Carlos Castaneda
nu-monet
I will begin with an explanation of who Carlos Castaneda
was, and what he accomplished.
As part of his philosophy, he made considerable efforts
to conceal his identity, so I will summarize what is
known of his public life and achievements.
He was a graduate student entering the UCLA
Anthropology Department in the late 1950s.
He decided to preemptively write a PhD thesis
on the subject of the use of psychotropic plants
by the indians of the American southwest.
In the process of his field work, he had the fortune
to meet a man he called "Juan Matus" (a psuedonym
roughly akin to "John Smith"), a 'brujo' or sorcerer
from an at the time unspecified but ancient tradition.
By 1967, when he published his thesis (which became
a national bestseller), he had evolved into an
apprentice "warrior", as he now called himself,
renouncing the western academic tradition in favor
of what he believed was a superior way of life.
Besides the controversial subject matter, his book
also proved to be a profound and damning critique
of the study of Anthropology, creating a schism
which still exists today. A good comparison would
be the schism between Newtonian and Quantum physics.
He called into question the very axioms on which
both eastern and western philosophies are based,
proposing a third view of reality, whose roots were
based on an almost extinct central American culture
of perhaps 3500 years ago. And not a primitive
culture by any means.
He also asserted that modern men are so capable of
ignoring reality that only through an arduous process
would they be able to even perceive the possibilities
available to them. He maintained that only a few
people are able or willing do so.
His books (which should be read only in chronological
order), have consistently been bestsellers, but few
reviewers have ventured to discuss their content,
favoring speculations about the author. They are not
a difficult read.
Eventually, however, a divergence took place between
Castaneda and his teacher; Castaneda being recognized
as of a parallel but different lineage or tradition.
From that point on, he was forced to continue as best
he could on a different path.
His partner, or female equivalent, in this endeavor
was a woman named Carol Tiggs. His other two associates
were Florinda Donner, who has also written three books,
and Taisha Abelar, who has written one.
Again, part of his philosophy was the intentional
obscuration of his biographical life, so it was with
no small amusement that the announcement of his death
was received in April of last year. It was so contrived
as to be laughable, for those familiar with his philosophy.
But it was wholeheartedly embraced by the media. He
has, however, disappeared, and it is assumed that he
now lives in Mexico.
I would encourage anyone to attempt to read his books;
however, there are two cautions: first, that you will
either love them or hate them; and second, that they
contain events and implications that are terrifying,
so should be read in a slow and guarded manner.
--------
Elton Cole
nu-monet <not...@succeeds.com> wrote in message
news:376D0759...@succeeds.com...
> Carlos Castaneda
>
>
> I will begin with an explanation of who Carlos Castaneda
> was, and what he accomplished.
>
> As part of his philosophy, he made considerable efforts
> to conceal his identity, so I will summarize what is
> known of his public life and achievements.
>
> He was a graduate student entering the UCLA
> Anthropology Department in the late 1950s.
> He decided to preemptively write a PhD thesis
> on the subject of the use of psychotropic plants
> by the indians of the American southwest.
>
> In the process of his field work, he had the fortune
> to meet a man he called "Juan Matus" (a psuedonym
> roughly akin to "John Smith"), a 'brujo' or sorcerer
> from an at the time unspecified but ancient tradition.
>
> By 1967, when he published his thesis (which became
> a national bestseller), he had evolved into an
> apprentice "warrior", as he now called himself,
> renouncing the western academic tradition in favor
> of what he believed was a superior way of life.
Yes, but after the first book, he revealed that the psycoactive plants were
only one stimulus (and a very harmful one) to attain a different insight or
"Separate Reality."
>
> Besides the controversial subject matter, his book
> also proved to be a profound and damning critique
> of the study of Anthropology, creating a schism
> which still exists today. A good comparison would
> be the schism between Newtonian and Quantum physics.
>
> He called into question the very axioms on which
> both eastern and western philosophies are based,
> proposing a third view of reality, whose roots were
> based on an almost extinct central American culture
> of perhaps 3500 years ago. And not a primitive
> culture by any means.
>
> He also asserted that modern men are so capable of
> ignoring reality that only through an arduous process
> would they be able to even perceive the possibilities
> available to them. He maintained that only a few
> people are able or willing do so.
>
> His books (which should be read only in chronological
> order),
I agree, the works must be consumed in order to even attempt understand his
experiences.
