Carlos Castaneda Taught Sorcery Was the Path to Paradise
His books are first person accounts of his apprenticeship under don Juan Matus, a Native American sorcerer.
Carlos Castaneda wrote 12 books in all that offer intriguing personal development ideas towards inner awareness and enlightenment.
Biography of Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda was born in Peru on December 25, 1925. He moved to the United States in his 20s and became a citizen of the US in 1957. He attended UCLA and majored in anthropology.His first books were written while he was still a student and were composed as log books that chronicled his apprenticeship under the wise man from Mexico.
His books were initially celebrated as important contributions to the world of anthropology, but later, critics came to believe the works were in part, or entirely, fiction, and belonged in the realm of philosophy or spirituality. Carlos Castaneda was a very private person and lived most of his life in seclusion. He never gave a definitive answer as to whether his works were actual first hand accounts of real experiences.
Castaneda died of cancer in 1998. His death and disposal of his remains was as secretive and mysterious as his life. His obituary wasn't published until two months after his death. A writer for 'Time' magazine aptly described Carlos Castaneda as "an enigma wrapped in a mystery."
The Beliefs of Carlos Castaneda
Carlos Castaneda often used the term 'nagual' when speaking of the realm that is removed, yet reachable by man. Shamans used the term when referring to seers, or those with the ability to shape shift into other forms. Castaneda believed that through the practice of rituals or exercises, one could enter the realm of the nagual and experience a different reality.He wrote about magical passes, or meditative movements, that were taught to him by shamans that could help one broaden perceptual abilities. He refined the movements into a set of exercises called Tensegrity that tenses and relaxes various body structures and systems so there is improved flow of energy throughout the body. This improved flow was said to have a beneficial effect on the practitioner and the community of mankind as a whole.
Carlos Castaneda and his followers established Cleargreen in 1995. Cleargreen is an organization dedicated to teaching the personal development ideas of Castaneda and the movements used in Tensegrity through workshops and classes around the world.
The name is derived from Castaneda's belief that the energy aura of ancient humans was clear green while today our auras have become off-white. He taught his shamanistic movements to help his followers return to a natural human state of increased perception that allows glimpses into alternate realities.
Even though Castaneda is no longer with us, his work and teachings continue to be carried on by his followers through the Cleargreen organization.
The Books of Carlos Castaneda
 
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• 'The Teachings of
Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge' was the first book written
by Carlos Castaneda. It was submitted as his master's thesis
at UCLA School of Anthropology, and was published in 1968.
This book begins his story of a five-year apprenticeship under
Yaqui Indian sorcerer, don Juan Matus, or Don Juan as he is
sometimes called. The book is a first person account of the
initial meeting and teachings he underwent, and an attempt to
understand and describe the nagual world and its logic.
Castaneda helps readers understand that our world is merely a
cultural construct and when we can perceive other worlds and
realities we can see our world for what it really is. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. |
 
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•
'A Separate Reality: Further Conversations With Don Juan' was
published in 1971. This book describes the next three years
under the tutelage of Don Juan and his experiences with
psychotropic plants. This book centers on Castaneda's struggle
to 'see'. 'Seeing' was an integral part of the teachings of
Don Juan, who referred to it as the ability to see universal
energy flowing through the components of the world around us. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'Journey to Ixtlan' was published in 1972. In this book,
Don Juan teaches Carlos Castaneda that once a human being has
expanded his perception, he can never truly go back to life as
normal again. Instead, he longs for Ixtlan, a metaphorical
location, where the alternate world is real, and humans are
mere phantoms. Castaneda uses this volume to refine his
teachings in regards to using psychotropic plants. He
previously believed they were the gateway to sorcery, but came
to believe they weren't necessary. Instead, he felt that
'warriors' were chosen for the path by the unseen world. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4.5 stars out of 5. The book can also be bought as an ebook in the flexible Amazon Kindle format (which works on PC, Mac, Android smartphone & tablet, iPad and iPhone) - to check out the Kindle ebook on Amazon.com, please click this link: Journey To Ixtlan 
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• 'Tales of Power' was published in 1974 and is an account
of the experiences of Carlos Castaneda up to his final meeting
with Don Juan in 1973. This book describes a series of visions
that some have come to believe was a form of lucid dreaming.
This book acts as an initiation into the mysterious and
magical world of the shaman. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. The book can also be bought as an ebook in the flexible Amazon Kindle format (which works on PC, Mac, Android smartphone & tablet, iPad and iPhone) - to check out the Kindle ebook on Amazon.com, please click this link: Tales of Power 
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As you can see some of the books here described are also available as ebooks and audibles.
 
