Castaneda’s ‘Specialness Disease’

It now appears very likely that Carlos Castaneda had what might be best described as “specialness disease.”

Let me give you a few of the examples that come to mind this morning.

1. His alleged informants were so special that there was not any way of documenting their existence, no culture or known tradition to which their practices belonged.
2. Lucid dreaming is not dreaming, oh no, my “dreaming” is special.
3. The left brain and the right brain have nothing to do with my left body and right body, oh no, my left and right are special.
4. The body, the brain, the mind, the soul, etc. these constructs have nothing to do with perception, my construct of the assemblage point, never reported by anyone, this special structure alone explains perception.
5. Hindu, Buddhist, Scientologist, etc. methods of reviewing the events of life have nothing to do with my special technique of recapitulation.
6. In the same way, God has nothing to do with my special Eagle.
7. The holy ghost has nothing to do with my special spirit.
8. The soul or astral body is not the same as my special energy body.
9. Walking zen is not the same as my special “right way of walking.”
10. Martial arts like Tai Chi and Chi Gung and Kung Fu are not the same as my special Tensegrity.
11. Aliens are not the same as my special inorganics.
12. Gurus are not the same as my special naguals.
13. Astrological types are not the same as my special personal types.
14. Taoist Wu Wei is not the same as my special not-doing.
15. Past life recollections are not the same as my special cyclic beings.
16. The Tantien is not the same as my special will.
17. HECK FOLKS, let me just cut to the chase and break it down for you: NOTHING these paltry humans have EVER done can possibly have ANY resemblance WHATSOEVER to ANY of my VERY SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE. PERIOD. Got it? But if you ask us directly, we’ll often say “gee, we just don’t know about all these other things,” because we are so humble. See how good that makes us look? And how special?

Now to get to your question: “WHY”? Perhaps best summed up as: standard guru trick. And a very good one. I sure used to fall for it. In fact, I’m only just starting to get over my own bad case of “specialness disease,” aka “the warrior’s way.”

©️ 2000 by David Worrell, all rights reserved

Related Links:

• The Placebo Effect: Why Various Techniques ‘Work’
• 25th Anniversary Update
• Omega Institute Tensegrity Workshop – Florinda’s Talk 5/26/95
• 37th Sunday Session, September 15, 1996, at Dance Home
• 39th Sunday Session, October 6, 1996, at Dance Home