If you only read one book by Carlos Castaneda, make it this one. Journey to Ixtlan is unique in my experience, providing insight into a reality that the modern, domesticated world has largely forgotten. Castaneda communicates the feeling that death is never far away, and that it has no regard for our ideas of self-importance. We do not expect lions to treat us fairly, so why are we so easily offended by the behaviour of our fellow human beings? Some of his ideas are difficult to accept entirely, but always aim at awakening us from our complacency. The essence of his philosophy seems to be that we cannot know reality in a final sense, since it is always flowing. Therefore we need to be reminded that our description of reality is always incomplete and must be constantly updated. He suggests that our present description blinds us to other descriptions that are just as real, though maybe this is beside the point. I found some of the visions a little boring since I was unable to grasp their meaning. Still, an enjoyable and challenging read.