Taisha Abelar, born Maryann Simko, was an American writer and
anthropologist who was an associate of
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 tu ...
.
Biography
Abelar met Castaneda when she was 19 years old and a student at
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
where she eventually earned her master's degree and PhD in Anthropology. In 1973, Castaneda purchased a compound on Pandora Avenue in Westwood, Los Angeles, and soon after Abelar (she was still known as Maryann Simko at this time), along with
Regine Thal and
Kathleen Pohlman, who would come to be known collectively as "the witches", moved in. In 1974, ''Samurai'' magazine published photos of Regine Thal doing karate exercises. In the article, Abelar is called "Anna Marie Carter".
In keeping with Castaneda's philosophy of "erasing personal history", the witches maintained a tight veil of secrecy. They used numerous aliases and generally did not allow themselves to be photographed. Not long after moving into Castaneda's compound Maryann Simko changed her name to Taisha Abelar. Likewise, Regine Thal changed her name to
Florinda Donner and Kathleen Pohlman to Carol Tiggs.
Abelar claimed to have been one of
Don Juan
Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...
’s four students and says she spent a year in his "magical house" in Mexico. In 1992, her book ''The Sorcerer's Crossing: A Woman’s Journey'', which documents the training she received from the female members of don Juan's group, was published by
Viking Books
Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...
.
Through the 1990s, Abelar and the other witches started giving workshops in
Tensegrity
Tensegrity, tensional integrity or floating compression is a structural principle based on a system of isolated components under compression inside a network of continuous tension, and arranged in such a way that the compressed members (usua ...
for
Cleargreen Incorporated, a company formed by Castaneda for that purpose.
Disappearance
In April 1998 – shortly after Castaneda's death – Abelar disappeared, together with four other close associates of Castaneda (
Florinda Donner, Amalia Marquez (also known as Talia Bey), Kylie Lundahl, and Patricia Lee Partin). Partin's sun-bleached skeleton was discovered in Death Valley by hikers in 2003. No trace of the other four women has been found.
See also
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List of people who disappeared
Bibliography
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Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abelar, Taisha
1990s missing person cases
20th-century American women scientists
20th-century American writers
20th-century American women writers
20th-century American anthropologists
American spiritual writers
American women anthropologists
American women non-fiction writers
Missing people
Missing person cases in California
New Age writers
University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Writers from Los Angeles
Year of birth missing