Carlos Castaneda's Way of the Warrior
Many people think Carlos Castaneda's books are about eating peyotl and taking drugs. For many years, the writer himself thought that was the subject he came to study with his teacher Don Juan.
Like it is with Shamans, it is never what it seems to be. It took Castaneda thirteen years to realize the scope of knowledge he had received from Don Juan and his team of Seers.
The Way of the Warrior speaks about the world as energy fields, and the way that energy goes through a specific point in our luminous body, called the assemblage point.
Together with a set of exercises called Magical Passes, the knowledge teaches us in a practical way how to enhance our level of energy, enabling us to perceive energy at large, and also make us happy. Because as Don Juan says: hapiness is just a level of energy.
The attributes of a warrior are ruthless, cunning, patience and sweeteness. The fifth element is not a personal one: timing. With those tools he faces every day life. Ruthless is not cruelty but a lack of self pity. Patience is waiting without rushing. Cunning is to distract the mind from the real issue, so it won't interfere with the process. Sweeteness is simply being nice. Timing is the ability of the warrior to use those four qualities at the right time.
The warrior aims to be impeccable in whatever he does, but never takes himself and his actions too seriously, considering them as controlled folly. He acts with sustained effort and unbending intent in order to raise his level of energy.
In order to really understand the Way of the Warrior, one should read all Castaneda's writings in the order they have been written.
Carlos himself started to become aware of what had really happened to him in the "Journey to Ixtlan" which is the third book. There the teaching is revealed for the first time in it's true nature.
He understands that he had received the knowledge in a state of heightened awareness, which is obtained by a certain position of the assemblage point. In order to remember the teachings he had to learn how to bring back his assemblage point to the same, precise position.
The books give many useful and simple exercises and tools that slowly change the way we perceive and act in our life. Many of these exercises goal is to stop the process of condionned thinking, "stop the world" as Castaneda says. Others are there to teach us "not doing", or reduce self-importance, which is considered men worst enemy.
One of the sorcerers key technique is called "recapitulation", it's intention is to get rid of the burdon and weight of our past life story and reclaim the energy we have left there.
It starts with making a list of all the people you remember in your life, starting from now and going back to our parents.
When the list is ready, we take the name on the top of the list and try to visualize and feel every interaction we had with this person.
While doing that we move our head from our right shoulder to the left one inhaling all the energy we have invested in the situation, and then move our head from the left shoulder to the right exhaling all th energy that was invested in us by that person.
For best results it is sugessted to do this exercise inside a box or cupboard or even burried in the ground, in order to block all interference from the outside.
It's better to start with one person and one event, because it takes some time to develop the concentration needed for this kind of task.
The books also tell amazing and funny stories about the lineage of ancient Shamans, Naguals and seers of Mexico.
After Castaneda has left our world, the three women of his group: nagual women Carol Tiggs, Florinda Grau and Taisha Abelar; went on spreading his teachings. They teach Magical Passes allover the world today.
The four have transmitted the knowledge to three other women called Chacmools. Here is an intervieuw with these women about their work:
Florinda and Taisha also wrote books about their personal experience with the Way of the Warrior. Those books are a must read for every Women Warrior.
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