Carlos Castaneda

Author’s Note – The Art of Dreaming

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Art of Dreaming / By / 8 minutes of reading

In this introductory note, Carlos Castaneda clarifies his use of the term “sorcery” to describe the teachings of his mentor, don Juan Matus, distinguishing it from conventional definitions. He explains that for don Juan, sorcery is about manipulating perception to access other real worlds, a practice called “the art of dreaming.” Castaneda recounts his own experiences learning this art, his interactions with two distinct groups of apprentices, and the challenges of reconciling his experiences in the “second attention” with everyday reality. He states that the purpose of this book is to rearrange and present don Juan’s lessons on dreaming in a linear fashion, made possible by years of dedicated practice, and to ultimately explain the legacy don Juan left to his final students as an act of gratitude.

Author’s Note – The Art of Dreaming Read More »

Sorcerers of antiquity: an introduction – The Art of Dreaming

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Art of Dreaming / By / 28 minutes of reading

In this chapter, Carlos Castaneda recounts don Juan’s explanation of the foundational principles of sorcery, established by brilliant but obsessive “sorcerers of antiquity.” Don Juan contrasts their focus on concrete power with modern sorcerers’ search for abstract freedom. The core discovery of the ancients was the ability to perceive energy directly, which they called “seeing.” This led to the identification of the human energy form as a “luminous egg” and its crucial feature: the “assemblage point,” a spot of brilliance that assembles filaments of universal energy into our perception of the world. Castaneda learns that displacing this point—either as a “shift” within the luminous egg or a “movement” outside of it—is the key to perceiving other worlds and is the basis for the “second attention” and the art of “dreaming,” which is defined as the willful displacement of the assemblage point during sleep.

Sorcerers of antiquity: an introduction – The Art of Dreaming Read More »

Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – Queries about the Warriors’ Way: The path without a teacher, Carlos’ plan, and Tensegrity

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Nagualism, Warrior Path, Way of the Warrior / By / 7 minutes of reading

Carlos Castaneda addresses common inquiries about his role and the nature of Tensegrity and the warriors’ way. He clarifies that he sees himself as a counselor, aiming to guide others towards freedom from a “sight from the bridge” — a state of total silence where one perceives the present without the biases of the past or future. He emphasizes that the path is not about following a personal guru, as don Juan himself was a sorcerer perpetuating a lineage, not a teacher in the conventional sense. Instead, the true guide is the impersonal spirit or life force, accessible through inner silence. Castaneda explains that Tensegrity is a modernized system of “magical passes” — movements developed by ancient Mexican shamans to directly perceive energy — which were kept secret until now, as don Juan’s lineage concludes with his four disciples, freeing them to share this knowledge for the benefit of all, promoting well-being and breaking free from the constraints of everyday perception and self-importance.

Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – Queries about the Warriors’ Way: The path without a teacher, Carlos’ plan, and Tensegrity Read More »

Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – Queries about the Warriors’ Way: What is the point of doing all those Practices?

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, Nagualism, Warrior Path, Way of the Warrior / By / 4 minutes of reading

In this section, Castaneda addresses two common questions. The first concerns when a practitioner will achieve “seeing,” the direct perception of energy. He explains that while practices are important, the crucial element is to “intend” the outcome—the state sorcerers call “stopping the world,” which is achieved by obliterating self-importance. The second question is about fear over strange physical sensations during Tensegrity. Castaneda recounts how don Juan Matus explained such feelings not as external manipulation, but as natural physiological responses or a product of one’s own victim mentality. Don Juan’s advice was to counter fear by being “impeccable”.

Journal of Applied Hermeneutics – Queries about the Warriors’ Way: What is the point of doing all those Practices? Read More »

Journal of Applied Hermeutics – Fourth Principle of the Warrior’s Way: The Energy Body

A Journal of Applied Hermeneutics, Ancient Cycle, Assemblage point, Intent, See, Will, Will / By / 6 minutes of reading

The fourth unit of the warriors’ way is THE ENERGY BODY Don Juan Matus explained that, since time immemorial, sorcerers have given the name of energy body to a special configuration of energy which belongs to each human being individually.

Journal of Applied Hermeutics – Fourth Principle of the Warrior’s Way: The Energy Body Read More »

The Position of The Assemblage Point – The Fire from Within

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Fire from Within / By / 19 minutes of reading

In this chapter, Don Juan resumes his teachings on the assemblage point, explaining its crucial role in perception and how its position dictates our reality. Castaneda learns that the house they are in is an exercise in stalking for the nagual’s party, emphasizing detachment from fixed ideas. Don Juan describes how Genaro’s gait of power shifts Castaneda’s assemblage point, leading to different perceptual experiences – first of aggressive action, then of spiritual love. The key to these shifts is inner silence and stopping the internal dialogue, which is what normally fixes the assemblage point. Don Juan reveals that this fixation is instilled from infancy by human teachers, and that warriors can learn to move their point through intent. The discussion also covers different types of shifts: lateral shifts (leading to mundane fantasies or hallucinations) and “shifts below” (leading to animal transformations, which the old seers misguidedly pursued and new seers avoid due to their dangerous nature). Don Juan explains that while other organisms also have assemblage points, only humans possess the unique capacity for “skimming” or further refining their perceived reality, a powerful but potentially detrimental ability if not properly controlled.

