Ontario - July/August 1998
To: The Tango Mailing List
Ontario Workshop: July 30th - August 1st
hello shining beings, I am Juan Jose Yera.
Here I am, on my way home and I intend to describe as best I can the events
and mood of the recent Ontario seminar. Don't judge me becouse of my spelling
I can gurantee you I'm as dumb as I seem, But, I'm a lucky guy hurray oh
boy." Perhaps you too will be convinced that you are indeed a
"Shining Being". The last 10 days have been a
marvelous time for me. I have always said that the company of the most
indulgent of warriors (I don't mean you) is preferable to that of an
average man who is not aware of
intent or in possesion of a desire to be Free. Time with people that
have no idea that it is possible to see energy as it flows in the
universe pales when you are with warrior
aware of intent. I spent a week sequestered, more or less, doing the
things that we have all read about in the books, as best as I could.
Thanx to A for coming up with
the Idea. Your presence spurred me on to continue the grueling week.
Our intent was saturation before the intensive. To arrive there in a
state of silence. To push ourselves with as much deliberate and
sustained effort as the
asshole's that we are could stand. The whole thing in the end took a
surprising twist when many of the passes and exercises were aimed at
being with a partner. We spent
days of silence trying to change our routines. We did simple things
like switching our watches from one hand to another at random intervals.
I stopped eating meat for a day
or two. Cut out cheese(which I love), started a 6 hour a day
sleep/vigil cycle. Waking up several times and doing passes and or recap
or both. Our conversations
were about the warriors world seldom talking about our selves. We did
things as odd as looking for the perfect tonal and passes in the street,
trying to chose the ones that
we could do with out calling attention to our selves. Like Scraping mud
off the feet when entering buildings. Running man in the pool. Silvio
Manuel's passes were especially easy to perform with out attracting
attention. One time, when we were
especially careless, someone asked if we were dancers. I responded that
"No we were just doing dance steps which we considered magical." The
question of inaccessibility
came up but upon further reflection I quote the bible here. " I f you
have a lighted candle do you place it under a bushel basket or do you
hold it up so it can light the world? I think the more people (mass)
are involved in this new intent the better. I
fancied a brave new world where going to work was secondary to
performing the magical passes. Imagine this world with practitioners at
every turn. We did not see
ourselves all week cause we covered all the mirrors in the joint as soon
as we got there. I'm still having trouble recognizing my self :)
These events caused an exquisite silence in me. As a result I have
realized exactly where I am in dreaming. I have acquired a facility to
maintain a scene where
as before they would vanish before I could see what they truly were. I
discovered that If I describe the passes in my head as I do them, I'm
not thinking about the car or the
bastard that cut me off. My internal dialogue. if one can call it that,
can temporarily dethrone that foreign installation. In one vision, as
strange as it may sound, I saw a
scene that resembled the last supper, By Da vinchi. But instead of
Jesus and the disciples I saw a dark panorma of what seemed to be tar
black Michelin men, all leaning, pyramid like as if at a Roman banquet,
as if feasting. Only now do I start to
understand the significance of that scene which was quite grotesque.
So I thank the spirit for pointing that out to me.
The 30th finally arrived and we made our way to Ontario. The weather
was bright and sunny for the tree days of this most magical of events.
Again participants from all over the globe converged on the convention
center. Filling out the forms, the
badges, which were a shiny sky blue with tie die like yarn of several
colors, the whole bit and of course one can not neglect the tensegrity
greeters that seem to have wider
and wider smiles every time I see them! Security was rather lax and at
one point during the workshop no one checked my badge on the way in.
The hall was as big as any other we have had. The overhead was a mass
of girders, ducts and pipes all
painted black like a night sky With large circular white vents spread
throughout. The floors were of polished cement. The walls resembled
the rubber walls in a psyc ward. There was only one center stage with
four of the now familiar projection screens.
There clearly was a prevailing excitement in the air. The atmosphere
was charged with the intent of all of those "shining beings", as the
practitioners were
referred to on several occasions by the instructors and staff. What did
I believe was the underlying mood? I would say lightness and freedom.
