Journey to Ixtlan

ordered hardcover and was sent paperback by mistake. Will contact business and see what can be done. so far my other orders have been okay. missing sleeve on a couple books, which is a no biggie. not for the price. satisfied so far.

Forget the debate as to whether Castaneda's writings were a hoax or that his books became important reading for the drug culture. Although I suggest you read his first two books before reading this one but if you read only one book by Carlos Castaneda this is the book to read. Be his books accurate reporting by a cultural anthropologist (which is becoming increasingly more and more  doubtful), mysticism or hokum, this particular book is quite moving and lyrical. And whether his stories are real or imagined and whether the teaching he transmutes came from Don Juan or from his own mind by his knowledge as a trained anthropologist the underlying mystical principles of these stories cannot be dismissed out of hand.   Shaman, poet and perhaps an academic scoundrel it is Castaneda's poetry and story telling that comes shining through in this book.   If Castaneda's books were a hoax and were represented as cultural anthropology as a better hook to sell books it is a shame because he did a disservice to science and to his legacy. Still I myself, as a former researcher in Harvard University's anthropology department and a student of human ethology, can forgive this sin on one level and enjoy this book as a powerful work of liturature. For if there has been a wrong that has been committed against anthropology it is one that was done by the way the books were marketed and perhaps by the author's personality itself. The works themselves should not suffer and be shunned for this. His legacy would have been better served if he wrote these same works as a writer of fiction. I believe the author would have been wiser to present his works the way Gurdjieff presented "Beelzebub's Tales to his Grandson" rather than obstinately insisting there really was such a person as Don Juan (even if in the off chance that his teacher did exist). Despite the controversy his writing stands on its own and Journey to Ixtlan is a powerful, touching, enchanting and beautiful book.

Castaneda did the world a favor when he began chronicling his apprenticeship with Don Juan Matus. Whether or not Don Juan was one or three real people is irrelevant since what Castaneda learns is highly relevant to all of us. Learning to "stalk" the self, learning to achieve equilibrium in a world full of petty tyrants (including the petty tyrant of the "self") are among the most trenchant lessons Castaneda provides us. This book is the place to start with Castaneda and you'll even find within it Don Juan doing magical passes 25 years before Castaneda finally admitted there were such things. The books by Castaneda are the most important books in my life and I highly recommend them to anyone who's after an alternative way of looking at life and the human condition.

This is a life-changing book and a spiritual classic (I rarely give ANYTHING 5 stars) but someone ought to mention that there is a certain amount of controversy about the accuracy of Castaneda's Don Juan series. Researcher Richard de Mille is probably the most even-handed of the critics and The_Don_Juan_Papers is worth a read, though some of the criticisms are merely carping small-mindedness.Regardless of your attitude toward Castaneda's (or Don Juan's!)literal accuracy the series, of which Journey_to_Ixtlan is the best, presents a coherent and engaging spiritual existentialism. A Must Read!!!

I started reading ( & still re-read) Don Juan's books by "Carlitos" long long ago , (mid 70's) & still thank God that somehow I found his books . The most important thing this book taught me is to ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACT IONS . I was young & lost & scared & a mess & that concept had never crossed my mind. I was us -ed to blaming others & their actions towards me etc....for the outcomes of my life. Well let me tell youuuuuuu something. What an EYE OPENER !!!!! ha ha ha . I also leared not to judge people & still try not to..... I remember Don Juan used to say something lilke " do not send your bad thoughts to a person that may have done something wrong. It doesn't do them any good or yourself." I adore Don Juan & ' Carlitos' as he used to call him. Don Juan had the BEST sense of humor I've ever seen. Castanedas' book enchanted me, terrified me ( to the point that I slept with the lights on a couple of nights ) enlightened me, inspired me & finally changed me inside for the better. I got a lot out of this one book so I read the rest of them & loved them ALL! , Journey to Ixtlan I have read so much it fell apart! but I love it . It is my bible on how to be a decent person.