Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan

Beyond mere talent of authorship, this is cosmically inspired & spirituality expansive -

I take a long time to make up my mind about books and authors of books on esoteric subjects. Honestly, I still am not confident about whether or not I should trust this one. The book was fascinating and that's why I've given it five stars. But as a source of practical information on esoteric practice, I'm going to need more time before I decide what to make of this one.As an introduction to the story of Carlos Casteneda's initiation, this book may be a good place to start, because the events in it take place earlier in time than the events in the author's other books. But the author's understanding of his subject develops over time and therefore the reader will sense that the author does not completely understand the experiences he describes in this book or perhaps that he had not fully digested them at the time of its writing. In later books such as Fire from Within, the author has gone much farther into the world of the Toltec Seers and is able to explain his experiences with more clarity.I was confused by some things in this book. For example, the author's teacher tells him that he is a sorcerer. However the teaching and experiences he describes do not correspond to my own impressions of sorcery in the sense that the characters in this story seem to be working toward a positive and constructive integration of the consciousness. In Fire from Within, which chronicles a much later part of the story, the teacher Don Juan explains that he felt it was best to present himself to Carlos as a sorcerer at the beginning of his training but that he and his compatriots actually call themselves "seers". This is a fascinating story but I recommend that those who would take it seriously should read it in context of the author's other works.

Originally published in 1972, the third book in the trilogy teaching of don Juan by Carlos Castaneda the renowned philosopher guru, is a product of its time. But, the concepts have resurfaced with the current research in psychotropics as an aid to curing numerous maladies. This being the abandonment of the ego. As well, the concept of “doing nothing” and “stopping the world” are Buddhist mindfulness practices that have become ubiquitous in our current lexicon.One quote I appreciated about mindfulness and our self-made paradigms is this one:“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 this book, don Juan talks to Castaneda about becoming a warrior. I took it to mean a spiritual warrior – adopting the mind 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 means, a woman.Many have come to believe that the three books that comprise the Teachings of don Juan are fiction, or autofiction. This is irrelevant because the spiritual teachings are the same. A wonderful read with a story that is compelling and often humorous.Amy Wallace’s memoir which reveals the narcissistic, controlling, insecure man who had a cult following and harem of women is not surprising. Unfortunately, many a teacher abuses their power. The dark side is on just 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.”

Carlos Castenada is a wonderful writer. When I read Journey to Ixtlan I felt like I was in the book and Don Juan was teaching me how to become a shaman. Highly recommend this book for young adult readers and people who want to explore Shamanism. The book is fiction but it tells the truth about the human condition. Very inspiring!

I read this in hardcover in the 70s when it was published. I read it it in the North African desert. Quite a trip! I thought it was fabulous then and I still do. It's a seminal and important work and I was delighted to see it appear as a digital book so I could download it for my kindle and read it again. Well... it's still a great piece of work and I love it. But I hate the typos! I found two instances of repeated words e.g. and and. How is it possible for a book to be published with no typos in paper during an age where we had none of the spell/grammar checking computer capabilites we have now - only be republished in digital with the help of all these fanstastic technologies PLUS TYPOS. What does this tell you about the way the world is going? Plenty of quantity around. But quality - especially quality work - that's a thing of the past. So 1-star deduction for incompetent publishing. Go get yourself a 1970's human proofreader and do it again!