An emphasis on doing what our own bodies told us to do. Several times
this theme was repeated. "Don't
worry about weather the circles go forward or back, your body will know.
Let it do what feels right. Take responsibility for this solitary
flight". It seems the departure of
the Nagual has ignited the spirit of navigation, of revitalization. As
if they had been wearing a corset, and all of a sudden discovered the
"freedom Bra":) As a child
experiencing the joy of discovering their ability to go from a crawl to
stumbling to a full and joyous power gait as they dart around avoiding
the protective gestures of the
fearful and heavy parent, afraid the child will fall. The shrills of
those warriors were heard through out the 3 days with a level of energy
unprecedented in this practitioners
experience. Not since westwood have I seen that level of "after hours"
movement and practice.
I openly want to thank the spirit for the signs and joy that I had in
looking into the eyes in greeting and embracing old friends and seeing
the obvious changes in the
practitioners which I have had the honor to observe these past years.
There was a spirit of affection and awe that permeated the place, no
kidding. I also want to thank
all the practitioners I interacted with. You have given me more than
you can imagine. "I love you man" :)
The work shop began as usual, with grant telling us the schedule had
changed. Several times the staff set up podiums and chairs only to turn
a round moments later
and remove them. The sound system had problems on and off with an erie
echo that forced you to be quiet and concentrate more on the sound of
their voices.
The first movements were a warm up that were repeated many times
through out. They were performed both, while standing, while sitting
and laying on the mats.
they consisted of a selection of tensegrity movements from most of the
series in the vast repertoire of magical passes. They were all
performed very slowly in a spirit of
stretching before the passes. 1. The back and forth motion of the arms
touching the opposite arm at the shoulder 2. bringing energy to the V
spot from the shoulder
blades. 3. kneading energy with a push of the shoulder blades. 4.
pushing clasped energy with the elbow and fore arm. 5. slow arm
swings, one at a time and both at
the same time. Like figure 8 (Not the speedy, jerky motions done
before). 6. The monkey breadth and curling left arm up to arm pit while
dropping the right down to the thigh. 7. The neck exercise to the
front, left, right with slow deliberate
movements and breathing. 8. Offering the breadth. 9. Stirring up
energy for the adrenals. There may be a couple more but if we wait till
I recap it all we'll be here f-o-r-e-v-e-r :o(would'nt that be nice)
If anyone remembers something other than what I have down pleas feel to
pipe in. Go ahead hurt my self importance. My recap proceeds too slow
for me to wait till I can remember it all. So being brought up
Catholic, I do feel guilty. "I TOOK NOTES" (except most passes) I hope
I will be forgiven someday :)
Miles opened up after the warm up talking about the basic tenets of
warriorship. Describing the assemblage point and that it forms
veritable new worlds. They are the key points that produce new worlds.
The Shamans of ancient Mexico discovered the magical passes that
redeploy our energy to the vital centers from it's
encrustation on the inner wall of the luminous cocoon(ball). They
increase vital energy and well being that result in true change in our
beings. The purpose of the seminars are to facilitate to the group of
practitioners the benefit of mass. The
instructors have found that the more practitioners, the easier for our
kinesthetic memories to remember due to the large number of people
intending this change. He
went on to affirm that the passes should fit the individual. As you
practice the movements they should remain dynamic(How Fluid are you?)
adjust them to your
comfort, take into account how you can adapt them to your self
personally. We did the release passes. Adjust and practice what you
remember and feel comfort with.
We then did the release passes and video long form. After we had a
short lecture by Nuri Alexander. She recounted How don Juan would
deliver the back blow
to Castaneda. She assured us that we have received that blow by the
practice of tensegrity. By the way, in a previous work shop Florinda
was asked if the tensegrity instructors saw energy as it flowed in the
universe, and the answer was yes. She went
on to talk about time and that it was not a vague concept but a clear
arrangement of energy. Living beings walk down one furrow at a time.
