Blog 8

"Don Juan seemed to want me to work with the devil's weed as much as possible" (122). Apparently Castaneda needs to try the devils weed once more to see if it is right for him. Don Juan even harps on him to try the lizard sorcery again. It seeems that you must respect nature but not nature's creatures.

The beginning of chapter 10 marks Castaneda's 4th year with don Juan. This really is a journey that a person must genuinely want to go on. Don Juan feels Castaneda is able to judge which he likes better--the smoke or devils weed. When Castaneda says he is frightened of the smoke, don Juan makes him try it again. He says that few men--including Castaneda--do not have the strength of heart to handle the smoke. I will admit, I skipped a few sections of Chapter 10--I was so sick of every other one starting out him smoking...again and again and again.

Later, don Juan tells him to disregard the hallucinations unless they contained a crow. Apparently "any other vision would mearly be a product of my fears" (139). It seems like don Juan is trying to create a clone of himself in Castaneda.

I was impressed by the last paragraph of the book. Castaneda seems to brush off everything he learned in the past four years. Since his last experience with don Juan, he has not tried to seek his tyeachings again. He has found the "first enemy of a man of knowledge" (152). Later, in the Structural analysis, he says that one of the requirements of unbending intent (something needed not too have fear of these teachings) is the "lack of freedom to innovate" (159) because all acts are preestablished. This is an enemy of knowledge--a man with unbending intent is unable to think for himself, explore things (like the various hallucinogens in the book), and have his own opinions. A man, like Castaneda, searching for knowlege is SEARCHING; not looking for set formula they one cannot veer from. I am impressed that Castaneda stuck by his journey and am glad that, in the end, he basically admitted that, although don Juan still considers himself a teacher, Castaneda learned nothing.