A Story from The Witch's Dream
That's a Story from "The Witch's Dream".
An ordinary person who, with the help of a witch and the Spirit, finds the right circumstances to make the impossible happen.
The result is spectacular: reality changes, the person changes, and something that seemed impossible becomes possible.
But the mechanism remains largely outside the practitioner's control.
Darkroom takes another direction.
Reality Manipulation
The practitioner begins by stop the internal dialogue and, with the eyes open, eventually perceives pieces of magic in the darkness.
Instead of simply asking the Spirit to move things, he begins to interact with what is being revealed.
A movement of the hand produces an effect and the practitioner gradually learns that perception itself can be manipulated.
At first, this may be used to change something as ordinary as one's mood, health, vitality, or circumstances.
But that's only the beginning.
What becomes possible is to explore the different realities and ways of existing available to human awareness.
Both paths ultimately depend on the same thing: the Spirit.
Both can produce the impossible.
But while the first path allows the Spirit to move the wheel of fortune once, the second gradually allows the practitioner to see the machinery itself—and interact with it.
That's a greater refinement of consciousness.
46 Comments
“Anything can grant you your wish, your most earnest wish, if you're strong enough to wish your wish directly into the spirit of a thing. You have a devil's mask; ask the mask to seduce Birgit Briceño.”
I am sorry to interrupt, but who is the author of this quote and which book is in question?
It's "The Witch's Dream" by Florinda Donner.
Oh…
And how is one to test his own strength? How do I know if I am progressing or stagnating.
Visible magic!
I wish I hadn't had to be answering this to Don Genaro himself...
But that's the whole thing with sorcery!
To set up a practice and try your best to do the impossible.
To find out what's the difference between a mediocre result and something spectacular.
To figure out why we sometimes get to go where we shouldn't be yet, and other times we can't even see a puff in the dark...
You should at least honor your name and drop a fart.
Ah, I wish I hadn’t had to be dealing with an “incarnation” of don Juan himself! I despise his vague and unclear remarks! How many mistakes could have been prevented if he simply gave out detailed instructions. Alas, we are left with insinuating statements and there is plenty of room for error.
I guess there was and still is a good reason behind all that confusion. But one thing is unfortunately unforgivable in my opinion. He said on separate occasions that destiny does and doesn’t exist. Was he drunk at one moment and sober in another? Nobody knows. We are left on our own.
I thought so.
I found that damn book in my library and made several serious attempts on my own.
I got some things to happen, but nothing as impressive as what’s described in the books.
It seemed like we were left without enough material, until I found this subreddit.
If you think about it, this place is a result of Don Juan's and Carlos's efforts.
In fact, there's a concrete traceability between them and us.
And here you can find enough resources to practice even the most advanced techniques from the books.
So it turned out to be not such a bad panorama after all.
I see your point and it makes sense. The thing is that you slyly omitted two things. Namely, what results did you eventually managed to achieve thanks to the instructions that were provided in here. Secondly, the question of fate and destiny remain unanswered. Or should I say, they remain in existence one along the other. So we have free will and predetermined circumstances all at once 🤯😔
Man, have you read the sub?
Can't you see there are people seeing energy on the walls, playing with IOBs, visiting other worlds, all while awake and with their eyes open?
And that concern about contradictions in words seems to me like a "rationality" issue.
Sorcery isn't rational. You need to move your assemblage point to begin to understand what this is about.
Otherwise, it's just mental masturbation. I hope you're not such a rigid version of Don Genaro...
Again, you are dodging the question of destiny/fate/free will. I have read the sub, but it is also not addressed. However, DJ mentioned it on multiple occasions… the thing is that his statements and observations are not in accordance - they vary to the extent of being opposed to one another 😵💫
The only question you actually asked was, "Was he drunk at one moment and sober at another?" I'm not going down that road...
But regarding your concern about "So we have free will and predetermined circumstances all at once," I already answered that there may be contradictions in sorcery when it's viewed as a normal, rational event.
Your obsession with that irrelevant issue shows a lack of practice and seriousness, so I'm ending this conversation here.
Of course, now that I got you in the corner, you have to flee through the wall. I don’t judge you nor do I think you should know or anyone in here. I am just deeply and truly disappointed that don was messing around with such an important and crucial issue.
