Reviews (21)

To "See" =Alone In The World With Nothing But Folly.
This book is the sequel to the first book "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" and is just as meaningful and profound. The idea of spirituality under the Yaqui Indian paradigm, like other esoteric perceptions, conveys a non-ordinary reality where rationalizations and human explanations act as superficiality.
Castaneda brings us this guide to a life free of worry
I admire Carlos Castaneda for his courage, perseverance and devotion to attain deep spiritual wisdom and knowledge.He deserves a generous "thank you" for traveling deep into the Mexican wilderness to bring us a documented account of the secret spiritual tradition of the Yaqui Indian that produces men of intense spirit, profound character and impressive psychological powers.Castaneda, who throughout the book seems to be very earthly and rational, makes a tremendous effort to explore a realm of existence that goes well beyond his comfort zone.I have not read its precursor The Teachings of Don Juan... but I was still able to understand and enjoy this sequel.

Is there more?

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Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Tribes    2. Indians of Mexico    3. Literature: Classics    4. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Religion    6. Spirituality - General    7. Yaqui Indians    8. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    9. Ethnic or tribal religions   

Reviews (42)

One Of My Favourite Books EVER
This book was instrumental in changing my view of the world and opening up to all the magic that is here now. A truly timeless book, this is the first Carlos Castaneda book I recommend to everyone. Is Don Juan a real person or just a character in the mind of a brilliant Carlos?Everybody wants to know.. (those that have read a few books) If you do some searches on the internet you may be able to find a Don Juan that goes by a different name... Some say that he is the inspiration for these books. Regardless, this reality is quite magical and I have experienced its truth. Thankyou to the Magic of the Universe!

Nothing Here
I read this book after being directed to it by a colleague at work. It started out interesting about Carlos the under graduate student spending time with the Indian Mistic Don Juan. It seemed that Don Juan was trying to get Carlos to pierce the illusion of reality, but the story broke down quickly and just got strange and made little sense from a logical or mystical stand point. By the end of the book I started believing Carlos was being drugged and I did not trust this Don Juan. I would advise reading Vernon Howard or studying Buddhism for enlightenment and avoid this book.

Castaneda's Best
This, in my opinion (and I have read them all) is Castaneda's best work.There is alot of speculation as to which books are indeed fiction and which are based on fact.Perhaps all of them are fables from Castaneda's inventive mind.Still, there is a common belief among his fans that, beginning after this book his works become pure fiction.Regardless of the 'factual' nature of these works, Truth is found within Castaneda's writings - especially in Journey to Ixtlan.
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Subjects:  1. 1891-    2. Don,    3. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Tribes    4. Hallucinogenic drugs    5. Juan,    6. New Age    7. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    8. Religion and mythology    9. Spirituality - General    10. Yaqui Indians    11. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    12. Mind, Body, Spirit   

Reviews (37)

Eye Opener
This book at the very least will give you another life. A life of vivid dreams, new experiences and lucidity. This book holds great lessons, humour, suspense and some fear. It matters not if you believe that all the events have happened, the lessons are true. After all the world was flat, right? Even if you do not read any of Carlos' other great works, you will still gain much insight on the art of dreaming. However this book, along with The Journey to Ixtlan, has inspired me to buy all of his works. I emplore the open-minded individual to attain a copy of this book and see the benifits for yourself. It is truely a masterpiece.

Back and Forth
The motion of reading a work such as this: back and forth. I've read a bit of Castenada (primarily his first book) and I read this out of an interest in Dreaming. I've seen a lot of reviews here. My advice is simple: mix all the reviews together mentally, and you'll gain a sense for Castenada. But then, forget that sense entirely and approach this book fresh, with an open-mind. It's difficult for me to know how to read Castaneda.
This is the second Castaneda book that I have picked up. I honestly probably would not have picked up a second except that I have been doing some research on dreaming and it was recommended to me.
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Subjects:  1. 1891-    2. Don,    3. Dreams    4. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    5. Juan,    6. New Age    7. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    8. Spirituality - Shamanism    9. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Reviews (34)

enthralling
After reading all Castaneda's other works, this one seems to tie them all together in a most favorable way. Read start to finish, randomly, backwards or just a bit at a time. All of Don Juan Matus' remarks are truly magical.

