Carlos Castaneda: Enigma of a Sorcerer
This DVD takes a look at the best-selling, controversial author who sold over eight million books in seventeen languages. He wrote, ostensibly, about his experiences with a Sonoran Nualle, holy man, named Don Juan Matus. Carlos is portrays himself in the books as the hapless, hallucinogenic drug imbibing, student trying to understand the magical powers Don Juan uses to make plants come to life and other miracles in these "reports", which earned him a PhD from UCLA in 1970.
It was, in fact, the pedigree of UCLA, with forward written by the Anthropology Department Chair, that gave the books legitimacy. Just as Timothy Leary used his status as a Harvard professor to give hallucinogens credentials, Castaneda parlays his student status into the type of love, power and attention he wanted. Like Leary, he wanted to impart knowledge of the nature of reality. From many of the reports in the DVD, he really did believe his own story.
But, unlike Leary, and more like Steve Glass, the subject of Shattered Glass, the National Review writer who made up his stories, or, more recently, Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces who had to go mea culpa on Oprah... Carlos made it all up. There is no Don Juan.
To me, it's like saying there's no Santa Claus. I mean, I took an entire course on this guy in college. I read all his books, many times, thought about them and what his exchanges with Don Juan meant. Yes, we all had to consider the notion that these far out stories were made up, but, you want to believe there is some proof for what we all know is true.
Someone on the DVD discusses the idea that, like Santa Claus, it almost doesn't matter if Don Juan was a real man. He is a "fictive reality", meaning, so many people understand the concept of this individual it sort of creates it's own reality. No, no. This guy was more like the David Koresh/Jim Jones/Charles Mansons, it's not about enlightenment. It's about ego, and feeling the thrill of minions of women to fuck, women who truly love and believe in them. It's exploitation and that's what Carlos Castaneda was about.
Like the worst of the users of this world, the Jerry Falwells and Jim Bakers, he used good solid spiritual concepts to lure in his victims. They were "new age" concepts, instead of traditional bible stuff, but, it's basically the same thing. Taking truth and beauty and twisting it to your own gain, living a life surrounded, ultimately, by pain and lies. You should hear what all these people who closely surrounded Carlos in his little Sorcerers Circle say about him, "what a relief it was, when he died!".
I want to end on something positive, which is one of the biggest lessons of the books. Even if they were lies, and that's pretty much proven in the DVD by a guy who traced Carlos' writings along with other things being published at the time, the concepts are valid and here's one I've lived by. Don Juan tells us that death is always over our shoulder. Each day we need to keep somewhere in the back of our minds that we must use our time well because our life could end at any time.
If today were your last day, could you really say you've lead your life freely, honestly and without fear? Or have you made a million little compromises and told a million little lies and towed the line and did what you were supposed to, assuming you'll have plenty of time at the end to do what you really love, be with someone you really love, be who you really are?
It was, in fact, the pedigree of UCLA, with forward written by the Anthropology Department Chair, that gave the books legitimacy. Just as Timothy Leary used his status as a Harvard professor to give hallucinogens credentials, Castaneda parlays his student status into the type of love, power and attention he wanted. Like Leary, he wanted to impart knowledge of the nature of reality. From many of the reports in the DVD, he really did believe his own story.
But, unlike Leary, and more like Steve Glass, the subject of Shattered Glass, the National Review writer who made up his stories, or, more recently, Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces who had to go mea culpa on Oprah... Carlos made it all up. There is no Don Juan.
To me, it's like saying there's no Santa Claus. I mean, I took an entire course on this guy in college. I read all his books, many times, thought about them and what his exchanges with Don Juan meant. Yes, we all had to consider the notion that these far out stories were made up, but, you want to believe there is some proof for what we all know is true.
Someone on the DVD discusses the idea that, like Santa Claus, it almost doesn't matter if Don Juan was a real man. He is a "fictive reality", meaning, so many people understand the concept of this individual it sort of creates it's own reality. No, no. This guy was more like the David Koresh/Jim Jones/Charles Mansons, it's not about enlightenment. It's about ego, and feeling the thrill of minions of women to fuck, women who truly love and believe in them. It's exploitation and that's what Carlos Castaneda was about.
Like the worst of the users of this world, the Jerry Falwells and Jim Bakers, he used good solid spiritual concepts to lure in his victims. They were "new age" concepts, instead of traditional bible stuff, but, it's basically the same thing. Taking truth and beauty and twisting it to your own gain, living a life surrounded, ultimately, by pain and lies. You should hear what all these people who closely surrounded Carlos in his little Sorcerers Circle say about him, "what a relief it was, when he died!".
I want to end on something positive, which is one of the biggest lessons of the books. Even if they were lies, and that's pretty much proven in the DVD by a guy who traced Carlos' writings along with other things being published at the time, the concepts are valid and here's one I've lived by. Don Juan tells us that death is always over our shoulder. Each day we need to keep somewhere in the back of our minds that we must use our time well because our life could end at any time.
If today were your last day, could you really say you've lead your life freely, honestly and without fear? Or have you made a million little compromises and told a million little lies and towed the line and did what you were supposed to, assuming you'll have plenty of time at the end to do what you really love, be with someone you really love, be who you really are?
posted by Intervision at 6:51 AM
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