Customer Reviews

Fire from Within

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"One of the great maneuvers of stalkers is to pit the mystery against the stupidity in all of us."--Don Juan . . . The best book of a masterful author. In the fiction/nonfiction controversy, I lean toward fiction, but with the caution that these fictional stories are being used to demonstrate great truths. If anything, seeing the books as fiction makes Castaneda seem greater. Who else has written this many books, without plots of murder, war, or romance, that grip the reader the way these do? Not only are we gripped, but our minds are being changed. We can almost feel the chemical soup in our braincases being altered as we experience these tales. The device of the bone-headed Carlos is ingenious, putting us on the side of the seemingly rational, but actually post-rational Juan. The most amazing thing to me has been the way the lessons in this book have become my companions, helping me to live my life more fully and with greater awareness. It provides a new way to look at the feelings and impressions we all struggle with, reminding us that we and our lives are unique and powerful, that sobriety and self-containment are paradoxically the path to the mystery and the magic. This book is full of laughs, creepy stories, new concepts, and terms that you may not grasp until one day months or years later when something happens, and you realize "This is what he meant!" Everytime I reread part of it, I feel that fire within me rise and flicker.

This is my favorite Castanenda book, and I have read almost all of them. Please skip my following justification for these books if you are already a fan: Regardless of how one feels about the New Age movement, it is clear that, as Einstein observed, "Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." Reading Castaneda gave me an appreciation for people who take seriously the complexities of the mind, the universe and their infinite dance. Castaneda, in this book, seems ready to acknowledge that the fact of other ways of perceiving the world seems to mean that there are rational and non-rational ways which intertwine with eachother.
Having said that, Castaneda lovers will enjoy the many characters, stories and esoteric teachings that really coalesce in this book unlike in any other. We finally understand who La Catalina really is; we go deeper into the teachings on the Eagle; we get to here more about the interplay between Don Juan and Don Genaro, and we see Carlos opening up a bit too. It was not until I read this book that I realized how hard it was for Carlos to lose his "self-importance," and what a difficult task this is. Enjoy.

This book is the 1st that is regarding Castaneda`s experiences beyond ordinary life in a clear and powerful way. It gave me a lot of material to think about and mainly to achieve. I am sure Don Juan and Genaro were deadly right when saying it tooks all of one`s life to become a true warrior and seer but it pays off. Here we are confronted with abstract explanations in a very concise and complete way but they can be verified only if the person has followed the premises and achieved real results - the most difficult thing of all. Everyone can think, judge, blame, gush, etc. But all that matters is action. The one who makes it will see it truely - otherwise it will be just another interpretation to consolidate our self-assurance but it will lead us nowhere. So act, don`t think! - understanding will come years later and thinking won`t have anything to do with it.

The fire from within gives a structured view of the machinations of the universe and the force that gives and takes away awareness...the "eagle"

Rich in concepts; thought provoking...
Comparitive Ranking of CC's books I have read
(1=best)

1 Fire from within
2 Power of silence
3 Art of dreaming
4 Tales of power
5 The teachings of don juan
6 journey to ixtlan
7 The eagles gift
8 The second ring of power

I have read all of Castaneda's books and this is the one that I would recommend for those who wish to get a broad and clear overview of the Warrior's Way. In this book, Castaneda has finally come to terms with his often bizarre and terrifying experiences. We hear the voice of a more mature and sober Castaneda, unencumbered by doubts and the preconceptions characteristic of Western culture. Castaneda's earlier books were filled with these doubts and preconceptions and it was a relief for me to have the teachings of Don Juan presented without them. This book synthesizes all of the teachings touched upon in earlier works and adds to them, a breath taking energetic description of the Universe.

One major reason for the huge difference in the tone of this book is that it contains the teachings revealed to Castaneda while he was in a state of heigthened awareness as opposed to what was described in his earlier books. The earlier books describe what he was taught while in the awareness of everyday life. Because one is more capable of absorbing higher truths while in heightened awareness, the teachings described in this book are clearer, more direct, more complete and more profound that those described in the earlier books. In order for Castaneda to retrieve these teachings, he had to evolve energetically and learn to induce a state of heightened awareness on his own, without Don Juan's help. This major difference in tone has lead Castaneda's critics to believe that Castaneda was a fraud. It is a misconception due to the fact that these critics for the most part have no knowledge or experience of states of heightened awareness and do not acknowledge that such states are possible.

