what all the commotion was about.

Reading this book is like attending a Grateful Dead concert. It would be helpful to be under the influence of psychedelic drugs to enjoy it, let alone understand whatever it is trying to convey. Unfortunately, I re-read this without any mood enhancers or mind-altering substances, with as clear a mind as I could manage. However, my attention waned repeatedly throughout, and I found this book to be mostly tedious nonsense. To make matters worse, it was poorly written.

A typical passage (which I made up but encapsulates the essence of the book) goes like this: Don Juan told me that if I wanted to be a sorcerer or a warrior, I needed to look at the horizon. "Which way?" I asked Don Juan. But he just glared at me as if he could see right through me. So I turned left, and his glare became more intense. Then I turned right, and that seemed okay. "Now what?" I asked Don Juan. He just smiled at me, and I wondered what that meant. Then he said we needed to move to another spot, closer to the medium-sized rock to the southeast of us and further away from the coyotes. "Why that way?" I asked. He glared at me again. Then I could see the muscles on his back and wished I was in as good shape as Don Juan. He then ran like a rabbit, clucked like a chicken, and said to me, "You do this tomorrow at dawn, and you will finally see what it means to stop the world." I was frightened, not sure if I could do that. I had run before and clucked like a chicken before, but never both at the same time. I wasn't sure if I was man enough, let alone warrior enough for such a thing. I thought about returning to my car, but it was gone. Don Genaro made it disappear or took it for a joyride. The midnight sun was playing tricks on my mind, so I wasn't sure.

Rarely have I wanted a book to end as much as this one. I think this book was classified as self-help years ago. No wonder that genre is often made fun of. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because I was feeling very generous and relieved that this was over.

"You're rational, all right," he said fiercely.

And that means you believe that you know a great deal about the world. But do you? Do you truly? You have merely witnessed the acts of people. Your experiences are confined solely to what people have done to you or to others.

You are completely ignorant about this mysterious and unknown world. There is so much more out there that you have not even begun to fathom.

The world is filled with secrets and wonders that elude your understanding.

You think you have it all figured out, but in reality, you are just scratching the surface.

Until you open your mind and explore beyond the boundaries of your limited experiences, you will never truly know the depth and breadth of this vast and mysterious world.

The stance of the main character regarding the two previous works, "The Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality," is interesting although a bit repetitive. There are many questions, and all the answers are metaphorical or allegorical.

We have an apprentice witch who keeps making mistakes and has numerous questions. Some she understands, while others she doesn't. The plot is simple without too many knots or complications.

Let's hope that in the following books, the character starts to take shape. It would be great to see the character develop and grow, perhaps facing more challenging situations and learning from them. Maybe the author will explore different aspects of the character's personality and abilities, making the story more engaging and complex. We can only wait and see what the future holds for this apprentice witch and her journey of discovery.

Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castenada (The Teachings of Don Juan #3) was published by Washington Square Press in 1972. In this book, Don Juan Matus imparts a great lesson: Stop the world and perceive reality on its own terms. This third volume of The Teaching of Don Juan trilogy was written ten years after the author first met the Yaqui shaman and healer. As the author reviews the lessons he has learned, he comes to the conclusion that the mysterious plant knowledge known by Don Juan is merely a means to an end or a new path to knowledge.

This book is fondly remembered as a highly popular novel within the counterculture of the 1970s. It offers readers a unique perspective on reality and the pursuit of knowledge. My personal rating for this book is 7/10, and I finished reading it in 1981.

Overall, Journey to Ixtlan is an engaging and thought-provoking read that continues to captivate audiences today. It challenges readers to question their own perceptions of the world and consider new ways of understanding reality. Whether you are interested in shamanism, counterculture, or simply a good story, this book is well worth checking out.

I discovered that this was far superior in terms of writing compared to book 1.

There was a significantly greater depth of character, and the lessons were more nuanced.

Throughout, Don Juan imparted some truly serious wisdom.

He provided a good reminder that we inhabit a strange world, and it is far better to embrace the weirdness rather than fight or deny it.

This aspect really stood out to me and added an interesting layer to the overall experience.

The way the author developed the characters and presented the lessons made it a much more engaging and thought-provoking read.

I was thoroughly impressed with the improvements made in this installment compared to the first book.

It left me eager to see what else the author has in store for future works.

Overall, it was a great read that I would highly recommend to others.

"When one does not have a personal history," he elaborated. "Nothing that one utters can be regarded as a falsehood. Your dilemma lies in the fact that you feel compelled to explain everything to everyone, while simultaneously desiring to preserve the novel freshness of what you do. Well, since you cannot remain excited after elucidating all that you have accomplished, you resort to lying in order to carry on."

"From this moment forward," he declared. "You must simply present to people whatever you wish to show them, yet never precisely disclose how you have done it."

