Awareness & Knowledge

Awareness and knowledge are combined throughout this book as the narrator learns how to see from don Juan. There are two types of awareness, normal awareness and heightened awareness. True learning occurs in the left side, heightened awareness. Unfortunately, it is difficult to remember what is learned in the left side once a warrior returns to normal awareness. There are three facets of a seer's knowledge: the mastery of awareness, the mastery of stalking and the mastery of intent. The ancient Toltecs began compiling this knowledge until their own self-absorption lead to the destruction of their culture. It can take years for a seer to recall what he has learned on his left side; during these years, the information becomes internalized.

Before becoming a seer, a man must journey on the warriors' path. The five attributes to warriorship are control, discipline, forbearance, timing and will. The seers'...