sincere question for dan: why were you told not to read the books?

Because Carlos was there:

https://www.reddit.com/r/castaneda/comments/tcd8bl/the_wuwonians/

"I realized Carlos had told us the same thing. He said we should stop reading the books of Carlos Castaneda, because he only wrote those to hook us. Now we were hooked. And we had the real thing in front of us So stop reading them."

Dan wouldn't recommend anyone not to read the books and it is incredibly beautiful to find matching points in the books to experiences you have practicing sorcery.

Re deleting: Dan does not have mod access and cannot delete anything.

Right path is fucked up

Carol Tiggs pretty much said the same thing.

At Sochi in Russia, she refused to take "questions on the books".

The same as Carlos, she was sick and tired of "impeccable warriors" who thought they had found a contradiction with what was being taught now, compared to the books, and wanted to show off their "knowledge".

So it wasn't so much about the books, but about how most people who claim to be interested in Castaneda, are actually bad players only pretending to be learning. By memorizing "warrior's way" facts from the first 4 books.

Carlos once joked (or maybe it was Carol), that some questions they got at workshops started out as "On page 128 in Tales of Power, it contradicts what you said about..."

Carlos was amazed that he was being corrected, by HIMSELF.

That's why he joked when he said, "Don't read those books by that Carlos Castaneda guy."

Here's an interesting case of someone who ought to have been serious, but wasn't. I thought to post about it, with picture, but this seems like a good enough "honorable mention". So that the knowledge of this isn't lost over time.

It turns out, just as Carlos said, that he had other attempts to pass on this knowledge in the past, prior to the 1990s.

In the 1980s, we'd heard he tried to teach for free in public parks, but couldn't because hecklers showed up.

Just as they do in here!

We only survive, because our mods can kick them out with just a few mouse clicks.

So Carlos came up with workshops in convention centers, with locked doors, armed guards and admission fees, because he was forced to do that.

But did he have other attempts we don't know about, to try to teach people, prior to private classes and the workshops?

Back in the 1980s perhaps.

One man claims to be from that period.

But he also claims Carlos pointed him to another teacher, Miguel (not the Ruiz faker).

And claims to have taken private classes from Carlos, for 8 years.

That seems unlikely because no one mentioned it in 1990s private classes. You'd think it would have come up. And that the inner circle people would have met him.

But perhaps, it's an exaggeration of what contact he actually DID have with Carlos over that period.

And he's out now, lecturing as "a toltec shaman".

I confronted him by email, but it seems he might actually be what he says.

(continued)

Dan’s response to this comment is also in explanation of your question.

Tata (the real DJM) said they're all BS. Carlos knew the truth but made millions