Carlos Castaneda

Anthropologist Carlos Cesar Arana Castaneda (December 25, 1925-April 27, 1998) File:Carlosdesign.jpg Artist Illustration of Carlos Castaneda Seeing and Taking Castaneda Seriously According to scholar Benjamin Epstein, in his 1996 Psychology Today journal interview with Anthropologist Carlos Castaneda; he (Castenada) was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Christmas Day in 1931, however immigration records show an earlier date of December 25, 1925 in Cajamarca, Peru. He was educated at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and earned his B.A. in 1962 and his Ph.D. in 1970. Carlos Castaneda was a controversial author of a series of books that recounted his training in traditional Native American Shamanism. The Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness founded in 1984 by Joseph Long states: "Castaneda, acquiring fame from his publications with the academically respectable publishers Simon and Shuster, arguably, with the exception of Margaret Mead, was the only junior scholar whose name was know to the general public" This was a reflection of a controversy, fueled by envy and quite possibly contempt, that is still present today; that of the teachings of Don Juan Matus, which "exposed a world view of an aspect of human consciousness independent of time and space and susceptible to control." The Mystical teachings meant an "interconnection between all life forms, and to be properly understood, the human connection and spirituality, it must mature." Paths to Explanation *Short Plot Summary Journey to Ixtlan: the Lessons of Don Juan "For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous time. I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while; in fact, too short for whitnessing all the marvels of it" (Castaneda 1). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ihfeOpyTDc&feature=related *The Yaqui Indian Culture The American Indian peoples of the Sonora desert, have a varied past. They are noted for their sacred dance performances. The Yaqui people believe, honor and celebrate in the Laws of Nature: 1.) The Magic of the Children of the earth 2.) Women and the global community, that lead and guide the family with their language and their Spiritual power, 3.) Family of Life, a reference to animism or the belief that a spirit lives in everything or the natural order of value peace and celebration and 4.) The Guardians of the Family, protector of life or men. In 1978, the Yaqui Tribe was officially federally recognized as the Pueblo of the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation where indian Identity and sovernity could be maintained. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXs77Vh_UHg&feature=related Themes Analysis and Application *Language and the Metaphysical *Negative Mysticism and the Postmodern *The Sourcerers Last Trick: Self Knowledge Criticisms Reviews Paul Riesman on October 22, 1972, wrote a review of the book that appeared in the New York Times, he stated: "We are incredibly fortunate to have Carlos Castaneda's books. Taken together, they form a work which is among the best that the science of anthropology has produced. The story they tell is so good, and the description so vivid, that I was utterly fascinated as I read." Saturday Review: "If anything, it is more provocative than his first two books. It is truely another world, foreign enough to make us suspend judgement, and Castenada's achievement is that he makes it tangible for us." Major Works Books: The Teachings of Don Juan:A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1968) A Seperate Reality (1971) Journey to Ixtlan (1972) Tales of Power (1974) The Second Ring of Power (1977) The Eagle's Gift (1981) The Fire From Within (1984) The Power of Silence (1984) The Art of Dreaming (1994) Magical Passes (1998) The Active Side of Infinity (1998) Sorcerer's Apprentice (2001) The Wheel of Time (2001) Websites and Referenced Materials (5, 6, 7) Castaneda, Carlos. Journey to Ixtlan: the Lessons of Don Juan. New York: Washington Square Press, 1972. Print. Epstein, Benjamin. "My Lunch with Carlos Castaneda: (Author of Teachings of Don Juan and other books)." Psychology Today. 29.2 (1996); 30-4. Print. Gardener, Martin. "Carlos Castaneda and New Age Anthropology." Skeptical Inquirer. 23.5 (1999); 13-6. Print. (2, 3, 4) Swartz, Stephen A. "Boulders in the Stream: The Lineage and Founding for the Society of Anthropology Consciousness." Accessed 4 June 2009. http://www.sacaaa.org/Boulders_in_the_Stream.pdf See also Assemblage point Template:English Educational level: this is a tertiary (university) resource. ````candyangel43