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mizzybug's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
changed my view on life and the way I perceive my reality.
mayqueenreads's review against another edition
2.0
I was very excited to finally find a copy of this book and thought it would be an amazing classic. Only a few pages in and I knew I was sorely mistaken.
The beginning was the hardest to get through. The same questions just rephrased being asked over and over again made me want to put the book down for good on several occasions. If I were Don Juan I would have left this guy in the desert. Castaneda's recollections of his altered states were summarized at best. It was hard to capture any of his experiences from his writings, I was completely unmoved. The only wisdom found anywhere is in the words of Don Juan and I believe that was used sparingly.
I thought the accounts with the lizards was truly horrifying. Sewing it's eyes and mouth and then releasing it back into the wild? How does that show any sort of appreciation for your use of it? I also would have liked a little back story on why Don Juan had such a negative outlook on woman. At first it was humorous, then it just got plain weird.
I could not continue through the "structural analysis" at the end. The fact that not only did the writing completely change but to break down such an experience in a scientific matter, almost as if he were writing a paper for school, was a huge slap in the face to Don Juan and his fellow people who believe and practice these things. I think maybe if Carlos had opened up his mind, reccounted his experiences more vivdly and tied them into the cultural changes at the time (it was the sixties and he was tripping in the desert!) then maybe this book would not be a not so well known cult classic that is out of print.
The beginning was the hardest to get through. The same questions just rephrased being asked over and over again made me want to put the book down for good on several occasions. If I were Don Juan I would have left this guy in the desert. Castaneda's recollections of his altered states were summarized at best. It was hard to capture any of his experiences from his writings, I was completely unmoved. The only wisdom found anywhere is in the words of Don Juan and I believe that was used sparingly.
I thought the accounts with the lizards was truly horrifying. Sewing it's eyes and mouth and then releasing it back into the wild? How does that show any sort of appreciation for your use of it? I also would have liked a little back story on why Don Juan had such a negative outlook on woman. At first it was humorous, then it just got plain weird.
I could not continue through the "structural analysis" at the end. The fact that not only did the writing completely change but to break down such an experience in a scientific matter, almost as if he were writing a paper for school, was a huge slap in the face to Don Juan and his fellow people who believe and practice these things. I think maybe if Carlos had opened up his mind, reccounted his experiences more vivdly and tied them into the cultural changes at the time (it was the sixties and he was tripping in the desert!) then maybe this book would not be a not so well known cult classic that is out of print.
hsinclair's review against another edition
2.0
Recommended to me by a friend based on my interest in mindfulness, meditation, and generally using my mind to make my life better, this book was ultimately disappointing.
The first half details the experiences of the author as he learns the "Yaqui Way of Knowledge" from his mentor Don Juan, using a whole lot of powerful drug trips. The second half of the book is the utterly incomprehensible and overly-complicated explanation of how Don Juan's teachings fit into a "system".
There were a few parts of this book that jumped out at me as quite profound, including how finding a "path with heart" is also one of the most significant Buddhist teachings (and a book of the same name by Jack Kornfield). The other is that Don Juan doesn't assign importance to what any person says unless it is truly important, which means he's never really pissed off at anything anyone says. This, I think I could take to heart.
If you're interested in meditation, mindfulness, or doing some soul searching, you can find a lot better books than this.
The first half details the experiences of the author as he learns the "Yaqui Way of Knowledge" from his mentor Don Juan, using a whole lot of powerful drug trips. The second half of the book is the utterly incomprehensible and overly-complicated explanation of how Don Juan's teachings fit into a "system".
There were a few parts of this book that jumped out at me as quite profound, including how finding a "path with heart" is also one of the most significant Buddhist teachings (and a book of the same name by Jack Kornfield). The other is that Don Juan doesn't assign importance to what any person says unless it is truly important, which means he's never really pissed off at anything anyone says. This, I think I could take to heart.
If you're interested in meditation, mindfulness, or doing some soul searching, you can find a lot better books than this.
a1e's review against another edition
4.0
There is a large question here of Carlos Castañeda's ethics in conducting this research with don Juan. His explanation of the arrangements didn't satisfy my expectations of a well-intentioned anthropologist. Setting that aside for now, the book was incredibly interesting. Both in the ethnography he gets to conduct and the hidden gems of philosophical commentary scattered throughout.
laurenscharhag's review against another edition
1.0
I picked this up because I am interested in learning more about shamanic traditions. I started reading this with the understanding that it was an anthropological study, only to learn that the author lied. He never actually conducted the field work, Don Juan doesn't exist, and this book is in no way reflective of Yaqui traditions. Some people try to view the work now as a work of fiction, but that wasn't how it was originally protrayed. Why excuse a fraud?
miss_kim's review against another edition
3.0
Not the wisdom I receive from reading Coelho. Very few snippets of deep learning as far as I'm concerned. Interesting only in the accounting of how to prepare the hallucinatory drugs and what Castaneda experiences on them. Maybe the next book will be more to my taste in spiritual wisdom.
rc_hopgood's review against another edition
4.0
another series of books expousing an alternate reality. One of the best at that.
sarah_tellesbo's review against another edition
5.0
This is my favorite book of all time. Period. Not for everyone, but if you're open minded and freespirited, you'll find that it's inspiring and absolutely stunning.