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The second ring of power

First published 1977 · 607 pages

A surreal, terrifying plunge into spiritual warfare that shatters the boundaries of everyday reality.

What it feels like

A disorienting and deeply atmospheric journey that strips away the comforting illusions of the rational mind. Reading this feels like waking up in a desert where the laws of physics have been replaced by the terrifying, fluid rules of sorcery. The prose maintains a dry, almost clinical earnestness that makes the bizarre and supernatural encounters feel unsettlingly real. It is a steady, tension-filled experience, steeped in a mood of paranoia and mystical awe, as the narrator fends off psychological and spiritual attacks from former allies. This book will captivate seekers of esoteric wisdom, fans of counterculture mysticism, and anyone who loves narratives that blur the fragile line between anthropological study, psychological thriller, and profound spiritual awakening.

Mood
  • surreal
  • unsettling
  • mystical
  • tense
Tone
  • earnest
  • bewildered
  • intense
  • philosophical
Pace
steady
Themes
reality versus illusion · spiritual warfare · shedding the ego · limits of perception
The writing
Direct and deceptively simple, grounding bizarre and terrifying events in a dry, almost clinical cadence.
The arc
Moves from profound disorientation and existential fear to a hard-won, precarious sense of spiritual clarity.
Who it's for
Seekers of esoteric wisdom and readers who enjoy narratives that blur the lines between anthropology, psychological thriller, and spiritual memoir.
Content notes
  • psychological manipulation
  • paranoia
  • supernatural violence

About the book

"Carlos Castaneda's extraordinary journey into the world of sorcery... he takes the reader into a sorceric experience so intense, so terrifying, and so profoundly disturbing that it can only be described as a brilliant assault on every preconceived notion of life that is don Juan's remarkable legacy to his apprentice"--Cover.

Description from Open Library.

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