The Active Side of Infinity
I have read and enjoyed all of the books written by Carlos Castaneda, with the exception of The Second Ring of Power.However, for the first time, in his book The Active Side of Infinity, I felt that Carlos Castaneda was revealing more about himself, than he had ever done in any of his previous works.I found this book to be an excellent synopsis of his life both before his apprenticeship and during his apprenticeship with don Juan.If you, like me, have been bedazzled by all of the information contained in his earlier works, you will find this a marvellous book for consolidating much of the information that you have read but not truly internalised.

Stellar!
We are all indebted to Carlos Castaneda. This certainly is one of his best books. An incredibly moving and illuminating experience to read... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    4. Fiction    5. Mysticism    6. Spirituality - Shamanism    7. Body, Mind & Spirit / Mysticism   

Reviews (17)

consciousness meets reality
i have read all of castaneda's works, and at the time believed them to be nonfiction. i have since come to my senses, but appreciate castaneda's value all the same, albeit with a lessened cult-of-personality affect.
For Semi-Aware Semi-Spiritualists
Carlos Castaneda picked up some adherents who saw him as a mystic philosopher with access to the great mysteries of knowledge, but he was more of an early version of today's self-help hucksters who are convinced that their contrived allusions to poorly-defined spiritualism actually make them messianic gurus. The main problem is Castaneda's supposed teacher Don Juan, who is deified as a pure and noble shaman who disdains the spiritual emptiness of modern western society. But Don Juan's character is laughably thin and inconsistent, as the righteous shaman of the small Indian village somehow voices all of Castaneda's westernized opinions.If Don Juan truly existed, which is highly doubtful, he would have been one of those "gurus" who drew gullible drugged-out hippies into his cult to provide him with free stuff.But actually, the same could be said about Carlos Castaneda. He either made lots of rubes fall for his half-baked spirituality, or convinced himself of the reality of his own imagination.
Fantastic Synthesis of Don Juan`s Sorcery
Clearly one of Carlos Castaneda`s best books, it offers a phenomenal insight into the world of Don Juan. Several of Castaneda`s practises and experiences he was subject to during his jounery to become a "man of knowledge" find an elegant and thrilling explanation.This particular book is quite remarkable in that it questions the very foundations of perception and relates stalking, intent and the dreaming position to the assemblage point. Also contains colorful accounts of Nagual Julian, petty tyrants and their use by stalkers. As against some of the previous accounts, the entire book is peppered with anecdotal accounts magnificantly weaved with moving accounts of the sorcerer`s spirit and the constant quest to "break the barrier of perception". On the whole,an exhilarating and thought-provoking read, one of the very best of Castaneda`s. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    2. Indians of Mexico    3. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    4. Religion    5. Spirituality - Shamanism    6. Yaqui Indians    7. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Reviews (83)

Caveat for Castaneda's first book
I waited until I had read books 2 - 8 before I read this first book, and I was glad I did, because I wouldn't have read the other books if I'd read this one first.But with the others under my belt, I was able to see what Castaneda was demonstrating out of his bag of tricks, and also could appreciate his maturing by the time he wrote his subsequent works.
Casteneda: shaman or sham?
I was surprised to find this book not only still in print, but enthusiastically reviewed by so many who obviously take it seriously.For those willing to do a little background research into Casteneda and his subject matter it will quickly become apparent that the events detailed in 'The Teachings' did not, and could not have occurred as described.Space prevents me going into detail here, but I have a review on my website at:
loved the story...
However I just wanted to point out that this publication from the California University looks like a slapped up job. There are quite a few typos, most of which look like they occurred during scanning of the pages. It's really irritating while reading. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1891-    2. Don,    3. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    4. Juan,    5. Philosophy    6. Religion    7. Spirituality - Shamanism    8. Yaqui Indians    9. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Reviews (11)

Excellent and Informative
Definitely a wonderful book. For those following the teachings of the other books, this book provides more useful information. The path that Castaneda elucidated is fraught with controvery and extreme views (read the other reviews). I found it useful to read and judge for myself.
A Spritual Journey
Like all of Castaneda's books, "Power of Silence" grips you from the start, and before you know it you've finished the book. I found this one to be interesting because Don Juan talks about his past.He tells Castaneda about how he got started in sorcery, and even gives details about his benefactors past.Crucial details on the path of knowledge.

