THE COMPANIES THAT CARLOS CASTANEDA CREATED

 

Carlos Castaneda founded several companies, which I will describe below.

Hermeneutics Unlimited

On September 5, 1974, Carlos Castaneda, Regine Thal (Florinda Donner), Annamarie Carter (Taisha Abelar), Beverly Evans (the Fat Lady) and Mary Joan Barker (Joanie Barker) signed the Bylaws of Hermeneutics Unlimited, which were subsequently filed with the California Secretary of State on September 10, 1974.

The specific purpose of this corporation was “the production of documentary ethnology”

The issuance of 750 shares with a par value of $100 was authorized. The five directors were listed at the address 9200 Sunset Blvd., Suite 418, LA 90069.

It is important to note that Carol Tiggs is not listed among the founders, which indicates that she had already separated from Castaneda by that time.

Laugan Productions

Hermeneutics Unlimited was subsequently modified in 1984 by an amendment from its "sole shareholder" —Castaneda— to Laugan Productions, Inc., and was used to suppress the copyright of Castaneda's works.

It was the publishing house that published his book "The Wheel of Time" and "Magic Passes" in the United States in 1998 .

Toltec Artist

Castaneda founded it in 1992 to produce tensegrity videos.

Cleargreen incorporated

Castaneda founded it in 1995 to do the same thing but no longer have to share the profits with his former partners.

WHAT CASTANEDA SAID ABOUT HIS COMPANIES

In 1997, journalist Daniel Trujillo Rivas interviewed Carlos Castaneda and asked him:

How should your followers understand the existence of an entire commercial and advertising apparatus—separate from your literary work—surrounding the knowledge that you and your colleagues disseminate? What is your actual relationship with Cleargreen Incorporated and other companies (Laugan Productions, Toltec Artists)? I'm referring to commercial ties.

To which Castaneda replied:

At this stage of my work, I needed someone who could represent me in disseminating Don Juan Matus's ideas. Cleargreen is a corporation that has a great affinity with our work, as do Laugan Productions and Toltec Artists.

The idea of ​​disseminating Don Juan's teachings to a modern world like ours requires the use of commercial and artistic means that are beyond my individual resources. As corporations aligned with Don Juan's ideals, Cleargreen Incorporated, Laugan Productions, and Toltec Artists are able to provide me with the means to disseminate what I wish to share.

The aim of impersonal corporations is always to dominate and transform everything that comes their way and adapt it to their own ideology. Were it not for the genuine interest of Cleargreen, Laugan Productions, and Toltec Artists, everything Don Juan said would have already been transformed into something else. 

OBSERVATION

Castaneda says that he created these companies to better spread the teachings of Don Juan, but the high prices that Castaneda charged in his workshops and videos show that his objective was not to spread the teachings but to profit from these companies.