The Requirements of Intent – Intending Appearances

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Nagualismo / 34 minutes of reading

In this account, Castaneda describes an extraordinary experience where his reasoning faculties ceased, and he felt a profound physical elation, being propelled through the chaparral without fatigue, a state don Juan later calls entering “silent knowledge” due to a movement of his assemblage point. During this, Castaneda perceives himself “looming over the bushes” and experiences being “here and here,” simultaneously observing the desert floor and the tops of shrubs, and being in two places at once (his standing spot and the jaguar’s location). This state allowed him to witness a real jaguar that he pursued, despite his academic mind trying to rationalize it as a mountain lion due to the unusual fauna. Don Juan explains that this spontaneous shift of Castaneda’s assemblage point was a result of the “spirit” moving it, and that for a sorcerer, intent—which is the spirit—can manipulate this point. He clarifies the difference between a profound “movement” and a smaller “shift” of the assemblage point and introduces the “third point” as freedom of perception, intent, and the spirit, which allows for a tridimensional perception beyond the usual two-dimensional reality. Don Juan emphasizes that while Castaneda’s experience was vital for him to access silent knowledge, the jaguar itself was the true manifestation of the spirit, a source of awe and magic, serving as a vehicle for his realizations. He also highlights the “macabre connection between stupidity and self-reflection” in average men who are blind to the existence and manipulability of the assemblage point and fear the freedom that sorcery offers.

The Requirements of Intent – Intending Appearances Read More »

The Requirements of Intent – The Two One-Way Bridges

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Nagualismo / 24 minutes of reading

Castaneda reflects on his “here and here” experience, prompting don Juan to explain that such a “movement of the assemblage point” is a sorcerer’s goal, achieved through impeccability and curtailing self-reflection to access inner energy. Don Juan recounts his own initiation by nagual Julian, who, to teach him about the spirit, threw him into a raging river, forcing a shift into silent knowledge and split perception. Don Juan later learns from nagual Elías that Julian’s act was a masterful display of “waking up intent” to bring him to the “third point”—freedom of perception. This “third point” is a bridge from “reason” (the current human state) back to “silent knowledge,” accessible through “concern” and “pure understanding,” with the spirit responding to “gestures” of true abandon rather than words.

The Requirements of Intent – The Two One-Way Bridges Read More »

The Requirements of Intent – The Third Point

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Nagualismo / 42 minutes of reading

Castaneda recounts an experience where his reason ceased, leading to a state of “silent knowledge” where his assemblage point shifted, allowing him to perceive “here and here”—being in multiple places at once. This enabled him to perceive a real jaguar, which don Juan explained was a manifestation of the spirit that moved Castaneda’s assemblage point through intent. Don Juan emphasizes that this “third point” is freedom of perception, beyond typical two-dimensional reality, and highlights how average men’s self-reflection prevents them from recognizing this accessible freedom.

The Requirements of Intent – The Third Point Read More »

The Requirements of Intent – The Ticket to Impeccability

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Carlos Castaneda / 36 minutes of reading

In “The Ticket to Impeccability,” don Juan continues to explain to Castaneda that a warrior’s journey involves moving the assemblage point and invalidating their old continuity to achieve impeccability, which he likens to a sorcerer’s symbolic death. Don Juan recounts his own “death” experience, wherein, as a young man, he was tricked by the nagual Julian and his cohort of women into believing in a terrifying monster, living in fear and working as their valet for three years. This intense period, marked by a loss of self-importance and a developing detachment, ultimately led to don Juan’s confrontation with the “monster,” which he discovered was merely an energetic surge, a manifestation of his own fear. After this realization and a period of trying to live a “normal” life, characterized by a loss of detachment and deep poverty, don Juan underwent a profound recapitulation of his life, which culminated in a literal “death” in a field. This symbolic death, which the Eagle then “spat out” due to his impeccable recapitulation, served as his “ticket to impeccability,” a state of heightened awareness that allowed him to return to Julian’s household as a true sorcerer, “dead” to the world, and prepared to face the world as a warrior.

The Requirements of Intent – The Ticket to Impeccability Read More »

The Requirements of Intent – Breaking the Mirror of Self-Reflection

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Nagualismo / 22 minutes of reading

In this continuation, Don Juan further explains the process of breaking the mirror of self-reflection, emphasizing that the assemblage point can be moved by the nagual’s presence, but ultimately, it’s the spirit that makes the actual movement. He clarifies that instruction isn’t what moves the assemblage point; instead, it’s the curtailment of self-importance, which then releases energy, launching the assemblage point into a new perception. Don Juan illustrates this by recounting his manipulative tactics in Guaymas, which shattered Castaneda’s continuity and forced his assemblage point to the “place of no pity.” He reveals that his feigned senility was a deliberate act of masked ruthlessness, designed to bypass Castaneda’s rationality and lead him to a state of detached hardness, thereby beginning his journey into a “dreaming state” and the world of sorcery.