Praise!
Why haven't the people who moderate these reviews removed the religious fundamentalist rant that figures prominently at the very top of the list?Of course, monomaniacal lunatics have as much right to their opinion as the next person, but that doesn't change the fact that what he wrote isn't a review, does it?(But of course, neither is this...) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Tribes    2. Indians of Mexico    3. Knowledge, Sociology of    4. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Philosophy    6. Religion    7. Spirituality - Shamanism    8. Yaqui Indians    9. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Reviews (19)

The Entire Teachings In One Volume
If you could only choose to read one of Carlos' books, this has to be the one. For those who aren't familiar with the books, this is the fourth. The first three, expected by most readers to be a "trilogy", describe the first several years of Castaneda's apprenticeship to a native nagual, or shaman in Sonora and other parts of Mexico.
Overrated
This book is too complicated and not for everyone. It dables too much with drug references that are quite disturbing. Stay away from this and pick up Dr. Phil's autobiography. Thanks. :)

Read this review
Back in 1985 I read this book and was fascinated. Was it real or not? Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    2. Indians of Mexico    3. New Age    4. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Religion    6. Spirituality - Shamanism    7. Yaqui Indians    8. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Reviews (13)

absurd and not absurd
of course to any everday rational person, the world of castenda is absurd. how could it be otherwise? nevertheless, read this book with disbelief suspended, and its a great read. for those who have persevered through the previous volumes of carlos' introduction to the ways of 'power', now comes the nub of the argument. the heart of the matter. all that power-plant taking, ally-mongering and what not of the previous volumes is left behind. what was the purpose ofdon juan's elaborate rituals in the ways of 'power', painstakingly taught to a dense, exasperating carlos? nothing less than a quest for freedom. the practices are not important; what is important is the effect on the practitioner. the world of don juan is entirely re-interpreted for the reader. a completely new framework must be understood. not familiar with the world(s) of don juan and carlos? never mind: this volume, more novel-like and fast moving than the others, reads well as fiction in and of itself, whether or not the reader cares to believe casteneda. comprehending the framework of what casteneda describes is a bonus. casteneda is a quietly skilled writer, who bears re-reading. i recommend reading and understanding all the books in this series, in order. the payoff is for thos who persevere. as for the now eternal question of whether this is true, real, logical, etc., how can the average reader ever know? why worry? as carlos himself was led this way and that by his benefactors, always in a certain direction, tending towards a finer understanding of their realm, so can the reader be led by casteneda.

Least favorite
While i was inspired by all of other castaneda books (i have not yet read second ring of power)this one was my least favorite.It did not have any of the great quotes of don Juan Matus or commical actions of Don Genaro, and it was not inspiring. it did have a few interesting parts here and there, but overall was kinda [crummy] compared to his other books

