Call number
130 CAS
Collection
Genres
Publication
Harpercollins (1993), Edition: 1st, 260 pages
Description
The author of The Teachings of Don Juan reveals the spiritual adventures that can be attained through dreams, describing his own journeys into new worlds by using ancient, powerful techniques.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member stipe168
slightly difficult to get through (take notes). But extremely rewarding. this isn't fiction, this is reality. Castaneda has seen the demons in your dreams, he's been to their world, and he's come back to teach and warn.
“To seek freedom is the only driving force I know. Freedom to fly off into
“To seek freedom is the only driving force I know. Freedom to fly off into
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the infinity out there. Freedom to dissolve; to lift off; to be like the flame of a candle, which, in spite of being up against the lift of a billion stars, remains intact, because it never pretended to be more than what it is: a mere candle.” Show Less
LibraryThing member LadyBlossom
Like all of Castaneda's books this one is not easy, you will be rewarded if you don't let it beat you.
LibraryThing member IonaS
Though I have loved all Castaneda’s books so far, I have a predilection for this one. This is because I have a particular interest in dreaming, and “dreaming” (the kind of dreaming Don Juan teaches about).
Don Juan said “Through ‘dreaming’ we can perceive other worlds … we can feel how
We learn that the whole universe is energy. Don Juan taught his apprentices to perceive energy directly.
Human beings are luminous balls and the crucial feature of the luminous ball is a spot of intense brilliance on a place at the height of the shoulder blades, at an arm’s length from the person’s body, which is termed the assemblage point. This enables us to perceive, and when the assemblage point dislodges itself from its usual spot, our usual behaviour, awareness and perception are changed.
Much of the book deals with changing the assemblage point and the consequences of this. Don Juan can make Carlos’ assemblage point shift to another position to enable him to reach a heightened state of awareness, otherwise termed the “second attention”.
There are seven entrances, perceived as obstacles, called the seven gates of dreaming. We reach the first gate when we become aware that we’re falling asleep. This is achieved by intending it – “to wish without wishing, to do without doing”.
Carlos reached the first gate of dreaming but by another way, by having “a gigantically real dream” – he wanders though a city until he becomes completely exhausted.
When dreaming you must focus your gaze on anything of your choice as the starting point, for example, your hands. Then shift your gaze to other items and look at them in brief glances. Then go back to the item you started with.
Carlos practices focusing and holding his dreaming attention on the items of his dreams. He learns that he must “redeploy” his energy by losing self-importance. Self-importance is “not only the sorcerers’ supreme enemy but the nemesis of mankind”
The city he visited in his dream, where he got exhausted, was “out of this world”. Don Juan was with him, but he “saw” the city not as a city but as energy.
You reach the second gate of dreaming when you wake from a dream into another dream. Carlos reaches this second gate, but again he does it in another manner, by “changing dreams in an orderly and precise manner”. He used the items of a dream to trigger another dream.
We’re introduced to the inorganic beings, and their world, the most fascinating aspect of this book. Two inorganic beings begin to appear in Carlos’ dreams. They just stand there and stare at him. One day when in the hills with Don Juan, Carlos wrestles with one of them. By the ensuing energy exchange Carlos creates a lasting attachment to the being, which he later encounters again in the inorganic beings’ world.
To cut a long story short, Carlos continues to journey into this world in his dreams, and becomes practically addicted to doing so, though warned by Don Juan that it is dangerous. He encounters a scout disguised as a little girl who is trapped there, merges with her in an attempt to save her but loses all his energy. He is rescued by the combined efforts of Don Juan and anther sorcerer called Carol Tiggs, who travel into this world physically.
An interesting feature of Carlos’ sojourns in the inorganic beings’ world is the disembodied voice of the dream emissary, which provides him with useful information. The voice always speaks the truth, so he can trust the information given. But the inorganic beings as such are not really to be trusted, because they want Carlos’ energy and are eager for him to stay in their world forever.
