I be a perigrine speeding through drops from miles up high towards the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. Ever focused on a singular pursuit of life and being a tiny fabric of it
After reading your post I found that all of the books you mentioned are free to download on the Canadian Audible store so most likely they would be free in the US store as well if anyone is interested!
Thanks so much for sharing that Tim. They are available on U.S. Audible too. I wondered why no Kindle editions for his earlier work. I find my copy of the first book has gone missing. Maybe I will get the Audible.
Maybe a raven or some type of owl. A bald eagle has been hanging out on the edge of the ice at our pond. I enjoy watching them; however, I imagine their presence makes the golden-eyes and American widgeons a bit anxious, if not the bigger mallards and Canada geese. In a letter to his daughter, Ben Franklin described the bald eagle as "a Bird of bad moral Character" for stealing fish from other birds and bullying smaller ones. Unfortunately, the big, lone predator/ scavenger turned out to be a suitable symbol for America.
Now I'm curious to read Carlos Castenada. Any similarity with Don Miguel Ruiz?
Joni, I love eagles despite their predatory nature. They are so graceful and powerful. I always love watching them. I think you might find some similarity with Don Miguel Ruiz but Castaneda’s work is much deeper I think than Ruiz, whose work I also love. If you do read any Castaneda, let me know what you think!
I think that I'd be a dolphin that could change into a Highland cow, who could also change into a fly. I'd be a dolphin because to swim that way would give a feeling of freedom. I'd change to a highland cow because Scotland is BEAUTIFUL and I'd be able to see it everyday if I were a highland cow living there! Plus, highland cows are sooooo soooo precious! I'd change into a fly to listen to others so that I could find out who were honest and who I could truly trust when I felt the need to do so. All in all, I feel shapeshifting is a beautiful, beautiful thing to imagine. Although, I personally don't believe it's reality, I also don't believe that matters. I tend to believe that some people can honestly fool themselves and live in their false realities but some false realities do NOONE any harm. Infact, some actually do good. It's simply that not all false realities do. Why dwell in that fact and not imagine the beauty that helps everyone get through this thing called life though?! Plus, to imagine makes life interesting and who doesn't like interesting!? I know that I do... Something new may happen everyday but why not make everyday more exciting with imagination?! The imagination we often lose as adults, still lay inside of us or I believe it does. We simply need to know that it's there and use it. The thing that I often wonder is why does using the imagination become so hard for some adults? Anyway, thanks for making us think and for sharing with us!
Angela, Is that not the beauty of shapeshifting that we can keep changing what we are and how we travel through life. I do so love your imagination in your response! Wonderful and playful and so much to think about!
Carlos got Ph.D at UCLA. A cultural icon. But one must return to shamanism practiced by Mongols in Siberia. 50 thousand years ago. Shamens of prehistory. Look to Celts. Archaeological astrology. The little people of Yanomano. You have opened Pandora’s box of secrets. Richard Evan’s Schultes.: hallucinogens. So many places to travel. All with in reach of spiritual travel. The rest is up to you. Yogis know secrets too. Autobiography of a yogi is good place to start. One of many reasons to read research mankind.
Hi Richard, Yes, I have been studying all of this for decades now. You are correct about the shamanism originating in Siberia. It was also once only practiced by women as well, also well documented as prehistory tribes were matriarchal.
Women what I have found were much smaller than men and performance rituals and paintings deep in caves were most possibly done in secret rituals where men could not reach them. Follows through Delphic oracle seeing into future. Eleusinian mysteries.
Without going into a long discussion on the topic, a lot of women'[s history has been and still is suppressed by the "Church," by the patriarchy, by academia, and it still is. That said, women were midwives to birthing and by natural extension the first healers which is part and parcel of shamanism, and yes, also natural seers. I will look at writing more on this topic in the future.
Thank you for sharing these, Pamela - I had heard of the Castaneda books but have not read any of them. For me, crows seem to be living in different worlds/dimensions at the same time. I encounter them on each of my hikes and am always appreciative of the encounters. I learn something new from them each time. Sometimes it is the location of a fox or owl and other times it is something deeper and spiritual.
