I mentioned to Jan that I was reading Castaneda again, a man whose works have had a profound impact upon me.

She handed me a book. “You should read this,” she said.

The book surprised me. It was a book I’d avoided reading for years: A Magical Journey With Carlos Castaneda by Margaret Runyan Castaneda, once Carlos’ wife.

Carlos and Margaret got together in the mid 1950’s, married on January 27, 1960 and divorced in 1973. In all actuality, they lived together for less than a year, as Carlos was quite preoccupied with visits to Mexico and his apprenticeship with don Juan Matus. I add here the trickster caveat that, as with all things Castaneda, there is no real documentation of anything.

Most striking to me in Margaret’s book was the discovery that Margaret’s guru was Neville Goddard, a prominent New Thought teacher, whom though aware of, I had never immersed myself in.

Particularly striking to me was the discovery that both Neville Goddard and Joseph Murphy were prominent students of a learned man, named Abdullah, a black rabbi in New York City, originally from Ethiopia.

There are several unknowns about the true origin of Abdullah, a bit of a mysterious character it seems, much like Carlos Castaneda and don Juan Matus, but he had a profound impact on both Murphy and Goddard.

I have extolled the virtues of Joseph Murphy’s The Power Of The Subconscious Mind in numerous blogs, and am now exploring the work of Neville Goddard.

What I never knew was that Carlos Castaneda was directly exposed to the New Thought lineage through Margaret, as she frequently spoke to him about the impact Goddard’s teachings had upon her, and she personally brought him to a Neville Goddard lecture.

For me, this unexpected knowledge brings the teachings of the shamans of ancient Mexico, in accessing the divine power of the subconscious mind, full circle into alignment with the New Thought lineage.

Rather than expound more upon the curious interconnectedness of what has preoccupied me most of my spiritual life, I share the following inks:

A magical Neville Goddard lecture

And a written interview with Joseph Murphy

For all who are interested, I invite you to have your own direct experience. In the final analysis, it’s all about INTENT.

See what happens!
Chuck