Say it as it is. Or if you don’t know, you don’t have to mess around with it. In the end, he did come clean about some topics and admitted that “we will have to accept that some things are unfathomable”. However, he didn’t say that regarding the question of free will, but he went on to teach opposing theories on that matter.
One could argue that his philosophy of “always be impeccable and act to the best of your abilities” is sufficient, but it’s not. Because sometimes, often actually, we think that we gave all we had, but if we were to ask a neutral observer, he would clearly state that maybe that wasn’t the case… just like portrayed in the books!
I did you favor before you even know you needed it.
I am having some serious trouble understanding your text and the opinions and logic within it…
Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio, Canto 16--read it aloud with your solar plexus.
What the hell does “subsisto” mean?
To hold one’s’ ground as a distinct, independent being.
Sure-ing; not assurance.
Where do you get the idea “always be impeccable and act to the best of your abilities", because it isn't from Don Juan.
Don Juan told Carlos to exceed his limits, every single day. Carlos said that was insane.
Juann right above, said try your best "to do the impossible".
The best of your abilities... that gets you what you have been getting.
Have you read all of the books? In this case - the art of dreaming in particular. Don’t you know that good tonal maintenance requires one’s actions to be in accordance with their opinions and worldviews. So, what is your idea of a good tonal? How does one achieve it if not for being impeccable or at least not striving and sweating to be impeccable?!
Yes, however, you assume "to the best of your abilities" is enough. It isn't, especially when you have a foreign installation running the show, telling you what your abilities are.
I never feel like I am doing enough, so I am unsure why you think that you are even close to the best of your abilities.
That’s well said, but how are we to know then? If we are stranded to learn and sweat by ourselves the hard way? Having this idea in our minds is already a huge step forward. An ordinary man doesn’t even think in that direction and that already is a game changer!
"know" is an interesting word but doesn't seem to have entirely much to do with this. Here's an example, when I was in college, I spent every exam season either studying, doing necessary life tasks, or gazing. I spent zero time on any internet distractions for two weeks straight at a time.
That is a simple thing you could do, to start with.
If by "know" you mean measure, well, that is more doable, compare where you are on the j-curve when you practice.
Alright, let’s clear out one crucial thing beforehand. How do you know/feel whether your thoughts are truly yours or it’s the installation’s dirty trick?
"beforehand".
https://www.reddit.com/r/castaneda/wiki/index/statement/
How about instead of a game of 20 questions, you set aside 6 months to practice. I spent a few years practicing entirely alone, I think you can manage that much.
This information is all contained in the books.
Hahahaha, alright! I am sorry for bothering you too much. You don’t have to turn your inner gestapo, or was that forced by the menace in of the shades?!
Anyway, just answer me that one question and I will retreat into practice mode. So, how can one figure out whether one’s thoughts are genuine or installed? This would also be of immense help to new practitioners so that one can show them how they actually don’t think by themselves most of the time!
Here's a simple example, there is nothing stopping you from recapitulating six hours daily, it does not have to be suffering, your foreign installation is what stops you.
Florinda laughed, describing her shock. The old man had tricked her into actively participating in her own cure. Furthermore, under the pretext that the curer demanded it, he put her inside the crate daily for at least six hours, in order to fulfill a specific task he had called the "recapitulation."
If the simple idea of being put in a crate to complete the recapitulation daily for six hours troubles you, it's a product of the foreign installation.
Now, of course, I haven't ever said my foreign installation is vanquished, but there is more than enough like that in the books to have some understanding.
Another example:
"There's nothing gentle about sorcerers or sorcery," don Juan commented after he heard my story. "This was the first time that infinity descended on you in such a fashion. It was like a blitz.
It was a total takeover of your faculties. Insofar as the speed of your visions is concerned, you yourself will have to learn to adjust it. For some sorcerers, that's the job of a lifetime. But from now on, energy will appear to you as if it were being projected onto a movie screen.
"Whether or not you understand the projection," he went on, "is another matter. In order to make an accurate interpretation, you need experience. My recommendation is that you shouldn't be bashful, and you should begin now. Read energy on the wall! Your true mind is emerging, and it has nothing to do with the mind that is a foreign installation. Let your true mind adjust the speed. Be silent, and don't fret, no matter what happens."
