Journey to Ixtlan: The Lessons of Don Juan

Originally published in 1972, the third book in the trilogy teaching of don Juan by Carlos Castaneda the renowned philosopher guru, is a product of its time. But, the concepts have resurfaced with the current research in psychotropics as an aid to curing numerous maladies. This being the abandonment of the ego. As well, the concept of “doing nothing” and “stopping the world” are Buddhist mindfulness practices that have become ubiquitous in our current lexicon. One quote I appreciated about mindfulness and our self-made paradigms is this one: “People tell us from the time we are born that the world is such and such and so and so, and naturally we have no choice but to see the world the way people have been telling us it is.” Throughout this book, don Juan talks to Castaneda about becoming a warrior. I took it to mean a spiritual warrior – adopting the mind and practice of thinking differently and “seeing” clearly. “Only as a warrior can one survive the path of knowledge, because the art of a warrior is to balance the terror of being a man with the wonder of being a man.” *obviously this also means, a woman. Many have come to believe that the three books that comprise the Teachings of don Juan are fiction, or autofiction. This is irrelevant because the spiritual teachings are the same. A wonderful read with a story that is compelling and often humorous. Amy Wallace’s memoir which reveals the narcissistic, controlling, insecure man who had a cult following and harem of women is not surprising. Unfortunately, many a teacher abuses their power. The dark side is on just the other side of the light. In my review of her memoir, I have this quote from near the end of her book: “This was no black and white tale, for Carlos was not a shifty huckster but a misguided philosopher whose experience of power was corrupting. Thus, he damaged many lives, at the same time exalting many others. Now I believe there is no nagual (sorcerer) outside of the one inside me, and I prefer to forge my own path rather than seek a replacement father; to live a life without sacrificing my power for crumbs of intimacy within a harem. Carlos, by wish or accident, did guide me, in the end, to the awareness that I hold all my own answers.”

The path to Ixtlan is only the effort to trace Saguna Brahm to it's source. All one needs to do is "not doing" long enough so that Nirguna Brahm reveals itself. What a sublime lesson Carlos, Juan and Genaro have presented us!

I take a long time to make up my mind about books and authors of books on esoteric subjects. Honestly, I still am not confident about whether or not I should trust this one. The book was fascinating and that's why I've given it five stars. But as a source of practical information on esoteric practice, I'm going to need more time before I decide what to make of this one. As an introduction to the story of Carlos Casteneda's initiation, this book may be a good place to start, because the events in it take place earlier in time than the events in the author's other books. But the author's understanding of his subject develops over time and therefore the reader will sense that the author does not completely understand the experiences he describes in this book or perhaps that he had not fully digested them at the time of its writing. In later books such as Fire from Within, the author has gone much farther into the world of the Toltec Seers and is able to explain his experiences with more clarity. I was confused by some things in this book. For example, the author's teacher tells him that he is a sorcerer. However the teaching and experiences he describes do not correspond to my own impressions of sorcery in the sense that the characters in this story seem to be working toward a positive and constructive integration of the consciousness. In Fire from Within, which chronicles a much later part of the story, the teacher Don Juan explains that he felt it was best to present himself to Carlos as a sorcerer at the beginning of his training but that he and his compatriots actually call themselves "seers". This is a fascinating story but I recommend that those who would take it seriously should read it in context of the author's other works.

I read this in hardcover in the 70s when it was published. I read it it in the North African desert. Quite a trip! I thought it was fabulous then and I still do. It's a seminal and important work and I was delighted to see it appear as a digital book so I could download it for my kindle and read it again. Well... it's still a great piece of work and I love it. But I hate the typos! I found two instances of repeated words e.g. and and. How is it possible for a book to be published with no typos in paper during an age where we had none of the spell/grammar checking computer capabilites we have now - only be republished in digital with the help of all these fanstastic technologies PLUS TYPOS. What does this tell you about the way the world is going? Plenty of quantity around. But quality - especially quality work - that's a thing of the past. So 1-star deduction for incompetent publishing. Go get yourself a 1970's human proofreader and do it again!

have been reading on and off for about a year since i decide to read it when it feels like the book is calling to me and somehow magically my situation is then relevant to what i end up reading which is totally great. powerful practice for a female like me, i think. for a male who's more powerful, it's maybe better to read it at once even when it doesnt apply currently, but i reserve and learn more from the information and retain it better when it's actually relevant, so it helps me more to do it my way. anyways... when i finish it and feel it's right, i think that i'll read the others too. one at a time tho. my s/o helped me realize im more emotional and feely, not really thinky and intelligence based, and even when i was younger my hands had this sort of energy healing effect which was interesting. i cant remember if it was a dream when i was conscious or unconscious, but some old person told me that my hands were healing or something after i put it on their tummy and they felt better after being in pain. i was like, super young too. younger than 8 i think. maybe 5. im trying to get more intelligent and stuff though, and more physically healthy, so these books also help with my progress in becoming more aware and spiritual or smth like that. they make my soul feel better. anyways, gotta do my breathing exercises more.. T_T don juan would definitely laugh at me! so would casteneda! if you want the book, buy it. dont hesitate. read gurdjieff too :) <3

Carlos Castenada is a wonderful writer. When I read Journey to Ixtlan I felt like I was in the book and Don Juan was teaching me how to become a shaman. Highly recommend this book for young adult readers and people who want to explore Shamanism. The book is fiction but it tells the truth about the human condition. Very inspiring!

What a wonderful adventure. It feels like we are the ones who are seeing everything through the eyes of Carlos Castaneda, and don Juan is our teacher. It is perfectly complete, taking you on the amazing journey that Carlos makes on his way from apprentice to warrior. I love how he explains everything as though he remembers every single minute detail of what happened....it is played out in a language of glorious technocolor. This is the first book of Carlos Castaneda that I have read so I do not have any comparisons to make with his previous work. What I will say is that I felt that this was a complete work in it's self and stands alone, I had no need to read any more of his books to find out more detail. The end is such a poignant end....one that on reflection could never have been any different. If you want to immerse yourself in true beauty....please read this book!!!

This is the book which made Castaneda both famous and wealthy.

Ul libro dotato di una potenza enorme. Cambierà il modo in cui vedere e vivere la vita. Da leggere con attenzione, vera!

Die Bücher von CC sind immer sehr kontrovers diskutiert worden. Von Stimmen, die behaupten, es handle sich um reine Fiktion, bis hin zu glühenden Anhängern der Lehre des Don Juan lassen sich viele Spielarten finden. Das vorliegende Buch ist mein persönliches Lieblingsbuch, da es sich um Erlebnisse dreht, die fast durchgängig nachzuvollziehen sind und zudem mit einer Reihe von Strategien aufwartet, die auch das tägliche Leben in unserer Welt positiv beeinflussen können. Praktisch bei der Kindle- Edition ist, dass durch das integrierte Wörterbuch, unbekannte Vokabel leicht nachgeschlagen werden können.

Really amazing book. It felt like watching a movie and I was thrilled all the time while reading it. The author has wrote it really well. I am not sure if this is a fictional story or if it's true as I have not read the other books from him but the content in it applies to us

Independientemente de si el autor vivió realmente lo relatado, es una narración muy interesante desde un punto de vista psicológico y antropológico. Puede aportar nuevos puntos de vista de lo que llamamos "realidad" a todos aquellos interesados en el conocimiento de la condición humana.

A book I meant to read ages ago and am just beginning now. Castaneda's words are powerful and inciteful as usual. A must read for all those who love the mystical journey.