Carlos Castaneda

Carlos Castaneda is an anthropologist who studies the ways of a Yaqui Native American named don Juan. Castaneda's main interest is to learn to see the world like a sorcerer does, and don Juan is a sorcerer, also known as a man of knowledge. Part of this study involves hands-on use of two powerful psychoactive plants, peyote buttons and psilocybin mushrooms. The peyote buttons are chewed and ingested, while the mushrooms are dried and smoked with other herbs.

One of Castaneda's principle duties as a field anthropologist is to take copious notes from which to draw his conclusions. This habit annoys don Juan because it keeps Castaneda from gaining the ability to see like a sorcerer. In order to do this, Castaneda needs to stop thinking in his habitual scientific reasoning manner. Certain paradoxes, such as discovering that all things are equally unimportant, cause Castaneda to continually...