Another time, I asked him:
"Carlos, what determines an ordinary man's access to the sorcerers' knowledge?"
"Intent," he answered. "Man's intent has to make an offer to the spirit, and spirit must accept it, putting the means of evolution in his path. In other times, the only available way was to be directly pointed out to a nagual. Nowadays, an ordinary man has the opportunity to be guided through publications.
"When seeking access to the world of sorcerers, one must be prepared. An accidental encounter with power won't lead to anything, except to a brutal fright for the seeker who, from then on, will swear that sorcery is demon's work, or that everything is sheer falsehood.
"But a poorly conducted preparation, one which foments self- importance instead of increasing wonder and a desire to learn, becomes a near total obstacle for the apprentice. One who comes to the nagual saturated with beliefs on almost everything won't get the chance to continue.
"Therefore, the next requirement before entering the path of knowledge is a profound honesty. It is necessary to empty the harbor to make room for the new ship arriving, and to recognize that when it comes down to it, we don't know anything. Once that degree of preparation has been reached, the rest is a matter of luck. The spirit determines who will be chosen and who won't.
"The answer of the spirit is inscrutable. It happens in unexpected ways and in terms that are almost always incomprehensible to our reason. All we can do is be attentive to the signs, placing ourselves deliberately in their path. When man's intent seals an alliance with the spirit, it is unavoidable that the teacher appears."
I asked him if the nagual could be considered a teacher in the same way as the oriental instructors.
He answered emphatically:
"No! There is no comparison for a very simple reason: A nagual never chooses his apprentices. The spirit is the one who determines through omens who can and who can't be part of a lineage.
"A real teacher is an impeccable warrior who has lost his human form and has a very clear bond with the abstract. So, he doesn't accept volunteers.
"Education systems based on the seeker's spontaneous desire don't get very far, because they are not geared towards realization, but towards the concerns of the ego. All the followers do is to imitate and that doesn't lead anywhere. Therefore, there is no need for teachers.
"After years of learning, I am convinced that all a seeker needs is the opportunity to be made aware of his possibilities, and a commitment to the death with his purpose."
I observed that his statements were contradicting his repeated statements about how, without Don Juan, he would not have achieved anything. He replied:
"Sorcerers make a clear distinction between the concepts of 'spiritual guide' and 'nagual teacher1. The first is an individual who specializes in directing flocks, and the other is an impeccable warrior who knows that his role is limited to serving as a connection with the spirit. The first one will tell you what you want to hear and he will give you the miracles that you want to see, because you interest him as an acolyte; while the second will be guided by commands of an impersonal power. His help is not altruistic, but a way of paying his old debt with the spirit of man.
"The nagual is not a benevolent type; he doesn't come to please us, but to wake us up, and he will do it with a stick if necessary, because he doesn't feel any compassion. When intervening in the life of his apprentices, he can produce a condition of such agitation in them that their latent energies are activated."