Eagles and other bogies
Whether or not Casteneda's yarns are authentic representations of what is alleged to be Toltec is beyond comment. However, it is rather curious to reflect that in this system there is an image of the Creator as an Eagle that seems intent upon devouring what it produces. In purely psychological terms, that's an image of the Evil Mother. Besides being a useful go-get-'um, i.e., reason for doing for all the occult gymnastics, the Eagle, in other words, the Mother Complex, is indeed a major challenge in every man's psychological development. However, is the Mother Complex the same as the Creator, or, God? Which brings us to the other side of this Toltec coin: the so-called Human Form, which, don Juan assures us is our idea of God. This may, indeed, be a common idea of God, but it is altogether misleading to call this God, because what is commonly thought of as being God is not God, God having no image or form or name or whatever you want to ascribe to God unless, of course, you are talking about a god. It might be instructive for the credulous readers and fans of this very fascinating writer, Casteneda, to study such sources of the ancient wisdom tradition of the West as the writings of Plotinus or, God forbid, the Kabbalah. Perhaps, in the light of such readings, the wisdom and occult exercises of this don Juan character will appear in a richer and more balanced light. As for occult exercises, it would behoove the serious student of magic to look into the Golden Dawn system or something comparable. By the way, don Juan's virtuoso feat of disappearing into the void is not the exclusive property of the Toltecs or Aztecs. This technique is known in other cultures, even ones that know nothing about devouring Eagles and such. Attachment to such images is a bigger obstacle on the way than the devouring Eagle itself. All that said, there is much that is valuable in Casteneda. Let his readers sort that out for themselves. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Tribes    2. Fiction    3. Indians of Mexico    4. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Religion    6. Spirituality - General    7. Yaqui Indians    8. Body, Mind & Spirit / General   

Reviews (17)

The Path Impossible to Follow with Magical Passes
Very simple. The path of the warrior-seer is impossible to follow without Magical Passes. Now, must these passes come from this book? Not necessarily. Those called to the path, there to acquiesce to the spirit, are often given passes in dreams. However, this book details the basic passes; and once they are begun in a routine of practice, very often more dreams follow detailing extra moves and even new passes not mentioned in the book.

The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico

Good for the information alone, moves added bonus
I am a tai-chi expert and have also mastered more than 60 passes in Tensegrity and the Magical Passes. This book is not Tai-chi while it may resemble like tai-chi moves to some.
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Subjects:  1. Body, Mind & Spirit    2. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    3. Exercise    4. Indians of Mexico    5. Mexico    6. Mysticism    7. New Age    8. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    9. Religion    10. Religious aspects    11. Shamanism    12. Spirituality - Shamanism    13. Body, Mind & Spirit / Mysticism   

Reviews (13)

A Story That Gives Severe Curiousity...
My dad recommended this to me; he told me he read them as a young adult when Carlos' books were just being published. My library only had this one, so I had to begin on a seemingly already well-traveled joruney. All I can say is this is one book I'll never forget. It was amazing, and yet indeed troubling for me because I've never heard anyone talk about life quite the way he explains it in a Sorcerer's eyes. I love, as a woman myself, that there are females Sorcerers that helped him, because indeed wherever men have been, women have as well. But other than that, I found them to be weird characters, people that don't sound like they live in our world whatsoever. The men, Nestor, Beningo, and Pablito and the women Gorda, Lidia, Rosa, and Josefina are just souls that could confuse any of us average kind, and I truly felt like Carlos- confused and severely curious throughout the entire novel. That's why I don't appreciate them all calling him stupid constantly, I mean, cut him slack. He's learning as they learned. And what things he learned, as well as myself. In Depth Sorcery...
This is when the fun Begins,Carlos Comes Back From the Abyss, And begins to ponder whether he really jumped off a mountain so he goes back to mexico to see if he can find answers, and boy did he,In order to completely understand this book its a must to read the last previous books Or else you will be Lost ! It gets pretty Complicated but if you've read the previous books you can comprehend it pretty well,this book also deserves at least 2 reads you'll find different answers all the time,Once you begin comprehending you will finally be addicted to the writings of Carlos, his descriptions are so thorough It paints a most vivid picture of his details. The Beginning of Carlos's First Battle with Sorcery and he finds in-depth powers he never thought he can achieve, and this also introduces the art of dreaming and the second attention, One must suspend their disbelief when they read this
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Subjects:  1. Indians of Mexico    2. New Age    3. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    4. Religion    5. Spirituality - Shamanism    6. Yaqui Indians    7. Body, Mind & Spirit / General    8. Modern fiction   

Editorial Review

Carlos Castaneda's intelligence shines through as clearly in his updated commentary in the 30th anniversary edition of Read more

Reviews (15)

An excellent read!
I found the first half of the book to be extremely interesting and informative.The second half of the book, or strucutaral ananlysis, was not so interesting and made alot of redundant points.With that said i still found the book to be one of the most interesting books i have ever read and i look forward to passing it on to my loved ones.

