JSaraske's Reading Room

Carlos Castaneda -- The Active Side Of Infinity (1998)

Castaneda continues the chronicles of his training by Yaqui sorceror Juan Matus. If you have read and appreciated the earlier books in this series (The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way Of Knowledge; A Separate Reality; Journey To Ixtlan; The Eagle's Gift; The Power Of Silence), you will appreciate this one as well. If you have not read the other books, I would suggest starting at the beginning (Teachings) and reading them in order.

In these books, Castaneda describes a highly developed system of beliefs, perceptions, and procedures developed by ancient Yaqui sorcerors and taught to Castaneda by present day sorceror Juan Matus, a Yaqui Indian living in Mexico. The teachings depend critically on altered states of awareness. Castaneda describes experiences and phenomena totally foreign to ordinary, everyday reality, but just as real, just as valid. Don Juan teaches Castaneda a completely different way of viewing and thinking about the world than that of modern Western tradition. What is most striking is that as bizarre as some of the concepts seem, they all fit together perfectly. You may think of these works as anthropology (Castaneda's area of expertise), philosophy, religion, or physics, yet none of these terms is adequate to describe the scope of the teachings. If you are a seeker of knowledge, and willing to consider alternate viewpoints, then I heartily recommend this entire series.
Reviewed June 18, 2000

Whitley Streiber -- The Secret School: Preparation for Contact (1997)

This is the latest of Streiber's non-fiction writings about contact with "the visitors", beings which may be interpreted as extraterrestrials or extradimensional beings. His prior books in this group include Communion, Breakthrough, and Transformation. Taken as a whole, these books paint a consistent and convincing picture. Streiber comes across as someone who is struggling to come to terms with glimpses of reality so far beyond the norm as to literally boggle the mind. He makes the case quite well for the independent existence of the "aliens", although he admits he does not really understand who or what they are. He observes that his many contacts hint at an intimate relationship between humans and the "aliens" perhaps as old as the human race itself. If you want to learn more about these beings, Streiber's books are a good place to start.
Reviewed March 29, 2000

Jacques Vallee -- Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact (1988)

This book espouses a viewpoint similar to Steiber's, that UFO's and their occupants do not operate exclusively within our familiar timespace continuum (i.e., three dimensions of space and one of time). Vallee speculates, with abundant anecdotal support, that instead the "ufonauts" move freely between alternate realities, or "dimensions". He also points to strong parallels between UFO encounters and encounters with fairies, gnomes, and leprecauns through the ages, suggesting that they may be merely different interpretations of the same underlying phenomenon. While the many detailed accounts of people's experiences can become tedious at times, they are nonetheless fascinating. Vallee's writings complement Streiber's nicely, and indeed Streiber wrote the introduction of this book. While they differ somewhat in their interpretations of the phenomena, they agree that the deeper meaning is far different from the superficial appearance. Highly recommended.
Reviewed July 4, 2000

-------------------- Jim Saraske --------------------

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