blog 6

I would have to agree with the other person who wrote in their blog about liking the story format used in The Teachings of Don Juan. I found it to be much easier to read and comprehend, especially when compared to our last reading.
I was glad you required us to read the introduction because many times I skip them in my haste to get school work done. I fond it very informative to learn how Castaneda went about locating don Juan and then how he persuaded Juan to teach him about medicinal plants. Without reading the introduction I’m sure I would have gotten confused reading this book like I was in The Field.
After finishing this week’s reading assignments it seems to me that what was initially a quest by Castaneda to learn about medicinal plants has become more of a spiritual journey into himself. I enjoyed the dialogue shared between Juan and Castaneda or the lack there of at times. Don Juan is making Castaneda earn all the knowledge he is receiving and I think in turn Castaneda is taking more away from this whole experience.
It was interesting to see how the altered perception affected Castaneda during his experimentation with peyote. After first reading Castaneda account of his peyote trip it seemed very out there, but it all makes much more sense when you compare it with how Juan and his friends describe the way Castaneda was acting. I can definitely see how Castaneda’s altered state of consciousness perceived what happened the way it did with the whole yellow liquid actually being him peeing on the dog and the dog peeing on him. It amazes me though how the peyote altered him in such a way that something that would normally repulse him like being urinated on became almost spiritual. I’m a bit confused on how don Juan decided that the Mescalito was playing with Castaneda and that now he is the chosen one.