However, we have the
ability to turn around and see time as it comes towards us instead of
just remembering what has happened, we can actually see what is coming
towards us. Not only that, but
the repetition of our habits keep us in the same furrows of the wheel of
time. In order to change furrows we must change our being by performing
the Magical Passes. She
then gave a brief look forward to the passes we would be doing. The
videos, new passes, not doings, the wheel of time the new west wood
passes and the passes of affection. The integration of the recap into
the passes. This will bring about a true
behavioral change that will enable us to jump to other groves in the
wheel of time. She spoke of crossing from one phylum to the other. With
passes like the lobster strike, teasing the web and the winged creature.
The shamans of ancient Mexico saw as an energetic fact that the
universe is constantly honing awareness. The universe is divided into
sections 1. Inanimate energy has low awareness 2. Animated, this
section is the universe attempting to become
aware of it self. We are bubbles touring awareness and then returning
to infinity. The art of shamans is that, as they become aware, the
universe becomes aware. We as human beings carry the potential of the
universe trying to become aware of it self. As
practitioners we can -become- the universe aware of itself, this makes
the self go away.
Crossing Phylum is not a far fetched Idea. The human embryo (Mine: The
fetus is embryonically undetermined Male/Female) as it develops
resembles a primitive fish, then a reptile, a bird and finally a mammal.
Shamans try to see energy as it flows in the universe. The act of
intending is taught from our youth except we intend only the world we
see. We can see the
repetitive patterns in our lives when we recapitulate. We need to
construct new avenues of behavior, a new base on the wheel of time.
Practicing the magical passes
like Being from the ground, Being from the air and from the sea helps
you cross the phylum and perhaps get a glimpse from a different angle.
I believe that we then did
the creature from the ground and the same day did the recap and dreaming
from west wood. They were done with a partner so that you would not
focus on the self. The
first part was face to face with each doing half of the following
movements. I.E. both strike with right hand at top middle and bottom to
form the trunk, then both strike with right hand at mid point to slap
the energy body and so on. These were the passes
done together before sitting down and doing a mass recap. 1. Forging
the trunk 2. Slapping the energy body 3. Spreading the energy body 4.
Establishing the core of the EB 5. Forging the heals of the EB. 6. The
recap wings 7. The window of recap, were
staggered and then together 3 sets each. 8. Five deep breaths, fore
heads touch - three breaths 9. Drawing energy from the feet foreheads
touch three breaths. Then(stand at
90 deg to each other) stager the start time 10. Three fingers on the
ground 11. Knuckles on toes. 12. Drawing energy from the floor 13
.Moving energy in a ripple without bending to the floor. Then we sat
and recapped right away. When we stood
up (put on shoes) we did he arm swing then in the same side to side
fashion count at least five times to the left to the right 1. Forcing
the assemblage point down - switch
to drawing energy from the adrenals - in same swinging motion continue
with hurling the AP from the waist - then from the shoulder like a disk
then from the shoulder(back
of head) - then like a ball above the head. Contiue this cycle 2 or 3
times to comfort.
I can't quite place where Brandon did his lecture but he seems to have
really come into his a own with a brilliant and funny presentation that
told his story about
his attempts at recapitulation. The humor was accentuated more because
the story sounded so much like what most of us go through. Here is my
best rendition.
He was trying to give us a new approach to Recapitulation. He defined
it as a systematic scrutiny of ones life in order to understand and
change our behavior.
Shamans believe that once you understand, it is impossible to go back to
what we once were. Shamans opt to fly off and give to infinity that
enhanced awareness and live impeccable lives linked to intent, not the
social order. Enhancing our awareness
liberates the assemblage point from its fixed position. The recap puts
social order in a less overwhelming place. It takes you from,
compulsive habits to a world of
conscious decision. He contiued - start by making a list of everyone(
easier said than done) then he proceeded to tell his story. He
figured he would be very successful
and that in a few weeks he would finish his list. He decided he would
recap a bit at lunch and a bit after work. He himself being a catholic
was used to monastic life and
would be finished in 2 years. After a while he realized that his plan
was not working. So he decided to really get serious.
