Warriors' Notes for July 1997
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Subject: Re: A few questions and comments . . .
Here are my notes from the lectures in Berlin. I'm no writer, so someone
else will have to supply a description of the place, atmoshere etc. These
are just my down to fact notes, not verbatim since everyone (except Taisha)
spoke in German, and I heard the translation in the headphone, but very
close to the gist of it, I think.
Maria
Berlin Tensegrity Workshop June 27-29
Friday introductory lecture
We are a unit, not a group.
The old Nagual had four different names, four different personalities.
For Carlos he was don Juan Matus, a stern father. For Carol he was Dilas
Grau, he was not a man of this world, he was a magical being. For Taisha he
was John Michael Abelar, the man working in the background. For Florinda he
was Mauriano Aureliano, a direct and sensitive man. It was his pleasure to
make fun of Florinda because she was German - "Are we being German today?",
until he completely destroyed her socialization. Carlos is the only one
who knows his real name. He had DJ's birth certificate, DJ said one day you
might need it to prove my existence. CC burned it one day - that was the
moment when he was no longer an anthropologist.
Tensegrity - the movements were disguised in ritualistic ceremonies.
Julian created the Theater of the Real (Sorcery Action Theater).
We are a luminous ball. Energy cannot leave or enter us. What feels like
loosing energy is a dispersal of the energy from the vital centers to
the outer fringe of the luminous egg. There it gets hard, as a crust.
The six vital centers: pancreas/spleen, liver, kidney/adrenals,
vagina/uterus, V-spot, top of the head.
A Nagual is a person who no longer has anything, he is empty, a
transmitter for infinity, a ghost, an illusion.
DJ used to say: Don't believe what I say - just do it!
Tensegrity will bring you to the core of shamanism - inner silence. Then
we can percieve energy directly as it flows in the universe. Tensegrity
will give you tiny seconds of inner silence, that will accumulate and get
bigger.
Second lecture Friday
We have to state our names out loud when facing the unknown. Eternity
needs an identification from us, as beings who are going to die. We are
buiding a bridge to eternity by stating our name. Building a bridge to
eternity is of outmost importance to sorcerers. Build it by taking total
responsibility for whatever we do or say. Small or big problems, once
decision is taken there is no way back.
Saturation is important, it makes awareness grow. Our socialization and
the syntax of language keeps awareness at a minimum. Ideally the whole
luminous sphere should be shining. But the shine is at the level of our
feet, socialization keeps it low. The inner dialogue makes the world the
way we percieve it. To understand is not enough. All we talk about is
ourselves. There is nothing to talk about. Everything is filtered through
the ME. Recapitulation makes us see how our inner dialogue is only about
ourselves. Saturation with the magical passes quietens the inner dialogue
- that is we can Stop the World - Total Inner Silence. The threshold we
have to pass to reach this is different for everyone, but all we need is
a minimum of inner silence, then the assemblage point moves. Sorcerers are
navigators of the unknown. All of the intent of sorerers is focused on
inner silence. Tensegrity gives everyone a chance to reach innner silence
through total saturation with magical passses.
Q: isn't the sorcerers' world cold and impersonal?
Q: What are we going to see in inner silence, what does Florinda see?
Q: Rebirth?
Shamans are not spiritual beings. DJ was not, CC is even less. Sorcerers
are interested in everything. DJ always told us that we are beings who
have the capacity to perceive, that is never weakened. We are perceivers.
We cannot understand on an intellectual level. We all have the capacity to
let our awareness grow. It's sleeping, we can awaken it with the magical
movements and recapitulation. It's abstract, not awareness of the "me".
Not the awareness of daily life.
First lecture Saturday
Dreaming and stalking are the cornerstones. Seeing - seeing energy as it
flows in the universe. Shamans see thousands of luminous fibres
crisscrossing in the universe. They see they can form configurations of
different forms, bell-shapes, a ball, most often a circle sphere. The
shine of the assemblage point makes it possible for sorcerers to see that
it is a human being they are seeing. Everyone has the assemblage point in
roughly the same spot. The assemblage point allows us to perceive a
homogenous world. It is a point of assemblage, where the input is collected,
a point of perception and interpretation. The interpretation system -
the human form, the human mold. This allows for intersubjectivity to take
place, so all humans perceive the same world. The assemblage point moves
in sleep, but always returns to the same spot, unless you practice the art
of dreaming, which is utilizing ordinary dreams as an entrance to other
realms of being through an intentional movement. In dreaming vision is
chaotic and fleeting, it is glimpses of other worlds of no real value for
sorcerers. This is because the assemblage point is fluctuating, it is not
stabilized at the new position. To rectify this, the art of stalking was
developed. It is the possibility to hold the assemblage point fixed to
any position it has been moved to. "Hold that dream", a perfect definition
for stalking. We all hold this dream as we construct the "reality of
everyday life" (a term from phenomenology). The drawback is that all our
energy is focused on the dream of ordinary life - what about all other
possible dreams. The interpretation system gives us a false view, it makes
us believe that "this" is all that exists. The old shamans said that
everyday life is not the only alternative. They searched for other worlds,
"all inclusive", consistent worlds. During journeys in other worlds they
discovered that certain movements, certain positions of the arms and legs
produced a feeling of well-being. These movements came spontaneous in the
sorcerers' dreams. Magical passes. They became the most important part of
the sorcerers' life. They were practiced in dreaming with the dreaming body
(energy body, the other). We all have a dreaming body but we are not aware
of it. It is not available to us. A shaman has access to his dreaming body,
he utilizes it daily, in daily life and in dreaming. Some can define their
dreaming body so well that it becomes a copy, a replica of the normal body.