> have consistently been bestsellers, but few
> reviewers have ventured to discuss their content,
> favoring speculations about the author.
Of course. A literature critic for the LA Times is probably not going to
comment on "corn magic" or the "dreaming being."
> They are not
> a difficult read.
>
> Eventually, however, a divergence took place between
> Castaneda and his teacher; Castaneda being recognized
> as of a parallel but different lineage or tradition.
> From that point on, he was forced to continue as best
> he could on a different path.
>
> His partner, or female equivalent, in this endeavor
> was a woman named Carol Tiggs. His other two associates
> were Florinda Donner, who has also written three books,
> and Taisha Abelar, who has written one.
>
> Again, part of his philosophy was the intentional
> obscuration of his biographical life,
Yes, what does it matter the year on one's birth certificate when walking as
a giant upon the desert?
> so it was with
> no small amusement that the announcement of his death
> was received in April of last year. It was so contrived
> as to be laughable, for those familiar with his philosophy.
> But it was wholeheartedly embraced by the media. He
> has, however, disappeared, and it is assumed that he
> now lives in Mexico.
>
> I would encourage anyone to attempt to read his books;
> however, there are two cautions: first, that you will
> either love them or hate them; and second, that they
> contain events and implications that are terrifying,
> so should be read in a slow and guarded manner.
Yes, but if you have ever (say on a ship, outside the 2mile US territorial
limit) experienced a hallucinogenic drug, you can probably relate to many
tenets of the philosophy, such as the shadows cas by objects and beings are
also significant. Or that one can communicate with animals.
My original question is still unanswered-was the philosophy referred to that
of Castaneda or Matus?
Thanks,
Elton
> --------
nu-monet
>
> I have read all his books, except the last two, as I stated.
*That is more common than you might imagine. When his path
*diverged from that of his teacher, he became very strange. A
*friend described the energy of his new group as feeling inhuman,
*almost "synthetic", and I felt the same. Still exceptionally
*powerful, though. I doubt they could have continued with their
*bizarre interaction with ordinary people.
>
> > Carlos Castaneda
> >
> >
> > I will begin with an explanation of who Carlos Castaneda
> > was, and what he accomplished.
> >
> > As part of his philosophy, he made considerable efforts
> > to conceal his identity, so I will summarize what is
> > known of his public life and achievements.
> >
> > He was a graduate student entering the UCLA
> > Anthropology Department in the late 1950s.
> > He decided to preemptively write a PhD thesis
> > on the subject of the use of psychotropic plants
> > by the indians of the American southwest.
> >
> > In the process of his field work, he had the fortune
> > to meet a man he called "Juan Matus" (a psuedonym
> > roughly akin to "John Smith"), a 'brujo' or sorcerer
> > from an at the time unspecified but ancient tradition.
> >
> > By 1967, when he published his thesis (which became
> > a national bestseller), he had evolved into an
> > apprentice "warrior", as he now called himself,
> > renouncing the western academic tradition in favor
> > of what he believed was a superior way of life.
>
> Yes, but after the first book, he revealed that the psycoactive plants were
> only one stimulus (and a very harmful one) to attain a different insight or
> "Separate Reality."
*And it was a stimulus used for Castaneda initially because his teacher
*felt him to be 'stopped up' or 'blocked' by his excessive rationality,
*but which turned out to be because of his odd energetic configuration.
*I think it transcends this. The critique, "The Don Juan Papers", by
*Richard De Mille, stands alone as a (laughable) skeptical analysis of
*his writings. De Mille's hilarious over-analysis of minutiae comes
*across as a desperate attempt to disprove Castaneda, by studying the
*bark on a tree instead of seeing the forest, as it were.
*Other writers experience the phenomenon of writers' block, while trying
*to express Castaneda's ideas. Strangely enough, while the concepts
*might be clear in your mind, conveying them to others is a very taxing
*and frustrating experience.
>
> > They are not
> > a difficult read.
> >
> > Eventually, however, a divergence took place between
> > Castaneda and his teacher; Castaneda being recognized
> > as of a parallel but different lineage or tradition.
> > From that point on, he was forced to continue as best
> > he could on a different path.
> >
> > His partner, or female equivalent, in this endeavor
> > was a woman named Carol Tiggs. His other two associates
> > were Florinda Donner, who has also written three books,
> > and Taisha Abelar, who has written one.