Neil, Crows are very wise and mystical beings. They are talkers by nature and always letting us in on something. You might find his books interesting. I am planning to revisit them. Let me know if you decide to read any.
When I was a young boy vacationing at my uncle's farm on the coast of the Gaspe Peninsula, I was frightened by the crows that sat on the driftwood washed high up on the shore of the Baie des Chaleur. Their menacing looks and chatter made me quicken my pace past them, a stick in my hand should I need to defend myself. Perhaps they were ravens. I'm not sure. They were quite large, but I was quite small. It is likely Mr. Hitchcock had a role in my paranoia.
Today, I am quite happy to be what I am, but the child in me would love to take flight as a Northern Harrier, the most common raptor in the region where I live north of Lake Ontario. The bird, which has a face like an owl, has both excellent vision and hearing and hunts by swooping low over the ground relying on surprise attacks to capture its prey. On rare occasions I will see one glide swiftly past my window as it skims over our back meadow. How could I not want to trade places with it, at least for a moment. When attracting a mate, the male harrier performs death defying dives from high above pulling up in a just in time display of its aerial prowess. The Britain's Royal Air Force were so taken by these and other mid air maneuvers, they named their jet fighters after the bird.
Then again, perhaps I would just trade places with one of my cats and let them wait on me for a change.
John, Your comment gave me a few good laughs! Thank you. I should like to be a cat at times too. And also a Northern Harrier. The crows and ravens make a racket. I am one for the quieter more powerful birds. Not that hawks and eagles are not capable of making a racket too.
Thank you Pamela. Reading Castaneda brings back memories of college. I don't know why, but all I had to do to get "turned on" was smoke marijuana. My second time, I had a peak spiritual experience that forever changed my life -- started me on my path. For me, the first such book I read was Ram Dass's Journey of Awakening. Castaneda came later.
I have read in a couple of places that his stories were made up. I doubt it, but whatever they were, they come from a deep wisdom and insight into a deeper world.
Same thing for me Marc, pot was the gateway to a higher realm of thinking and creativity and everything blossomed from there! I am so glad this resonated with you.
There has been a lot of chatter that his stories were made up. He was an anthropology student at UCLA. I believe the first book was his PhD thesis. Anytime someone comes along and pushes the envelope against the “traditional” norms there are people who decry that deeper wisdom and deeper world. Other’s have written similar accounts. I do not doubt his experiences.
I highly recommend his last three books in the book list I shared in the post.
I love Paulo Coelho. I have read all but 1 or 2 of his books and have many in my collection. Aleph was great, and of course The Alchemist. The Pilgrimage is my favorite I think.
He is one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed all of his works and the Alchemist is of course an all time classic - but the Fifth Mountain is also excellent if you haven’t read that one. I did love the Pilgrimage, as well, and Brida.
Beautiful post, Pamela. I love imagining the shape shifting and have enjoyed the comments here to see what resonates with other readers. Your photo of the Bald Eagle, especially, is outstanding, although in terms of shape shifting, I can only aspire to be that wild. Thank you for writing about Castaneda’s books. I read a lot of his work when I was in college and am inspired to read them again.
Heidi, I have really enjoyed everyone’s comments on this post too. It’s really been fun to see what people would like to shapeshift into and also it’s great to see a lot of us have enjoyed reading Castaneda and some are interested in revisiting his books. I need to get a new copy of the first book, mine seems to have gone missing, I only have book two and his later work, his last 3 books, which were all wonderful.
I be a perigrine speeding through drops from miles up high towards the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. Ever focused on a singular pursuit of life and being a tiny fabric of it
I love that Paolo! A speeding peregrine is a wonderful thing to shapeshift into!
Free audiobooks (with an Audible membership):
Carlos Castaneda
After reading your post I found that all of the books you mentioned are free to download on the Canadian Audible store so most likely they would be free in the US store as well if anyone is interested!
