I think that it has been established that both "Jed McKenna" and "Don Juan Mateus" are fictitious characters, or fictive characters (Daniel Noel's term for Don Juan). This condition in no way diminishes either character's power or effectiveness.

Hence, maybe the lesson from the "real" writers of the books by McKenna and Castaneda (who attempted to fictionalize or de-materialize himself throughout his "life") is that in order to wake up one must realize that one is a legend only in one's own mind. (Maybe not so much so in Castaneda's case...). "86" thyself! Don't identify the character with the actor. And...don't fall for your own bullshit...