This experience led me
to believe that like Mr. Castaneda's mentor, I could consciously
direct my actions within the context of a dream.
Back in New York, I became editor-in-chief of the high school newspaper.
I soon learned that I had a knack for inspiring and for managing
a team. I was well regarded by my teachers and by my peers,
and I had many friends. I could have continued my studies at
a prestigious university, but I longed for a mystical quest.
I dreamt that I walked silently across a vast desert plain. I longed
to experience that which lay beyond the surface world of reason.
I dreamt that I flew over desert chaparral into an infinite orange horizon.
I longed for a wisdom that was secret, magical, ancient. I decided
to hitchhike, alone, to the Sonoran Desert in Mexico to find
a mystical teacher, a *brujo*, who was just like Don Juan. I planned
to leave on the day after high school graduation.
Meanwhile, I continued to read the Castaneda books and to experiment
with consciousness. One time I attempted to raise my right arm
without consciously lifting it. I wanted it to levitate on its own.
I soon felt a tingling in the arm, but it did not rise. Finally, I lifted
it on purpose. Then, as part of the experiment, I suggested to myself
that the arm remain lifted.
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