Learn to read energy on the wall, but first, learn to see energy on the wall. That is what we are breaking down, bit by bit.
Thanks a lot, the second one explains it quite well. Also, it answers the question of fate/destiny. If we are not in control, we don’t choose! We are like a consciousness in robot suits with an illusion of having a free will, while we succumb to the invisible installation!
Is the comment of don juan from the episode when they went to that travel agency and then found themselves in the middle of the sunday market?
It was after Carlos had his experience of the usher during recapitulation, fittingly.
from Active Side of Infinity
Oh, my memory serves me poorly. How many times did you read the books, as you seem to have a truly great recollection of all of the stories…
I've read everything except the women's books several times over (some of the books, I've read until the front and back covers fall off). I didn't read the women's books for a while because I didn't have physical copies. I usually use the PDF to find the appropriate section for what I am addressing though.
Actually a few years before he died, Carlos married either Taisha or Florinda.
To protect them.
With Cholita on my hands, I've been trying to do the same thing.
It works this way:
If your social security is $4000 a month, the wife gets $2000. And your $4000 is NOT reduced.
When you die, the wife can apply for the "survivor benefit" and she gets the $4000.
If I die and Cholita refused to marry me, she'll end up homeless.
But married to me, she'll be wealthy if she goes back to Mexico to retire.
Cholita of course, isn't worried. She claims she'll just get a job, if I die.
Frankly, it's surprising she can even buy groceries for herself month after month, without getting arrested.
It took her 2 years to get up the nerve to pick up money at moneygram in Mexico.
Too many people around was the problem.
And her bank account went dead due to lack of use.
She can't do anything that needs her to go in and talk to a teller.
I once met an engineer who recommended that I contribute to a private American retirement plan.
Here in Argentina, the pension system was broken because politicians managed the funds very poorly and corruptly.
So this woman told me that you can choose an amount to contribute and there is a lot of flexibility when it comes to withdrawing the money.
For example, you can withdraw the entire amount at a given point, like a savings account, or receive a monthly payment.
Maybe you could do something like that for Cholita?
I'll keep it in mind, but such "retirement plans" are notoriously corrupt here.
Cholita of course already has one set up by Whole Foods, where she got a job with my help, just after she went homeless.
It was before I realized it was impossible for her to keep a job.
She decided the other workers were racist, and misinterpreted them putting stuff on her desk that a customer had returned, which had writing on it, for some kind of symbolic slight against her. But really, it just needed to be checked and go back into the department she was hired for.
She gets letters in the mail telling her to figure out where she wants that money to go.
She ignores them.
Carlos also tried to set her up with a job back in the 90s, with his friends.
But she couldn't seem to keep them.
One was with that big Museum in Westwood.
Which makes one wonder why the Museum knew who Carlos was.
My theory: The lineages artwork accumulated over 800 years.
I asked the AI who Mercedes is in the other books.
By the way, "AI slop" doesn't mean at all what people think. It's a technical term for contamination of training data on the internet, which duplicates the original training data and as such should not be used. It's like overemphasizing the same info.
In science, you have to be very careful that you aren't measuring the very same thing multiple times, thinking it's new data. That leads to a bad conclusion.
Of Mercedes, the AI said:
The figure of doña Mercedes appears in two very different contexts across the books, and her "equivalence" to the other witches is a brilliant study in the difference between a stalking disguise and a distinct regional lineage:
In this unpublished manuscript, doña Mercedes directly equates to Zuleica (Carlos’s dreaming teacher), serving as one of her master stalking disguises:
Dream Stalking: Carlos explains the mechanics of this, stating that Zuleica is a "consummate dreamer" who "stalks with her dream body". Using her dream body, she could project her presence to Sonora, adopting the warm, earthy persona of "doña Mercedes" to evaluate Taisha.
In Florinda Donner-Grau’s The Witch's Dream (Lineage Affiliation)
In this work, doña Mercedes Peralta is a completely separate, physically real historical person in Venezuela. However, she has a profound energetic connection to don Juan's cycle:
🌀 Zuleica's ability to seamlessly project different personas—like doña Mercedes at the Yaqui fiesta, the child-sized Esperanza, or the caretaker Emilito—is one of the most mysterious facets of "stalking with the double."