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• 'The Second Ring of
Power' was published in 1977 and is the first book written
after the final meeting with the sorcerer Don Juan. In it,
Castaneda introduces other apprentices and describes his
adventures towards awareness with them. He begins to question
the validity of some of the unusual experiences he had under
Don Juan, so he retraces his past in Mexico to discover if
what happened was real. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. The book can also be bought as an ebook in the flexible Amazon Kindle format (which works on PC, Mac, Android smartphone & tablet, iPad and iPhone) - to check out the Kindle ebook on Amazon.com, please click this link: Second Ring of Power 
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• 'The Eagle's Gift' was
published in 1981. It contains further tales of Carlos
Castaneda and his fellow apprentices. He describes the eagle's
role in delivering awareness at birth and reclaiming it late
in life. He tells how Don Juan left this world and delves into
the world of sorcery which he finds both terrifying and mind
expanding. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'The Fire From Within' was published in
1984. This book by Carlos Castaneda remembers the teachings of
Don Juan, and pairs them with his own experiences, to deepen
his explanation of the sorcerer's world. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4.5 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'The Power
of Silence: Further Lessons of Don Juan' contains further
elaboration on the personal development ideas Carlos Castaneda
learned in the dessert during the late 70s. His visions offer
a glimpse into an alternate world that is mind expanding for
readers and leads to better self realization. This book was
first published in 1987. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'The Art of Dreaming' was
published in 1993. This book relays the teachings of Don Juan
as they relate to the dream world. In it, Carlos Castaneda
describes the steps needed to control consciousness during
dreaming. Don Juan taught there were barriers to the dream
world that he called The Seven Gates of Dreaming. Castaneda
presented practical exercises that today are considered steps
to lucid dreaming. He believed that one could achieve total
awareness by controlling dreams. Furthermore, he felt that
behaving in specific ways during dreams could cause changes in
a person's non-dreaming life, including creating an alternate
way of dying as happened with Don Juan. Castaneda felt that
dreaming was the door to sorcery and sorcery was the path to
paradise. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of
the Shamans of Ancient Mexico' teaches readers that in order
to access the unseen worlds of the sorcerer, sufficient energy
is needed. In this book published in 1998, Carlos Castaneda
teaches physical movements needed to gather and deploy energy
for the purposes of enhancing vitality, increasing alertness,
and perceiving other worlds. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4.5 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'The Wheel of Time:
Shamans of Ancient Mexico, Their Thoughts About Life, Death
and the Universe' was published in 1998 and offers readers a
concise overview of the personal development ideas and
teachings of Don Juan by presenting his quotes along with
interpretations by Carlos Castaneda that he developed through
years of visions, dreaming, and soul searching. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4.5 stars out of 5. |
 
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• 'The Active Side of Infinity' was published in 1999 and is filled
with stories and tales of the adventures of Carlos Castaneda
during his quest for awareness and self-realization under the
hand of the sorcerer Don Juan. He offers personal development
ideas to help readers being their own quests for expanded
awareness. If you click on the image to the left it will open a new tab/window on Amazon.com, where users have given this book 4 stars out of 5. |
The Teachings of Carlos Castaneda Today
The teachings of don Juan Matus and the experiences of Carlos Castaneda continue to inspire millions of people around the world.The personal development ideas and practical lessons in his books and the workshops by the Cleargreen organization teach seekers how to awaken to a greater awareness of reality.
His works are available as books, ebooks, DVDs, and audio books.
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