FIVE WOMEN VERY CLOSE TO CARLOS CASTANEDA DISAPPEARED AFTER HIS DEATH

Carlos Castaneda died on April 27, 1998, and shortly afterward, five of the women closest to him disappeared. They were:

Nury Alexander, Castaneda's adopted daughter

Taisha Abelar, one of Castaneda's witches

Florinda Donner, another of Castaneda's witches

Talia Bey, the president of Cleargreen, the company Castaneda founded to market his teachings

Kylie Lundahl, the leader of tensegrity instructors

Since then, nothing more has been heard of them, with the exception of Nury, whose skeletal remains were found in Death Valley.

The only woman very close to Castaneda who did not disappear was Carol Tiggs ("the nahual woman" and Castaneda's partner).

The strange behavior these women exhibited before Castaneda's death

In early 1998, Castaneda's health deteriorated rapidly due to liver cancer that was killing him.

The women most loyal to Castaneda, sensing that their guru's end was near, began to behave strangely.

On this matter, journalist Geoffrey Gray commented:

« Kylie appeared to be actively involved in helping some of her companions plan their departure from this world. With Castaneda's death imminent, she and other members considered purchasing a massive boat.

According to one correspondence from the group, they were looking to spend around $400'000 for a cargo/crew vessel that was 100 to 200 feet long, with a range of 10'000 miles and unlimited navigational capability.

To prepare for the voyage, Ahlvers purchased a handful of books, receipts from Barnes & Noble later showed, studying up on how to survive —at least temporarily— the high seas. Among the titles she picked out: 'Sea Vegetables: Harvesting Guide & Cookbook', 'Fishing for Sharks', 'Shark Liver Oil', 'Good Food Afloat', 'The Care and Feeding of the Offshore Crew'.

Meantime, the idea of guns —or at least talk of using them— arose. According to Amy, the compound buzzed with Carol’s confession that these womwn had acquired firearms to carry out a suicide pact after Castaneda died.

“What? Guns?!” one follower said, according to Amy. “Suicide? I refuse to believe that…just can’t imagine it. If they go poof! in front of me, and burn like they’ve always said, that’s one thing – but guns?!” »

Richard Jennings was a student of Castaneda during his later years, and he commented as follows:

« I was present when Kylie and Talia told us several times that they were looking for abandoned mines and similar places where they could disappear if they didn't achieve their ultimate goal of transcending death (and also minimize the possibility of their remains being found after committing suicide). »

Amy Wallace was a close friend of Castaneda's women, and she recounted the following event:

« Florinda Donner called me to ask if Kylie could come and burn her papers in the fireplace I had in my house.

I said yes, Kylie arrived and explained: "It takes so long with the shredder."

She only had one bag, so I took her to the small fireplace and while I helped her throw the papers into the flames, I watched as the printer's proofs of Castaneda's books and Kylie's personal papers (poetry, drawings, and a diary) burned.

I asked Kylie how she felt about it.

She told me, "I know exactly what to do. If I don't go with him, I'll do what I have to do. It's too late for us to stay in this world; I think you know exactly what I mean. It's been too late for a long time."

I told her that Carol had asked Bruce and me to help her stay, and I explained that I had given my word to Carol.

Kylie nodded and replied, "Yes, I heard something about it. The nahual doesn't care, and Taisha doesn't care anymore. But Florinda is upset. She's not taking it well; she wants Carol to leave too."

Kylie told me she was worried about suicides among the others in the group. "We told the nahual we were very worried about it. He said, 'What?' as if they didn't know what we were talking about."

Then she continued, "So we asked him if he wanted the workshops to continue. He said, 'I don't give a damn; if you want them, fine; if not, forget them. I don't care at all.' "

Kylie shook her head and added, "We convinced him he had to give them something to do because otherwise they really might commit suicide. So he issued instructions: he gave Darien, Aerin, Nyei, and Reni tasks, telling them to continue with the workshops. But he doesn't care about Cleargreen or the seminars. So Carol chose Reni as the new president of Cleargreen. Talia is going to tell her."

I told her, "That's good."

Kylie replied to me: "What else were they going to do? I'm surprised the Nahual didn't foresee the great risk this entails."