Good connection, and interesting to confirm that they were likely two different witches.
And it's also good to see that there might be people doing real stuff out there, just that they don't "see" as sorcerers do.
What is that picture you used of the "canyons" from?
I don't see it so I'm not sure which one. But there's a drawing AI by that name. I don't use it anymore, it's too primitive.
If you show it to me I can answer better.
Now days, you can even download your own drawing AI and draw on your computer. And it's uncensored as far as what you can ask it to do.
Might not be able though, if it wasn't trained on that specific thing.
A day is coming when your TV can make movies for you, on request. Not instantly, but who cares if you ask for a new Star Wars, and it takes the TV 24 hours to make it?
Not a good time to be working in Hollywood... Or in math.
Math has been taken over by AI.
Physics not as much. Physicists like it, but math people only do math, so graduates are thinking they wasted their time getting that degree.
Speaking of changing people, the Silvio Manuel from Taisha’s unpublished book seems very different from the Silvio Manuel in Castaneda’s descriptions. But I guess it can just boil down to smoke and mirrors rather than dreaming/stalking personas.
Silvio would have custom tailored his personality to each apprentice.
Zuleica even custom tailored her height, sex and age!
It's hard to fathom how sorcerers behave because they're actually no longer human and have to pretend to be so when dealing with apprentices.
It's not a religious claim, you get to see this yourself, on a daily basis, if you can stream silent knowledge and begin to notice that our preprogrammed behaviors are only the result of being born here and under the control of modern socialized people.
But that the socialization part isn't unalterable,. and even the physical attributes can be ignored on a short term basis.
Still... If you could point out a concrete example, I could get Gemini AI to study that topic and give us examples.
Let's not forget that Taisha thought don Juan was going to rape hre when she first joined the group.
And don Juan sent his ally to scare apprentices on a fairly regular basis (or it seems so), even dangling a silly gourd around his waist to pretend the ally was in there, an dhe could unleash it on them at any time.
Such as that woven basket with teeth that tried to bit Pablito.
We're missing that sort of way of keeping troublemakers in line.
Which is a small problem. Anyone can show up, pretend to be helpful, but then turn on the group later on because they have other motivations going on.
Carlos had the same problem.
thus the lineages let "the spirit" select apprentices.
Maybe not for the reason we would assume, but more so that the responsibility for selecting a specific person was removed from any individual and everyone felt obligated to make sure that person was successful.
You wouldn't want Zuleica asking don Juan, "Why on earth did you bring this pathetic person into our group?"
I’m gradually coming to the conclusion that "the Spirit’s signs” emerge when our silent concerns trigger the dark sea of awareness, causing it to direct the knowledge we’re looking for toward the reality we want to assemble.
In a way, it’s like the not-doing of acquiring knowledge through reasoning.
It seems a little funny for sorcerers when they say that all of this was “the Spirit’s plan”...
As if the human concept of a “plan” is supposed to have any meaning out there.
But simply saying that all of this is the result of our attention is just as simplistic as saying that it’s all the work of the Spirit.
We really don’t know what’s what.
We’re doomed to interpret.
Actually I believe this "The Spirit's Plan" is merely residual awareness in the dark sea.
From past awareness focusing on various combinations of emanations.
God became real and visitable, due to so many people praying to him and imbuing him with attributes.
So much so that he ended up being called a "mold" for man.
But really, he's not at all like that.
It's likely just residual awareness repeating "meaning".
Much like how the brain wires randomly to some extent as it grows in the womb, then later as signals go down specific little tubes in it, headed towards more neurons, the tubes get a tiny bit wider.
Making it easier for that combination to happen in the future, because it happened in the past.
It ends up seeming to be sentient, but after you can view SK entities regularly, and even though they seem super intelligent and aware, you can see that they're not actually "alive" the way we are.
They're a side effect.
But then...
So are we perhaps.
Wow, you caught something no one ever noticed as far as I know.
It turns out that the frustrating name changes between the books, don't apply to Silvio. His name was always the same (at least, the AI believes that from looking at the books).