He quite everything, got a 4 hour a day job at Seven/Eleven. That way
he would get a cheap apartment, have enough money to eat and have all
that time to
recapitulate! He decided to recapitulate 10 hours a day. He would start
from the most recent to the very first person he ever met. He started
making his list and getting
ready. Just as it says in the book, he started getting all the things
together that were needed. Make a box, find a cave, get his natural
fiber cushion all the props he needed
in order to really start his recap. He started to realize that it would
take longer to prepare than he had anticipated. Besides he did not
really want to rehash all the
garbage of his life. He decided to visualize all the details. What
color was the carpet, the walls, what were people wearing, the man had a
watch, what make was it, what time was it... He found he could not
remember all that detail and realized that he was
a total failure. He described his method of breathing in your feelings
right to left then exhale left to right or the other way is just as
well. Between the preparation and the
recap it was so taxing that he was exhausted and hungry. So he seemed
to go on a food binge. Since he worked at 7/11 there was lots of food.
Since he started to get fat
he had to start walking which meant less time for his recap. He figured
he could recap while he walked so he demonstrated the Power breath he
developed for walking. It
was truly ridiculous and funny to see him perform these movements on the
stage. In the end the recap continued to decrease, his weight continued
to increase and the
manager at his work thought of him as a fat bat looking person. His
social life also decreased. He could not fathom that he had to put
every one he met on a daily basis
on his list so he avoided people. So in the end he was broke,
friendless, and hungry. Carol told him to be creative, "try some thing
new, something that would not make
him so fat! He was in shock. He thought, the books are very clear,
how, what, when -eventhough, he admitted, some said the opposite of the
other. But HOW can I be creative. She told him you have to intend the
change. Carol told him to do passes
before and after his recap.
It must be approached with detachment, lightness and sobriety.
Recapping together brings detachment. But be fluid enough to do either,
don't let it be another obsession. The recapitulation forces the
assemblage point to move. Pick one thing
and try to remember as much detail as you can, capture the mood of the
interaction. Inhale - exhale seal the memory with a sweep with out a
breath. Awareness lies in the act of breathing, in that way you can
deliver it to infinity. at some point around here
we did some westwood passes a bit different than before. we also did
Intent, basically the same with the exception that in the long form when
you turn around to crack the
two circles of energy instead of coming back to the left you continue to
the right and make a full circle. We learned the creature from the ground.
DAY TWO (part 2 of 2):
Next to speak was Reni Murez. She introduced the Masculinity and the
Womb series. She started with adding some information about the recap.
Some questions had been asked about recapping people they encountered
in there lives now. The answer being yes, staring with a fresh new page
allows you to become free of passing judgments. The masculine series
was so named because it tends to cultivate a quality to strike into the
unknown. They make you ready to start the recap. They give you the
initiative and drive. An "energetic" male is someone who has the
energetic force to venture into another furrow of the wheel of time.
The magical passes stir up energy to go into the vital centers. The
masculinity passes have two sections one series are short contained
movements of tendon energy the other less contained. Four female
instructors will lead the series. The Womb, gives women an anatomical
advantage with the liberation of the Womb from simply a reproductive
organ to a sense organ it liberates the Womb and turns it into a second
Brian, (so much for thinking with your Dick!) The Womb is capable of
apprehending sensory data and interpreting it. They awaken the Womb as
an organ of perception. Shamans perception happens at the assemblage
point. Women on the other hand can perceive with the Womb. It awakens
women up from socialization. Men have a predilection for explanation.
However the passes for the Womb can provide a launch to extraordinary
perception. Energy is the all pervasive impetus behind everything. She
continued explaining that intent separates man from others and that the
passes intend a greater range of perception. They recommend that both
be practiced lightly. All beings that are going to die have a choice of
living in self reflection or to have a romance with life.
