''A Separate Reality: Further Conversations With Don Juan'' is a book written by anthropologist/author

Carlos Castaneda Carlos Castañeda (December 25, 1925 – April 27, 1998) was an American writer. Starting with '' The Teachings of Don Juan'' in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that purport to describe training in shamanism that he received under the ...

, published in 1971, concerning the events that took place during his apprenticeship with a Yaqui Indian Sorcerer,

Don Juan Matus Carlos Castañeda (December 25, 1925 – April 27, 1998) was an American writer. Starting with ''The Teachings of Don Juan'' in 1968, Castaneda wrote a series of books that purport to describe training in shamanism that he received under the tu ...

, between 1960 and 1965.

Content

In the book, Castaneda continues his description of his apprenticeship under the tutelage of Don Juan. As in his previous book, '' The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge'', Castaneda describes the experiences he has with Don Juan while under the influence of the

psychotropic plant Psychoactive plants are plants, or preparations thereof, that upon ingestion induce psychotropic effects. As stated in a reference work: Psychoactivity may include sedative, stimulant, euphoric, deliriant, and hallucinogenic effects. Several h ...

s that Don Juan offered him,

peyote The peyote (; ''Lophophora williamsii'' ) is a small, spineless cactus which contains psychoactive alkaloids, particularly mescaline. ''Peyote'' is a Spanish word derived from the Nahuatl (), meaning "caterpillar cocoon", from a root , "to gl ...

''(Lophophora williamsii)'' and a smokable mixture of what Castaneda believed to be, among other plants, dried mushroom of the genus ''

Psilocybe ''Psilocybe'' ( ) is a genus of gilled mushrooms, growing worldwide, in the family Hymenogastraceae. Most or nearly all species contain the psychedelic compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Taxonomy Taxonomic history A 2002 study of the mole ...

''. The main focus of the book centered on Don Juan's attempts at getting Carlos to ''See'', a practice best described as, in Castaneda's own words, "perceiving energy directly as it flows through the universe". The book contains an introduction, an epilogue and two separate parts. Part One, "The Preliminaries of 'Seeing'", describes his re-initiation into the apprenticeship from which he withdrew in late 1965, and also describes his introduction to another ''brujo'' (sorcerer) named Don Genaro. Part Two, "The Task of 'Seeing'", elaborates on the mental processes involved with ''Seeing'', and begins with Castaneda realizing that the plants are a necessary tool to arrive at ''Seeing''.

Sources

* Castaneda, Carlos. ''The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge'', 30th Anniversary Edition. New York: Washington Square Press, 1998 * Castaneda, Carlos. ''A Separate Reality''. New York: Pocket Books, 1971 * Parada, Sergio. ''Guardians of the Separate Reality''. New York: Lulu Press, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Separate Reality, A 1971 non-fiction books Neoshamanism books Works by Carlos Castaneda