*** From Gemini AI ***
Comparing the experiences of Carlos Castaneda to those of the women seers (Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar) reveals a fascinating, almost comical divergence in how Silvio Manuel behaved. He was the master of will and intent in don Juan Matus's party.
While you might expect a warrior of his immense, abstract stature to adopt various disguises, there is no record of Silvio Manuel using a pseudonym or undergoing a name change in the books of Carlos, Florinda, or Taisha. Unlike don Juan (who went by John Michael Abelar or Mariano Aureliano) or Zuleica (who dreamed as the caretaker Emilito), Silvio Manuel is consistently referred to by his real name across all of your sources. (Note: In the subsequent generation of apprentices, Benigno was trained to be his energetic "carbon copy" replica).
However, the behavioral differences in how he interacted with Carlos versus how he interacted with the women are massive and highly significant:
In Carlos’s accounts, Silvio Manuel is characterized as an incredibly frightening, non-verbal, and intense force of nature. Carlos was deeply petrified of him: "I was actually afraid of them, especially Silvio Manuel. He terrified me and yet I had learned to live with my terror".
His key behaviors in Carlos's presence included:
Severe Physical Maneuvers: He subjected Carlos to intense physical stress to dislodge his assemblage point. In their very first meetings, Silvio Manuel blew his breath over a naked, shivering Carlos in a pitch-black hallway and stood him up in a tub of ice-cold water. Later, he locked Carlos and la Gorda in a tight wooden crate for nightlong vigils and suspended them in leather harnesses from high tree branches.
In Florinda Donner-Grau’s Being-In-Dreaming: The Gossiping, Rapturous Dancer
When we open Florinda Donner-Grau’s book, we encounter a completely different side of Silvio Manuel that seems almost impossible to reconcile with Carlos’s terrifying experiences.
Her accounts reveal that in the "witches' house" in Guadalajara, Silvio Manuel was highly social and animated:
A "Perpetual Holiday" Mood: While Carlos felt physically ill and drained around Silvio Manuel, Florinda recalls that his presence and company made her feel like she was on a "perpetual holiday".
In Taisha Abelar’s Books: The Flexible Stalker Behind the Scenes
Taisha Abelar’s training was highly sequestered, and during The Sorcerer's Crossing, she had not yet met the other "fourteen" members of the household, including Silvio Manuel.
However, her accounts highlight his supreme flexibility and tactical genius:
Why the Difference?
Don Juan explains that these behavioral extremes are the core of the stalker's method. Because Carlos’s energy configuration was "bored and tired" (the result of boring sex) and he was heavily burdened by rationality, Silvio Manuel had to act as a terrifying force of will to shock his assemblage point loose.
By contrast, because the female apprentices (like Florinda and Taisha) were naturally lighter, more fluid, and did not suffer from the same rigid intellectual pride, Silvio Manuel could interact with them through his "bizarre sense of humor," utilizing dance, music, and dramatic playfulness to lure them into the second attention.
Very interesting, thanks. The simple difference I was thinking of was that Taisha describes him as a medium height old man while Carlos (or if it’s Florinda) makes a point of his small stature and childlike manners. What I meant with smoke and mirrors is that maybe they just gave him the description of Carlos’ stature as an inside joke or what not, since no reader at the time knew how very short Castaneda was anyways, and definitely not what Silvio Manuel looked like. The descriptions do agree on his very indian face and unusual eyes though.
Can I dm you for further information?
You're thinking of fake magical systems where people are making money from it.
Naturally they're always eager to chat up a new paying customer.
This isn't like that at all. Sorcery has never been taught for money.
So that if you have a question, ask it here so that others can benefit from the conversation.
Or, no offense intended, go find a money grubbing guru or delusional Zen "Master" white guy, if you want to DM with people.
Or if it's about using the AI, ask the AI! I can't believe how smart they've become.
I've got one writing the most difficult computer code in existence. HDL.
Designing high speed ultra wide memory interfaces. It's even copying my style so that I can be sure it doesn't go off the deep end using exotic compiler options.
If it's about sorcery, there are some educational videos over here:
https://www.youtube.com/@daniellawton4336/videos
And there's a wiki on the side of this subreddit that has everything you could ever want to know, about sorcery.