posted July 09, 2009 09:09 AM         

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Becoming inaccessible

In the first pages of Ixtlan, don Juan explains that the world we take to be real is only a description of it, a consensually created reality, programmed into us from birth. The ultimate purpose of his training is to be able to 'stop the world', to suspend normal perception so that truth can be perceived. Castaneda does not at first understand such strange ideas, but is willing to humor the old man. All the while, though, it is don Juan who is laughing at Castaneda's fixed, narrow understanding of the world.

Don Juan tells Castaneda that 'personal history is crap'. It is better just to leave one's past alone and concentrate on being a new person every day, to have the freedom of not being predictable. Don Juan admits he has created a fog around his life on purpose, because there is great freedom in being anonymous. In contrast, his younger charge is fully known and therefore taken for granted. The thoughts of other people continue to shape his identity, and everything he does he must explain to others.

Don Juan tries to explain the concept of being inaccessible, or removing yourself 'from the middle of a trafficked way'. He seems to know a lot about Castaneda that the author has never revealed to him, such as the fact that he still regrets the loss of a girlfriend. Don Juan suggests that she left him because he was always available to her, which led to routine and boredom. He needs to adopt the mindset of a hunter, who is never a slave to routine. If a hunter knows the routines of their prey, they have them cornered. To avoid becoming prey ourselves, we must break our routines - become less easily placed. If we don't do this, don Juan tells Castaneda, ".we end up bored to death with ourselves and with the world". In his eyes, the younger man has committed two interrelated sins: he has little appreciation of the mystery of the universe, and consequently is too obvious a person.

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posted July 10, 2009 06:42 PM         

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To avoid becoming prey ourselves, we must break our routines - become less easily placed. If we don't do this, don Juan tells Castaneda, ".we end up bored to death with ourselves and with the world". In his eyes, the younger man has committed two interrelated sins: he has little appreciation of the mystery of the universe, and consequently is too obvious a person.

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