Then Kylie thanked me and told me she loved me. When she hugged me, she lifted me in her arms, as she had done before, and that's when I knew it was her last hug. »

Carol's Confession

In the weeks following Castaneda's death, Carol told Amy that Florinda, Taisha, Kylie, and Talia had committed suicide. She also said Nury had called her desperately from a motel in Death Valley. And she also described to Amy the last conversation she had with Florinda:

« Florinda was getting ready to leave. She didn't show any affection towards me, not even an 'I love you,' nothing. She was very cruel. Suddenly, at the door, she turns to me and says:

"Carol, were you ever jealous of the Nahual and his other women?"

I replied, "No, Florinda, I didn't have any. I had other problems with him, believe me, but that wasn't one of them. I'm not jealous. I mean, listen, after all, I was the number two pimp."

Then Florinda smiled and said, "Well... he had many women, you know?"

And I thought to myself, "Now she wants to go to confession?"

She added, "I was just curious," and turned and left. Not a hug, not a kiss, not a thank you, not a goodbye, nothing. »

Richard's opinion

On his website  SustainedAction.org, he commented on this matter as follows:

« According to reliable sources, none of the other four women have been seen or heard from according to any reliable accounts since the two Ford vehicles they were driving (Taisha and Florinda in Taisha’s Ford Aerostar; Kylie and Talia in Kylie’s four-door red Taurus) left the Westwood compound in April 1998.

Although the four were primary beneficiaries under Castaneda’s will, the estate executor, Deborah Drooz (Castaneda’s lawyer) confirmed to Talia’s persistent brother, Luis Marquez, years after Castaneda’s death that she had not had any contact with the four and that none of them had received any of the money they would have been due under the will.

Amy Wallace and I were both convinced the four had headed east to an abandoned mine in or around Death Valley, or possibly further east in Nevada, that they had previously identified as a place they could commit suicide and ensure their remains would not be found.

This is based not only on what we heard directly from Castaneda during night and Sunday sessions regarding research and plans Talia and others had made, but also on Amy’s interactions with Taisha, Florinda and Kylie in the days leading up to Castaneda’s demise and both of our dealings with Carol Tiggs and others at Cleargreen in the weeks following his death.

Nury failed to join them when they headed out but followed a day or two later and ended up driving to where her red Ford Escort was subsequently found, days later.

In 2014, family members of Talia met Ru Marshall and a private investigator in Death Valley to search a mine located near where Nury’s remains were found for the other four missing women: Parumph Valley Times story. They were blocked from doing so by a park ranger who claimed they hadn’t followed the proper procedures.

From my trip to Death Valley in May 1998, after I learned where Nury’s car had been found and based on having heard from Castaneda about the research into abandoned mines that Talia and others had done, I felt confident–after having studied maps of the park and talked with park rangers–that there were no suitable locations where human remains were likely to be left undisturbed due to the park’s heavy traffic by sightseers and hikers.

My theory at that point was, and remains, that the missing women had continued on to a much more remote location, most likely in Nevada, to carry out their group suicide.

Meanwhile, Carol and Cleargreen continued to lie and obfuscate about the fates of the missing women for years, as summarized here.

Nonetheless, some family members of the missing women, as well as others who were involved with the group, understandably hold out hope they are still alive, albeit without having received support all these years from Castaneda’s estate.

At the least, family members and others, like me, who loved and admired the women hope their remains might one day be found, to help bring some closure to this specially painful aspect of the Castaneda phenomenon. Toward that end, Ru Marshall helped family members set up a website soliciting leads and other support for locating them. »

Here is the link to this site: 4 Missing Women

What did they do?

Some theorize that they went to live somewhere else, but I find this posibility very unlikely because then they would have taken their share of the inheritance; and most likely they committed suicide, and did so in a hidden place where their bodies could not be found.

Nury was Castaneda's disdainful, petulant, and spoiled child; the others didn't like her, and that's why they sent her to Death Valley so she wouldn't bother them. And the reason why Nury died in this desert is explained in this other chapter (see link).  

OBSERVATION

And this shows how manipulative and Machiavellian Carlos Castaneda was, who intended to turn his disciples into free beings, but as far as his closest female disciples were concerned, he transformed them into beings so dependent on him that when Castaneda died, these women, despite inheriting large sums of money and still having many years to live, she preferred to die rather than continue being on this Earth without their "Nahual".

CARLOS CASTANEDA'S WITCHES

Between 1960 and 1971, four women who had supposedly also been students of Don Juan joined Carlos Castaneda and stayed with him until the end of his life.

JOANIE BARKER

The first was Joanie Barker, who worked at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as library and became Castaneda's first disciple-lover in 1960. At this time, Castaneda was studying at that university.