We then did masculinity, they have added several leg movements between
the natural breaks in the passes. 1. Just after the striking energy
with a spike of energy you go to the alert position with hands at the
ready and you do two rapid sets (3 count) of shuffling with the feet -
left right left - right left right- repeat then continue. The second
set of movements happens after the short contained movements associated
with the right side. You perform the scooping with foot pass from
Silvio Manuel's and Juan Tuma's passes. left left right right and
repeat. I call it the Fred Astare. Next time is after the next short
contained movements associated with the right side. They are stepping
over a barrier of energy (Intent) step in left - step in right - then
step out left - step out right, then repeat. The last set of leg
movements happen at the end of the first set of major movements for the
right side first hoisting energy upward from (heat) then stirring up
personal history by making it flexible (kick in the but) westwood. - up
left, up right, - kick left, kick right.
Saturday afternoon Miles introduced the not doings. It was quite
difficult for me to understand him between the echo and a thick Spanish
accent. - uhhh well go figure-. here is what I got. Man has a capacity
to change the direction of the flow of energy. The running man prepares
us to run. Makes us alert to action and fleet of foot. This energy is
stirred at the feet. It wakes up the adrenals. There is an opening to
infinity at the feet. The dark sea of awareness. Gaining access to
this prepares us for fluidity and change. The only fringe of awareness
that man still possesses is at the feet. That dark sea is just below or
above the ankle bone. It is like a river of energy at our feet. To
agitate that river is to stimulate the growth of awareness. The Shamans
of ancient Mexico saw that if they moved their feet in a certain way
that fringe of awareness would grow. This in effect shakes or vibrates
the stream and it is performed with muscular and tendon energy. Be
aware of this an intend to grab or snatch energy from that dark sea. Do
these only every two or three days. If you perform them sitting it is
possible to promote more alertness. These passes were lead by Brandon.
Brandon introduced the wheel of time. We would do first the individual
passes then learn a long form. He stated that these passes must be done
perfectly. Juan Matus said that upon executing these passes
practitioners must intend to turn into a circle. Every muscle must be
involved. with the wheel of time those shamans were capable of
manipulating the intent of time and space. For average men time and
space is an abstraction they see time as a cognitive system of
non-spatial continuum in an irreversible continuum, in a 3 dimensional
field. However, time, like a thought intervenes in every aspect. To
the Shamans of ancient Mexico Time was intent. Man is a minute part of
the universe but under certain circumstances could redeem some of that intent.
Space is infinity. It is all the endeavors of living creatures. It is
where action takes place. Man is accountable for a large % of space.
These concepts are workable units. This concept was assembled from
their ability to see energy. They described something of infinite
length and width. Living things are compelled to gaze into one furrow
of the wheel of time. They are arranged in a circular fashion.
Warriors who focus their attention on the wheel of time could gaze into
any furrow in any direction. There are certain energetic facts. We are
in a position to force a change in the flow of energy. Execution
requires concentration. It requires patience and guidance. The
instructors will continue to teach the wheel of time slowly and
deliberately. Once practitioners tap into this source infinity comes to
the practitioner. It initiates the possibility for behavioral change.
It aids in the recap and awareness. We will be able to expand and
contract space and time. They intend that we practice the movements to
perfection. Practice them sparingly so that we do not turn morbid.
learn to listen to your body. Take it easy. We must take
responsibility for ourselves don't over do it and don't complain.
At this juncture I personally would like to reiterate the importance
that I have found in the term "I don't explain I don't complain" This
concept in my estimation is tied directly to the Nagual's request that
we cease judgment, of ourselves and of others. What is the point just
surrender to the spirit. That's the way it is. We have to stop trying
to fix the other person and concentrate on stalking ourselves. With
that said we have now arrived at supper on the second day. Everything
has been taught by now except the creature from the Air, which was
taught after the supper break and the passes for the blank check of
affection which were taught on the third day after lunch.
After supper on the 2nd day the whole place was buzzing with rumors.
The Nagual woman was supposed to show up tonight. They took great pains
to make sure the sound system worked and put every body in the front of
the stage. (They gave the impression that if you saw the back side of
Carol Tiggs you would not see anything:)
The back doors swung open and in she came. A standing ovation followed
as she walked to the stage. She was dressed all in a long white dress.
