THE RESIDENCES OF CARLOS CASTANEDA

CASTANEDA'S PRIMARY RESIDENCE

In 1973 Carlos Castaneda bought a large residence next to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), whose address is Pandora Avenue No. 1672, corner of Eastborne Avenue, located in the Westwood district, in Los Angeles, California.

Photos

Entrance on Pandora Avenue

Corner with Eastborne Avenue

Annex apartment above the garage on Eastborne Avenue 

Videos

Filmed from the street

Filmed from the inside

Kept secret

For a long time, this residence was unknown because Castaneda kept himself very hidden, and it was only after Gaby and Greg (a couple of Castaneda's students) were secretly following him after the workshops he taught, that they discovered the address where Castaneda lived.

In this video, between minutes 44 and 47, you can see the detective-like search that this couple carried out and the recordings they made where they filmed Castaneda and his women entering and leaving that residence:

 

This residence described by Richard Jennings

Richard Jennings was a student of Castaneda during his later years, and about this residence he wrote:

« The Westwood complex consisted of a duplex, an interior courtyard, and an apartment above the garage. Castaneda lived there from 1973 until his death in 1998.

The image of the Pandora door shows the entrance next to the duplex where Castaneda lived. From the Eastborne entrance, one could turn right into Taisha's rooms or left into a large living room. That side also housed the main kitchen and Florinda's bedroom.

Joanie Barker, whom Castaneda met in 1960 (and whom he described in private sessions as "Don Juan's first and most intelligent student"), lived in the small apartment above the garage until late 1997 or early 1998. »

This residence described by Geoffrey Gray

Journalist Geoffrey Gray commented on this residence as follows:

« When Castaneda soon began to earn a fortune in royalties, he bought an apartment in Westwood, a house on the beach, and later, the property near UCLA.

When I traveled to Los Angeles, I called a taxi to take me there. The aptness of the street’s name doesn’t escape me. Here, just steps from UCLA’s vibrant campus life, Castaneda conjured a hidden sanctuary for his witches and other disciples.

As we drive along shaded streets, I’m struck by the neighborhood’s ordinariness—it’s tranquil, as if part of a model suburb. The car stops in front of the compound. High hedges guard the perimeter, making it difficult to see into the property.

With a mix of trepidation and curiosity, I start to snoop around. I move down Eastborne Avenue, which runs along the side of the property, glancing through the foliage at the buildings that once housed Castaneda’s followers. The windows, now just reflecting the sun’s glare, reveal nothing of the residence’s past.

I circle back to the main entrance on Pandora and press the bell. I call out from behind the gate, then holler.

   -  “Hello! Hello!”

The place feels abandoned. I take a peek inside the mailbox. It’s empty. I drop in a note just in case and walk around to the backyard. I hoist myself onto the fence, and that’s when I spot it: a tall, flourishing lemon tree. Castaneda fancied himself a gardener, and this tree must have been his pride, a meeting place where he could play the role of wise old man, pruning shears in hand, dispensing his so-called wisdom to his followers and new recruits. »

Correction: Not all of Castaneda's close women lived in this residence. I read that Taisha and Florinda did live there, and it seems that Kylie later also resided there, but Carol and Nury did not.

Who lived there after Castaneda's death?

On this subject Gray wrote:

« Back in my hotel room, I turn on the shower, ready to wash away my wasted efforts and wounds. I’ve left my phone on the sink, and as I get in, I notice that it’s ringing.

“I’m calling about your message about 1672 Pandora,” the person on the other end says.

His name is Stephen Ross, he’s a doctor, and he received my note in his mailbox. He knows all about Castaneda and his witches. “He used to live in the home that I’m living in now,” Ross says.

I press the phone to my ear to hear him better.

“We bought the house from the witches,” he says, and he puts his phone on speaker. Juliet Taff, his wife, gets on the line too.

What? That means that at least some of the chacmools had not disappeared. They had to be alive to complete the real estate transaction in 2009, nearly 10 years after they went missing.

“One, I believe, was German,” Taff says. “Is that correct?”

Yes! Thal! Soaking wet and grasping my towel, I can’t believe my luck. While we’re talking, I dry off my hands and send them pictures of her over email.

“Yeah, she does look familiar, actually,” Taff says after receiving and examining the photos. “That’s the one.”

Ross explains that the women were instrumental in his and Taff’s purchase of the compound. Other offers had come in from developers. “They didn’t want the house torn down,” he says. “We were just going to remodel it. They liked that a lot.”

“There’s so much garden,” Taff adds. “One came back and told me if I removed any plants, she would come and pick them up immediately.”

The shower has not stopped running. Plumes of steam are filling the room like a Turkish bath. I am wet and in my towel and laughing at my good fortune. Pick up the plants? The chacmools had not gone missing in 1998! Some of them might still be alive! »

Observations: Thal is Florinda's birth name, and she disappeared immediately after Castaneda's death and nothing more was ever heard of her.

Carol Tiggs, the nahual woman, didn't disappear, nor did Renata Murez, who became president of Cleargreen after the previous president, Talia Bey, also vanished. Nyei Murez also didn't disappear.

And the chacmools were just Kylie, Renata, and Nyei, who were the main instructors of tensegrity.

CASTANEDA'S OTHER RESIDENCES

I've found little information on this theme. Castaneda's son said his father owned other properties, such as a beach house and another property in Brazil, but these were kept secret to avoid inheritance taxes. Which makes sense.

Castaneda allowed his adopted daughter, Nury Alexander, to have three apartments; I don't know if Castaneda owned them or was just renting them. One of them was probably the apartment Castaneda is said to have bought in Westwood.

Richard mentioned a residence at 1376 1/2 Midvale Avenue that was home to Nury Alexander in 1978, Carol Tiggs in 1988, and Reni Murez in 1989. I also don't know if Castaneda owned or rented it.

And I haven't found any information about Castaneda's other residences.