It is impossible to tell whether a shaman is in his dreaming body or not.
Everything that had to do with dreaming and the dreaming body was shrouded
in mystery, a sinister mood/feeling. Also the Magical Passes, they
surrounded them with secrecy and rituals. The new practitioners have lost
the rituals. Modern shamans are interested more in function and efficiacy.
Secrecy and rituals are contrary to DJ's goals - an unencumbered journey.
So that is why they four (the apprentices) decided to teach Tensegrity to
anyone who wanted to learn. What is necessary is not ritual but flexibility
of body and mind. To reinforce strength and agility to achieve the highest
goal - to enter other realms of perception. The original intent of the
magical passes is intact, and their capacity to produce well-being, harmony
in all who practice.
Second lecture Saturday
Everyday behavior spreads energy to the perifery of the luminous cocoon.
Tensegrity pulls it back from the perifery to the vital centers so we can
use this energy. We can use it for anything we want to do, to do it
perfectly. Shamans use this inner energy to reach inner silence, to
navigate in the dark sea of awareness.
Nothing in our daily life can get us energy. Don't do the passes in an
everyday way - as exercise, fitness, martial arts, with Tv or radio on etc,
or thinking. Do them in complete silence, concentrate completely. The intent
is built in, it puts a pressure in the internal dialogue so it gets
interrupted. If we break the stream of endless chatter we can gather
seconds of silence, accumulate it like capital, until we reach a critical
threshold where we reach total inner silence where we can see energy.
Tensegrity is a slow continuous process, continuous effort is needed, but
not ordinary discipline. Most important is: Your body will do the movements
it wants, as much as it wants. You don't necessarily have to do 10
repetitions. An inner dedication is needed.
Don't expect results, (do the passes for the hell of it). It is a slow
gradual change, not spectacular. Your body will change, it will become
flexible, supple, hard. You will get better concentration, sharper
attention, which will help in stopping the inner dialogue. Piece by
piece you gather energy. there can be side effects, but they don't have
connection to the intent of the passes. Just accept, don't worry about them.
Learn a huge amount of moves to flood the kinesthetic memory, which puts
pressure on the inner dialogue and helps to interrupt it. Collect seconds
of inner silence. From total inner silence we can remember all the moves
we've learnt. Do the passes as well as you remember, details isn't that
important, just do it anyway. A group will remember more passes together,
but beware of socialization, "me"-behaviour, authority issues, poor baby
attitudes. Beware of group processes, but do it anyway.
The mass effect of a seminar creates a sense of urgency, which is the
basis for unbending intent.
Third Lecture Saturday
Responsibility of decision making. We're always complaining, yes but...
We are unsatisfied, This is a natural behavior under the circumstances of
socialization, but not necessary.
Shamans deal with five of the energy centers, but not with the top of
the head, it is occupied by another force (flyers?).
Questions and answers time:
Q: Where is La Gorda, Josefina etc?
Q:Will they come back?
Q: What about stalking?
Fourth lecture Saturday
The old shamans had a special interest in freeing the womb. The second
function of the womb is evolution. Evolution is perceiving energy as it
flows in the universe.
Women have an extra organ for perception - the womb. The womb is like a
black hole. Once women are released from socialization they realize they
are beings capable of direct perception. They don't use it because they
have no interest, because of socialization, it's learned. Passes for the
womb give us a chance to understand what it means to free the womb. It
is its natural ability for the second function. Men's organs are outside
the body, therefore they cannot be used for perception. It is more difficult
for men, not a natural gift. Men describe, women don't because women know,
we are not interested in describing, both in everyday lifa and sorcery.
