A Wisdom Archive on Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda (previously Castañeda) was born in Peru on December 25, 1925 and died in Los Angeles on April 27, 1998. In the US, he wrote a controversial series of books that claimed to describe his training in traditional Native American shamanism (ancient Toltec sorcery). Castaneda claimed to have met a Yaqui shaman named Don Juan Matus in 1960. Castaneda's experiences with don Juan allegedly inspired the works for which he is known. He claimed to have inherited from don Juan the position of nagual, or leade ... Including:

• Carlos Castaneda - Biography
• Carlos Castaneda - Castaneda's account of Toltec knowledge
• Carlos Castaneda - Brief Description of Books
• Carlos Castaneda - Interpretation and criticism the Castaneda controversy
• Carlos Castaneda - Significant characters In Castaneda's works
• Carlos Castaneda - Related authors
• Carlos Castaneda - Notable works
• Carlos Castaneda - Books by other authors

Read more here: » Carlos Castaneda: Encyclopedia - Carlos Castaneda

There are three main elements to Castaneda's description of Toltec beliefs: a. mastery of awareness - nagual (2nd attention) and tonal (1st attention), art of dreaming, description of the seers perception of luminous energy and bubbles of energy around living things (luminous cocoon) and ultimately the source of these energetic lines which are consciousness itself. b. art of self-stalking - dealing with the world and actions in it. c. mastery of intent - dealing with the primary force of ...

Read more here: » Carlos Castaneda: Encyclopedia II - Carlos Castaneda - Castaneda's account of Toltec knowledge

In Tibetan mysticism, a tulpa is a being or object which is created through sheer willpower alone. In otherwords, it is a materialized thought that has taken physical form (a thoughtform). The concept was brought to the West in the 19th century by Alexandra David-Neel, who claimed to have created a tulpa in the image of a jolly, Friar Tuck-like monk which later developed a life of its own and had to be destroyed. Many authors and artists have since used tulpas in their works, both in the context of fiction and in writing about mystici ... Including:

• Tulpa - Reference

Read more here: » Tulpa: Encyclopedia - Tulpa

The phrase "altered state of consciousness" was coined in the 1970s and describes induced changes in one's mental state, almost always temporary. A synonymous phrase is "altered states of awareness". An altered state of consciousness can come about accidentally through fever, sleep deprivation, starvation, oxygen deprivation, nitrogen narcosis (deep diving), or a traumatic accident. Intentionally it can sometimes be reached by the use of a sensory deprivation tank or mind-control techniques, hypnosis, meditation, prayer, or dis ...

Read more here: » Altered state of consciousness: Encyclopedia - Altered state of consciousness

Victor Sanchez is a Mexican author, shaman, and teacher. Sanchez was initially inspired by the writings of Carlos Castaneda and by his own studies among the Wirrarika, said to be descendants of the Pre-Columbian Native American Toltecs. Sanchez's first book, The Teachings of Don Carlos: Practical Applications of the Works of Carlos Castaneda (1995), provides in-depth techniques and commentary on a path of "self-growth" based on the wisdom of the Toltec descendants. Sanchez has published three further books: Tol ... Including:

• Victor Sanchez - Bibliography
• Victor Sanchez - Related works

Read more here: » Victor Sanchez: Encyclopedia - Victor Sanchez

Core Shamanism or Neoshamanism is a system of shamanic beliefs and practices from all over the world. Synthesized by Michael Harner, PhD, core shamanism does not hold a fixed belief system, but instead focuses on the practice of trance travel and may on an individual basis integrate indigenous shamanism, the teachings of Carlos Castaneda and other spiritualities. Specific practices include the use of rapid drumming [about 220 beats per minute] to attain the Shamanic State of Consciousness, communication with power animal ...

Read more here: » Core Shamanism: Encyclopedia - Core Shamanism

The Spanish word nagual derives from the Nahuatl nahualli or nawalli, a term that itself has several meanings, namely: one facile with words, witch, shape-shifter, and animal co-essence. The last is a name for an entity, to which refers a widespread and ancient Mesoamerican belief that one part of the souls of humans (or human-like figures, such as gods), manifests itself as a sort of animal (or phenomenon, such as lightning) of a spiritual character. The Mayan term is way. The belief is still current in ma ...

Read more here: » Nagual: Encyclopedia - Nagual

Dave Sheridan was the underground cartoonist who is best-known for his characters Dealer McDope and The Leather Nun. He was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area and by the early 1970s had arrived in San Francisco, California. There he collaborated with fellow midwesterner Fred Schrier on three issues of Mother's Oats Funnies and a one-shot title called The Balloon Vendor. These were all published by Rip Off Press, the pioneering underground comix publishers founded in San Francisco in 196 ...

Read more here: » Dave Sheridan: Encyclopedia - Dave Sheridan

In the past, the Yaqui subsisted on agriculture, growing corn, beans and squash (like many of the natives of the region). They also made cotton products. The Yaqui have always been skillful warriors. Don Juan Matus, the mystic teacher appearing in a series of books by Carlos Castaneda, was described as Yaqui Indian. However, critics have raised the question of whether Juan Matus was a real person or a fictional character, and any connection between actual Yaqui religious practices and those written ab ...

Read more here: » Yaqui: Encyclopedia II - Yaqui - Lifestyle of the Yaqui

Northern Exposure's unique flavor comes from a combination of various influences: the show’s creators, Joshua Brand and John Falsey, had been members of the Esalen Institute in California where they imbibed an eclectically "spiritual" worldview, best exemplified in wisdom writings of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and American anthropologist Joseph Campbell (whose works are frequently referenced in the series). There are also fantasy elements, which were likely inherited from the novels of Carlos Castaneda and, on a higher level, the ...

Read more here: » Northern Exposure: Encyclopedia II - Northern Exposure - Thematic and technical details

Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) is a small spineless cactus whose native region extends from the southwestern United States (including the states of Texas and New Mexico) through central Mexico. Peyote contains a large spectrum of phenethylamine alkaloids, the principal of which is mescaline. All Lophophora species are extremely slow growing, often taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age (at the size of about a golf ball, not including root) in the wild. Human cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, usuall ...

Read more here: » Peyote: Encyclopedia - Peyote