This is the sixth volume of Castaneda's works, and it continues the narrative thread of Carlos remembering all the things that were said and done when Don Juan has pushed him into the Second Attention, which is a higher version of the First Attention, the one we use in everyday life. There are many stories about seeing and Carlos working with La Gorda and all the warriors of Don Juan's group ike Silvio Manuel, Florinda and others. Florinda teaches Carlos the art of stalking, which is a counterpart to the art of dreaming, the warrior's in a Nagual's party being divided into two main groups, Stalkers and Dreamers, with Couriers rounding up the group.
Another concept that is developed in detail is "The Eagle" which could be described as the Godhead, or the Creator/Destroyer in other traditions. Don Juan says that even calling it "The Eagle" is somewhat false, as it doesn't look like an eagle, and nobody knows or can know how it really looks. The name of Eagle was something that the previous seers came up with to describe it, but it could have been any other metaphor.
The Eagle is the one who gives consciousness to humans when they are born and then, upon their death, it consumes their consciousness. The entire point of all the previous seers and their parties, just like Don Juan and his warrior party, all of the practices, all of the effort, all of the denials, all of it is for the purpose not to be consumed by the Eagle but to "dart" past it. Dart into where? Nobody knows. Don Juan calls it "Freedom" but what does that actually mean is anyone's guess. The logic goes that anything is better than being consumed by The Eagle.
My father died of covid three days ago. I hope The Eagle had mercy on him.
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