A Magical Journey With Carlos Castaneda

About the Book

Carlos Castaneda burst onto the academic and cultural scene in 1968 when he published the first of four books detailing his supposed apprenticeship with a Yaqui Indian sorcerer named Don Juan. While academic critics contend Castaneda invented Don Juan, believers say the fog surrounding his existence express the very ideals that Castaneda attributed to his apprenticeship.

Little is known of the Peruvian claiming to be Don Juan's apprentice, but in addition to leading a generation into a mystical otherworld, Carlos Castaneda was also a man. Married to him for thirteen years was Margaret Runyan Castaneda.

A Magical Journey with Carlos Castaneda reads partly like a love story, partly like a tell-all account of a celebrity writer. Margaret Castaneda concentrates on the years leading up to her marriage in 1960. It was then Margaret and Carlos explored many of the ideas -- from controlling dreams to using hallucinogenic mushrooms -- that he claims to have learned from Don Juan.

Nevertheless, Margaret Castenada believes her husband was indeed a sorcerer, and she still loves him. She insists Castaneda's academic critics miss the point. "I'm willing to accept Don Juan as a spiritual teacher, and it really doesn't matter if he's not real." But the role she claims -- in developing the ideas Carlos purports to be Don Juan's -- ought to be recognized, she says, so she wrote this book.

About the Author

Margaret Castaneda was married to Carlos Castaneda from January 1960 through April 1998 when Carlos passed at his residence on Pandora Street in Westwood California. Albeit Rumors were that the couple were divorced in 1973 it was nothing more than rumor. They were in fact married until Carlos passed. Margaret passed to the active side of Infinity December 24, 2011. Margaret lived an amazing 90 years and was a Philosopher, Author, Poet and overall good friend to anyone that would lend an ear to hear her magical voice recount the endless stories that filled the listeners imagination. She was born in Charleston WV on November 14th 1921, she attended South Charleston High and before leaving for California worked for a short time as a chemist for Union Carbide in South Charleston. At Carlos request she learned to speak Russian, Carlos told her is was because she was the only woman intelligent enough to speak to Kruchev if he were to come to the United States. Her favorite flowers were Hollyhocks and her favorite color was yellow.