Just a PSA for anyone who doesn't own their own set yet. They are very inexpensive. I bought 9 books in bulk on Amazon and the other 3 were on Amazon as well. You could also probably get them for half the price on Thrift Books but I like my things to be new. I first listened to these as audio books but there's another dimension of absorption involved with reading a physical book yourself.
Just a PSA... $127 on Amazon for all 12 books Brand new
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Question for the advanced members:
I have all of the books(including the witches) but in my mother’s tongue. Do you think I should read them in English? Don Juan spoke spanish, so we are reading the Castaneda’s translation, which might not be 100% accurate because he is not an interpreter, just a native spanish speaker.
if two witches
watch two watches
then which witch
watch which watch
Probably not. The most important things in the books stand out.
The MAGIC!!!!
All the explanations that might be language sensitive are the kind of thing that would likely make don Genaro fart, if it wasn't don Juan giving them.
But that's understandable. As Carlos said, "My books hooked you. Now here you are with me. So stop reading the books of Carlos Castaneda!"
His point was, doing. Not thinking. Plus he got tired of being corrected by "experts", using his own books.
Since you don't have Carlos around, his recommendation to stop reading them doesn't apply.
Meanwhile, we're up to our chins in a river of shit.
It's don Juan's metaphor for our life situation, which you won't find in the books because it's too rude.
People only learned about it from lectures by Carlos.
In that story, all of mankind lives in a river of shit.
I had to add a little boat to make it ok for the AI to draw it. So that there was a context it didn't think was against policies. The man is angry because the boat sank...
But that's not our situation at all. We were born into that river.
Pissing on each other's legs all day long. And when we get really angry, we fling shit into each other's faces.
Cholita draws it with more details, which might indicate she heard more about it.
She shows people floating on barges above the shit, being the captains of a Shit Ship.
And she shows objects in the river of shit, such as soap. Floating around.
Of course, she's on the shore naked, with a big dinosaur (me) about to stomp on her.
But it is indeed cold in magical realms.
So most people who come here, and even if they make it work for real, will go back to their normal life.
At least, now knowing that magic is real!
Good enough. That's all our job is. To show people that magic is real, and why it's not, everywhere else.
It's too difficult to learn!
And there's no one to share it with.
For one thing, unless you get lucky like me you'll be all alone.
I got Cholita, but most people will never find anyone else who gains any magical skills.
Out there all alone in supernatural realms, witnessing strange magic that doesn't seem possible or even reasonable (even though you're looking right at it!), it's nice to have all the mentions of real magic, from the books.
Just to verify, you haven't lost it.
The other day a big calico cat materialized in my dark room, as plain as anything.
Cholita has somehow attracted 4 neighborhood cats into our yard. Two even sleep in front of the door to where she spends most of her time.
She isn't feeding them. I "investigated" the trash.
So why do they hang out with us?
One even tried to sneak into the house, when I had some plumbing repairs and they had to cut a hole in the outside wall.
Could Cholita actually turn into a cat???
That would surely amuse them!
Well, there's a witch in the books that don Juan paired off with Carlos, as a worthy opponent. La Catalina.
She seemed bent on killing Carlos, just as Cholita has tried to kill me a few times.
La Catalina could turn into a weird giant lizard/wolf creature.
If that weren't in the books, I'd completely dismiss the idea that Cholita can now turn into a cat.
Despite her having shown up transformed into a fatter version of me.
Or visiting me unannounced, while she's somehow 20 years younger.
Great find
wanna link the site u got it from?
In the title
a link to the 12 book set would be nice. when i go to us amazon i can only find a 9 book set. maybe the 12 book set is already gone. here is the link to the 9 book set:
https://a.co/d/7VTOhfa
That's what I said in the description. I bought the 9 book set. I bought the other 3 books separately, because they weren't included in the 9 book set since they were from a different publisher. The last 3 are "The Active Side of Infinity", "Magical Passes", and "The Wheel of Time."
oh, thanks. silly me - i assumed you found a 12 book set on amazon for 127$ after you bought the 9 book set and the other 3 books.