After being on this subreddit for a year I'm going to propose something I would not have considered before, a different strategy for new people. Spend a few months going over and reading everything on this subreddit and working on some of the basic practices, Recapitulation & Tensegrity first and foremost. And also searching for your Silence Stones which I now recommend above the Quartz Crystals as they are far more user-friendly over time and have greater weight. They pull you into silence, if you let them. The Quartz Crystals are harsher, and should be reserved for those whose monologue is particularly brutal...and only used at the start. The search for your most optimal stones itself is an exercise in discipline and in proving to intent that you're serious in your endeavor. Start to read Castaneda's books later on in that first year, or after you've had enough direct experience that what you read about in the books will resonate much more strongly. You'll also then be familiar with Castaneda's final intent which he presented in workshops and to those in private classes...an intent that had evolved from that present in his earlier books. More on reddit.com

I would suggest starting with A Separate Reality, but only because that’s what’s worked before. Your capacity to get into it, is likely directly linked with how driven you are to evolve and expand your perception/awareness of the universe beyond this reality (and to the hidden aspects of this reality). To what degree of imprisonment you feel inside your own skull. Also, to how well your station in life “gilds the cage,” ie. lets you conveniently gloss over all that we’ve lost. What has degraded in us as a species. But it is possible that as time marches on future generations will find it harder to connect to the narrative, as it was written by Castaneda, because it could feel dated? And maybe that’s why we’re here… to continue that process of modernizing aspects of the narrative. More on reddit.com

It’s been many years so take this with a grain of salt. I remember being quite impressed by ‘The teachings of Don Juan’ but then feeling very let down by the sequels which just seemed to be re-hashes of the first book but with different ‘mystical insights’. Your milage may vary of course - give Don Juan a try and see what you think More on reddit.com

Man, it's easier to check the order on Wikipedia. You're already wrong, "To the Teachings..." is followed by "A Separate Reality" although in reality "The Teachings..." happen at the same time as "Journey to Ixtlán" and "A Separate Reality" is related to "Tales of Power". So you're still in time to correct it. Then comes the mystical stage. They are much rarer and there's no way you'll understand them if you don't go in chronological order. "The Second Ring of Power" is perhaps the rarest, it happens in a few days. It is followed by "The Gift of the Eagle", "The Inner Fire", "Silent Knowledge" and "The Art of Dreaming". "The Active Side of Infinity" is like a recapitulation before his death. The others are not worth it: "Magic Passes" and "The Wheel of Time". "Inner Silence" is the only one I've never found physically, but I stopped looking about 10 years ago. More on reddit.com