Medicine Dream: A Nagual Woman's Energetic Healing

Rating:
Summary: This is great new perspective on initiation.
Review: I read it, cover to cover, and really paid attention. It is quite worthwhile. I looked for the Toltec teachings that Merilyn has professed to have on so many occasions, but I found little along those lines. While I respect her knowledge and path, this book should perhaps be introduced with a little more directness concerning its purpose and focus. The book is not pure Toltec in approach; however, this does not detract from the valuable perspecitve it offers. The book details, in a stylized prose, some of the significant experiences that Merilyn underwent during her initiation into a magical world. Thank you, Merilyn, for being honest and open with your experiences.

Rating:
Summary: A positive message, but not the voice of Don Juan
Review: I'll start off by saying that this is not a bad book, and that Merilyn Tunneshende is not a bad person. Many people no doubt have learned things about their own spirituality from this book, and more personal power to them. However, people who decide whether to support this author should know that she has achieved massive popularity among New Age readers largely by slandering the very person whose mystical methodology she has borrowed.

For those who don't know the story, I'll give the nutshell version. The late Carlos Castaneda is the author of 12 books which describe his apprenticeship to a group of shamanic "Sorcerers" in Mexico led by a man called Don Juan Matus. In his books, he asserted that he was trained in an incredible system of knowledge, with the ultimate intent of his teachers being that he become the leader, or "Nagual," of the next generation of this lineage. His teachers made it clear to him that his success in this great endeavor would not be a sure thing, and that only by learning to be "impeccable" in every aspect of his life could he fulfill this destiny. Enter Merilyn Tunneshende. Tunneshende made the sensational claim that she is the true disciple of Don Juan, that Castaneda's teachers had decided at some point to forego Carlos because he was becoming a "dark Sorcerer, " and chose her as their rightful successor.

Tunneshende's literary style is a mix of Castaneda's ideas and a Lynn Andrews-esque women's spirituality. If she had written all of this and called it "a new interpretation of Castaneda's knowledge" without claiming any other credentials, she might have done OK, but it is doubtful that she would have ended up the success story she is today. The fact of the matter is, the raging controversy which has ensued from her claim has made her a household name among Castanedophiles everywhere, whether they think that she is the true Nagual Woman or a demon from hell.

I do not mean to disregard any or all of the content in Tunneshende's books, but to express my extreme skepticism about her slanderous claim. I say this not from the perspective of a scientist comparing cosmological systems, but as someone who has read all of CC's books so many times that I have lost count. What has kept me coming back to these works was not the beliefs and techniques--I could take in most of those in one reading--it was a fascination with the brilliant and inspiring characters of Carlos's mentors, Don Juan and Don Genaro. The nuances of behavior which Carlos describes paint a picture of people who are at the same time infinitely serious and irreverent, solid yet totally fluid, compassionate yet accessible to no one, and above all, completely devoid of self-indulgence. His books may have the greatest value not for their accounts of bizarre metaphysical journeys, but for the description of a way of being which is a supreme human achievement.

No one can prove or disprove Ms. Tunneshende's claims, since neither Carlos nor his teachers have been forthcoming in setting the record straight. One way or another, it appears that, like me, she has pored over Castaneda's books for untold hours. Let us consider the possibility that at some point, a person with some commendable spiritual beliefs realized the value of someone else's image of a mystical teacher, and then proceeded to try to repackage it according to what she thought was missing. If this is the case, Tunneshende was not acting on sinister intentions, though some of her chosen methods have been devious and dishonorable. And, as I said, there are positive aspects of her revising Castaneda's metaphysics; for instance, her own philosophy is not as cold or terrifying as Castaneda's (who once described his books as "not for the timid New Ager"), so she makes intriguing ideas available to a larger, if slightly more homogenous, demographic.

However, if Carlos never truly became a "Dark Sorcerer," it follows that Tunneshende has involved herself in a despicable scheme, capitalizing on efforts to discredit a man's integrity as a spiritual seeker and teacher. Carlos himself doesn't seem to have cared what she or anyone else had to say about him, which is totally in keeping with Don Juan's teaching of losing self-importance. This illustrates and important point: no one has given a strong argument that Castaneda ever compromised his integrity, either in his works or his life. In spite of his worldwide notoriety as one of the most prolific authors of the 60's generation, he chose to spend most of his life in isolation, literally spending years without any known friends or contacts. Most communication to the public occurred in the form of obscure meetings with journalists, which he used to speak about a system of knowledge in which he was a self-proclaimed imbecile, rarely mentioning his own accomplishments or activities. Tunneshende has never offered proof to support her claims about Carlos, but has given exorbitant mention to the idea of how "bad" he is and how "Good" she is. She professes to be the true emissary of a system of knowledge which Castaneda has described at far greater length, with a message that is consistent from his first book to his last.

What personally made up my mind on the subject was not comparing claims, but trying to take in the essence of these two authors' narratives. When I read Tunneshende's books, her accounts of Don Juan and Don Genaro seem to fit the mold of a "teacher prototype" but fall flat when trying to capture the true character of the teachers as described by Castaneda. She has the formula down pat, but has missed the spirit, which one could not capture without having met those wondrous beings.

Rating:
Summary: A positive message, but not the voice of Don Juan
Review: I'll start off by saying that this is not a bad book, and that Merilyn Tunneshende is not a bad person. Many people no doubt have learned things about their own spirituality from this book, and more personal power to them. However, people who decide whether to support this author should know that she has achieved massive popularity among New Age readers largely by slandering the very person whose mystical methodology she has borrowed.