TAISHA ABELAR

The second was Taisha Abelar, who met Castaneda around 1964 when she was 19 and he was 39. At this time, they were both studying at UCLA.

Taisha's mother commented that her daughter had become romantically involved with a much older man, whom her daughter affectionately called "her teacher".

At this time Taisha lived with her sister Agnes, who also disapproved this relationship, and after several arguments about it, Taisha moved out one day and never returned.

FLORINDA DONNER

Castaneda continued his studies at UCLA where he was preparing his doctorate in anthropology, and five years later, in 1971, he met another woman at that university: Florinda Donner, who at this time was 27 years old and he was 45 years old.

Florinda was married but a few months later she got divorced and shortly afterwards she went to live with Castaneda Joanie and Taisha.

CAROL TIGGS

The fourth woman was Carol Tiggs, who had a boyfriend who was part of Castaneda's inner circle, and between 1970 and 1971 he introduced her to Castaneda.

Carol was 23 at this time, and Castaneda was 44 or 45. They began an affair, but in 1973 Carol decided to break up with Castaneda.

Ten years later, in 1983, Carol met Castaneda again and, to convince her to rejoin his harem, he promised to make her his official partner: "the nahual woman".

Carol agreed, but the other did not like the decision to make Carol their superior since they had been living with Castaneda for much longer, but they did not dare to contradict their boss.

Castaneda reveals the existence of his witches

Castaneda had kept these women a secret, but after Carol returned to him, he began to reveal them, first to his inner circle of students, and later also to the public (with the exception of Joanie).

Castaneda's followers called them "the witches".

Castaneda, his witches, and other personal students of Castaneda, claimed that Joanie, Taisha, Florinda, and Carol also met Don Juan, who made them his disciples and initiated them by that nahual.

And Don Juan, before leaving, placed them under the direction of Castaneda, who became his new nahual.

When Castaneda was asked why he hadn't announced them before, he replied that it was because Don Juan told him not to mention them to the public, but that with the miraculous return of the nahual woman, who had gone with the Death Challenger to another dimension of existence, that was a sign that the directives had changed.

 

In an interview, Castaneda said:  "The return of the nahual woman marked a new, more public phase in the work of us four sorcerers. With Carol Tiggs's return, it was decided to lift the traditional veil of mystery and secrecy and present the sorcerers' teachings to a wider world. And in this spirit, Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar wrote books describing their training."

In 1985, Florinda published a book titled 'The Witch's Dream,' and in 1991 she published another book titled 'Being in the Dream.' In these books, she recounted her encounter and initiation with Don Juan and his sorcerers.

In 1991 Taisha published a book entitled 'Where the Witches Cross' where she also recounted her encounter and initiation with Don Juan's group.

Starting in 1993, Castaneda and his witches began to give workshops to the public where they mainly taught tensegrity and also gave talks where they told about their lives and also their experiences with Don Juan and his witches.

For example, from March 1 to 3, 1996, an exclusive workshop for women on "The Female Energy Body" was held at UCLA.

There Castaneda declared: “Don Juan could never have addressed a group like this tonight because he was only interested in himself and his group, but things changed for us when Carol Tiggs returned after a ten-year absence. Her return changed everything.”

Carol claimed to have spent so much time in other worlds that this one felt strange to her.

Castaneda then exclaimed, “People used to say I invented Don Juan!” Then, gesturing with his arm and pointing to the front row where the witches were sitting, he said, smiling and with a look of horror at the same time, “Well, I couldn’t possibly invent these creatures! Invent Carol Tiggs? I’d be terrified!”

THE END

And so they continued with their workshops until Castaneda died on April 27, 1998, due to liver cancer.

Taisha and Florinda disappeared the next day and were never heard from again (it is suspected they committed suicide). Joanie walked away. And Carol took over the company Castaneda founded to market his teachings.

VERIFICATION

Historical data shows that virtually everything Carlos Castaneda and his witches claimed was a lie. Furthermore, Castaneda pretended they were merely his personal disciples, but in reality, they were his principal lovers.

THE SCOUTS REVEALED BY CARLOS CASTANEDA

Carlos Castaneda stated that in the world of inorganic beings there are "entities of consciousness" that are called 'scouts' because they have the ability to cross over into the reality of human beings.

Castaneda briefly mentioned the concept of explorers in his book 'The Fire from Within' referring to the allies as "fabulous scouts".

