Somewhere on the border between the United States and Mexico, then-anthropology master's student Carlos Castañeda met Don Juan Matus, a powerful sorcerer whose teachings on the beliefs of the Yaqui people and spiritual rites led the researcher to a cognitive revolution. Starting from what was initially intended as research on the use of medicinal plants, Castañeda wrote the precursor to a personal, literary, and scientific renewal. In *The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge*, Don Juan guides his apprentice—and the reader—on the "ultimate journey," that is, the path to expanding individual cognition through shamanic wisdom and establishing an unwavering purpose. Throughout his various conversations with Don Juan, the author unveiled the methods of preparation and use of "power plants," focusing on mastering the properties of Datura—the devil's weed, so named because of the frenzied state caused by ingesting the plant. Beyond a collection of stories, Castañeda was a pioneer in systematizing and disseminating the knowledge of Nagualism – the system of beliefs and spiritual practices of the Toltecs – and a reference in the study of Indo-American worldviews. An essential work for the counterculture movement of the 1960s, *The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge* remains a valuable source for those seeking alternative interpretations of the reality in which we live, having influenced great personalities worldwide such as John Lennon, George Lucas, Paulo Coelho, and Raul Seixas. “One of the most profound and influential thinkers of the century.” - Deepak Chopra “In a world in conflict between artificial intelligence, the struggle for survival, and existential emptiness, Castañeda presents us with a path of reconnection with the invisible – with the intelligences of nature, with inner silence, with states of consciousness that break the automatism of urban life.” - Kaká Werá I read it back in 2015, it opened many horizons, I lent it out and it was never returned, needing to read it again. #From Rio