I read the books a long time ago and retained some fragmented information, would like to freshen up on some of it. In regards with this particular hat thing, I don't remember if he ever went into a detailed explanation as to why, it was more of a throw-away statement, I think. Don't remember the exact words, so key word searching the .pdf didn't help lol All I remember it was along the lines of "you should have some head covering when outside". In my memory it is logged in as some kind of energy protection or something.
ANOTHER THING: BACKPACKS!!!!
I rememeber Don Juan saying you shouldn't be carrying anything in your hands, get a backpack. Same thing - don't remember the exact verbiage, don't think there was a big explanation.
If anyone remembers where this is, it would be great help if you could share. Thank you!
25 Comments
Yes. I remember both of those pieces of advice from the books.
The hat I believe was to protect the energy center at the top of your head, or maybe just to bring a particular kind of awareness to it. And the brim of the hat could be useful in daytime gazing.
Roots of the Jewish Yarmulke ?
And it’s really hot and sunny in Mexico!
And not carrying anything in your hands for long periods of time while walking about, was probably mostly about encouraging Carlos to integrate sorcery passes (Tensegrity) into his daily activities. Which would’ve been harder to do while holding something.
Just a guess.
Thanks! Now I know I didn't make it up lol
But you also couldn't find the exact book?
I don’t need to know which book, because I also remember that he does not go into a lot of detail as to why, on either suggestion.
Do or do not
I also remember the part with the backpack as DJ saying not to put the body through the stress of carrying things around in the hands like that.
Yeah, I wish he expanded more on that. Like, he could've explained why it's putting stress if you carry things in the hands, but not when you carry that same weight on your back.
Although, just from thinking back on when I carry things in the hands vs. in the backpack - there is a difference in how the Universe/The Spirit is playing with me: when I carry stuff in the hands there is a higher chance the Universe throws something my way that annoys me. Weird...
Definitely a strange correlation
along the same lines as the hat protecting your energy center, i wonder if having long hair has any energetic benifit because practically its annoying and gets in the way
Yeah, I wish we had Don Juan to ask. I use my shoulder-length hair to cover ears from UV rays. The thought of putting sunscreen on ears is not exactly appealing to me lol
the thought of losing a fight when i shouldve won or not being able to run away because someone pulls my hair is not appealing to me either, and i have a feeling the more i recap the more i will unintentionally upset those around me when they try to stick energy in me i cant accept. im starting to learn that people can react very violently when their usual way of dealing with others doesnt work on you
You'll see everybody in the videos have their hair short. The first thing Taisha did with me was take me to the Supercuts in Westwood and get my hair cut very short, along with dyeing back to my dark color (I had it turquoise).
I can't find it in workshop notes, but they said something about keeping in short to avoid getting some energy entangled with the hair, which you would need to get rid of.
interesting, i might cut it then. though i have a flat head that looks weird without hair imo, i should recap this whole issue tonight lol
May I ask if there was something unique or different about Taisha than the regular friends (not into sorcery) you had at the time?
Did you ever have doubts about Carlos and the witches especially after he died?
In short, what made you persist and stick with it where others abandoned the ship?
I can't compare Taisha with friends, because she was more of a teacher than a friend. I left all the friends I had. To this day, my friends are people I met back then at workshops or private classes.
No, I only had disappointment at myself or despair for being left without guidance. Although I stopped practicing for a while and lived a somewhat regular life, my worldview never changed.
The longing has always been too strong for me to ignore. For years afterwards I couldn't read the books (read them for the first time, since I hadn't read them all) because I feel a physical pull and heaviness in my chest when I do. I can't properly describe it. It's what took me to Los Angeles in the first place. It's a longing and absolute knowledge that this is what I need to do. No doubts.
So when I see people that look like they are intellectually interested in this, interested in doing some philosophical comparative studies and such or are looking for ways this will benefit them or have too many fears, I know they won't make it. They don't have what it takes to jump. If that is you in any way, perhaps that can be corrected. Up to you to find out.
Thanks for your response.
