The Road Into Infinite Wonder: Carlos Castaneda discovers innumerable worlds in the aura of dreams.(Part IV).
© Robert Edward Bell
As we have seen in the previous articles, something mysterious happened to Carlos Castaneda in the Arizona desert in 1968. Scholars and critics are still attempting to determine the nature of the experiences that Castaneda underwent, but his writings have survived, and there are certain clues contained inside of these texts. After his meetings with Don Juan, Castaneda would return to Los Angeles and begin a close study of the notes and journals that he had produced, while studying under the ancient American Indian shaman. He would discover some remarkable conclusions, and would end up producing several novels and poems describing the teachings of Don Juan. Each trip back into the desert would produce a new set of notes, another package of journals, and a new novel. The supply seemed to be inexaustable, and continued up until the final years of Castaneda's life. Don Juan essentially described a world that he claimed to have existed ten thousand to seven thousand years ago. According to Don Juan, there had been several American Indian civilizations on the continent, whose spiritual teachings reached a high level of advancement. Through the art of magic, sorcery, and meditation, a shaman was able to lead a younger apprentice on a spiritual path. The traditions of this ancient art were basically handed down through the generations by the oral tradition. Don Juan may have been one of the last surviving links in this ancient tradition, and Castaneda worked frantically to gather as much information as possible in his journals. As an anthropolical student the need to preserve the wisdom of this ancient Indian religion became paramount, and he became frantic in his efforts to obtain as much information as possible from the old Indian brujo or shamanistic holy man. Don Juan seemed oblivious to this importance, and sought only to take his time on his spirtual journey. He only wanted to help the young Castaneda find the nature of his own path. Note after note was taken as the author attempted to gather as much information as possible before the old indian died. Don Juan never seemed to realize the importance of his link to the past. In a sense, he may have been the last of a long line of medicine men who have since died off in a modern era of technology. His view was a window into the world, a lens of seeing that had been passed down from some of the most remote indian tribes. Castaneda not only sensed the importance of this link, but also realized that modern society needed this
