Taisha Abelar

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Taisha Abelar (born Maryann Simko), was an American writer and anthropologist who was an associate of Carlos Castaneda.

Biography

Abelar met Castaneda when she was 19 years old and a student at

In keeping with Castaneda's philosophy of "erasing personal history", the witches maintained a tight veil of secrecy. They used numerous aliases and generally did not allow themselves to be photographed. Not long after moving into Castaneda's compound Maryann Simko changed her name to Taisha Abelar. Likewise, Regine Thal changed her name to Florinda Donner and Kathleen Pohlman to Carol Tiggs.^{[citation needed]}

Abelar claimed to have been one of

In April 1998 – shortly after Castaneda's death – Abelar disappeared, together with four other close associates of Castaneda (Florinda Donner, Amalia Marquez (also known as Talia Bey), Kylie Lundahl, and Patricia Lee Partin). Partin's sun-bleached skeleton was discovered in Death Valley by hikers in 2003. No trace of the other four women has been found.^[3]

See also

• List of people who disappeared

Publications

• The Sorcerer's Crossing: A Woman's Journey. Viking Books. 1992.
  ISBN 978-0-670-84272-8
  .
• Stalking with The Double. Internet Archive. 2020.

References

Notes

Works cited