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Author Topic:   Carlos Castenada: Fact or Fiction?
deepseablues
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posted November 15, 2014 09:14 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ok I think this is the right forum for this topic. I love Carlos Castaneda books, they speak to me very deeply, so many great quotes from don Juans teachings. I've read a few biographies on him and this is where I start to get confused.. Because some people say that his writings are actually fiction, that don Juan Matus never even exisited! Yet the publishers publish them at non-fiction and refuse to change it, as well as Carlos always insisted they were true events. But apparently Yaqui Indians don't even use peyote for one, and some say that Carlos became so deluded that he truly believed that his writings were real and actually happened...

Then there is the whole issue with his "cult" and the women that disappeared after his death and the fact that missing persons reports for these women were not even filed or looked into if they were and the police seem to not care nor be looking into the matter, except for one woman who's brother (?) I believe it was insisted and had to work very hard to get the police to search for and release information on his sister. I think these books are filled with some great wisdom, haha I bet I would have been one of the women that ended up in his cult back in the day, but in any case, has anyone else here been touched by his readings and what are your opinions on if his work was fact or fiction; if don Jaun Matus really existed, and on his so-called cult and followers??

edit: my Libra planets REALLY hate that I messed up the spelling of his last name in the title... grrrrr

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Catalina
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posted November 16, 2014 02:22 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Catalina     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hi deepsea...

I loved his books too, and i met and heard him talk way back then, it was funny to meet him all dressed up in his city suit, very definitely UNextraordinary to my observation...

I believe it was his wife, who confessed that his books were fiction.

HOWEVER if they were real it would make just as much sense for him to "confess" this...being a trickster and understanding the plasticity of reality, keeping people guessing would make sense. Perhaps he felt bad that so many people went off the deep end with psychotropics, or into "sorcery" without an experienced and grounding teacher...I don't know, but he insisted till death that the books were fact not fiction.

I do know that a whole bunch of inexperienced American kids /young adults did go off half-cocked thinking they could find "that" without the slightest clue what they were doing and without protection. Not advisable!

Ah yes, it was his wife who wrote in her own book...Carlos was quite the slippery character, whether pathological liar or actual sorcerer...?
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/30/local/la-me-margaret-castaneda-20120130

The books may be allegory, autobiography, or something else altogether. But they really hold up and inspire, don't they? After all, what is "reality"?

It is always possible that he took peyote, had visions that he was convinced were real, and decided to write them as if they were. Perhaps the peyote took him beyond the "veil" and that is where he found Don Juan. Or maybe, like a lot of "new age" writers, he was a closet scifi author. I don't really think of him as new age, he was the most normal guy you could hope to meet...

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deepseablues
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posted November 17, 2014 10:56 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for sharing Catalina, that is pretty cool that you got see him, I didn't know he was regular haha.

And yes the books do really hold up and inspire. I wish I could meet my own don Juan. Or guru of any sorts. And true, what is "reality?" Confusing and difficult if you ask me! Haha reminds me old this elderly lady who used to come into my work, she was over 80 and the coolest lady ever. She had a pin that said "What is Real"

And yeah maybe he did feel bad for people going off and doing all those things without a proper teacher, I read that people swarmed the Yaqui Indians too and caused a lot of disruption/disturbance, maybe he felt bad for bringing them undue/unwanted attention and revealing sacred teachings they didn't want to share with just anyone. Still so much mystery surrounding his life, birth and death. Not even a recorded birth date, dang! I wish I could check out his chart, not that an amateur like me would be able to spot anything significant but I still like looking at charts. And I really wonder what happened to the women that went missing after he died, why the police are not even interested... if the police aren't checking into it that means something! Hehe something they want to keep quiet, covered up and out of the public eye. I like to believe they shape-shifted into crows or went into another dimension with Carlos, instead of what they want us to believe, that they committed suicide.

Also in keeping with Linda's teachings I wish I had written the title of my post "Truth or Fiction" not "F-act or Fiction". The latter has just been indoctrinated into my subconscious so it just writes itself without thought.

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Randall
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posted November 18, 2014 11:34 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What did he write about?

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deepseablues
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posted November 18, 2014 10:50 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
He has quite a few books but they start off with his experiences as an apprentice to the Yaqui Indian "sorcerer" don Juan Matus, his experiences of alternate realities/dimensions with the help/guidance of psychotropic plants, mainly peyote (or Mescalito as don Juan refers to him) and Datura/Jimson weed.

Some say don Juan Matus didn't even exist and that Carlos' books are actually works of fiction although they are written in a biographical manner, with dates etc.

I want to experience Ayahuasca one day. With a proper spiritual teacher/shaman of course, as a spiritual experience. Not that these books talk about Ayahuasca but if I was going to experience another hallucinogen I would want to experience Ayahuasca over peyote.

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Randall
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posted November 19, 2014 09:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ah...

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Randall
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posted November 20, 2014 09:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
How many books does he have?

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iQ
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posted November 24, 2014 05:32 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for iQ     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Irrespective of whether Don Juan was real or not, Carlos is one of the rare Souls who managed to warn us about the Archon created Matrix controlling Human Souls in this Dimension. After his death, it is child's play for the Archons to create negativity through the media to discredit him.

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Randall
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posted November 25, 2014 11:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Sounds like many Truths within those pages.

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deepseablues
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posted November 26, 2014 09:28 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Randall, if I'm correct he has 11 books, 3 published after his death. And yes, so very much Truth!

And thanks for the response iQ, revealing the Archon Mind Matrix, no wonder I love his writing so much. Especially about the plant/nature spirits. But it is true that it doesn't REALLY matter whether don Juan was real as there is so much Truth and Wisdom in his books.

