1. Why Practice?

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Whether you believe in some sort of existence after bodily death, or not, or even if you are uncertain about what happens after death, the practices and methods prescribed by the New Seers can be beneficial. Modern scientific research clearly shows that efforts, analogous to the the practices and methods prescribed by the New Seers, provide significant health benefits, improve memory, attention and executive functions, provide a method to let go of old beliefs and traumas, foster relaxation, improve stress resilience, and create a feeling of well-being, as well as open the door to creativity and new ways of thinking (see our book). These self-improvements can increase success in the daily world, in nearly every situation. 

 

On the other hand, if you do believe in some form of existence beyond bodily death, then the practices advocated by the new seers are essential. If some part of you does exist after death, won't that part of you, have to be aware that it has survived death? Because, if you're not aware after you die, then have you really survived? Doesn't that mean you must have some form of perception? (some memory of yourself, some ability to direct your attention to the things around you, some ability to choose?) So, if awareness and perception are obviously needed after death, wouldn't it be prudent to exercise, enhance and expand them before taking the ultimate plunge into the unknown?   

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According to the New Seers, humans are composed of two parts, the physical body and the energy body, and the shamanic practices described and advocated by Castaneda are aimed at developing the energetic component of humans, since this is the part that can not only enable awareness to explore vast regions of the unknown but also potentially survive beyond bodily death.

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We know the body is temporal and our material existence is short, at best 100 years or so. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to become distracted by the material world and forget that the material world is transient. What really matters in the long run is our energetic condition. Fortunately, the energetic part of us, like all energy, can never be destroyed. Thus, it is imperative to "put in the requisite work" in order to complete the energy body. The way to achieve this is through practices that enhance perception and expand awareness.

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The clearly and overtly stated goal of the methods and practices promoted by Castaneda (1 p. 27)  and his associates, Abelar (2 p. xii) (2 p. xiii) and Donner (3 p. i), is to enhance perception and expand the scope of individual awareness.

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In metaphorical terms, the methods and practices, presented by Castaneda, can lead the practitioner on a journey to the Seer’s Portal, using a three step process. 1) Specifically, the methods and practices begin by preparing the practitioner for the journey ahead, through the accumulation of the tools and skills necessary to venture into new territory. The essential tools and skills are acquired by enhancing perceptual abilities, which consequently draw hidden resources to the surface. 2) Next, of course, every journey requires the traveler to depart from their present location. In the words of André Gide, “One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore”. So, in preparing to leave behind the ordinary world of everyday, the shamanic practices and methods enable the practitioner to detach from the everyday world and dissolve the ties that bind them, by freeing awareness from the attachments, patterns and routines of ordinary daily awareness. 3) And finally, by activating new possibilities for perception that lie beyond the boundaries of ordinary daily awareness, the doors of perception are flung open, and the Seer’s Portal comes into view.

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In practical terms, the shamanic methods provide a means for practitioners to enhance perception and expand their awareness beyond the confines of ordinary daily awareness. Based on the descriptions of various practices provided by Castaneda and his cohorts, our book attempts to explain and validate some of the effects of the shamanic practices, by identifying scientific literature as supporting evidence. The significance of these shamanic methods is their ability to be efficient and effective tools for enhancing perception and expanding awareness. Therefore, we believe the practices advocated by Castaneda provide practical methods to enhance perception and expand awareness; 1) by improving various cognitive processes associated with perception through training; 2) by reducing attachments to the patterns and routines of ordinary daily awareness; and 3) by activating new possibilities for perception that lie beyond the boundaries of ordinary daily awareness.

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The work of Carlos Castaneda can be easily dismissed for any number of reasons and a variety of reasons for dismissing his work are readily provided by others. However, the only way to truly know if the practices are valid, is to personally test them, as they are described, with earnest effort and diligent practice. Indeed, we are all going to die. However, it is possible to prepare for what lies beyond our short time here on earth. Ultimately, it is up to each of us, personally, to either use these tools or refuse them.

 

Abelar (2 p. 43) wrote that, "... we die because the possibility that we could be transformed hasn't entered our conception. She stressed that this transformation must be accomplished during our lifetime, and that to succeed in this task is the only true purpose a human being can have. All other attainments are transient, since death dissolves them into nothingness."

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Nothing could be truer.

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References, 

1. Castaneda, Carlos. Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico. New York, NY, USA : HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1998.

2. Abelar, Taisha. The Sorcerers' Crossing: A Woman's Journey. New York, NY, USA : Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992.

3. Donner, Florinda. Being-In-Dreraming: An Initiation into the the Sorcerer's World. New York, NY, USA : HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1991.

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