Journey To Ixtlan (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I understand you know a great deal about plants, sir," I said to the old Indian in front of me..." (more)
Key Phrases: albino falcon, lava mountains, desert chaparral, Los Angeles, Juan Matus, Mazatec Indians (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This volume shows the reader the means by which a "man of power" sees, as opposed to merely looking, and how by his concentrated "seeing" he can, indeed must, "stop the world." In it, Carlos Castaneda describes the lessons, the omens, the exercises of the will and body, the arduous trials and tests, the simple yet mysterious demonstrations, the extraordinary visions and experiences by which don Juan, his mentor and friend, prepares him for the task of perceiving things as they are, instead of describing them by the words, conventions and standards of conventional, a priori ideas and language. Here, in the high mountains and in the bright arid desert, Castaneda reaches for power in a series of startling encounters with the unknown--a confrontation with death and the past in the form of an albino falcon, with the twilight wind, with a flesh-and-blood mountain lion, with a mountain fog--and learns the techniques, the concentration, the compassion of the hunter, the man who is "without routines, free, fluid."

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.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671732463
• ISBN-13: 978-0671732462
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,961 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic of Modern Spirituality, May 11, 1999

By	rampageous_cuss (Under Billy Penn's Hat) - See all my reviews

This is a life-changing book and a spiritual classic (I rarely give ANYTHING 5 stars) but someone ought to mention that there is a certain amount of controversy about the accuracy of Castaneda's Don Juan series. Researcher Richard de Mille is probably the most even-handed of the critics and The_Don_Juan_Papers is worth a read, though some of the criticisms are merely carping small-mindedness.

Regardless of your attitude toward Castaneda's (or Don Juan's!)literal accuracy the series, of which Journey_to_Ixtlan is the best, presents a coherent and engaging spiritual existentialism. A Must Read!!!

62 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than his first two books, February 4, 2001

By	David - See all my reviews

It took a lot for me to get through Castaneda's first book, The Teachings of Don Juan. I was totally unimpressed with it. The whole book was essentially about how a Yaqui Indian "sorcerer" put naive Carlos, then a graduate student in anthropology from UCLA doing research on a hallucinogenic plant, through a bunch of weird drug trips that shook his view of reality. And to me, that doesn't jive at all.

But in Journey to Ixtlan, Castaneda goes back and says, "wait, start over, reset. I was wrong about all of that drug stuff, it's really not necessary, don Juan just put me through that because I was too stubborn and 'rational' to see that there may be other views of reality than the ones I subscribe to." In this book he discovers that he doesn't need drugs to experience other worlds. Rather, there are a series of practices for right living that enable the possibility of perceiving in nonordinary ways.

So Journey to Ixtlan is where the real lessons about living life in the warrior's way begin. I recommend this book highly as a starting point for Castaneda's work; forget the first two books.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars when I was young & lost girl this book set me on a good path, April 26, 1998

By A Customer

I started reading ( & still re-read) Don Juan's
books by "Carlitos" long long ago , (mid 70's) &
still thank God that somehow I found his books
. The most important thing this book taught me
is to ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY ACT
IONS .
I was young & lost & scared & a mess & that
concept had never crossed my mind. I was us
-ed to blaming others & their actions towards me
etc....for the outcomes of my life.
Well let me tell youuuuuuu something. What an
EYE OPENER !!!!! ha ha ha . I also leared not
to judge people & still try not to..... I remember
Don Juan used to say something lilke " do not
send your bad thoughts to a person that may have
done something wrong. It doesn't do them any good or yourself."
I adore Don Juan &' Carlitos' as he used to call him. Don Juan
had the BEST sense of humor I've ever seen.
Castanedas' book enchanted me, terrified me
( to the point that I slept with the lights on a couple
of nights ) enlightened me, inspired me & finally
changed me inside for the better.
I got a lot out of this one book so I read the rest
of them & loved them ALL! , Journey to Ixtlan I
have read so much it fell apart! but I love it .
It is my bible on how to be a decent person.