Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico [Paperback]

Carlos Castaneda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 1998

For us to perceive any of the worlds that exist beside our own, not only do we have to covet them but we need to have sufficient energy to seize them. In this revolutionary book, Carlos Castaneda offers readers the key to this energetic conditioning for the first time, revealing a series of body positions and physical movements that enabled various sorcerers, and their apprentices, to navigate their own sorceric journeys. By sharing this centuries-old wisdom, Carlos Castaneda makes it possible for readers to travel to some of these other realms, which are as real, unique, absolute, and engulfing as our own world. Castaneda offers both a philosophical history of magical passes and an innovative, easy-to-understand instructional format, complete with more than 450 computer-generated illustrations. Written with humor, clarity, and authority, Magical Passes further illuminates the true meaning of sorcery and magic.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Cult author Castaneda has written nine books (e.g., The Teachings of Don Juan, LJ 3/1/69) chronicling the life and practices of Yaqui sorcerer Don Juan Matus. While these books talk about the magical and shamanistic practices of Don Juan and his lineages, this new book begins with Don Juan chiding Castaneda about his physical well-being (or lack of it) and then teaching Castaneda the physical movements practiced by the sorcerers. These magical movements are called "tensegrity"?a combination of the tension of contracting and relaxing with the integrity of the body moving in one complete unit. The bulk of the book is a detailed step-by-step description and photographs of the movements, which can be done following the book but require a concentration that cuts out extraneous thought. Recommended for collections where Castaneda's other books are popular and for collections on meditation and movement.?Gail Wood, SUNY at Cortland
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Castaneda has become one of the godfathers of the New Age movement...He is addressing the central issues of our time." -- -- Los Angeles Times

"Carlos Castaneda is one of the most profound and influential thinker of this century. His insights are paving the way for the future evolution of human consciousness. We are all deeply indebted to him." -- Deepak Chopra

"Castaneda's sanity lends to even the most lurid experiences the force of data. It compels us to believe that don Juan is one of the most extraordinary figures in anthropological literature, a neolithic sage. It helps us to accept, from the continent we stole, a mysterious gift of wisdom." -- Life

"It's impossible to view the world in quite the same way after reading him...If Castaneda is correct, there is another world, a sometimes beautiful and sometimes frightening world, right before our eyes at this momentif only we could see." -- Chicago Tribune

"Castaneda has become one of the godfathers of the New Age movement...He is addressing the central issues of our time." -- Los Angeles Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (December 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060928824
• ISBN-13: 978-0060928827
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Shamanism
  • #20 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Native American
  • #50 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Mysticism

More About the Author

Born in 1925 in Peru, anthropologist Carlos Castaneda wrote a total of 15 books, which sold 8 million copies worldwide and were published in 17 different languages. In his writing, Castaneda describes the teaching of Don Juan, a Yaqui sorcerer and shaman. His works helped define the 1960's and usher in the New Age movement. Even after his mysterious death in California in1998, his books continue to inspire and influence his many devoted fans.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Castaneda's Legacy, July 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico (Paperback)

This book, the separate two video set (also entitled "Magical Passes") and Carlos's "Wheel of Time" book constitute Castaneda's legacy of "abstract sorcery" for the general public. CC's extended apprenticeship with Don Juan is detailed in the 8 or 9 books beginning with "Don Juan" and ending with the "Art of Dreaming." In the Nagualist Newsletter, privately published by Daniel Lawton, fans of the series reported how they had gleaned "not doings" and "dreaming techniques" from the Don Juan books. Then two of CC's cohorts, Donner and Abelar, gave bookstore lectures on practical application of the materials, such as recapitulation, and then began teaching movements they called the Magical Passes or later, Tensegrity. Most people who tried the Passes in the various workshops that followed reported a feeling of energy, or well being, and of a reduction in the "internal dialog." The public materials on Tensegrity consist of the three videos released before this book, this book, and the two video set that is based on this book. This book contains some complex and some simple movements. Some sets are easier to learn on your own than others. Some feel better to different people than others. In between the various sets described in the book are snippets of explanation written in the "Don Juan" style, that is ascribed to Don Juan with most of the wit and humor, and insights, that make the Don Juan series so interesting. Some of these exercises are more vigorous than they sound, and beginners are cautioned to work through them gently at first until they find their limits. The best description of these passes (to compare them with something else) is that they are a cross between qi gong movements, martial arts movements and Gurdjieffian body movements. Whatever they are, they do produce results.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars these exercises are legitimate, August 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico (Paperback)

When I read these reviews, I was looking for people that had actually tried the exercises and what the results were for them personally. Unfortunately, it does not appear that anyone writing the reviews actually did the exercises on a long-term basis. I tried two series, the dreaming series and the inner silence series. The first night after trying the dreaming series, my dreams were very powerful and tumultuous all night long. After doing the inner silence series for several days, I noticed the nature of my thoughts changing. Since both of these results were somewhat disturbing to me, I terminated the exercises, with the intention of trying them again at a later time. I would be interested in hearing from anyone that has continued to do the exercises and what the results have been.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE LAST OF CASTANEDA'S LEGACY, April 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico (Paperback)

Carlos Castaneda's books cannot be properly understood without an understanding of the chakras. This is the only one of Castaneda's books where the topic of the chakras is addressed. Each of the chakras has a specific function in terms of perception. The lower chakras play a role in perception of the world as we know it. The higher chakras play a role in perceptions that are classified as being paranormal such as telepathy, clairvoyance and bilocation. In order to become a sorcerer, one needs to activate these higher chakras. This is where the magical passes come in. These are physical movements that when executed, draw energy in to the chakra system, thereby allowing for the awakening of the perceptual functions of all of the chakras. These are not the only movements that can accomplish the energizing of the chakras. Certain forms of Yoga, and martial arts (T'ai Chi, Chi Kung) are also effective. All of the esoteric paths including those of the Yogin, the Taoists, the Sufi's, the Fourth Way (GI Gurdjieff) and the Theosophists (Rudolf Steiner, HP Blavatsky) involve a physical discipline aimed at the activation of the chakras. All of these paths when followed, allow one to expand one's perceptual capabilities. I recommend reading the Magical Passes for the information contained in the text. This book talks about an energetic force that has "infected" the chakra system of Man, thus preventing Him from accessing the full range of His perceptual abilities. Therefore, in order to become a sorcerer, one must cure oneself of this "infection". For other books that make reference to this negative force: 1) The Active Side of Infinity (Carlos Castaneda), 2) The Path (Esmeralda Arana), 3) Far Journeys (Robert Monroe), 4) In Search of the Miraculous (PD Ouspensky). For information about the chakras and how to activate them: 1) Chakras (Patricia Mercier), 2) Shaman, Healer Sage (Alberto Villoldo).