> >
> > Again, part of his philosophy was the intentional
> > obscuration of his biographical life,
>
> Yes, what does it matter the year on one's birth certificate when walking as
> a giant upon the desert?
*It is a critical point that the very "thoughts of our fellow man" may
*inhibit our reaching transcendant goals. Anonymity bestows flexibility.
>
> > so it was with
> > no small amusement that the announcement of his death
> > was received in April of last year. It was so contrived
> > as to be laughable, for those familiar with his philosophy.
> > But it was wholeheartedly embraced by the media. He
> > has, however, disappeared, and it is assumed that he
> > now lives in Mexico.
> >
> > I would encourage anyone to attempt to read his books;
> > however, there are two cautions: first, that you will
> > either love them or hate them; and second, that they
> > contain events and implications that are terrifying,
> > so should be read in a slow and guarded manner.
>
> Yes, but if you have ever (say on a ship, outside the 2mile US territorial
> limit) experienced a hallucinogenic drug, you can probably relate to many
> tenets of the philosophy, such as the shadows cas by objects and beings are
> also significant. Or that one can communicate with animals.
>
> My original question is still unanswered-was the philosophy referred to that
> of Castaneda or Matus?
>
*Both. One of the eerie aspects of his work is trying to determine at
*what point the teachings of Matus' path ends, and those of Castanedas'
*begin. As I suggested before, after "The Eagle's Gift", his writings
*take on a new direction, while still discussing the old. His "Tensegrity"
*project I would regard as completely in his own tradition, though he and
*his people insist otherwise.
herm...@hotmail.com
Un encuentro inesperado pero afortunado con un Hermano masón extraordinario, y fue en una tenida masónica a la que asistí hace años, que me permitió conocerle, entablar entrañable amistad, y en ese momento escuchar durante la tenida un trazado sorprendente, y una posterior platica sobre el contenido del mismo con el Hermano Carlos Cesar Arana Castañeda, el más grande antropólogo. Según muchos afirman , del mundo entero. Mi pasión, tal vez ancestral, por la vida de los indígenas mexicanos me había hecho recorrer cuando tenía 18 años, no hace poco tiempo, famosos « poblados del Norte de México » y pude así comprender mejor las enseñanzas de Doña Julia la bruja de mi pueblo, recuerdo, Doña Julia sólo hacía brujería, pero no explicaba nada o era incapaz, de darme una respuesta razonada a sus prodigios._________ La conversación en torno al tema ya fura de Logia en Pasos perdidos, incitada por la inocente astucia de un Hermano que me acompañaba, y quien fue el enlace entre Castañeda y yo, tratamos sobre la Magia. y el Hermano Carlos Castañeda no ha podido menos de tomar parte activa, para dilucidar sobre el tema. Aunque sea viejo antropólogo dijo El H:. Castañeda y haya trabajado sin descanso durante toda su vida, conserva todavía un aspecto de una inteligencia siempre tensa: ojos de juez forrados de humorista, que nos hacía reír a carcajadas a cada momento, un hombre moreno, dirá con acento pocho, que nunca hablaba de su propia historia. _________ Luego de esto fuimos Sanborns Azulejos en el centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México , era domingo por la tarde -Fue cuando el Hermano Castañeda nos dijo: -Los hombres modernos -dijo- consideran con demasiado desprecio a la Magia, la Hechicería, la Brujería, y los espíritus científicos y prácticos teóricos miran con mucha piedad irónica a los viejos brujos y hasta a aquellos que hoy los estudiamos , pero solamente es pura pinche enviada, y cuando dijo eso, contó algo con ciertos ademanes que a los masones que escuchábamos nos hizo reír . Son ingratos. Faltan al respeto su puta Madre, si a la madre Naturaleza, en verdad el Hermano Castañeda era maldiciento y grosero, pero muy ameno._________ » Luego agrego: Toda la civilización moderna -y por moderna entiendo la que comienza con la Grecia y, después de una interrupción de siglos, ha fructificado desde el Renacimiento hasta nosotros-es hija legítima de la Magia, el mismo Cristo era un Mago que hacía prodigios. Todas nuestras artes, nuestras leyes, nuestras tradiciones políticas, nuestras ciencias, han salido directamente de la Magia de los primitivos, y México sigue siendo y siempre será un País de Magia. La Magia ha sido el puente y entre