I can definitely relate to the pull in addition to multiple synchronistic events. I had first read the books when I was in my teens and lived on the other side of the earth. When i went through them again (in the form of audiobooks), I found myself in the same physical locations as those mentioned in the books. And, the practices never seemed like a chore but something that just became part of daily life.
The only hindrance seems to be balancing it with daily professional life and not being able to share the journey with others in your life. I have found out, as Dan has mentioned multiple times, people seemed threatened by sorcery.
I am assuming that is not the case with you and your husband?
I don't discuss my sexual life with my work teammates, so I do the same about my sorcery activities. I mean, you don't tell the people you work with everything you do, do you?
As for the rest of my social life, like I said above, all my friends are people that at least at some point in their life did the same things I do (read the books, attended workshops, do tensegrity, etc). And I am lucky that I can openly talk about Castaneda with people I've recently met. Of course not everybody. But for example, one day we had a doctor home visit (we already knew this person). He saw one of the Castaneda books in our bookcase and asked about it. He was so interested that he bought the Magical Passes book and started practicing tensegrity by himself.
That's right, he had already attended a workshop in 1995 when I met him in 1996. Although we met outside this practice, that's what we had in common.
People shouldn't be threaten, we have like the most harmless hobby there could be. We don't even spend money on vintage stamps or fill the house with useless stuff. Carlos said we are the dream employee, always being "impecable", paying our debts, not engaging in gossip, not being angry at people all the time, and so on. But of course people don't like it when you don't do whatever is deemed "normal", like spending hours in front of the tv watching some silly show, the current game or the endless news, drinking beer with friends all weekend or in social media viewing the latest meme. Just to get up Monday morning to go to some job you hate.
I've always found it ridiculous when I see women in fighting scenes in movies with very long untied hair. It looks awesome, with all that hair swinging around, but it isn't very practical.
Chapter 3, Page 20 of Journey to Ixtlan for the hands/backpack thing. Its when he teaches Carlos the "right way of walking"
The reason given was for "greater stamina and greater awareness ".
Thank you!!! And wow… so it means I did read Journey to Ixtlan. I always thought I skipped it. I guess I need to re-read everything.
Edit:
Oh, he used the word “knapsack” not “backpack”. No wonder keyword search didn’t help lol
Hm and it’s to allow your fingers to be curled which increases stamina and awareness. I wonder if it means just letting your fingers curl, like in a semi-closed fist, or something else.
The backpack is mentioned when Don Juan tells him about the right way of walking:
"He did, however, teach me an "appropriate form of walking". He said that I had to curl my fingers gently as I walked so I would keep my attention on the trail and the surroundings. He claimed that my ordinary way of walking was debilitating and that one should never carry anything in the hands. If things had to be carried one should use a knapsack or any sort of carrying net or shoulder bag. His idea was that by forcing the hands into a specific position one was capable of greater stamina and greater awareness."
As for the hat, I think it is mentioned in Taisha's the Sorcerer's Crossing.
Edit: somebody beat me to it regarding the backpack.
Edit 2: here are some quotes from Taisha's book:
YESSS!!!! Thank you!!!! You got it. I forgot to look in Taisha’s book. So, the hat thing wasn’t from Don Juan, mkay.
I wish they talked more on that and how a hat helps or if any kind of hat works.
I think any kind of hat works.
Taisha didn't always wear a hat when we were running errands. So I think it mostly applies when you are out in the sun for longer than just a few minutes. Still, I do get nervous if I don't have my hat and I need to walk under the sun.
Do you have any theories as to why it's important outside but not inside?
Perhaps this other quote will help:
So whatever is needed so that the sun doesn't hit directly the top of the head willy nilly (either staying inside or using a hat when outside).
Any info on how to charge the line properly? I thought a hat would prevent something from happening to the energy on top of the head, now it seems like a hat is facilitating a proper thing to happen? lol Interesting.
I don't have any specific instruction for that, unfortunately. I would think that doing it properly would be when you are doing the breathing and passes from the book using the sun, so that you are directing that energy consciously. As opposed to be doing whatever under the sun and letting the sun act on it. So, yes, the hat prevents it from happening, not the other way around.