Power of Silence (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I think it's time for us to talk about the sorcerers of our past, he said..." (more)
Key Phrases: fourth abstract core, sorcerer storyteller, assemblage point, Silvio Manuel, Calixto Muni (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this new work, Don Juanabsent from Castaneda's preceding three worksonce again appears prominently. To convey the advanced spirituality of the Yaqui shaman, Castaneda relates stories told by Don Juan and his own experiences with the don. Such mysterious concepts as "stalking" and "intent," the "knocking" and trickery of the spirit, are all discussed. The vivid depictions of Don Juan's powers and personality will reawaken readers' fascination with earlier volumes, and since only one of three sets of six stories supposedly related by Don Juan appears here, doubtless more books are to come. Recommended for public libraries. C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Millions of readers worldwide have treasured the visionary brilliance of Carlos Castaneda, who first explore the world of the Yaqui Indian sorcerer in The Teachings of don Juan. Now, at last, don Juan returns in The Power of Silence -- wise, infuriating, capable or working miracles and playing practical jokes, but always seeking the wisdom of the warrior.

The Power of Silence is Castaneda's most astonishing book to date -- a brilliant flash of knowledge that illuminates the far reaches of the human mind. Through don Juan's mesmerizing stories, the true meaning of sorcery and magic is finally revealed. Honed in the desert of Sonora, the visions of don Juan give us the vital secrets of belief and self-realization that are transcendental and valid for us all. It is Castaneda's unique genius to show us that all wisdom, strength, and power lie within ourselves -- unleashed with marvelous energy and imaginative force in the teachings of don Juan -- and in the writings of his famous pupil, Carlos Castaneda

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (June 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067173248X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671732486
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,792 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Castaneda, Carlos
  #14 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Shamanism
  #15 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Native American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Carlos, with gratitude, June 21, 2007

By	Austin Van Lack (Bayview, ID USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Carlos Castaneda was one of the most controversial writers of the twentieth century. Some in academia branded him a fraud for claiming his stories were biographical rather than fiction, while lauding him as a great novelist for exposing a mass audience to otherwise inaccessible philosophical abstractions they claimed were largely plagiarized. Each of his works is a piece of a larger puzzle, which makes it impossible to critique any one book without addressing the larger context into which it fits.



His first two books, "Teachings of Don Juan" and "A Separate Reality" describe experiences induced by ingesting psychotropic hallucinogenics prepared by a Yaqui Indian shaman from Sonora, Mexico he called don Juan Matus, and accounted for his becoming a guru to a generation seeking short cuts to spiritual enlightenment, as well as his lifelong interest in the relationship between perception and reality, a theme now explored in many popular books on consciousness and quantum physics. Unfortunately, these books remain his best selling works, in spite of Castaneda refuting their importance in his later works. Readers would be best served to skip these and avoid the risk of being turned off to Castaneda and missing the more stimulating works that followed.



His third and fourth works were "Journey to Ixtlan" and "Tales of Power." In Ixtlan he admits to over-estimating the value of his drug experiences, which caused him to overlook the more profound teachings of don Juan which became the focus of future writings. What emerges is a spiritual discipline dating back to the Pre-Colombian Toltec sorcerers of Latin America, culminating with don Juan's departure from our world, effectively ending Castaneda's direct affiliation.



In his fifth and sixth works "Second Ring of Power" and "Eagles Gift" Castaneda suffers strange flashbacks of what seem to be memory fragments of events he is unable to fit into any logical time sequence. In his seventh and eighth works, "Fire From Within" and "Power of Silence," Castaneda succeeds in reconstructing his lost memories, which derive from teachings previously administered by don Juan while Castaneda was in a "heightened" state of awareness.



In books nine and ten, "Art of Dreaming" and "Active Side of Infinity," Castaneda focuses on what he describes as inorganic predators from another dimension, some having the power to imprison humanity in "ordinary reality" so they can feed on the dark emotional energies we produce when succumbing to the negative thoughts they insert into our minds.