But it is in his book 'The Art of Dreaming' where Castaneda spoke at length and introduced his account of the Blue Scout's liberation from the inorganic realm, describing extensively the use of explorers in dreams.

Supposedly, Don Juan first described them as “a strange current of energy” that is “injected” into our dreams. (p. 84)

Don Juan instructs Castaneda about 'the second door of sleep' explaining that "it is reached and crossed only when a dreamer learns to isolate and follow the foreign energy scouts." (p.107)

Don Juan also supposedly tells him that “[w]aking up in another dream or changing dreams is the drill devised by the old sorcerers to exercise a dreamer’s capacity to isolate and follow a scout,” id., just as looking for one’s hands in dreaming is the drill to initiate “dreaming” attention. 

TWO EXPLORERS BECOME HUMAN WOMEN

Castaneda stated that one of these entities, known as the Blue Scout because it is a luminous being of bright blue color, crossed over into the reality of human beings and transformed into a young woman who was known among Castaneda's followers as Nury Alexander.

And Castaneda also stated that one of these entities, known as the Orange Scout because it is a luminous being of bright orange color, also crossed over into the reality of human beings and transformed into another woman who was known among Castaneda's followers as Tycho Thal.

Castaneda and his witches also declared that Nury Alexander and Tycho Thal were their daughters.

For example, in 1991, scientist Jacobo Grinberg spent a week with Carlos Castaneda and his witches, and regarding Nury, he mentioned the following:

"Castaneda and his nahual wife told us they had a daughter, and she was the slender girl we had met on the first day. Nury was intelligent and perceptive, like a blade of steel. However, there was something about her that was still undefined; something that still needed to mature."

At the workshop held from July 23 to 25, 1993 at the Rim Institute in Arizona, the witch Florinda Donner announced that the Orange Scout  was her daughter, and the Blue Scout was the daughter of Carol Tiggs.

The audience then asked him how he avoided having energy holes since Castaneda stated in his books that having children creates holes in your luminous egg.

Florinda explained that a sorceress could simply cause one of her eggs to begin dividing “by an act of will,” but that normally no warrior would want that because it would cause a huge “energy hole.” But in the case of the scouts, she stated that they had their own energy, but no body, so they could be conceived and born without sex and without causing energy holes in the mother.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS MATTER

The reality is that Nury Alexander was not the daughter of Carlos Castaneda or Carol Tiggs, and Tycho Thal was not the daughter of Florinda Donner either, since historical data shows that those two women had other parents.

Nor was Nury Alexander the embodiment of the Blue Scout, nor was Tycho Thal the embodiment of the Orange Scout.

Nury Alexander was an ordinary girl named Patricia Lee Partin, and Castaneda met her in 1976 when she was 19 years old and working as a waitress at a Denny's restaurant.

She became Castaneda's adopted daughter and lover until he died in 1998. After which, finding herself desperate, she traveled to the Death Valley desert where she died under dramatic circumstances.

Tycho Thal was also an ordinary woman whose real name was Premajyoti Galvez y Fuentes.

When she became seriously ill in 1996, her role as an “Explorer” in the group ended, and by mid-1997 she had received financial compensation and was exiled from Castaneda's group.

CONCLUSION

The scouts from the inorganic world were another lie invented by Carlos Castaneda to supernaturally exalt his new recruits and lovers.

TAISHA AND FLORINDA WERE KARATECAS

Taisha Abelar and Florinda Donner were two witches of Carlos Castaneda.

Taisha met Castaneda around 1964; they were both studying at  the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Between the end of 1967 and the beginning of 1968, Taisha began practicing karate. 

TAISHA BEGINS TO TEACH KARATE

The UCLA newspaper, "Daily Bruin", in its January 7, 1971 edition, announced the karate classes that Taisha began to teach:

«

A NEW KARATE CLUB FOR WOMEN IS FOUNDED

A new URA club, KARATE FOR WOMEN has been started on campus thanks to the efforts of George Takahashi, 3rd dan black belt and UCLA Karate advisor

Although Karate has been popular at UCLA for quite some time, there has never been a Karate class that was geared to women. KARATE FOR WOMEN hopes to fill this gap by providing training particularly to fit a woman’s physical constitution and capabilities

The class will be taught by Annamarie Simko, who holds a first kyu belt and is currently training at the All American Karate Federation, which is the official affiliate of the Japan Karate Association.

