Academic critics now claim the books are works of fiction, citing the books' internal contradictions, discrepancies between the books and anthropological data, alternate sources for Castaneda's detailed knowledge of shamanic practices and lack of corroborating evidence.In the ever-worsening culture wars, schools have emerged as a battlefront, with fierce arguments raging about the contents of curricula and propriety of particular books. Castaneda was awarded his bachelor's and doctoral degrees based on the work described in these books.įor several years, anthropologists considered his work authentic and important, but then a number of exposés questioned Castaneda's veracity. He wrote these books as his research log describing his apprenticeship with a traditional 'Man of Knowledge' identified as don Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian from northern Mexico.

1-2)Ĭastaneda’s first three books, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan, were written while Castaneda was an anthropology student at UCLA. Magical Passes comprise bodily movements discovered in dream states by shamans of don Juan’s lineage, expanding their powers of perception. Castaneda described as the modern version of the “magical passes” of the shamans of ancient Mexico (Magical Passes p. Critics have suggested that they are works of fiction supporters claim the books are either true or at least valuable works of philosophy and descriptions of practices which enable an increased awareness.Ĭastaneda withdrew from public view in 1973 to work further on his inner development, living in a large house in Westwood, California with three women whom he called 'Fellow Travellers of Awareness.' He founded Cleargreen, an organization that promotes Tensegrity®, which Dr. His 12 books have sold more than 28 million copies in 17 languages.

The books, narrated in the first person, relate his experiences under the tutelage of a Yaqui 'Man of Knowledge' named don Juan Matus. Starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that describe his training in shamanism, particularly with a group whose lineage descended from the Toltecs. Carlos Castaneda was an American author with a Ph.D.

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