Nonetheless, I still am curious whether don Juan was real and about the women that went missing after his death/about his so-called "cult." Media dis-info distorts and confounds my perception. I just want to know Truth at all times.

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TensionEmpire
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posted November 27, 2014 05:30 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for TensionEmpire     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I never read a book of him, a friend of mine was offering me the one named "A erva do diabo". Just the name is alredy so appealing
Here in Sauth Amereica is where all these drugs are Native
I never tried them, got introduced to peyote some days ago, but it was only a blessing, no quantity to give you a blizz.
They have this "Vision Search" here, where they stay 3 or 4 days without food and Water and in the end of that they get a bottle of Peyote and some Fruits, like an Apple and a Banana, and have to endure 3 more days with that.
Ayuwashka we call it Santo Daime here.
My Sister had a trancedental experience taking a little dosis, it is also acocciated with death, she felt herself leaving her body..
My Brother experienced it the other day, but it was not that good, he took much more than my sister did, but he took it in the church, what is usual here. Than they sing and after that there would be a concentrating work, where everybody could sit in silence.
But after a while someone started to feel ill, and vomiting. So they say let's start the healing work, everybody had to stand up again and start singing..
It is more of a doctrine this Santo Daime Churches. My Brother did not experience anything strong, he says maybe he would if he could continue meditating.
I imagine myself taking it in the woods with some friends that know it.
They say it is good if you are in a dilemma in your life, it can help you get answears, they say it is much information that you get trough it.
I apologize here, for the first time for my spelling :P

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TensionEmpire
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posted November 27, 2014 05:38 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for TensionEmpire     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I did not know about the Archons, maybe they are triing to get into my mind :P

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deepseablues
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posted November 27, 2014 08:51 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Hey Tension, thanks for the share Do you know the english translation of the name of that book? South America seems like a really cool place. You are lucky to live there, it's warm, there is an abundance of spiritual plants and knowledge, among other things. And I think the Archons are trying to get into everyone's mind, that's sorta their forte if you will hehe its just about all they know how to do, feed off peoples mind and make them feel like crap.

And no need to apologize for your spelling, I find the way you write endearing, and besides that, how many languages do you speak anyway, like at least 3 I am guessing? Which is amazing in itself to me! Speaking, reading and writing in multiple languages is so much knowledge, I am in awe of everyone who can. I took 3 years of Spanish and barely remember a word of it haha it was such a slackers class. But I only mentioned about my spelling in the title because I don't like to spell people's name wrong in particular, and apparently I am a perfectionist (I only speak 1 language, therefore I should at least be fairly proficient at it in my eyes haha) but I didn't even realize I was a perfectionist until recently and when people told me I am. But I am only that way in regards to myself and only beat myself up about it, everyone else seems better to me even without being perfectionists. Getting caught up in little details wastes time and doesn't allow for the big picture to be seen, a downfall of mine.

iQ: I read in an article (perhaps you've read it) that we shouldn't call them Archons as this reinforces to them (and subconsciously to us) their "superiority" they think they have over us and if we must refer to them we should call them something more lowly and degrading (the article suggested the term "ankle-biters"). Do you agree??

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Randall
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posted November 28, 2014 10:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

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TensionEmpire
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posted November 28, 2014 03:16 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for TensionEmpire     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I see South America as the most futuristic continent, It is the less degradated.
There is eaven theory/propehcy where South America will be colonized by all the World.
The book would be called "the devils herb"

I did not think of you mentioning your spelling, when I wrote about mine, my spelling is just really horrible, nice that you don't bother with it
Yes, I speack 3 languages, it was easyer for me because I belong to two Nations..

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Randall
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posted November 29, 2014 10:24 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Ah...

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todd
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posted December 03, 2014 06:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for todd     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
castenada plagiarized "the autobiography of a yogi,"virtually every concept in his first few books are in yogi autobiography.
for instance he meets an immortal nagual,this is in the autobiography. don juan can put him in a "trance" with a hit to his chest,in autobiogahpy it is a hit to the back.

on and on. I suggest reading the autobiograhy of a yogi to see how much castenada lifted.

there were also rumors that castenada had how some a covert agency when he was at UCLA.
todd

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deepseablues
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posted December 08, 2014 08:58 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the book suggestion, I have heard about it before so maybe I meant to read it, will look into getting it!

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Vajra
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posted December 13, 2014 08:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Vajra     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
.

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Randall
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posted December 14, 2014 11:09 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That's a good 2 cents.

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deepseablues
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posted December 15, 2014 11:43 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks for the great 2 cents Vajra, funny how some 2 cents are worth more than others not implying in this thread, just in general. I am only on his third book so far, so I wasn't aware that his books took a turn or changed to be more about sex, in fact that is why I liked the books I have read so much so far, because they are not focused on anything sexual in the least, another reason why I was so surprised about all the info about him and his "cult" I discovered after looking for more info about him. I have not read or heard about the Sorcerer's Apprentice by Amy Wallace so I will look into that eventually. I had read about the one woman's skeletal remains being found and was really disturbed when I read that he had a sexual relationship with his adopted daughter. But that's why it's so confusing to know what's media dis-info and what's not. The character that is portrayed in the books I have read so far seems completely different than who he was in real life/who the media is portraying him as. Maybe the media just wants to discredit him and make him look bad or maybe he was really a sex-crazed liar who made it all up, or maybe don Juan was real and Carlos was very spiritual for a time but fell?? I don't know but I wish it was easier to get to the bottom of! Thanks again for the info/input!

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Randall
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posted December 16, 2014 10:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote

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Randall
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posted March 22, 2015 02:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Bump!

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Randall
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posted March 23, 2015 12:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Randall     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Want to be the 23rd post.

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