I highly recommend this book- read, enjoy, open your mind!! Also recommended 1) The Active Side of Infinity- Carlos Castaneda, 2) The Path- Esmeralda Arana.

Carlos Castaneda continues a new round of explicating and evoking his apprenticeship with Don Juan, a Yaqui Indian who has attained the highest possible level of development possible to man by becoming a man of knowledge or a seer. He continues to present his transcendent vision to Carlos who continues to pit his puny rationality with less and less conviction as he is overwhelmed by one experience after the other of a separate reality and to the inescapable fact that the human socialized idea of the world is just that, an idea, which we live in and which comforts us but also imprisons our awareness and bores us to death, when it's not making us miserable. As the I Ching says (another transcendent book), "Prisons must not become dwelling places."

This is truly a mind-blowing book. If you have read all of Casteneda's books from beginning to end, then you are already used to countless twists and turns. It is just when Carlos seems to have you completely confused, he brings everything together--only to confuse you more. If there is anything that parallels an hallucinogenic experience from a book, this is it! While reading The Fire From Within, the "rolling force" pelts you ceaselessly; it is like entering another world, one that Carlos makes you believe is almost accessible--if only you could "see." Perhaps the best thing about this book is its ability to shatter the belief that all we see is all there is. It opens our eyes to the possibility that their may another dimension beyond ordinary perception that is open to any of us--if only we could stop our noisy internal dialogue. As I stated in a previous review, I believe that Castaneda's books should be read as allegory instead of fact. That being said, The Fire From Within can serve as a real eye-opener and help one begin to shatter his (or her) self-centered cocoon. If read in this vein, it will surely lead to other places.

I have read this book at least 15 times, finding it to be a classic of spirituality, both ancient and modern. Unlike Castaneda's earlier works, FFW is the first in which the structure of Don Juan's teaching methods becomes clear. Hence FFW reads like a textbook of stories about advanced spiritual practice. It is a curious hallmark of Castaneda's work that, as with a sitcom, the reader often feels he knows more, and might have made better judgements, than the lead character. But the tasks are transformations of essence, not of mind or feeling, so Carlos' lack of comprehension is irrelevant. What counts is his ability to handle the excercises of transcendance. Many important questions remain unresolved, such as whether the quest for immortality (freedom) is merely another form of materialism, or just how different Don Juan's brand of transcendance is from other paths to spiritual development. IMHO, the scene in which Carlos and Don Juan visit the tomb of the ancient sorcerers, ghouls who have remained alive for 2000 years, and then laugh it off, is one of the finest moments in all of Western Literature.

Clearly one of Carlos Castaneda`s best books, it offers a phenomenal insight into the world of Don Juan. Several of Castaneda`s practises and experiences he was subject to during his jounery to become a "man of knowledge" find an elegant and thrilling explanation.This particular book is quite remarkable in that it questions the very foundations of perception and relates stalking, intent and the dreaming position to the assemblage point. Also contains colorful accounts of Nagual Julian, petty tyrants and their use by stalkers. As against some of the previous accounts, the entire book is peppered with anecdotal accounts magnificantly weaved with moving accounts of the sorcerer`s spirit and the constant quest to "break the barrier of perception". On the whole,an exhilarating and thought-provoking read, one of the very best of Castaneda`s.

I have always felt that there is something more to life (and death). I'm sure that there are beings capable of cheating death. However, the only thing that you can take with you is your awareness. Most of us don't have a clue about the possibilities of man. I have turned my life around with these beliefs. I probably won't be much of a snack for the Eagle. But I will enjoy a better life than most. Thanks agian, Carlos, for giving up your normal life so that you could help a few of us see the light! You had to stay behind to document a very important way of life. Fiction? I think NOT!