The Position of The Assemblage Point – The Fire from Within Read More »

The Shift Below – The Fire from Within

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Fire from Within / By / 24 minutes of reading

Continuing his lessons on the assemblage point, Don Juan explains to Castaneda that its movement beyond a certain limit can assemble entirely different worlds. He reveals that the Sonoran desert aids a “shift below” to the place of the beast, and introduces la Catalina as a powerful sorceress deeply connected to this type of shift. Castaneda recounts his chilling encounters with her, learning they were orchestrated to move his assemblage point. The trio’s dynamic, including Genaro’s humorous antics and the shared laughter, underscore the importance of inner silence and stopping the internal dialogue for freeing the assemblage point, a fixation taught since infancy. Don Juan cautions against the “high adventure of the unknown,” a dangerous pursuit favored by old seers like nagual Julian and la Catalina, who were waylaid by the allure of power and animal transformations (“shifts below”). Castaneda himself experiences a profound “shift below” during an encounter with la Catalina, perceiving her (and himself) as a grotesque creature and entering a non-human state of boundless awareness and joy. This experience, while deeply unsettling, proves to Don Juan that Castaneda has no inclination for such aberrant shifts, unlike the old seers. The chapter concludes with Don Juan explaining “skimming,” a unique human capacity to refine perception, a magical act that, if not controlled, can be a profound pitfall.

The Shift Below – The Fire from Within Read More »

Great Bands of Emanations – The Fire from Within

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Fire from Within / By / 13 minutes of reading

Don Juan continues his explanation of awareness, introducing the concept of great bands of emanations. He explains that the Eagle’s emanations are grouped into 48 bands on Earth, with 8 producing awareness (one organic and seven inorganic). He elaborates on the three “bundles” of awareness (beige-pink, peach, and amber) that crisscross these eight bands, with humans being connected to the amber bundle. Don Juan emphasizes that true understanding comes from direct seeing rather than mere inventory. He describes inorganic beings and their unique characteristics, contrasting them with organic life. The conversation then shifts to the nature of different worlds assembled by the assemblage point and how surplus energy allows a seer to perceive other bands. Don Juan also discusses the special relationship between man and plants, noting the varying positions of their assemblage points and how old seers exploited this for sorcery, often transforming themselves to access deeper realms. He concludes by stressing the old seers’ aberrant focus on breaking perceptual barriers, even through dangerous transformations, which the new seers largely avoid.

Great Bands of Emanations – The Fire from Within Read More »

Stalking, Intent and The Dreaming Position – The Fire from Within

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Fire from Within / By / 22 minutes of reading

Don Juan continues his teachings on the mastery of awareness, introducing the three cornerstones of the new seers’ practices: the mastery of stalking, the mastery of intent, and the mastery of dreaming. He explains that stalking, a systematic control of behavior, subtly shifts the assemblage point and was uniquely developed by the new seers to handle people. The mastery of intent involves understanding and purposefully guiding “will,” the energy of alignment that shapes perception. Don Juan then elaborates on dreaming, revealing it as the most effective way to move the assemblage point, starting with its natural shift during sleep. He details the dangers of dreaming, stressing the necessity of sobriety and the warriors’ way to cultivate the inner strength needed to guide the assemblage point. Castaneda witnesses Genaro’s dreaming body in action, a non-human luminous blob, and learns that true mastery allows one to wake up in different “dreaming positions.” The chapter emphasizes that impeccability and unbending intent are key to achieving these shifts and the full potential of a warrior, enabling even collective dreaming among seers.

Stalking, Intent and The Dreaming Position – The Fire from Within Read More »

The Nagual Julian – The Fire from Within

Ancient Cycle, Authors, Carlos Castaneda, The Fire from Within / By / 30 minutes of reading

Don Juan continues his teachings, emphasizing that the approaching time for his party to leave necessitates completing his explanations of awareness. He describes how nagual Julian moved his assemblage point countless times, preparing him for the ultimate task of realigning all emanations to achieve total awareness. Castaneda, initially surprised by his own joy at don Juan’s impending freedom, learns that emotional reactions are secondary to the actual energetic shifts of the assemblage point. Don Juan then delves into the stalkers’ method of teaching, which, unlike his own verbal explanations, involves compelling apprentices through strategic “dramas” to move their assemblage points by direct experience and catalytic fright, rather than intellectual understanding. He recounts his own traumatic yet transformative initiation under the nagual Julian, who, despite appearing as a frail old man, was a master stalker and conjurer. Castaneda struggles with his judgments of nagual Julian’s methods, but eventually grasps the profound impact of these non-conventional teachings on cultivating will, unbending intent, and impeccability, which are crucial for a warrior’s path to freedom and navigating the position of the assemblage point. Don Juan highlights the unique power of nagual Julian to manipulate perception and the assemblage points of others, even making himself appear young or old at will, and shares his personal realization about the high price paid for human life through the shift of his own assemblage point. The chapter concludes with don Juan’s playful yet serious promise to retrieve Castaneda should he ever find himself lost on the path.

The Nagual Julian – The Fire from Within Read More »

Translate »