This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gabbe (talk | contribs) at 22:52, 19 November 2002. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:52, 19 November 2002 by Gabbe (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Carlos Castaneda was an American writer (1925-1998), primarily known for his Don Juan book series (12 books and many shorter works). He was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, educated at the University of California, Los Angeles (B.A. 1962; Ph.D. 1970).
Notable works include:
- The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge (1968)
- Separate Reality (1971)
- Trip to Ixtlan
- Tales of Power (1975)
Although they started out as anthropology, his works became a mixture of religion and philosophy.
Castaneda's works contain descriptions of paranormal experiences, several psychological techniques (such as neurolinguistic programming), Toltec magic rituals, shamanism and experiences with psychoactive drugs (e.g. peyote).
Criticism
As Castaneda was very elusive, and because his works were taken up by young people at a time when mystical and shamanic traditions were in fashion, many professionals cast doubt on the authenticity of contents of his works. When he followed up The Teachings of Don Juan with a series of equally popular books, including A Separate Reality (1971) and Tales of Power (1975), even more questions were raised as to how much of his work was true anthropology and how much was his own creation.