Don Juan Matus

Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – The Force that Holds Us Together as Fields of Energy

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 4 minutes of reading

In this entry, Castaneda explores a concept from ancient sorcerers: a vibratory, “agglutinating force” that holds humans together as a unit of energy fields. Don Juan taught that practicing the magical passes is the key to becoming conscious of this force. Castaneda recounts that while ancient sorcerers learned to use this force to dissolve their physical mass, they became obsessed with controlling it after finding they could not act in that state. He explains that modern practitioners, in contrast, seek only to become aware of this force for the sake of knowledge and well-being. According to don Juan, its only permissible use is for a sorcerer to employ it to burn from within at the moment of death.

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Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – How to do Tensegrity

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 9 minutes of reading

Castaneda explains that the magical passes, the foundation of Tensegrity, should be practiced not as exercise but as a way of “beckoning power”. Don Juan taught that their “magic” is a “touch of the spirit” that connects one to the life force. Castaneda notes that the confusion felt by new practitioners from the sheer number of movements is a deliberate sorcerers’ device to “saturate” the mind and induce “inner silence”. From this state, a practitioner gains clarity and knows instinctively how to use the movements to continue what don Juan called humanity’s interrupted “journey of awareness”.

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Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – What is Hermeneutics?

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 1 minute of reading

In this section, Castaneda introduces the concept of hermeneutics, tracing its evolution from a method for interpreting sacred texts to a broader philosophical discipline concerned with interpreting the world. He then states the purpose of the journal: to apply these principles to the teachings of don Juan Matus, a Yaqui sorcerer. Castaneda’s aim is to focus on the practical application of don Juan’s interpretive framework, hence the name “applied hermeneutics,” which emphasizes a sorcerer’s practicality over abstract philosophical reflection.

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Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – The First Principle of the Warrior’s Way: We Are Perceptors

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 2 minutes of reading

Here, Castaneda introduces the first premise of the warriors’ way as taught by don Juan Matus: “We Are Perceptors”. He explains that while this seems obvious, it is a profound statement for sorcerers, highlighting that humanity’s basic orientation is perceiving. According to don Juan, humans interpret a minimal influx of energy through a system called the “human form,” creating a world that is mostly interpretation rather than direct perception. The premise is thus a call from sorcerers to return to humanity’s original state of direct perceiving.

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Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – Who are the Chacmools?

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 2 minutes of reading

In this query section, Castaneda addresses the question about the “chacmools,” a name given to instructors Kylie Lundahl, Reni Murez, and Nyei Murez. He explains the term’s origin, which don Juan Matus associated with warrior guardians protecting sacred sites. Castaneda clarifies that the title is not exclusive; anyone who accepts the responsibility of guarding, including himself and Carol Tiggs, becomes a chacmool. He notes that these three women were the first to bring the magical passes to the public and are now moving to a new phase on the warrior’s path.

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Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – What is Tensegrity?

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 5 minutes of reading

Castaneda explains Tensegrity’s origins as a modernized version of “magical passes” from don Juan Matus’s lineage. He recounts don Juan’s teachings about ancient sorcerers who could perceive energy directly (‘seeing’), which revealed the human ‘assemblage point’ where perception is assembled. By studying this point’s movement, they developed the ‘art of dreaming’ and the magical passes. Castaneda notes that after learning these passes in secret, he and his fellow disciples decided to make them public as Tensegrity, a name signifying the tension and integrity that are the driving forces of the movements.

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Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – What is Intentionality?

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda / By / 3 minutes of reading

Castaneda begins with a note on his use of language before exploring “intentionality,” seeking to move beyond standard philosophy. He traces the term from the medieval Scholastics to the 19th-century philosopher Franz Brentano, who defined it as the unique characteristic of mental phenomena to be directed toward an object. Castaneda then connects this to the sorcery concept of “calling intent”. From a sorcerer’s perspective, he explains, intent is not a mental product but a tangible, energetic force that exists outside the physical body and can be engaged with.

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Silent Knowledge – Introduction

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Silent Knowledge / By / 6 minutes of reading

In this introduction, Castaneda presents the core concept of “silent knowledge,” described by his teacher, don Juan Matus, as the ultimate goal of the sorcerers of ancient Mexico. This state of awareness, where all pertinent knowledge is revealed directly to the being, is born from its matrix: “inner silence,” a state free from the internal dialogue. Castaneda recounts his difficulty in grasping these abstract ideas until don Juan offered a more modern analogy: becoming “readers of infinity.” He explains that rigid procedures are useless for this path; the key is reinforcing one’s link with a universal force called “intent.” Castaneda also introduces the “magical passes” as a practical means to achieve the physical and mental well-being necessary for this journey. Finally, he reveals that because he and his companions are the end of don Juan’s lineage, they have decided to make the magical passes public under the name “Tensegrity,” and he outlines the five main topics of the book that lead to silent knowledge.

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Silent Knowledge – The Magical Passes

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Silent Knowledge / By / 4 minutes of reading

In this chapter, Castaneda recounts his first in-depth discussion with don Juan Matus about the “magical passes,” which began with a criticism of his physical condition. Don Juan reveals he had been teaching Castaneda the passes all along, disguised as his habit of “cracking his joints.” He explains that these movements are not mere exercises but are truly “magical” because they can halt the mind’s normal “lines of similarity” and interrupt the mundane flow of reality, which is perceived as fixed and unchangeable. Don Juan also makes the startling claim that the mind is a “foreign installation” and that the passes help to overcome its influence. He reveals that the origin of the passes lies in the *dreaming* practices of ancient sorcerers, who discovered them as a way to recreate states of well-being and prepare for their “navigations into the unknown.”

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Silent Knowledge – The Center for Decisions

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Silent Knowledge / By / 4 minutes of reading

In this chapter, Castaneda explores the second topic of interest for the ancient sorcerers: “the center for decisions,” located in the “v” spot at the base of the neck. Don Juan explained that this is one of six main energy vortexes in the body, but its specific, fluid-like energy is displaced early in life, resulting in the human inability to make decisions. He also reveals the sorcerers’ view of the center at the top of the head, which they believe has been taken over by a “foreign installation”—the mind. The magical passes, or modern Tensegrity, serve to strengthen the other five centers by redistributing energy that has been scattered to the edges of a person’s luminous being. This redistribution of energy, especially to the center for decisions, restores the capacity to decide and overall vitality, overcoming the indecisiveness and exhaustion caused by the wear and tear of daily life.

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