Thanks so much for sharing that Tim. They are available on U.S. Audible too. I wondered why no Kindle editions for his earlier work. I find my copy of the first book has gone missing. Maybe I will get the Audible.
Maybe a raven or some type of owl. A bald eagle has been hanging out on the edge of the ice at our pond. I enjoy watching them; however, I imagine their presence makes the golden-eyes and American widgeons a bit anxious, if not the bigger mallards and Canada geese. In a letter to his daughter, Ben Franklin described the bald eagle as "a Bird of bad moral Character" for stealing fish from other birds and bullying smaller ones. Unfortunately, the big, lone predator/ scavenger turned out to be a suitable symbol for America.
Now I'm curious to read Carlos Castenada. Any similarity with Don Miguel Ruiz?
Joni, I love eagles despite their predatory nature. They are so graceful and powerful. I always love watching them. I think you might find some similarity with Don Miguel Ruiz but Castaneda’s work is much deeper I think than Ruiz, whose work I also love. If you do read any Castaneda, let me know what you think!
I think that I'd be a dolphin that could change into a Highland cow, who could also change into a fly. I'd be a dolphin because to swim that way would give a feeling of freedom. I'd change to a highland cow because Scotland is BEAUTIFUL and I'd be able to see it everyday if I were a highland cow living there! Plus, highland cows are sooooo soooo precious! I'd change into a fly to listen to others so that I could find out who were honest and who I could truly trust when I felt the need to do so. All in all, I feel shapeshifting is a beautiful, beautiful thing to imagine. Although, I personally don't believe it's reality, I also don't believe that matters. I tend to believe that some people can honestly fool themselves and live in their false realities but some false realities do NOONE any harm. Infact, some actually do good. It's simply that not all false realities do. Why dwell in that fact and not imagine the beauty that helps everyone get through this thing called life though?! Plus, to imagine makes life interesting and who doesn't like interesting!? I know that I do... Something new may happen everyday but why not make everyday more exciting with imagination?! The imagination we often lose as adults, still lay inside of us or I believe it does. We simply need to know that it's there and use it. The thing that I often wonder is why does using the imagination become so hard for some adults? Anyway, thanks for making us think and for sharing with us!
Angela, Is that not the beauty of shapeshifting that we can keep changing what we are and how we travel through life. I do so love your imagination in your response! Wonderful and playful and so much to think about!
Carlos got Ph.D at UCLA. A cultural icon. But one must return to shamanism practiced by Mongols in Siberia. 50 thousand years ago. Shamens of prehistory. Look to Celts. Archaeological astrology. The little people of Yanomano. You have opened Pandora’s box of secrets. Richard Evan’s Schultes.: hallucinogens. So many places to travel. All with in reach of spiritual travel. The rest is up to you. Yogis know secrets too. Autobiography of a yogi is good place to start. One of many reasons to read research mankind.
Hi Richard, Yes, I have been studying all of this for decades now. You are correct about the shamanism originating in Siberia. It was also once only practiced by women as well, also well documented as prehistory tribes were matriarchal.
Women what I have found were much smaller than men and performance rituals and paintings deep in caves were most possibly done in secret rituals where men could not reach them. Follows through Delphic oracle seeing into future. Eleusinian mysteries.
Without going into a long discussion on the topic, a lot of women'[s history has been and still is suppressed by the "Church," by the patriarchy, by academia, and it still is. That said, women were midwives to birthing and by natural extension the first healers which is part and parcel of shamanism, and yes, also natural seers. I will look at writing more on this topic in the future.
Look forward to reading
Thanks! I will have to dig through some files and what not!
Thank you for sharing these, Pamela - I had heard of the Castaneda books but have not read any of them. For me, crows seem to be living in different worlds/dimensions at the same time. I encounter them on each of my hikes and am always appreciative of the encounters. I learn something new from them each time. Sometimes it is the location of a fox or owl and other times it is something deeper and spiritual.