"You see," he continued. "We have only two options: either we accept everything as certain and real, or we do not. If we adhere to the first, we ultimately become bored to death with ourselves and the world. If we follow the second and erase personal history, we create a haze around us, a highly exciting and mysterious state in which nobody knows where the rabbit will emerge, not even ourselves."

"Death is the only wise counselor that we possess."

"The thing to do when you are impatient is to turn to your left and seek advice from your death."

"He stated that the only thing that mattered was action, acting rather than talking."

"When a man decides to do something, he must go all the way, but he must take responsibility for what he does. No matter what he does, he must first understand why he is doing it, and then proceed with his actions without having doubts or regrets about them."

Originally published in 1972, the third book in the trilogy "The Teachings of Don Juan" by Carlos Castaneda, the renowned philosopher guru, is truly a product of its time. However, the concepts presented in the book have resurfaced with the current research in psychotropics as an aid to curing numerous maladies. One such concept is the abandonment of the ego. Additionally, the ideas of “doing nothing” and “stopping the world” are Buddhist mindfulness practices that have now become ubiquitous in our current lexicon.

One quote that I particularly appreciated regarding mindfulness and our self-made paradigms is this: “People tell us from the time we are born that the world is such and such and so and so, and naturally we have no choice but to see the world the way people have been telling us it is.” Throughout the book, Don Juan converses with Castaneda about becoming a warrior. I interpreted this to mean a spiritual warrior – one who adopts the mindset and practice of thinking differently and “seeing” clearly.

“Only as a warrior can one survive the path of knowledge, because the art of a warrior is to balance the terror of being a man with the wonder of being a man.” *Obviously, this also applies to a woman. Many have come to believe that the three books that make up “The Teachings of Don Juan” are fiction or autofiction. However, this is irrelevant as the spiritual teachings remain the same. It is a wonderful read with a compelling and often humorous story.

Amy Wallace’s memoir, which reveals the narcissistic, controlling, insecure man who had a cult following and a harem of women, is not entirely unexpected. Unfortunately, many teachers abuse their power. The dark side lurks just on the other side of the light. In my review of her memoir, I have this quote from near the end of her book: “This was no black and white tale, for Carlos was not a shifty huckster but a misguided philosopher whose experience of power was corrupting. Thus, he damaged many lives, at the same time exalting many others. Now I believe there is no nagual (sorcerer) outside of the one inside me, and I prefer to forge my own path rather than seek a replacement father; to live a life without sacrificing my power for crumbs of intimacy within a harem. Carlos, by wish or accident, did guide me, in the end, to the awareness that I hold all my own answers.”

I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book. It is truly a precious gift for those who are passionate about the spiritual perception of the world and have a keen interest in learning more about themselves. The last chapter had such a profound impact on me that I could feel a strange energy coursing through my body. One really needs to take one's time with this book to allow the full power of the last chapter to accumulate. Here are some of the best quotes from the book.

"But there is no way to go back to Los Angeles. What you left there is lost forever. By then, of course, you will be a sorcerer, but that's no help; at a time like that what's important to all of us is the fact that everything we love or hate or wish for has been left behind. Yet the feelings in a man do no die or change, and the sorcerer starts on his way back home knowing that he will never reach it, knowing that no power on earth, not even his death, will deliver him to the place, the things, the people he loved."

"... and I will leave. But the birds will stay, singing:
and my garden will stay, with its green tree,
with its water well.
Many afternoons the skies will be blue and placid,
and the bells in the belfry will chime,
as they are chiming this very afternoon.
The people who have loved me will pass away,
and the town will burst anew every year.
But my spirit will always wander nostalgic
in the same recondite corner of my flowery garden."

Poem by Juan Ramon Jimenez

"Only as a warrior can one survive the path of knowledge because the art of a warrior is to balance the terror of being a man with the wonder of being a man." This book is filled with such profound and thought-provoking quotes that make you stop and reflect on the deeper meaning of life. It is a must-read for anyone seeking spiritual growth and self-discovery.

Mostly Boring

Life can sometimes seem mostly boring.

We wake up, go about our daily routines, and repeat the same actions day in and day out.

Work, school, household chores - all of these can become monotonous and lackluster.

The days blend together, and before we know it, weeks, months, or even years have passed.

We may find ourselves longing for excitement, adventure, or something new and different.

But often, we are too caught up in the mundane to take the necessary steps to break free from the boredom.

We tell ourselves that we don't have the time, the money, or the energy.

However, it's important to remember that life is what we make of it.

If we want to add some sparkle and excitement to our otherwise boring lives, we need to be willing to step out of our comfort zones and try new things.

It could be as simple as taking a different route to work, trying a new hobby, or meeting new people.

By doing so, we may discover that life is not as mostly boring as we thought it was.

There are countless opportunities for adventure and excitement waiting for us if we are brave enough to seek them out.

So, let's not let boredom hold us back any longer.

Let's embrace the unknown and make our lives more interesting and fulfilling.

Because life is too short to be mostly boring.