la animalidad y la cultura. Todos aquellos que se burlan de la Brujería en México son hijos y sobrinos de los antiguos náhuatl practicantes de los ritos mágicos y primos de los hechiceros que todavía operan entre los pueblos de México._________ »Ya he hecho notar estas verdades en distintas partes de mis libros nos dijo el Hermano Castañeda, pero nadie antes las ha reconocido ni sospechado. Comencemos por las artes del México antiguo. En lo que se refiere a la música folclórica mexicana la demostración ya está hecha, y de un modo contundente, por un musicólogo mexicano: Cortez de la Universidad de Sonora. La música prehispánica, en los tiempos remotos, no era más que un ramo del arte de los encantamientos. El teatro de los mexicas y zapotecas, como saben todos, no es más que primitivas ceremonias litúrgicas de magia, igual que nuestras propias liturgias masónicas cargadas de magia y dramatismo heredados de los antiguos gremios, no de los gremios de artesanos constructores de Catedrales, sino de los gremios de hechiceros, esto es, fundamentalmente Magia, Magia Masónica, y la circunvalaciones alrededor del Ara Sagrada, como ha demostrado el mito de Hiram, tiene el mismo origen. De la poesía se puede decir lo mismo: los más arcaicos fragmentos, tanto en los Vedas como en la literatura arcaica grecolatina, son fórmulas mágicas, palabras potentes que, ayudadas del ritmo, debían evitar los males o atraer hacia nosotros los dones de los buenos dioses._________ Las pinturas primitivas de los indígenas mexicanos que encontramos en las ruinas junto a las pirámides del Sol y la Luna son obras de brujos que se servían de esas imágenes para hacer que fuese fructífera la cosecha, fundándose sobre uno de los principios esenciales de la Magia simpática. Crear una imagen significa, para el mago, conquistar el poder sobre la cosa representada, como visualizarnos con éxito al finalizar una empresa cualquiera, vernos a final del día felices, eso ayuda._________ A la misma razón se debe el origen de la escultura: ustedes saben que incluso en la Europa de la Edad Media se acostumbraba, para matar con seguridad a un enemigo, modelar en cera o en barro una estatuita que se le pareciese y luego romperla o exponerla a las llamas. Lo que se hacía a la estatua era sentido por la persona. La escultura egipcia y todo su arte, era un expediente mágico para conservar, más allá de la muerte, la integridad corporal para la esperada resurrección. Las formas más arcaicas de la arquitectura, como los dólmenes y los crómlech servían, como sabemos, para misteriosos ritos mágicos que tenían más de paranormal que de religioso. Si quieren una demostración más amplia pueden leer cualquier libro que hable sobre ritos masónicos, y encontraran solamente magia en ellos, y no tanta ciencia: símbolos mágicos, palabras mágicas, ritos de iniciación, ritos funerarios masónicos mágicos y un largo etc ._________ »En lo que se refiere a la moral y a los códigos, ya he demostrado, ampliamente en uno de mis libros “Relatos de Poder”, cómo los principios éticos elementales que reinan todavía en nuestra vida, e informan nuestros códigos, fueron establecidos y consagrados por lo que nosotros llamamos superstición y que se reduce casi siempre a la Magia más pura. Las prohibiciones fundadas en el tabú se hallan en los orígenes de nuestra moral- y comentó algo sobre las Estrategias del brujo, sobre el Tonal y el Nagual, y el sitio del poder. _________Se creía entre los antiguos aztecas, por ejemplo, que las relaciones ilícitas entre un hombre y una mujer perjudicaban el éxito de la casa o la fecundidad de los campos, y por eso eran severamente prohibidas. Los conquistadores españoles se sorprendían que los aztecas fueran monógamos, y fieles a sus matrimonios. Se creó así en los hombres el horror al adulterio- , que perdura todavía, aunque atenuado, en nuestras costumbres, pero también, hoy vemos tantas enfermedades de trasmisión sexual, esto es la naturaleza castiga, no hay duda, el Sida, la gonorrea, la sífilis, son originadas por el desacato. Hoy se condena por otras razones, pero no se hubiera sin duda llegado a condenarlo sin el trabajo preparatorio de la Magia._________ »Los reyes de las tribus del México prehispánico fueron hechiceros, y si más tarde fueron guerreros y buenos gobernantes, luego los presidentes de México fueron masones hierofantes auténticos, todo se vino abajo cuando los presidentes mexicanos dejaron de ser masones, luego éstos se hallaron y se hallan