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ABRAXAS
Unfortunately, there is not much that CAN be told.
In being an old man into his fifth decade of shamanic/mystic/gnostic "underworld" journey, this Being has long ago lost/shed his "SHIELDS," which are every normal human being's LIFELONG CULTURALLY CONDITIONED defenses against psychic and telepathic intrusions into the depths of his psyche, and which Don Juan told Castaneda every sorcerer/shaman must lose/shed on becoming a sorcerer/shaman. He becomes, as it were, a snail without a shell.
So in that vein here are some apropos quotes of Don Juan's from Castaneda's many conversations with him:
“Nobody knows who I am or what I do. Not even I."
“A man of knowledge has no honor, no dignity, no family, no name, no country, but only life to be lived, and under these circumstances his only tie to his fellow men is his controlled folly"
“The average man seeks certainty in the eyes of the onlooker and calls that self-confidence. The warrior seeks impeccability in his own eyes and calls that humbleness
“The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is hooked only to infinity.”
“To ask me to verify my life by giving you my statistics is like using science to validate sorcery. It robs the world of its magic and makes milestones out of us all.”
“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it -- what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellow men. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.” (Or impressing them!)
“I have no routines or personal history. One day I found out that they were no longer necessary for me and, like drinking, I dropped them. One must have the desire to drop them and then one must proceed harmoniously to chop them off, little by little. If you have no personal history, no explanations are needed; nobody is angry or disillusioned with your acts. AND ABOVE ALL NO ONE PINS YOU DOWN WITH THEIR THOUGHTS. IT IS BEST TO ERASE ALL PERSONAL HISTORY BECAUSE THAT MAKES US FREE FROM THE ENCUMBERING THOUGHTS OF OTHER PEOPLE. I have, little by little, created a fog around me and my life. And now nobody knows for sure who I am or what I do. Not even I. How can I know who I am, when I am all this?”
“But we must know first that our acts are useless and yet we must proceed as if we didn’t know it. That’s a sorcerer’s controlled folly.”
“You are a serious person, but your seriousness is attached to what you do, not to what goes on outside you. You dwell upon
yourself too much. That’s the trouble. And that produces a terrible fatigue."
"But what else can anyone do, don Juan?"
"Seek and see the marvels all around you. You will get tired of looking at yourself alone,
and that fatigue will make you deaf and blind to everything else.”
“Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
This question is one that only a very old man asks. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long long paths, but I am not anywhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.
Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.”
"Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever has to be learned must be learned the hard way."
“The world is incomprehensible. We won’t ever understand it; we won’t ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.”
“A man has four natural enemies: fear, clarity, power, and old age. Fear, clarity, and power can be overcome, but not old age. Its effect can be postponed, but it can never be overcome.”
"In a world where death is the hunter; my friend there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions.”
In being an old man into his fifth decade of shamanic/mystic/gnostic "underworld" journey, this Being has long ago lost/shed his "SHIELDS," which are every normal human being's LIFELONG CULTURALLY CONDITIONED defenses against psychic and telepathic intrusions into the depths of his psyche, and which Don Juan told Castaneda every sorcerer/shaman must lose/shed on becoming a sorcerer/shaman. He becomes, as it were, a snail without a shell.
So in that vein here are some apropos quotes of Don Juan's from Castaneda's many conversations with him:
“Nobody knows who I am or what I do. Not even I."
“A man of knowledge has no honor, no dignity, no family, no name, no country, but only life to be lived, and under these circumstances his only tie to his fellow men is his controlled folly"
“The average man seeks certainty in the eyes of the onlooker and calls that self-confidence. The warrior seeks impeccability in his own eyes and calls that humbleness
“The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is hooked only to infinity.”
“To ask me to verify my life by giving you my statistics is like using science to validate sorcery. It robs the world of its magic and makes milestones out of us all.”
“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it -- what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellow men. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.” (Or impressing them!)
“I have no routines or personal history. One day I found out that they were no longer necessary for me and, like drinking, I dropped them. One must have the desire to drop them and then one must proceed harmoniously to chop them off, little by little. If you have no personal history, no explanations are needed; nobody is angry or disillusioned with your acts. AND ABOVE ALL NO ONE PINS YOU DOWN WITH THEIR THOUGHTS. IT IS BEST TO ERASE ALL PERSONAL HISTORY BECAUSE THAT MAKES US FREE FROM THE ENCUMBERING THOUGHTS OF OTHER PEOPLE. I have, little by little, created a fog around me and my life. And now nobody knows for sure who I am or what I do. Not even I. How can I know who I am, when I am all this?”
“But we must know first that our acts are useless and yet we must proceed as if we didn’t know it. That’s a sorcerer’s controlled folly.”
“You are a serious person, but your seriousness is attached to what you do, not to what goes on outside you. You dwell upon
yourself too much. That’s the trouble. And that produces a terrible fatigue."
"But what else can anyone do, don Juan?"
"Seek and see the marvels all around you. You will get tired of looking at yourself alone,
and that fatigue will make you deaf and blind to everything else.”
“Anything is one of a million paths. Therefore you must always keep in mind that a path is only a path; if you feel you should not follow it, you must not stay with it under any conditions. To have such clarity you must lead a disciplined life. Only then will you know that any path is only a path and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you to do. But your decision to keep on the path or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. I warn you. Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
This question is one that only a very old man asks. Does this path have a heart? All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. They are paths going through the bush, or into the bush. In my own life I could say I have traversed long long paths, but I am not anywhere. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn't, it is of no use. Both paths lead nowhere; but one has a heart, the other doesn't. One makes for a joyful journey; as long as you follow it, you are one with it. The other will make you curse your life. One makes you strong; the other weakens you.
Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.”
"Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever has to be learned must be learned the hard way."
“The world is incomprehensible. We won’t ever understand it; we won’t ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.”
“A man has four natural enemies: fear, clarity, power, and old age. Fear, clarity, and power can be overcome, but not old age. Its effect can be postponed, but it can never be overcome.”
"In a world where death is the hunter; my friend there is no time for regrets or doubts. There is only time for decisions.”