Freedom vs Shamanism
In response to on-going questions posed by many readers, I would like to clarify some of the misconceptions surrounding the relationship between Carlos Castaneda and his teacher Juan Matus. In the first place I would like to point out that Don Juan was indeed an utterly impeccable warrior dedicated to the Path of Freedom, and nagal of the Toltec tradition. On the other hand, Carlos Castaneda, as is clear from his books, was not interested in freedom, but rather in the Path of High Adventure and sorcery/shamanism.
A fact that is also made clear in his books, but which seems to have escaped the attention of most readers, is that Castaneda’s training was never completed. Indeed, at his final meeting with Don Juan, Castaneda still did not have a fully restored memory. The result of this is that Castaneda still very much laboured under the influence of a highly selective perception, which enormously affected his ability to pass on or to interpret the Toltec teachings with any degree of reliability or authority. In this respect, what has always grabbed the attention of the serious reader of his books are those passages where Castaneda directly quotes Don Juan verbatim. The value of these passages should be contrasted with the unreliable field notes recorded and fancifully misinterpreted by Castaneda and which constitute the bulk of his work.
In relation to the references to sorcery in Carlos Castaneda’s books, I should further point out that whilst knowledge relating to sorcery is indeed part of the Toltec tradition, its practice nonetheless does not lead to freedom. With respect to this, it is also important to point out that the Toltec teachings as taught by the Warriors of Freedom have nothing to do with the shamans of ancient Mexico. This is another fact that Don Juan repeatedly stressed to Castaneda. Indeed, Castaneda’s books are littered with statements to this effect made by Don Juan, but people read so selectively today that they miss them. As Don Juan so aptly put it, “sorcery is a dead-end street”, and “by comparison with a man of knowledge, the sorcerer is a sad fellow.” However, it is amazing how the true impeccable warrior, Don Juan, has become forgotten in Castaneda’s shadow.
With respect to the above it should be remembered that when reading Castaneda’s books, the only parts of value are what Don Juan taught, leaving aside any of Castaneda’s interpretation of what he thought he was being taught. Castaneda completely missed the plot in his training, and became hooked only to the phenomenal. What he perceived, and how he interpreted what he perceived, was so far from reality, that the mind boggles. Castaneda died a bitter shell of a man. This is the lot of sorcerers.
Furthermore, the “magical passes” taught by Castaneda have no place in any Toltec lineage. They were taught to Castaneda by Howard Lee, and not by Don Juan or any member of his unit of warriors as Castaneda claimed. Similarly the “foreign installations”, the so-called “fliers”, also have no place in any Toltec lineage.
Finally, there are no further representatives of Don Juan’s lineage. Don Juan’s lineage ended with Don Juan.
In the name of freedom,
Théun Mares
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