12The Wheel of Time.docx
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12The Wheel of Time.docx
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12TheWheelofTime
TheWheelofTime
TheShamansofAncientMexico,
TheirThoughtsaboutLife,DeathandtheUniverse
CarlosCastaneda
INTRODUCTION
ThisseriesofspeciallyselectedquotationswasgatheredfromthefirsteightbooksthatIwroteabouttheworldoftheshamansofancientMexico.ThequotationsweretakendirectlyfromtheexplanationsgiventomeasananthropologistbymyteacherandmentordonJuanMatus,aYaquiIndianshamanfromMexico.HebelongedtoalineageofshamansthattraceditsoriginsallthewaybacktotheshamanswholivedinMexicoinancienttimes.
Inthemosteffectivemannerhecouldafford,donJuanMatususheredmeintohisworld,whichwas,naturally,theworldofthoseshamansofantiquity.DonJuanwas,therefore,inakeyposition.Heknewabouttheexistenceofanotherrealmofreality,arealmwhichwasneitherillusory,northeproductofoutburstsoffantasy.FordonJuanandtherestofhisshaman-companions—therewerefifteenofthem—theworldoftheshamansofantiquitywasasrealandaspragmaticasanythingcouldbe.
Thisworkstartedasaverysimpleattempttocollectaseriesofvignettes,sayings,andideasfromtheloreofthoseshamansthatwouldbeinterestingtoreadandthinkabout.Butaftertheworkwasinprogress,anunforseeabletwistofdirectiontookplace:
Irealizedthatthequotationsbythemselveswereimbuedwithanextraordinaryimpetus.Theyrevealedacoverttrainofthoughtthathadneverbeenevidenttomebefore.TheywerepointingoutthedirectionthatdonJuan’sexplanationshadtakenoverthethirteenyearsinwhichheguidedmeasanapprentice.
Betterthananytypeofconceptualization,thequotationsrevealedanunsuspectedandunwaveringlineofactionthatdonJuanhadfollowedinordertopromoteandfacilitatemyentranceintohisworld.ItbecamesomethingbeyondaspeculationtomethatifdonJuanhadfollowedthatline,thismusthavealsobeenthewayinwhichhisownteacherhadpropelledhimintotheworldofshamans.
DonJuanMatus’slineofactionwashisintentionalattempttopullmeintowhathesaidwasanother“cognitivesystem.”By“cognitivesystem,”hemeantthestandarddefinitionof“cognition”:
“theprocessesresponsiblefortheawarenessofeverydaylife,processeswhichincludememory,experience,perception,andtheexpertuseofanygivensyntax.”DonJuan’sclaimwasthattheshamansofancientMexicohadindeedadifferentcognitivesystemthantheaverageman’s.
Followingallthelogicandreasoningavailabletomeasastudentofthesocialsciences,Ihadtorejecthisstatement.IpointedouttodonJuantimeandtimeagainthatwhateverhewasclaimingwaspreposterous.Itwas,tome,anintellectualaberrationatbest.
Ittookthirteenyearsofhardlaboronhispartandonminetodiscombobulatemytrustinthenormalsystemofcognitionthatmakestheworldarounduscomprehensibletous.Thismaneuverpushedmeintoaverystrangestate:
astateofquasi-distrustintheotherwiseimplicitacceptanceofthecognitiveprocessesofourdailyworld.
Afterthirteenyearsofheavyonslaughts,Irealized,againstmyverywill,thatdonJuanMatuswasindeedproceedingfromanotherpointofview.Therefore,theshamansofancientMexicomusthavehadanothersystemofcognition.Toadmitthisburnedmyverybeing.Ifeltlikeatraitor.IfeltasifIwerevoicingthemosthorrendousheresy.
Whenhefeltthathehadovercomemyworstresistance,donJuandrovehispointasfarandasdeepashecouldinme,andIhadtoadmit,withoutreservations,thatintheworldofshamans,shamanpractitionersjudgedtheworldfrompointsofviewwhichwereindescribabletoourconceptualizationdevices.Forinstance,theyperceivedenergyasitflowedfreelyintheuniverse,energyfreefromthebindingsofsocializationandsyntax,purevibratoryenergy.Theycalledthisact“seeing.”
DonJuan’sprimeobjectivewastohelpmetoperceiveenergyasitflowsintheuniverse.Intheworldofshamans,toperceiveenergyinsuchamanneristhefirstmandatorysteptowardamoreengulfing,freerviewofadifferentcognitivesystem.Inordertoelicita“seeing”responseinme,donJuanutilizedotherforeignunitsofcognition.Oneofthemostimportantunits,hecalledthe“recapitulation,”whichconsistedofasystematicscrutinyofone’slife,segmentbysegment,anexaminationmadenotinthelightofcriticismorfindingaflaw,butinthelightofanefforttounderstandone’slife,andtochangeitscourse.DonJuan’sclaimwasthatonceanypractitionerhasviewedhislifeinthedetachedmannerthattherecapitulationrequires,there’snowaytogobacktothesamelife.