In later years several seemingly substantiating works appeared by two of Castaneda's female apprentices, Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner-Grau. In addition, two scathing exposés were also published by two of his ex-wives. The first, "Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda" by first wife, Margaret Runyon, offers little corroboration, since her marriage pre-dates the time when the bulk of Castaneda's adventures were claimed to have occurred. While steadfast that Castaneda was a sorcerer, she doubts the existence of don Juan, even claiming authorship of many of the concepts Castaneda ascribed to him.



The second, and more credible work, is "Sorcerer's Apprentice," by well-known writer Amy Wallace, daughter of the late best selling novelist Irving Wallace. Here again, we find little corroboration since the time of the events she describes is well after the period when Castaneda's relationship with don Juan is alleged to occur. What the book does provide is a troubling look inside Castaneda's final years, a picture of descent into what seems sexual addiction and possibly madness, leaving one to wonder if Castaneda was just one cup of cool-aid short of a Jonestown.



Many have asked why I put any stock whatsoever in Castaneda. A story from my autobiography, "The Vortex" may shed some light. A year before Castaneda published his first book I had an experience that would remain a mystery until Castaneda published "Power of Silence" twenty years later.



For a brief time, in my youth, I became a practicing Muslim, meticulously performing the complex prayer ritual five times a day. Then one night, sitting in my car, frustrated and complaining at not being able to find the address of my next sales appointment, something inside me snapped. It was as if some part of me had disconnected from my body and assumed control, lecturing me about my lack of discipline. A profound calm settled over me, rendering me simultaneously detached and engaged. For two days my sales figures soared. It was as if no one could say no to me. On the evening of the second day I decided to put my new state of being to the acid test by visiting my parents. Their behavior was so uncharacteristically supportive I hardly recognized them. It was enough to convince me that I was now living in an altered reality. But by the following morning I had returned to "normal." So distracting had this event been that I completely forgot to perform my Muslim prayers, and in fact, never did so again.



Twenty years later, in a chapter of "Power of Silence" entitled "Place of No Pity" Castaneda describes a very similar experience. In the aftermath of the event don Juan explains that humans are like televisions stuck on a channel called "self-preoccupation," lacking the energy to tune into any of the vast array of other channels available to us. To change channels, he explains, we first need to accumulate energy, by practicing rituals that are deliberate, precise and repetitious. Do this long enough and eventually our stored energy precipitates a shift to a channel where self-importance and self pity become impossible. Once this happens we connect with the force that controls the entire universe, a force don Juan called "intent," and everything can be bent to our will and even more channels can be opened, assuming we remember to keep practicing the rituals that save our energy.



This one realization alone was enough to inspire me to dedicate my autobiography "To Carlos, with gratitude."



Maxwell Austin van Lack, Author of The Vortex: A True Story of Passion and Karma

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars [e-mail], July 14, 2000

By	"beatski" (USA) - See all my reviews

This book chose me to read it and became a savior. Never a adamant reader how ever finished this book in a few days. As it turned out this book brought light to my shadows of darkness and showed me that I am not alone but rather part of all that is. Teaching me how to stalk myself was like finally getting a major obstacle out of the way. Still if one has not attained an understanding of certain fundamental & spiritual concepts and incorporated them into a quest for at least a basic quest for knowledge, the book can only serve as entertainment.

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Key explanations to advanced practicers, February 20, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Bulgaria) - See all my reviews

By far one of the best Castaneda`s books revealing very profound and important explanations. Useful only if the one who reads it has certain achievements in "stopping the world", "seeing", etc. Otherwise save it for later - don`t think upon it,won`t help you. Just read it and wait till you get positive results in your own practice. The book is very clear to understand with one`s mind but as always that doesn`t help at all - the problem in achieving practical results remains. If you are looking just for another interesting book - well, I guess you`ve found it. But if you are serious about it I hope my comments might be of some use to you.