Rating: 
Summary: Please avoid the writings of Carlos Castaneda.
Review: Mr. Castaneda used a vast amount of halucinogens (Datura, mushrooms, and Peyote) to name only three various halucinogens he used.There is no need to to take halucinogens to participate in Shamanic journeying. Here are four ways that are just as valid, and more importantly SAFER. Drumming (listening to a real drummer or drumming tape), Fasting, meditation, or thirst. All three will move the brain into the Shamanic state of consciousness and open the doorways without adding toxins to your system. Your body is a temple, treat it as such.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good book
Review: This is a very good book, although it talks a little too much about Castaneda's use of drugs and not enough on the teachings.
Rating: 
Summary: Unadultrated and profound
Review: This book is a must for beginners, who like to use their own intelligence and intuition to discover the absolute truth of the universes. Carlos Castaneda gives a vivid non-judgemental account of his own experiences with Don Juan Matus, which involves the consumption of psychotropic plants that can change the self-perception of reality completely. Although I would never recommend the usage of any of these plants (there are much safer but equally powerful alternatives), it gives a very valuable insight and a glimpse into the realm of multiple realities, which can actually be experienced while dreaming or meditating. 'The Art of Dreaming' throws considerable light on this.
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Summary: Dangerous
Review: This book talks about Castaneda's use of the halucinogenic cacti named Peyote. It is dangerous to take mind altering substances, and something one should take ligtly. There are MUCH better and more importantly "SAFER" ways to go into an altered state of consciousness (fasts, thirsts, meditation, listening to a drumming tape, etc). This reviewer thinks Mr. Castaneda used too many mind altering substances because in this book, and in "The active side of infinity" Mr. Castaneda tells two different stories of how Juan Matus accepted to take Carlos as a student.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY
Review: To fully understand,if possible,the teachings of Don Juan one must suspend all preconcieved notions of what is real.This is true,if you follow the readings,even if you believe this is a fictionalized account of many different conversations the author had with different people.The lessons taught still hold true in most cultures;that a well trained and disiplined mind will allow a person to see things others may not.
Rating:
Summary: Groundbreaking and informative
Review: This book is excellent as a practical guide to realities beyond the one of everyday experience. It provides exact methods by which a person might achieve this. The typical reader might feel distanced by symbologies specific to Yaqui culture, but evenso, the overall value of this work is not deminished, since the general theme is universal. Another fascinating book along these lines is 'The Pharaoh's Son' by Michael J. Dahl. Here, the storytelling is made vivid in terms of something closer to mainstream American culture and plausible even from a scientific point of view. It seems to pick up at a level where Don Juan leaves off. I find the two books taken together a powerful combination.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, for a con man
Review: For some cons, it's money; for others, power; for others, fame. Castaneda got a bit of all three for his fictions. And like all con men, he had no conscience. He ran his con for forty years, never caring in the slightest if the naive fell for what wrote. I'll say this for him, though: he was a much better con than Anton La Vey. Too bad both didn't die _before_ they were published.
Rating:
Summary: Don Juan
Review: Don Juan is more than a transcultural religous book. And it is more than just a retelling of a Yaqui belief system. Don Juan represents deep insight into the human experience. Don Juan is a profound exposition of generally known truths that has been put into a rich and vivid cultural setting. My family has been touched by his magic.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read
Review: For anyone interested in spiritual guidance that is far from ordinary, but warmly uplifting, should read this book. Castaneda is a wonderful author who thoroughly explains his visits to see the sorceror don Juan Matas. During these visits the reader comes to many spiritual realizations along with Castaneda, who narrates the story. This book is a delightful read which I recommend to anyone who likes to read. period
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Summary: Carlos's First Description
Review: This, Carlos's first book in his series dealing with the unreal world of Don Juan, was actually his doctorate thesis in anthropology. Carlos reveals to us his absolute confusion and apparent loss of reason here. Only many volumes later does Carlos come to understand what was actually happening to him. As the factual circumstances of this volume are repeated again in his future works, it would seem that this work is unimportant. However, this is not the case. By reading the volumes as Carlos experienced and believed what was happening to him, one can see that Carlos was speaking the truth as he understood it.
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