bajo la dominación del clero católico , y así el poder de los magos masones sobre su pueblo decayó, antes fue el poder del espíritu sobre la fuerza de la materia. En los antiguos reyes aztecas se encuentran siempre las huellas de carácter sagrado y mágico, y hasta hace pocos siglos se atribuía todavía a los monarcas de todas las latitudes la milagrosa virtud de curar ciertas enfermedades con el simple contacto de la mano, y su palabra era un decreto mágico que todo solucionaba. Al igual que el misto de Cristo Rey o del Rey Hiram Tiro, El rey mago primitivo debía ofrecer su vida en holocausto si caía alguna desgracia sobre su pueblo, si ponen atención hasta el día de hoy dijo el Hermano Masón Cataneda y un resto de esta costumbre se halla entre los modernos soberanos o presidentes de naciones que consideran como un deber acudir a los lugares donde ha ocurrido una desgracia, incluso con peligro de su vida, como para solucionar con su simple presencia todo._________ »Y finalmente, la ciencia académica , la orgullosa ciencia de nuestro tiempo, como ha demostrado ya que la mente y mucho más que los medicamentos, son los que sacan al enfermo de sus dolencias. La mente se halla estrechamente unida a la Magia. La Magia, en efecto, supone que a ciertos fenómenos seguirán infaliblemente otros fenómenos sin la intervención de una voluntad ajena. Se funda, como la ciencia, sobre el determinismo, es decir, sobre la fe implícita o certeza en una realidad ordenada y homogénea. El mago de la antigüedad al igual que el Masón moderno no pretendía violentar los hechos pero, conociendo las secretas afinidades y el orden en que se sucedían, se contentaba con imitar aquel fenómeno que era el antecedente constante del fenómeno deseado, esto es repite los procedimientos, para que obtengas los resultados deseados. Si errores y fracasos procedían de no haber observado bien aquella unión fija de sucesiones y fundarse en relaciones aparentes más que sustanciales, pero el principio de que partía era el mismo sobre el cual se halla edificada la ciencia moderna. Incluso los muchachos saben que la química se deriva de la alquimia. La astronomía de la astrología y la medicina científica del hermetismo, Las ciencias políticas de la antigua hechicería para controlar al pueblo._________ »No hablo de las religiones, cuyas relaciones con la Magia son aun más evidentes para todos los que conocen la antigüedad, basta ver una misa católica y encontraras miles de referencias a la magia primitiva, a la que hasta el día de hoy combaten, trasmutación de sangre en vino, de carne en pan, alzar el cáliz, consagrar, bendecir el agua, utilizar vestimentas extrañas diferentes al resto, como auténticos brujos. Además todavía hoy, en muchos lugares de México no se distinguen de las más burdas hechicerías Basta pensar en la boga de que gozan, en ciertos países cultos de la Europa de hoy, al ver jugar un partido de Soccer, donde todo parece igual a un partido de pelota de los antiguos mayas, las doctrinas teosóficas, gnósticas y las escuelas ocultistas, para darse cuenta de que la Magia, todavía en nuestros días, satisface las necesidades espirituales de millones de hombres, los universitarios en Europa por a mañana leen antes su horóscopo, que su clase de química. ._________ »Toda nuestra civilización moderna desciende, de las creencias y de las prácticas de la Magia, y un pesimista podría sostener, con un ligero esfuerzo sofístico, que la cultura contemporánea no ha rebasado todavía la zona mágica. Los pueblos de todo el mundo tienen hambre de milagros y los piden a todos: a los políticos , a los economistas, a los sacerdotes , a los médiums, a las profetisas privadas, tanto a los profesores de física y de quiromancia, las chicas preguntan a sus compañeras en las prestigiosas aulas universitarias de un sortilegio o un hechizo para atraer al hombre deseado. Los salvajes que utilizan magia son, indudablemente, nuestros padres y tal vez nuestros hermanos, y la Magia es la matriz benéfica de la que han salido, como decía al principio, nuestras artes, nuestras morales y nuestras ciencias. Todos los intelectuales no son más que magos que han evolucionado, no se sí más cautos y más claros, o quizá más extraviados y confundidos que los chamanes ._________ El Hermano Masón Carlos César Salvador Aranha Castañeda enmudeció, nos quedamos un rato como pensativos, me miró y dirigiéndose a mi me comentó: Yo me inicie masón en 1960, poco después me dieron aumento de salario, pero