For those who don't know the story, I'll give the nutshell version. The late Carlos Castaneda is the author of 12 books which describe his apprenticeship to a group of shamanic "Sorcerers" in Mexico led by a man called Don Juan Matus. In his books, he asserted that he was trained in an incredible system of knowledge, with the ultimate intent of his teachers being that he become the leader, or "Nagual," of the next generation of this lineage. His teachers made it clear to him that his success in this great endeavor would not be a sure thing, and that only by learning to be "impeccable" in every aspect of his life could he fulfill this destiny. Enter Merilyn Tunneshende. Tunneshende made the sensational claim that she is the true disciple of Don Juan, that Castaneda's teachers had decided at some point to forego Carlos because he was becoming a "dark Sorcerer, " and chose her as their rightful successor.

Tunneshende's literary style is a mix of Castaneda's ideas and a Lynn Andrews-esque women's spirituality. If she had written all of this and called it "a new interpretation of Castaneda's knowledge" without claiming any other credentials, she might have done OK, but it is doubtful that she would have ended up the success story she is today. The fact of the matter is, the raging controversy which has ensued from her claim has made her a household name among Castanedophiles everywhere, whether they think that she is the true Nagual Woman or a demon from hell.

I do not mean to disregard any or all of the content in Tunneshende's books, but to express my extreme skepticism about her slanderous claim. I say this not from the perspective of a scientist comparing cosmological systems, but as someone who has read all of CC's books so many times that I have lost count. What has kept me coming back to these works was not the beliefs and techniques--I could take in most of those in one reading--it was a fascination with the brilliant and inspiring characters of Carlos's mentors, Don Juan and Don Genaro. The nuances of behavior which Carlos describes paint a picture of people who are at the same time infinitely serious and irreverent, solid yet totally fluid, compassionate yet accessible to no one, and above all, completely devoid of self-indulgence. His books may have the greatest value not for their accounts of bizarre metaphysical journeys, but for the description of a way of being which is a supreme human achievement.

No one can prove or disprove Ms. Tunneshende's claims, since neither Carlos nor his teachers have been forthcoming in setting the record straight. One way or another, it appears that, like me, she has pored over Castaneda's books for untold hours. Let us consider the possibility that at some point, a person with some commendable spiritual beliefs realized the value of someone else's image of a mystical teacher, and then proceeded to try to repackage it according to what she thought was missing. If this is the case, Tunneshende was not acting on sinister intentions, though some of her chosen methods have been devious and dishonorable. And, as I said, there are positive aspects of her revising Castaneda's metaphysics; for instance, her own philosophy is not as cold or terrifying as Castaneda's (who once described his books as "not for the timid New Ager"), so she makes intriguing ideas available to a larger, if slightly more homogenous, demographic.

However, if Carlos never truly became a "Dark Sorcerer," it follows that Tunneshende has involved herself in a despicable scheme, capitalizing on efforts to discredit a man's integrity as a spiritual seeker and teacher. Carlos himself doesn't seem to have cared what she or anyone else had to say about him, which is totally in keeping with Don Juan's teaching of losing self-importance. This illustrates and important point: no one has given a strong argument that Castaneda ever compromised his integrity, either in his works or his life. In spite of his worldwide notoriety as one of the most prolific authors of the 60's generation, he chose to spend most of his life in isolation, literally spending years without any known friends or contacts. Most communication to the public occurred in the form of obscure meetings with journalists, which he used to speak about a system of knowledge in which he was a self-proclaimed imbecile, rarely mentioning his own accomplishments or activities. Tunneshende has never offered proof to support her claims about Carlos, but has given exorbitant mention to the idea of how "bad" he is and how "Good" she is. She professes to be the true emissary of a system of knowledge which Castaneda has described at far greater length, with a message that is consistent from his first book to his last.

What personally made up my mind on the subject was not comparing claims, but trying to take in the essence of these two authors' narratives. When I read Tunneshende's books, her accounts of Don Juan and Don Genaro seem to fit the mold of a "teacher prototype" but fall flat when trying to capture the true character of the teachers as described by Castaneda. She has the formula down pat, but has missed the spirit, which one could not capture without having met those wondrous beings.

Rating:
Summary: Puzzle Piece
Review: Similar to several of the other reviewers, I have read all the works mentioned as well as Ken Eagle Feather and Victor Sanchez. This work is another piece of a very complex puzzle. It is simply not the story of Carlos nor the last piece of the puzzle for those looking (including me) for the A-B-C guide to becoming a Toltec. I am reading Merilyn's second book regarding sexuality now and will then move on to the Thune Mares series. I keep trying to remember that it's the path and how we walk it that matters. This is a good story.... read the intro and two pages at a bookstore. If you like what you read in that time, come back here and buy it. It is a good addition to my collection and I will read it again. Happy trails.

Rating:
Summary: Puzzle Piece
Review: Similar to several of the other reviewers, I have read all the works mentioned as well as Ken Eagle Feather and Victor Sanchez. This work is another piece of a very complex puzzle. It is simply not the story of Carlos nor the last piece of the puzzle for those looking (including me) for the A-B-C guide to becoming a Toltec. I am reading Merilyn's second book regarding sexuality now and will then move on to the Thune Mares series. I keep trying to remember that it's the path and how we walk it that matters. This is a good story.... read the intro and two pages at a bookstore. If you like what you read in that time, come back here and buy it. It is a good addition to my collection and I will read it again. Happy trails.