A Separate Reality (the book Ben gave Sayid)

[erikau]

So, when Ben brings the captive Sayid a sandwich, he hands him a book, A Separate Reality by Carlos Castaneda. When Ben hands him the book, he tells Sayid that he has already read it, twice. First thing this brought to mind was Ben's comment while on the Ajira flight, that his Mother taught him how to read. His mother that we know to be dead, but we also know that he saw her on the Island. I think she did teach him how to read, and if you know what this book is about, it'll get even creepier.

A Separate Reality is a part of a series of book Castaneda wrote...all are connected, and are about his experiences learning under his spiritual teacher, Don Juan Matus, who he apprenticed under until 1965. During Castaneda's apprenticeship Matus, a Yaqui Indian Sorcerer, taught Castaneda how use psychotropic plants (mostly peyote and shrooms) in order to free his mind. ASR is the second book in a series of 3, all of which focus on Don Juan's attempts at getting Castaneda to "See," a practice best described in Castaneda's own words as "perceiving energy directly as it flows through the universe." "See"ing is a mental process, but at the same time the book makes it clear that the psychotropic plants are necessary for opening ones eyes. The first book focuses on Matus's teachings, the second focuses on Castendea learning to See, and the final book (The Journey to Ixtlan) is about the Warrior Men of Knowledge (those who can See) returning to their metaphorical hometown, their paradise. Ixtlan is not a physical place, but rather a state of being in which one that can See, a sorceror as Castaneda describes them, has such a higher perspective than the ordinary people around him that they basically become phantoms...the idea is that once one achieves the power to see, the knowledge, and sorceror ability, that they will never again be able to go "home" to their old lifestyle. Important to note is that in the third book, Castaneda refutes his earlier idea that psychotropic plants are necessary to see...he calls them valuable tools, but not necessary for all to be able to See.

The thing that makes ASR and Castaneda's other books stand out, is that he claims they are 100% non-fiction, that the are totally real. Obviously critics say he's full of crap, but Castaneda has always stuck to his guns, claiming he writes truth.


Alpert and the Others, they are sorcerors so to speak, Warrior Men of Knowledge...they have the ability to see the energy that flows around them on the Island, it connects them to it and makes them one. This is why Ben read the book twice, maybe with his mother: he wanted to See, to be enlightened like Richard. The Island is a phsyical representation of Ixtlan...when one is finally able to See (like Locke after he messes with the psychotropics in the sweat lodge he makes), they see the true nature of the Island...and like Locke says, it is beautiful. It is the reason the Oceanic6 were so...wrong...when they got back home. Even though they could not fully See yet, their stay on the Island effected them enough that home no longer felt like home.

Now Castaneda distinguishes between levels of Apprenticeship and Seeing...anyone who can see is better than the ordinary person, but there is still a hierarchy of "see"ers. The lowest is the hunter, then the warrior, then the sorceror or man of knowledge. This is a direct quote from Castneda's third book: "The decision as to who can be a warrior and who can only be a hunter is not up to us. That decision is in the realm of the powers that guide men....a warrior is an impeccable hunter that hunts power. If he succeeds in his hunting he becomes a man of knowledge.""

This would suggest the same theme as Lost, that everyone has a purpose, and not everyone is meant to achieve that highest spiritual level. Many of our Losties can "see", but Locke right now is probably the only one who is higher than a hunter.

The funniest part to me, is that Castaneda writes the books sounding very much like a skeptic, until the very end, when he experiences things that his mind can no longer let him ignore, and he lets go of his rationalist worldview. Sounds like Jack, to me.

[sugarnuts]

Wow thanks for posting that erikau, that was really interesting! I can see the parallels to Lost and from what i read in your post, i agree the island does sound like the fictional ixtlan, and the 'hostiles' sound like the guys with the ability to 'see'.

I remember my last year in high school, my buddy (total hippy, cool guy) was reading one of these books that your talking about, and i recognized the names Don Juan and Castaneda. Anyway he was like dude, you gotta check this out, so i read a couple pages in class, and thats sh** was crazy! Castaneda was describing a smoke tent that Don Juan was making him stay in in order to see something, i don't really remember it was a while ago, but it reminded me of the smokehouse that Locke built when he woke up from he hatch imploding. The parts i read were awesome, i was tripping balls at the descriptions Castaneda was giving for his visions.

Anyway, thanks for sharing, i enjoyed reading that. Now that you posted this i feel like reading one of these books, what are the others called?

[erikau]

Exactly Sugarnuts, the sweatlodge Locke made reminded me of Indian cultures that I had studied, as a sweat lodge was used to breakdown the body physically, so that your mental senses could take over. Don Juan was a Yaqui Indian, so he combined the practices of his people with his own personal...crazy philosophy haha.

The first book is called The Teachings of Don Juan, then a Separate Reality, then The Journey to Ixtlan. Castaneda is a skeptic in the first two, but accepts the teachings in the third.


Also, thanks for reading haha. I know some people are interested in these things because of Lost, but for me it is the opposite, my interest in these things draw me to Lost haha. I have a treasure chest of "useless" knowledge pertaining to religion and philosophy stuck in my head, this helps me get it out.

[Lurcher]

I'm frightened, as i seem to come on here to post something and Erikau's literally just done it for me!

[erikau]

hahaha dammit, if I would've slept in I could've saved myself a lot of typing...Great minds think alike.

[sugarnuts]

Okay sweet, i think i read some of the first one. Im gonna go back and read it.

Yeah Lost is really what attracted me to all this. I think Lost started when i was 14 maybe, so i know i wasn't in to this stuff at that age lol just the show. I did start taking Philosiphy this semester because of lost, i know that. I was thinking about how Lost references all these philosophers, and i was like "hmm maybe this will help me figure out lost". lol talk about getting your priorities straight, right?

Anyway im just in Phil 101 so it's all critical thinking and rhetoric and sh**, not so much about the old philosophers or anything like that, so it's not really helping me on the Lost front, but its all good its interesting haha

[erikau]

That's awesome to know the Lost is making people interested in...thinking again haha. Not many TV shows can claim they spawned interest in philosophy. Good luck, it's really interesting stuff.


And I'd suggest the third book if you only want to read one, because he sort of refutes some stuff he says in the first two, and it's more of a summary book. Although the first one does introduce you to the people and the basics. They're good reads, amazing when you keep in mind that the guy claims to be writing non-fiction.

[Lurcher]

I don't know if Lost has added this part into those books in my mind, but didn't Don Juan say castaneda had the energy to be a leader of the seers when he arrived?
Haha i was glad you'd posted it, you articulated it far better than I would have, as i suffer from lazy fingers!

[erikau]

He did, he was always telling Castaneda that he had great potential, which is why he chose him as an apprentice. The funny thing was is that Castaneda didn't really believe it was anything except and effect from the drugs...until the very end when he started Seeing without the psychotropics. He is a very Jack-like character to me, in his skepticism even in the face of so many unexplainable things...hopefully he will have his epiphany like Castaneda did, and maybe then he will fianlly be ready to lead. Locke did wish he'd believed...

[sugarnuts]

Thanks for saving me 2 books! i'll check out the last one.

But yeah from what you've described about Castaneda, i agree he is very much like Jack. The reluctant leader. He has what it takes, he just can't accept what he doesn't understand.