She is working under the guidance of sensei Hidetaka Nishiyana [sic], 7th dan black belt, who is the chairman of the Federation, and sensei Yutaka Yaguchi, 6th dan black belt. Miss Simko began her Karate training three years ago with James Yabe, instructor of the UCLA Karate Club.

All women who are interested in developing confidence, self control, poise, balance, and strong bodies and minds are invited to come. The goal of the class will be to strive for spiritual, mental, and physical perfection.

No previous knowledge of Karate is required and instruction will be geared toward the beginning student. KARATE FOR WOMEN will meet every Thursday at 5:00 pm, in the Women’s Gym, Room 200, though more hours are planned in the near future. »

(Vol. No. LXXXII, No. 2, p.17)

Observations

1. The 1st kyu belt is the highest level of brown belt that a karate student reaches before the next level, which is the first dan black belt.

2. George Takahashi, MA, was also a professor of Japanese in the Oriental Languages ​​department at UCLA from 1965 to 1971. Taisha also took a course in translated Japanese literature in the summer of 1966.

3. Taisha belonged to a true cultural lineage. Her karate teachers were:

Gichin Funakoshi, known as "the father of modern karate", very influential.

Nishiyama and Yaguchi were some of his most outstanding students.

Yabe and Takahashi were students of Nishiyama.

Maryann was a student of Nishiyama, Yaguchi and Yabe.

FLORINDA ALSO STARTS PRACTICING KARATE

Florinda also enrolled at UCLA and by 1971 she became involved with Castaneda and Taisha.

In a conversation she mentioned that she also practiced Shotokan karate at UCLA, so she took classes with Taisha.

PHOTOS

In Samurai Magazine, the official publication of the American Karate Federation, an article by Mauricio Hernández titled "Karate and Women" was published in November 1974,  featuring photos of Taisha and Florinda practicing karate.

These photographs are a transgression of the rule that Carlos Castaneda had established of not allowing himself to be photographed.

ARTICLES

Several articles were published in Samurai magazine, signed by Annamarie Carter (Taisha's name at this time) and by Regine "Gina" Thal (Florinda's name at this time).

In November 1974, an article signed by Annamarie Carter and Regine Thal was published on page 30, entitled “Karate for Children”.

In January 1975, Annamarie Carter's articles entitled "Training instructors in the perfection of form", p. 34, and "Karate for women and men as 'non-persons'", p. 20, the latter co-written with Beverly Evans, were published.

In March 1975, Annamarie Carter's article entitled "The Martial Arts of China" was published, page 18.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF MORE CLASSES

The "UCLA Daily Bruin" in its March 5, 1976 edition, again advertised the karate classes taught by Taisha:

«

WOMEN'S KARATE OFFERED THIS QUARTER

A Karate class for women, stressing Karate techniques and their applications, is being offered this quarter. The class also covers some of the philosophical principles underlying Karate and other martial arts in general.

Karate, which literally means “empty hands” in Japanese, is a form of weaponless combat. Through training, one learns a system of bodily movement aimed at developing certain sensibilities in the total person as well as heightening one’s success and improving one’s concentration. Karate training also provides a vital form of self-defense, according to Annamarie Carter, who teaches the class.

Karate has been traditionally placed in the realm of men’s activities but recently has begun to attract women. Female students, however, find it difficult to become totally involved in a male-oriented class due to the fear of losing their femininity or the inability to keep up with the rigorous training.

The class meets at 5 pm Thursdays in Women’s Gym, [Room] 200. All interested women, regardless of past training, are urged to come. »

(Vol. No. XCVII, No. 39, p.3)

LIES TOLD BY TAISHA

Later, at the workshop held in Mexico City in August 1997, Taisha said that Don Juan's sorcerers forced her to take judo to toughen up, but that she switched to karate at Don Juan's suggestion because they used her too much to practice throwing.

But this assertion is false because historical data shows that she knew neither Don Juan nor his sorcerers.

It is most likely that Taisha and Florinda started practicing karate at Castaneda's request.

On the other hand, Taisha claimed in her book "Where the Witches Cross" that in the early seventies she spent several years in Mexico receiving training from the witches of Don Juan's group, but this assertion is false because in reality she was very immersed in UCLA and her karate classes during those years.

Furthermore, Taisha sought publicity for her activities despite the supposed warnings that Don Juan had given Castaneda about the need for sorcerers to erase their past.

(Source: SustainedAction.org)