Men have easier to speak than women. Men are compelled to speak, to
construct with words. Women construct with feeling and action.
Women have to liberate themselves from socialization to develop the
second function of the womb. The only way we know is to stop reproducing.
Shamans believe evolution is the main reason for the development of
perception. As a organism, biological beings, we cannot evolve, we can
only evolve our perception. DJ said the dinosaurs intended evolution,
they intended flight, wings were a biproduct of this intent. Women shamans
intend this evolution.
Those moves (the womb series) are very strong. Men and women should do
them carefully (Frsiktigt). Don't rub energy directly on the body, don't
touch, just bring the energy there. If there are any side effects such as
changes in the menstrual cycle, it is normal. The moves are like a drug.
Women are the pinnacle of evolution, but without the men it is not possible.
What's happened with sex? There is no sex? If you need to do it - do it.
Ask yourself - how much energy do I have? We are born with a certain
amount of energy that is related to the moment of our conception.
For women, they often feel no pleasure, they are feeling forced, that is
wasted energy. No difference if you do it with a man or a woman. Our energy
is usually not so large that we can have sex. We are trained to want it.
How women interpret energy through the womb is quite different from
percieving with the assemblage point.
Fifth lecture Saturday
The concrete is abstract in sorcery.
Intent is like a luminous beam that comes from the universe and transfixes
us, it takes possession of us. ancient shamans said one can manipulate it
once one is aware of it. Intent is self-aware and can respond to commands.
There are no procedures. Modern man wants manuals, praxis, methods, steps
to follow - we want to know what to do. There are even books that tell us
how to rekindle the flame in a relationship long after the embers have
burned out! The only relationship that needs to be rekindled is our
connection to intent. That is called dusting off the link with intent.
Ritual is only a device to trap your attention, it has no other value.
A single abstract act that covers everything - rekindling our connection
with intent. Once the connection is established, we can use it. The act
of using it is called intending. We are already linked with intent since
we are alive and conscious. We have to bring this link into the realm of
our consciousness - intending. It cannot be learned or taught.
To become conscious of the link, all we need is inner silence. Inner
silence is a preliminary to intending.
Taisha used to be proud over her capacity to think, she was an academic,
she told DJ that thinking was her best feature. DJ said: "If thinking is
your best feature, then you're in bad shape. You do not know how to think!
Why do you not shut up? They're not your thoughts anyway. You are only
following the commands of the social order." That really set me thinking!
Real change can only come when you are prepared to break with the social order.
Inner silence is a giant matrix for evolution, the result is direct
knowledge, instantaneous. Everything has alredy happened and is already
there. The only way to intend is from inner silence. One can reinforce
physical vitality, well-being through the magical passes. They allow us
to have that inner silence that gives us perception of eternity.
The large part of our information does not come from perceiving but from
calling intent. We enrich our perception with intent. We only need a
minimum of stimuli to create a whole world. We can interrupt this
interpretation. We all have the potential for seeing. We can percieve
energy directly as it flows in the universe. Our original state is to
perceive and to intend instead of judging and comparing. The magical passes
are a means of bypassing our interpretation. They moves us back to our
original state. The passes enable us to construct a bridge with intent,
and when we become aware of that bridge, our total potential becomes
available - for action, perception.
Lecture Sunday
The pragmatism for sorcerers are all acts that come from a point of
practicality (inner silence).
How to build this bridge to intent? We build it by taking total
responsibility for our actions. To take responsibility is to have no
doubt. No opinions about one's own worth. Self-trust is total
responsibility for one's actions.
Florinda tells about how she used to love to drive, she was a very good
driver. Older Florinda told her she could not drive anymore. Once she had
bought a new car, a convertible, and she drove down to Sonora to show
Florinda the car. She was very excited, and suggested they go for a drive.
Up to that point Florinda had no idea that older Florinda knew how to
drive. They drove up in the mountains(?) and watched the beautiful sunset.
Then older Florinda pushed the car down the mountain. It was completely
wrecked. Florinda was very upset, she had no insurance and she had paid
cash. Older Florinda said that was even better, then she could not buy a
new one for quite a while. But There is no good public transportation in
Los Angeles, I need a car. No you don't, you have plenty of friend you
can call who will be delighted to drive you. But she didn't want to call
Carlos because she didn't want him to know what she was doing.
This was the pragmatism of the old sorcerers. Florinda used driving to
avoid really doing anything. (Don't we have to go there, or there etc...)
We are all using some habit to avoid doing the work, and we need a
pragmatic solution to it, even if it doesn't have to that drastic.
Change your behavior.
The being who is going to die. We think that we are immortal beings. We
have to understand physically that we are going to die. Then we can use
it, it becomes our connection with eternity.
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