I agree with you, John. I think Castaneda presents a very sophisticated system within the narrative. But I don't think it is intellectual per se. I'm another book or two into the series now and I think anyone interested in other states of consciousness or dreaming who doesn't read Castaneda is...
It is cool if you want to use the word fact. But I'm guessing that all facts are relative knowledge. Our knowledge is a model of reality based on observed behaviors. There are tons of good things that you can do with the knowledge from that model. But it doesn't seem to answer questions like...
And aren't atomic structures just models of behavior? We don't actually know what these things are when it comes right down to it. That doesn't seem to be a very solid fact to me.
Cool. That all this stuff basically points in the same direction is part of what makes it fascinating. What Castaneda presents that is unique is a compelling narrative. Not terribly intellectual. But a great tale for sure.
It is so obvious that Steve001 has turned over his login to other folks in the skeptical community. Been happening for some time. For years Steve001 spells with an 85% accuracy rate and utilizes the grammar of a 7 year old. Now all of a sudden he can fashion a coherent paragraph? Me thinks not.
Just reading Grof's "LSD: Doorway to the Numinous" this week. Interesting stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/LSD-Numinous-Groundbreaking-Psychedelic-Unconscious/dp/1594772827/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420903576&sr=8-2&keywords=grof
Interesting stuff, Don. Not much new to anyone who has read your stuff. Especially when followed up with a reading of the Taimni you suggested.
I'm lately rereading Castaneda and am surprised to see how it meshes with some of the hindu stuff. I'd only ever read the first three books in college...
This really is a unique ID and not a puppet. I used to post here for a couple of years during which time I underwent a radical transformation. As the onion layers peeled away, I would create a new ID. Now I read here, but I don't post much because I'm no longer interested in any of these...