The aim of sorcerers is to reach a state of total awareness in order to experience all the possibilities of perception available to man. This state o… - Carlos Castañeda

Better than any type of conceptualization, the quotations revealed an unsuspected and unwavering line of action that don Juan had followed in order to promote and facilitate my entrance into his world. It became something beyond a speculation to me that if don Juan had followed that line, this must have also been the way in which his own teacher had propelled him into the world of shamans. Under the impact of the "wheel of time," the aim of this book became, then, something that had not been part of the original plan. The quotations became the ruling factor, by themselves and in themselves, and the drive imposed on me by them was one of staying as close as I possibly could to the spirit in which the quotations were given. They were given in the spirit of frugality and ultimate directness. (Introduction)

A warrior-hunter deals intimately with his world, and yet he is inaccessible to that same world. He taps it lightly, stays for as long as he needs to, and then swiftly moves away, leaving hardly a mark.

«Понимание всего этого не является упражнением для разума, — сказал дон Хуан, внимательно выслушав мои доводы. — Вряд ли я смогу объяснить, что именно имеют в виду маги, говоря о волокнах внутри и вне человеческой формы. Когда видящий видит человеческую форму, он видит один-единственный шар энергии. Твое представление относительно множества шаров продиктовано привычкой воспринимать людей как толпу. Но в энергетической вселенной толп не существует. Там есть только отдельные индивидуумы, одинокие, окруженные безграничностью. Ты должен увидеть все это сам.»