2006-12-06 01:46:07 · 6 answers · asked by johnfrancis 01 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I read them at university and really enjoyed them.
They aren't true, unfortunately. Before he died Castaneda admitted he made them up to cash in on the hippy fascination with drugs and Indian cultures, but they were some great yarns nonetheless.
2006-12-06 05:04:39 · answer #1 · answered by Kyo-the-cat 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some of the best parts are almost bye-lines. For instance after smoking peyote he tells the shaman he flew over his home town in the USA and asks, 'What would have happened if I had chained myself to a rock?' The shaman's reply was, 'Why would you want to go flying over the USA dragging a big rock with you?' It's a long time since I read these books and this is not a quote, it just gives the gist.
2006-12-06 23:26:01 · answer #2 · answered by cymry3jones 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was disappointed that Carlos/Juan's philosophy seemed essentially selfish, no interest in an ethical or spiritual focus. What good is magic without these?
Still, it was interesting.
I have been told, since then, that Carlos has distorted the true use of peyote by Native American shamans.
2006-12-06 05:37:00 · answer #3 · answered by The First Dragon 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are a very good yarn I enjoyed them immensely.
However they are a yarn and like any good yarn there is some truth within.
The tricky part like in everything else is sorting what is true within a book lets face it that was written to sell.
The way to 'see', one of his favorites for example is attractive to as many, as there are 'ways' of 'seeing'.
But I agree with him in at least that life energy is as real as electricity but then how real is that..........
As we are all different our interactions with life energy differs, sometimes greatly but quite often we have a common awareness of what is what.
Ones interpretation of Castenada seems ridiculous to another but both read the same book. Those that sympathise in some way with his view have a similiar feeling/intuition/sense that something like his view is going on, those that d'ont, d'ont.
Me I have my own crazy world view to worry about and its far stranger than Castenada's.
2006-12-07 01:35:27 · answer #4 · answered by farshadowman 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I read only one of them a few years back, one of his later books. What I remember most is that it scared the holy sh*t out of me.
2006-12-06 02:08:53 · answer #5 · answered by Seeker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sorry, never heard of him, but thanks for the 2 points though.x.
2006-12-06 02:58:37 · answer #6 · answered by evertonsue 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