I read Castenada’s book also while in college and much of what he wrote didn’t sinc with the Indians I knew who still practiced Native beliefs. He seemed to be on a perpetual high while writing the book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (see Burrough’s Naked Lunch) but don’t pass it off as a way to achieve a “higher consciousness”. It was a fad back then and most of us moved on. Most of us. Personally I liked Kerouac, he made more sense and I like to travel.
Cap’t Jack