As if she was a medium in a Santeria sect. She used the phrase good
evening shining Beings. She introduced herself "I am Carol Tiggs I was
the only one energetically available for this evening" Her fluctuation
between joy and the verge of tears was overwhelming. She continued: We
are all linked by abstract affection. She joked with Brandon and drew
parallels to her struggle to recap and how she was also a "Fat Bat".
These three days would be days of contradiction. She gave us a tip for
our daily recapitulation. She said at the end of the day write
everything down take only about ten minutes and then file it, don't look
at it. Come back to it some other day. You will be surprised to see
the patterns. Some where in the middle of her talk she gasped and
asked out loud "Oh am I gone!" Then she apologized and said that
everything was so quiet that she thought she had left the world. She
said that to cross the phylum we must suspend judgment. We are a mere
bubble of awareness touring infinity.
As she looked out into the crowd she said "I see something awesome.
The shining heart of the lineage. A unified body of beings with
discipline and purpose on the abstract path." ( As I write this the
same feeling of awe and sadness overtakes me to the point of tears not
of realization but true useless hope and affection for this Nagual woman
and the body of practitioners around me.) "You are not ready yet" she
said it is not in the realm of warriors to insist when something is not
possible. Do the passes and recap. There is no way to catch up to don
Juan and the Nagual. They are running and we are running behind them.
It is now impossible to stay like we were. Awareness. When sorcerers
leave they leave stuffed with awareness. Just do the work. Passes and
recap and intend to change. There are no winners or losers here just
action. In order to move the assemblage point you must acquire
fluidity. Our lives are but a moment as artists, don't doubt that life
is extraordinary. She then went on to talk about the flying form. She
stated that tonight the instructors shared a link with infinity. Cross
to a different phylum and merge as a male and female winged beings. No
excuses, If you feel like you are a looser then what is the point in
clinging to anything? Use that energy for awareness. Discipline is the
art of awe. Open up to the wonders around you
Marco and one of the Alexander Vanalstines taught the creature from the air.
they tricked us and said this would be the only time it was taught..
The THIRD DAY was a review all morning.
After lunch Nuri Murez
addressed us again as shining beings. She joked with us about how we
would not let the instructors from the sea creature leave. She said
that stiff shoulders was a good measure of our tensegrity
accomplishment. Use the stretching exercises to stretch your selves.
You embody the lineage’s of the shamans of ancient Mexico. Hold up that
intent when you go home. We have all been trained to be losers. So why
not retrain to hold up that intent of a warrior. The passes for
affection promote abstract affection. This link to affection is
anchored in Infinity. The ultimate challenge of a human beings is to
love another human being unconditionally. Normally we want to be loved
but not love back. She gave an example of a husband and wife. She, a
dedicated person that cooks, irons, does everything for him and then the
husband turns around and screams out the window "is there anyone out
there that loves me."
The recap shows that all our dramas are cardboard dramas. Don Juan
said forget about your self and fear nothing. Abstract affection takes
all our courage. If you don't have it, give it anyway. In writing your
daily notes don't write she, they, white about your self and your
reactions. She recounted a story that The Nagual woman had told her.
The old Nagual used to look at her and ask what's wrong. She would
respond "nothing" he would insist and she would complain "Nobody is
doing things my way" Don't get hooked in things like "she is slow" "she
wants to be in control" As an aside comment, as I sit and write this I
realize that she is describing ME. See the reflection of our own
repetition in others. Let go of the patterns and become a witness to
infinity. She passed a message on from The Nagual woman that she was
thrilled to see babies in the he crowd. If we want to help them, make
them in this image of awareness to intent. It is a good thing to bring
them and thus give fluidity to their assemblage points. Then she
introduced the friendship pass and add that this was a new direction.
With this pass we can turn the wheel of time. The workshop finished on
a high level of energy and people did not depart right away instead,
continued to practice the friendship passes. Thank you all again. And
I voice out loud my intent to change.
Yours, Juan Jose Yera
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