aún no tengo el grado de sublime maestro masón y quisiera obtenerlo. Yo le comenté que tendríamos que fijar una fecha para su exaltación, el me comentó que toda la papelería la había extraviado y que su Logia había abatido columnas. Yo le comenté que dada su alta investidura y su gran aporte antropológico a la humanidad, haríamos lo pertinente, para darle el grado de Maestro Masón. Un Hermano, nos proporcionó en ese momento un lugar fabuloso para tal evento, y fue la Casa De Gurdjieff, en la Colonia Roma en la Ciudad de México. fue una tarde lluviosa entre semana del mes de marzo del año 1996, esto pasó desapercibido para el resto de la congregación Gurdjieff de México y para la familia Masónica. Yo presidí la Ceremonia de Exaltación como Muy Resp:. Maest:. Y lo que sucedió ahí, bueno esto quedará en secreto, pues juramos guardar en secreto todo lo ocurrido. Dos años después aproximadamente, mientras caminaba por la Avenida Juárez de Monterrey México, en el cruce con la Avenida Madero, la verdad nunca compro el periódico o diario, era más de comprar revistas, pero ese día me dio por comprarlo casi impulsivamente, y al leerlo me di cuenta que había muerto el Hermano Castañeda, yo sé ahora que fue una forma de avisarme de su muerte, de decirle a su hermano que había partido al Eterno Oriente, aun conservo el recorte de periódico de aquella época. Vicente Alcoseri.
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/secreto-masonico/FXVTk8zDe9I
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151910921566543&set=a.10150455009406543.381242.754786542&type=1&theaterEl domingo, 20 de junio de 1999 02:00:00 UTC-5, nu-monet escribió:
>
>
> I will begin with an explanation of who Carlos Castaneda
> was, and what he accomplished.
>
> As part of his philosophy, he made considerable efforts
> to conceal his identity, so I will summarize what is
> known of his public life and achievements.
>
> He was a graduate student entering the UCLA
> Anthropology Department in the late 1950s.
> He decided to preemptively write a PhD thesis
> on the subject of the use of psychotropic plants
> by the indians of the American southwest.
>
> In the process of his field work, he had the fortune
> to meet a man he called "Juan Matus" (a psuedonym
> roughly akin to "John Smith"), a 'brujo' or sorcerer
> from an at the time unspecified but ancient tradition.
>
> By 1967, when he published his thesis (which became
> a national bestseller), he had evolved into an
> apprentice "warrior", as he now called himself,
> renouncing the western academic tradition in favor
> of what he believed was a superior way of life.
>
> also proved to be a profound and damning critique
> of the study of Anthropology, creating a schism
> which still exists today. A good comparison would
> be the schism between Newtonian and Quantum physics.
>
> He called into question the very axioms on which
> both eastern and western philosophies are based,
> proposing a third view of reality, whose roots were
> based on an almost extinct central American culture
> of perhaps 3500 years ago. And not a primitive
> culture by any means.
>
> He also asserted that modern men are so capable of
> ignoring reality that only through an arduous process
> would they be able to even perceive the possibilities
> available to them. He maintained that only a few
> people are able or willing do so.
>
> His books (which should be read only in chronological
>
> Eventually, however, a divergence took place between
> Castaneda and his teacher; Castaneda being recognized
> as of a parallel but different lineage or tradition.
> From that point on, he was forced to continue as best
> he could on a different path.
>
> His partner, or female equivalent, in this endeavor
> was a woman named Carol Tiggs. His other two associates
> were Florinda Donner, who has also written three books,
> and Taisha Abelar, who has written one.
>
> Again, part of his philosophy was the intentional
> was received in April of last year. It was so contrived
> as to be laughable, for those familiar with his philosophy.
> But it was wholeheartedly embraced by the media. He
> has, however, disappeared, and it is assumed that he
> now lives in Mexico.
>
> I would encourage anyone to attempt to read his books;
> however, there are two cautions: first, that you will
> either love them or hate them; and second, that they
> contain events and implications that are terrifying,
> so should be read in a slow and guarded manner.