Fiction or Anthropology
This is Castaneda's first book introducing his long apprenticeship with the Yaqui sorcerer Don Juan Matus.
mirando, sin aliento
Para mi solo recorrer los caminos que tienen corazon, cualquier camino que tenga corazon. Por ahi yo recorro, y la unica prueba que vale es atravesar todo su largo. Y por ahi yo recorro mirando, mirando, sin aliento. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1891-    2. Anthropology - Cultural    3. Don,    4. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    5. Hallucinogenic drugs and religious experience    6. Juan,    7. Philosophy    8. Religion    9. Religious    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Spiritualism - General    13. Yaqui Indians    14. Ethnic or tribal religions    15. Mexico    16. Mysticism    17. Religion / General   

Reviews (9)

Great Read
Great read, kept me going. Not meant to be everyone's taste, but if it is, you will enjoy. Fiction or non-fiction... we may never know.Why do we have to classify? For about the same price as going to a bad movie, you will almost certainly get more out of it, whether you liked it or not. Go for it!

Even if you don't believe it...
...this book works. You don't have to believe Florinda Donner experienced or witnessed everything in this book to find something useful about her portrayal of the life of a Venezuelan healer and spiritualist (our modern, American terms). Read it like a novel that certainly feels like it was thoroughly researched. You'll find it an excellent journey to a place you've never been before.

the cubic centimeter of chance
I can't leave this marvelous book with a couple of limited reviews here at Amazon, even though it's been ten years since I last read it.Donner's story is simply a great human story; it's really about becoming more human.It's about the simple necessities in life, about the choices we are forced to make when choices are most limited, and about the life we find through that "cubic centimeter of chance."It gets outside -- thank God! -- the crime and punishment limited mentality of America....and of course that is why such a book will bore some readers and frighten others. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. New Age / Parapsychology    3. Psychology    4. Non-Classifiable   

Reviews (1)

A mystical spiritual journey
In his second book, Castaneda resumes his apprenticeship, determined to go deeper into Don Juan's world of sorcery. A Separate Reality is the record of a glorious mystical spiritual journey. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drogas alucinógenas y experiencias religiosas    2. Hallucinogenic drugs and religious experience    3. Indios de México    4. Juan    5. Literatura    6. Religion and mythology    7. Religión y mitología    8. Yaqui Indians    9. Yaquis (Indios)   

Subjects:  1. Caribbean & Latin American    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Literary Collections    5. Spanish: Adult Fiction   

Reviews (1)

The Yaqui sorcerers power of mind and vision.
Carlos Castaneda an anthropologyst from Los Angeles visits with Yaqui indians in regions of northern Mexico.In the previous books he stays with a Yaqui sorcerer and herbalist Don Juan who gives him psycotropic plants of the desert to open his conciousness of the world.In The Second Ring of Power Castaneda is done with his apprenticeship and meets people Don Juan planned for him to see.These people like La Gorda, the sisters, and the Genaros play mental games and teach him the art of dreaming and stalking.These methods help him see the "nagual" side of perception.Everyone sees the tonal but only sorcerers and warriors can see the nagual.I extremely liked this book because of my interest of the mystical and unknown.I also love the desert and this book gave my mind beautiful desert landscapes to imagine.The desert is another world when looked at with open eyes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Interpersonal Relations    2. Psychology   

Reviews (1)

Rich narrative powers
A brilliant flash of knowledge that illuminates the far reaches of the human mind. Through do Juan's mesmerizing stories, the true meaning of sorcery and magic is finally revealed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    2. Hallucinogenic drugs and religious experience    3. Knowledge, Sociology of    4. New Age / Parapsychology    5. Philosophy    6. Religion and mythology    7. Spirituality - Shamanism    8. Yaqui Indians   

Subjects:  1. Religion - General    2. General    3. Metaphysical Phenomena - General    4. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Spanish: Adult Fiction