In one of the final chapters Carlos has an exciting but dangerous adventure with Carol Tiggs in another world. Finally, he is introduced to the “death defier”, one of the old sorcerers, and is gone for nine days. He is also fortunate to survive this sojourn.
I found this book to be fascinating, engrossing and exciting, in fact unputdownable. I found the material presented therein to be extremely edifying but challenging.
I highly recommend that you read the book. I will miss reading it, but now will tackle some of Castaneda’s previous books, which I have not yet read,
Don Juan said “Through ‘dreaming’ we can perceive other worlds … we can feel how
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‘dreaming’ opens up those other realms”. He calls “dreaming” the “gateway to infinity”. “Dreaming” is the sorcerers’ practical way of putting ordinary dreams to use.We learn that the whole universe is energy. Don Juan taught his apprentices to perceive energy directly.
Human beings are luminous balls and the crucial feature of the luminous ball is a spot of intense brilliance on a place at the height of the shoulder blades, at an arm’s length from the person’s body, which is termed the assemblage point. This enables us to perceive, and when the assemblage point dislodges itself from its usual spot, our usual behaviour, awareness and perception are changed.
Much of the book deals with changing the assemblage point and the consequences of this. Don Juan can make Carlos’ assemblage point shift to another position to enable him to reach a heightened state of awareness, otherwise termed the “second attention”.
There are seven entrances, perceived as obstacles, called the seven gates of dreaming. We reach the first gate when we become aware that we’re falling asleep. This is achieved by intending it – “to wish without wishing, to do without doing”.
Carlos reached the first gate of dreaming but by another way, by having “a gigantically real dream” – he wanders though a city until he becomes completely exhausted.
When dreaming you must focus your gaze on anything of your choice as the starting point, for example, your hands. Then shift your gaze to other items and look at them in brief glances. Then go back to the item you started with.
Carlos practices focusing and holding his dreaming attention on the items of his dreams. He learns that he must “redeploy” his energy by losing self-importance. Self-importance is “not only the sorcerers’ supreme enemy but the nemesis of mankind”
The city he visited in his dream, where he got exhausted, was “out of this world”. Don Juan was with him, but he “saw” the city not as a city but as energy.
You reach the second gate of dreaming when you wake from a dream into another dream. Carlos reaches this second gate, but again he does it in another manner, by “changing dreams in an orderly and precise manner”. He used the items of a dream to trigger another dream.
We’re introduced to the inorganic beings, and their world, the most fascinating aspect of this book. Two inorganic beings begin to appear in Carlos’ dreams. They just stand there and stare at him. One day when in the hills with Don Juan, Carlos wrestles with one of them. By the ensuing energy exchange Carlos creates a lasting attachment to the being, which he later encounters again in the inorganic beings’ world.
To cut a long story short, Carlos continues to journey into this world in his dreams, and becomes practically addicted to doing so, though warned by Don Juan that it is dangerous. He encounters a scout disguised as a little girl who is trapped there, merges with her in an attempt to save her but loses all his energy. He is rescued by the combined efforts of Don Juan and anther sorcerer called Carol Tiggs, who travel into this world physically.
An interesting feature of Carlos’ sojourns in the inorganic beings’ world is the disembodied voice of the dream emissary, which provides him with useful information. The voice always speaks the truth, so he can trust the information given. But the inorganic beings as such are not really to be trusted, because they want Carlos’ energy and are eager for him to stay in their world forever.
In one of the final chapters Carlos has an exciting but dangerous adventure with Carol Tiggs in another world. Finally, he is introduced to the “death defier”, one of the old sorcerers, and is gone for nine days. He is also fortunate to survive this sojourn.
I found this book to be fascinating, engrossing and exciting, in fact unputdownable. I found the material presented therein to be extremely edifying but challenging.
I highly recommend that you read the book. I will miss reading it, but now will tackle some of Castaneda’s previous books, which I have not yet read,
Show Less
Pages
260
ISBN
0060170514 / 9780060170516