The Requirements of Intent – Breaking the Mirror of Self-Reflection Read More »

The Descent of the Spirit – The Place of No Pity

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Carlos Castaneda / 29 minutes of reading

In this chapter, Don Juan orchestrates a dramatic scenario to teach Castaneda about ruthlessness and the “place of no pity.” By feigning a debilitating stroke, Don Juan forces the narrator into extreme discomfort and self-pity, pushing his assemblage point—a key concept in Castaneda’s work representing the focal point of perception—away from its usual position of self-reflection. This intense experience reveals to the narrator a dualism within himself: an old, indifferent part and a new, anxious part. Don Juan explains that this shift allows access to silent knowledge and frees one from self-importance, which is revealed as disguised self-pity. The lesson culminates in Don Juan’s swift recovery, exposing the entire event as a deliberate act to initiate the narrator into a deeper understanding of sorcery and a state of being characterized by detachment and sobriety.

The Descent of the Spirit – The Place of No Pity Read More »

The Descent of the Spirit – Moving the Assemblage Point

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Carlos Castaneda / 10 minutes of reading

In “Moving the Assemblage Point,” don Juan details the profound practice of shifting the assemblage point, emphasizing ruthlessness as the first principle of sorcery and its connection to the “place of no pity.” He clarifies that the spirit and intent are the true forces behind these shifts, not physical maneuvers, as illustrated by a psychic healer’s ability to move the assemblage points of an entire audience by banishing their doubts. The chapter explains that a “somersault of thought into the inconceivable” is the breaking of perceptual barriers caused by such shifts, and that sorcerers cultivate recollection—distinct from mere remembering—using the shine of their eyes to intentionally guide their assemblage point. Ultimately, don Juan reveals that naguals inherently mask their ruthlessness with seemingly benevolent traits, as this core lack of pity is crucial for their ability to interact directly with intent and achieve these extraordinary states of heightened awareness.

The Descent of the Spirit – Moving the Assemblage Point Read More »

The Descent of the Spirit – The Somersault of Thought

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Carlos Castaneda / 14 minutes of reading

This chapter, “The Somersault of Thought,” explains how sorcerers maintain their clarity and deepen their understanding of intent by stalking themselves, which involves delivering a “jolt” to break fixations and complacency. Don Juan emphasizes the crucial role of the idea of death not as an enemy, but as a “worthy opponent” that inspires courage and sobriety. He reveals that a “somersault of thought into the inconceivable” is synonymous with the descent of the spirit and the breaking of perceptual barriers, a state that can be induced through practices like using poems as “advance runners.” The chapter culminates with the concept of sorcerer storytellers who, by manipulating their connection to intent “under the auspices of the spirit,” can alter “factual” outcomes in their narratives, demonstrating that profound understanding allows the direct manifestation of an intended reality beyond conventional perception.

The Descent of the Spirit – The Somersault of Thought Read More »

The Descent of the Spirit – Seeing the Spirit

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Carlos Castaneda / 28 minutes of reading

This chapter, “The Descent of the Spirit,” explains the “fourth abstract core” as the spirit’s direct revelation, which frees individuals from self-reflection and mundane concerns. Don Juan illustrates this through the story of the nagual Julian and Talia, whose traumatic experience, guided by the nagual Elías, shifts their assemblage points and allows them to “see the spirit.” The narrator undergoes a similar shift in a sorcerers’ cave, perceiving Eagle’s emanations and a “lull of perception.” Don Juan further clarifies how sorcerers’ understanding evolved from “awareness” to “will” and finally to intent—the conscious force permeating the universe. Ultimately, sorcery is presented as the disciplined path, known as the “warrior’s way” or “impeccable action,” to re-establish this connection with intent and gain silent knowledge without being overwhelmed by its power.

The Descent of the Spirit – Seeing the Spirit Read More »

The Trickery of the Spirit – The Four Moods of Stalking

Ancient Cycle, Carlos Castaneda, Power of Silence / By Carlos Castaneda / 25 minutes of reading

This chapter, “The Four Moods of Stalking,” details don Juan’s instruction on the fundamental principles of stalking, emphasizing its four core moods: ruthlessness, cunning, patience, and sweetness. Through a vivid recollection triggered by a specific technique, the narrator recalls a pivotal early lesson in heightened awareness with don Juan and his companions, Silvio Manuel and Vicente Medrano. This lesson, which involved a surprising “test” of being tied up like a dog, revealed the narrator’s “indulgence” rather than the desired stalking traits. Don Juan explains that stalking is the art of breaking routine behavior to move the assemblage point, a feat that requires impeccability and goes beyond personal gain, ultimately leading to direct, “silent knowledge” of intent, which can only be truly commanded and utilized, not fully articulated or explained in words.

The Trickery of the Spirit – The Four Moods of Stalking Read More »