Taisha is guided by the “Caregiver” in a consciousness projection exercise. Through deep relaxation techniques and breath control, she is instructed to create an “opening” in the “darkness” and release her consciousness through it.
In this chapter, Don Juan finally delivers the long-awaited “sorcerers’ explanation,” which turns out to be not an abstract theory but a meticulous, hours-long recapitulation of the narrator’s entire apprenticeship. He reveals the hidden strategy behind every lesson: to systematically “clean and reorder the island of the tonal” to prepare for the encounter with the nagual. After laying out the complete theoretical framework of his teachings—including the roles of the teacher and the benefactor and the nature of the “bubble of perception”—the chapter pivots from words to a terrifying, direct experience, as Don Juan and Don Genaro guide the narrator to leap into an abyss, forcing him to finally unfold the “wings of perception.”
Our rational convictions, the affirmations we make about the world, may seem harmless, but they are the dividing line between clarity and power. From the perspective of clarity, our convictions may seem like just impartial observations about reality. But by
Taisha is surprised by master sorcerer John Michael Abelar during her recapitulation practice. He instructs her on correct breathing and the existence of her subtle body or double, an etheric counterpart to the physical body. Abelar explains that recapitulation and breathing are essential for strengthening the double and transferring perception to this subtle part of the self, thus dissolving the barrier separating the physical and etheric aspects. He demonstrates his mastery by materializing with Clara shortly after their meeting in the cave, and teaches her how to use intention to handle energy and the double.
When a warrior overcomes Clarity, he awakens, recovers, and begins to make functional, something that was previously dormant, forgotten, and obscured by it and by Fear: his second attention, his nagual perception. “There is an incalculable power within our reach,”
Examining the enemies on the Path to Knowledge – Part 3: Power Read More »
Among all the traps of the human mind, self-importance is the most subtle and devastating. It seduces us with the idea that we are unique, protagonists of a cosmic story tailored just for us. Fed by praise, propaganda, and comparisons,
Towards the end of his lecture he gave a definition that I considered very important, because he touched on what I felt was a sensitive topic. He said: “Dreaming is not something impossible, it is just a kind of deep
Dreaming is not something impossible, it is a kind of deep meditation Read More »
Taisha is guided by “the Caretaker” through an exercise in projecting her consciousness. Using techniques of deep relaxation and breath control, she is instructed to create an “opening” in the “blackness” and send her awareness through it.
In this chapter, Carlos Castaneda is formally introduced to Florinda, the master stalker designated as his personal guide into that art. She explains that, unlike a male warrior, she is not bound by the need to erase her personal history and begins recounting her life story as a method of instruction. Castaneda learns of her spoiled, beautiful youth, which was abruptly ended by a crippling disease caused by sorcery. Her narrative then details the initial, brutal, and perplexing encounters with a mysterious woman “curer” who begins to challenge her deeply ingrained self-importance.
In this climactic chapter, don Juan and his party of warriors prepare for their final departure from the world. After a final summation of their teachings, the warriors bestow their parting gifts upon Carlos Castaneda: duty, challenge, magic, and humor. The Nagual woman gives him an intense, final farewell, and Florinda explains the warrior’s ability to face the “wheel of time.” The party then disappears through a slit in reality, while simultaneously, don Juan has Castaneda jump into an abyss to interrupt the continuum of his time. As he falls, Castaneda witnesses the warriors transform into a line of exquisite lights, like the mythical Plumed Serpent, and vanish into the third attention, completing their journey to freedom.