Neil, Crows are very wise and mystical beings. They are talkers by nature and always letting us in on something. You might find his books interesting. I am planning to revisit them. Let me know if you decide to read any.
When I was a young boy vacationing at my uncle's farm on the coast of the Gaspe Peninsula, I was frightened by the crows that sat on the driftwood washed high up on the shore of the Baie des Chaleur. Their menacing looks and chatter made me quicken my pace past them, a stick in my hand should I need to defend myself. Perhaps they were ravens. I'm not sure. They were quite large, but I was quite small. It is likely Mr. Hitchcock had a role in my paranoia.
Today, I am quite happy to be what I am, but the child in me would love to take flight as a Northern Harrier, the most common raptor in the region where I live north of Lake Ontario. The bird, which has a face like an owl, has both excellent vision and hearing and hunts by swooping low over the ground relying on surprise attacks to capture its prey. On rare occasions I will see one glide swiftly past my window as it skims over our back meadow. How could I not want to trade places with it, at least for a moment. When attracting a mate, the male harrier performs death defying dives from high above pulling up in a just in time display of its aerial prowess. The Britain's Royal Air Force were so taken by these and other mid air maneuvers, they named their jet fighters after the bird.
Then again, perhaps I would just trade places with one of my cats and let them wait on me for a change.
John, Your comment gave me a few good laughs! Thank you. I should like to be a cat at times too. And also a Northern Harrier. The crows and ravens make a racket. I am one for the quieter more powerful birds. Not that hawks and eagles are not capable of making a racket too.
Thank you Pamela. Reading Castaneda brings back memories of college. I don't know why, but all I had to do to get "turned on" was smoke marijuana. My second time, I had a peak spiritual experience that forever changed my life -- started me on my path. For me, the first such book I read was Ram Dass's Journey of Awakening. Castaneda came later.
I have read in a couple of places that his stories were made up. I doubt it, but whatever they were, they come from a deep wisdom and insight into a deeper world.
Same thing for me Marc, pot was the gateway to a higher realm of thinking and creativity and everything blossomed from there! I am so glad this resonated with you.
There has been a lot of chatter that his stories were made up. He was an anthropology student at UCLA. I believe the first book was his PhD thesis. Anytime someone comes along and pushes the envelope against the “traditional” norms there are people who decry that deeper wisdom and deeper world. Other’s have written similar accounts. I do not doubt his experiences.
I highly recommend his last three books in the book list I shared in the post.
Have you read any Paulo Coelho? The Aleph? Slightly different genre but I think you’d enjoy it.
I love Paulo Coelho. I have read all but 1 or 2 of his books and have many in my collection. Aleph was great, and of course The Alchemist. The Pilgrimage is my favorite I think.
He is one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed all of his works and the Alchemist is of course an all time classic - but the Fifth Mountain is also excellent if you haven’t read that one. I did love the Pilgrimage, as well, and Brida.
Oh, the Fifth Mountain, yes! I need to read that again. Brida is one I don’t think I read. I just added it to my wish list.
Beautiful post, Pamela. I love imagining the shape shifting and have enjoyed the comments here to see what resonates with other readers. Your photo of the Bald Eagle, especially, is outstanding, although in terms of shape shifting, I can only aspire to be that wild. Thank you for writing about Castaneda’s books. I read a lot of his work when I was in college and am inspired to read them again.
Heidi, I have really enjoyed everyone’s comments on this post too. It’s really been fun to see what people would like to shapeshift into and also it’s great to see a lot of us have enjoyed reading Castaneda and some are interested in revisiting his books. I need to get a new copy of the first book, mine seems to have gone missing, I only have book two and his later work, his last 3 books, which were all wonderful.
I hope you’ll post some of your impressions as you delve back into Castaneda’s magical writings.
I will definitely do that Heidi.
I would be a hare, I want to be mysterious and solitary, fast on my feet and yet not a predator. And change colour to match the season...🤍
Oh, I love that Susie! Not to mention the hare or rabbit is the symbol of the Goddess. A marvelous choice for sure! 🤍