Arquivos personal history

The Sorcerers’ Explanation – The Strategy of a Sorcerer

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Tales of Power / By Carlos Castaneda / 39 minutes of reading

Upon returning home, Carlos finds that his usual bewilderment after extraordinary experiences has diminished, and he feels ready to see don Juan again. Don Juan finds him in a Mexican market and takes him to don Genaro’s favorite spot, where he begins a thorough recapitulation of his teaching strategy. Don Juan explains that his role as teacher has been to “clean and reorder” Carlos’s tonal (the rational self) by guiding his attention, while don Genaro, as benefactor, is responsible for demonstrating the nagual (the non-rational, unknown side). He details various techniques used to achieve this, such as “grabbing with his will” to stop internal dialogue, the “right way of walking” to flood the tonal with information, and seemingly nonsensical “joking tasks” to teach acting without expecting rewards. Don Juan also explains how the worthy opponent, La Catalina, was used to force Carlos into choosing the warrior’s path. He emphasizes that the “sorcerers’ explanation” involves understanding that our perceived world is merely a reflection within a “bubble of perception,” which the teacher helps to rearrange and the benefactor helps to open from the outside, allowing access to one’s totality.

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The Sorcerers’ Explanation – The Bubble of Perception

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Tales of Power / By Carlos Castaneda / 18 minutes of reading

Carlos arrives at Don Genaro’s house and finds don Juan, who playfully teases him. Don Juan then begins a comprehensive recapitulation of his teaching methods, explaining that his role as a teacher has been to “clean and reorder” Carlos’s tonal, while don Genaro’s role as benefactor is to provide direct demonstrations of the nagual. He reveals that his initial “hook” on Carlos involved focusing his will to numb Carlos’s tonal, and that techniques like the “right way of walking” and seemingly nonsensical tasks were designed to stop the internal dialogue and teach acting without expectation of reward. Don Juan emphasizes that erasing personal history, losing self-importance, assuming responsibility, and using death as an adviser were crucial for transforming the tonal. He explains that power plants were used when simpler recommendations failed, serving to temporarily stop the internal dialogue and provide glimpses of the nagual. Finally, he discusses the use of a “worthy opponent,” La Catalina, to force Carlos to choose the warrior’s path. Don Juan explains that the “sorcerers’ explanation” involves understanding the “bubble of perception” – a concept that reveals the perceived world as a reflection of our own attention and description, a bubble that the teacher helps to rearrange and the benefactor opens to reveal the totality of oneself.

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Part One: Stopping the World – Assuming Responsibility

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan / By Carlos Castaneda / 18 minutes of reading

Don Juan continues to dismantle Castaneda’s conventional worldview by stressing the uselessness of personal history and self-importance, linking his own wisdom to having shed these burdens and emphasizing the constant presence of death as a hunter. He challenges Castaneda’s reluctance to take responsibility for his actions and decisions, using an analogy of Castaneda’s father and a parable of a young man and a “spirit deer” to illustrate the importance of commitment and the understanding that all decisions, regardless of apparent significance, are made in the face of death.

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Part One: Stopping the World – Death is an Adviser

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan / By Nagualismo / 17 minutes of reading

Don Juan continues to challenge Castaneda’s academic approach by refusing to be a conventional informant and instead pushing him to abandon self-importance and personal history. Through a vivid recollection of Castaneda’s childhood encounter with a white falcon, Don Juan introduces the concept of death as an eternal companion and wise advisor, always present and capable of stripping away pettiness. This intense interaction, marked by don Juan’s unsettling gaze and the perception of omens, profoundly shifts Castaneda’s perspective, leading him to appreciate the desert’s mysteries and the importance of experiencing reality beyond intellectualizing it.

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Part One: Stopping the World – Erasing Personal History

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Journey to Ixtlan / By Nagualismo / 26 minutes of reading

In this part of his apprenticeship, Castaneda attempts to gather ethnographic data from don Juan, but the sorcerer consistently deflects his academic inquiries, especially concerning personal history, which he claims to have “dropped.” Don Juan asserts that shedding one’s past frees individuals from the constraints of others’ perceptions and cultivates a “fog” of mystery. He challenges Castaneda’s self-importance and rigid worldview through perplexing pronouncements and unconventional actions, such as interacting with plants and interpreting environmental cues as “omens” and “agreements.” Don Juan emphasizes that true learning involves relinquishing preconceived notions and adopting a state of constant alertness, rather than relying on external knowledge or conventional methods of understanding.

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