To“see”energyasitflowsintheuniversemeant,todonJuan,thecapacityto“see”ahumanbeingasa“luminousegg”or“luminousball”ofenergy,andtobeabletodistinguish,inthatluminousballofenergy,certainfeaturessharedbymenincommon,suchasapointofbrillianceinthealreadybrilliantluminousballofenergy.Theclaimofshamanswasthatitwasonthatpointofbrilliance,whichthoseshamanscalledthe“assemblagepoint,”thatperceptionwasassembled.Theycouldextendthisthoughtlogicallytomeanthatitwasonthatpointofbrilliancethatourcognitionoftheworldwasmanufactured.Oddasitmayhaveseemed,donJuanMatuswasright,inthesensethatthisisexactlywhathappens.
Theperceptionofshamans,therefore,wassubjecttoadifferentprocessthantheperceptionofaveragemen.Shamansclaimedthatperceivingenergydirectlyledthemtowhattheycalled“energeticfacts.”By“energeticfact,”theymeantaviewobtainedby“seeing”energydirectlythatledtoconclusionsthatwerefinalandirreducible;theycouldn’tbetamperedwithbyspeculation,orbytryingtoitthemintoourstandardsystemofinterpretation.
DonJuansaidthatfortheshamansofhislineage,itwasan“energeticfact”thattheworldaroundusisdefinedbytheprocessesofcognition,andthoseprocessesarenotunalterable;theyarenotgivens.Theyareamatteroftraining,amatterofpracticalityandusage.Thisthoughtwasextendedfurther,toanother“energeticfact”:
theprocessesofstandardcognitionaretheproductofourupbringing,nomorethanthat.
DonJuanMatusknew,beyondtheshadowofadoubt,thatwhateverhewastellingmeaboutthecognitivesystemoftheshamansofancientMexicowasareality.DonJuanwas,amongotherthings,a“nagual,”whichmeant,forshamanpractitioners,anaturalleader,apersonwhowascapableofviewing“energeticfacts”withoutdetrimenttohiswell-being.Hewas,therefore,capacitatedtoleadhisfellowmensuccessfullyintoavenuesofthoughtandperceptionimpossibletodescribe.
ConsideringallthefactsthatdonJuanhadtaughtmeabouthiscognitiveworld,Iarrivedattheconclusion,whichwastheconclusionthathehimselfshared,thatthemostimportantunitofsuchaaworldwastheideaof“intent.”FortheshamansofancientMexico,“intent”wasaforcetheycouldvisualizewhenthey“saw”energyasitflowsintheuniverse.Theyconsidereditanall-pervasiveforcethatintervenedineveryaspectoftimeandspace.Itwastheimpetusbehindeverything;butwhatwasofinconceivablevaluetothoseshamanswasthat“intent”—apureabstraction—wasintimatelyattachedtoman.Mancouldalwaysmanipulateit.TheshamansofancientMexicorealizedthattheonlywaytoaffectthisforcewasthroughimpeccablebehavior.Onlythemostdisciplinedpractitionercouldattemptthisfeat.
Anotherstupendousunitofthatstrangecognitivesystemwastheshamans’understandingandusageoftheconceptsoftimeandspace.Forthem,timeandspacewerenotthesamephenomenathatformpartofourlivesbyvirtueofbeinganintegralpartofournormalcognitivesystem.Fortheaverageman,thestandarddefinitionof“time”is“anonspatialcontinuuminwhicheventsoccurinapparentlyirreversiblesuccessionfromthepartthroughthepresenttothefuture.”And“space”isdefinedas“theinfinateextensionofthethree-dimensionalfieldinwhichstarsandgalaxiesexist;theuniverse.”
FortheshamansofancientMexico,timewassomethinglikeathought;athoughtthoughtbysomethingunrealizableinitsmagnitude.Thelogicalargumentforthemwasthatman,beingpartofthatthoughtwhichwasthoughtbyforcesinconceivabletohismentality,stillretainedasmallpercentageofthatthought;apercentagewhichundercertaincircumstancesofextraordinarydisciplinecouldberedeemed.
Spacewas,forthoseshamans,anabstractrealmofactivity.Theycalledit“infinity,”andreferredtoitasthesumtotalofalltheendeavorsoflivingcreatures.Spacewas,forthem,moreaccessible,somethingalmostdown-to-earth.Itwasiftheyhadabiggerpercentageintheabstractformulationofspace.AccordingtotheversionsgivenbydonJuan,theshamansofancientMexiconeverregardedtimeandspaceasobscureabstractsthewaywedo.Forthem,bothtimeandspace,althoughincomprehensibleintheirformulations,wereanintegralpartofman.
Thoseshamanshadanothercognitiveunitcalledthe“wheeloftime.”Thewaytheyexplainedthe“wheeloftime”wastosaythattimewaslikeatunnelofinfinatelengthandwidth,atunnelwithreflectivefurrows.Everyfurrowwasinfinite,andtherewereinfinitenumbersofthem.Livingcreatureswerecompulsorilymade,bytheforceoflife,togazeintoonefurrow.Togazeintoonefurrowalonemeanttobetrappedbyit,tolivethatfurrow.
Awarrior’sfinalaimistofocus,throughanactofprofounddiscipline,hisunwaveringattentiononthe“wheeloftime”inordertomakeitturn.Warriorswhohavesucceededinturningthe“wheeloftime”cangazeintoanyfurrowanddrawfromitwhatevertheydesir
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