Don Juan Matus

Don Juan Matus is the name used by anthropologist and author Carlos Castaneda to describe a Yaqui Mexican spiritual guide (teacher) in his series of books on Nagualism (although Castaneda repeatedly indicates that "Juan Matus" is pseudonym chosen by the author to protect the bearer's true identity). He is described as a Native American of Yaqui/Yuma parentage. Castaneda writes that he first met Matus at a bus depot in Nogales, Arizona, in the early 1960s. He is described by Castaneda as a 'Man of Knowledge' from a Toltec lineage of seers, who imparts much of his wisdom and clarity through his 'connection' with Castaneda. The knowledge is described as being passed on to Castaneda by means of actual experiences, simple exercises, talks, and much patience on the part of both, which ends in transforming Castaneda's view of the world. There is extensive scholarly debate whether Matus was a real person, an allegorical figure, or an invention by Castaneda.

The worldview of the Toltec seers is described in terms of energy or intent. The human body is said to appear to the seer as a luminous egg that receives its light from the "assemblage point of awareness" that is located somewhere on the inside of the egg. The world is said to consist of an infinite number of different energetic lines or filaments, called the emanations at large. The luminous body is composed of a finite number of identical emanations. The large emanations are traversing the total body but we are only aware of the ones that are bound together in the assemblage point of awareness. As the human body does not have counterparts for all emanations, we can not be aware of everything outside the energetic body. Seers learn to move and shift the assemblage point to be aware of (much) more of the world. Other human beings are said to be limited in their awareness of the world because of a fixation of the assemblage point caused by habits in perceiving. These habits are dictated by a world view.

A consequence of the ability to move the assemblage point is the discovery of many unknown aspects of reality. One of these is the dream body that seers learn to use and by which they actively engage in the practice of dreaming. Another discovery is the will, perceived as strong lines coming from the center of the body. Through the will the seers partake in the mystery of the universe, as it is "intent" that both forms the universe and guides the will. The will can not consciously be reached from the modern fixation of the assemblage point located on the center of reason. The fixation can be broken by learning to disengage the inner dialogue that binds it to viewing the world from only a reasonable standpoint. This is called the minimal change that a human being needs to achieve total freedom. Unique in the worldview of the Toltec seers is that they understand it to be a description of the world and consequently they are not looking for yet another habitual fixation of the assemblage point but remain fluid in their perceptions.

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