To: The Ixtlan Mailing List
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 16:14:47 -0400

New York City Workshop - June 13, 1998

The workshop was held in the basketball gymnasium at Hunter College which is located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. The gymnasium is located three stories underground in the West Building.

When we arrived at about 9:20 AM, the stage was still being constructed in the center of the room and many of the attendees were already in attendance. After turning in our release forms to the folk from Omega we entered the second level of the gymnasium, walked along a catwalk to the end of the room and descended some stairs to the gym floor.

The instructors were Reni Murez, Nyei Murez, Erin Alexander and Rylan Morris. Later in the day Nyei referred to Rylan as "the newest energy tracker".

Erin Alexander came out on stage and announced the availability of the book The Wheel of Time. She spoke briefly about L.A. Eidolona Press and about the contents of the book.

Reni then came on stage and introduced herself as Rennata Murez, explaining that that was her magical name. Her talk was nearly identical to the one she gave the previous week in Mountain View. The most notable exception was that she talked about how there was a core group of Tensegrity practioners who have dedicated themselves to the practice of Tensegrity for several years, specifically mentioning the New York practice group and their efforts.

We then were led by Reni in the individual Masculinity passes and then  performed the Long Form version which has changed slightly since it was last shown.

Before we broke for lunch Nyei took the stage and started talking about the series for the womb, commenting about how appropriate a pass it was considering that we were underground in the "womb of New York". She explained that the primary function of the womb is reproduction but that the womb also has a secondary function, evolution. She explained how women have a direct link to Intent via their wombs and how this was an advantage that wasn't an advantage at all.

Because women have had this connection since birth, they are unaware of it. Women take it for granted that they sometimes know things or whatever so they then end up second guessing themselves, thinking "oh how could I have known that? I'm imagining it." Essentially they dismiss this link that they have. Men on the other hand, do not have this natural link and have to work very hard to achieve it. Nyei said that for this reason, once they finally achieve it they recognize it as something of a different order, never dismissing it and always appreciating it. This is why a woman's advantage is no advantage at all. Men fight like hell get to where women are, but they always appreciate what they have achieved. Women must work simply to learn to appreciate and trust what they already know.

Nyei said that men should practice the series for the womb in order to gain fluidity and during the instruction the men were told to swipe the energy on their male sexual organs ("wherever they are") instead of on the area of the ovaries.

After lunch we went straight into the instruction for the womb. Again we learned the individual movements as taught in Magical Passes and then learned the long form. The long form version is the same as it has been since last shown.

After a short break Reni came on stage to talk about the Not Doings. Again her talk was nearly identical to Mountain View. She said our energy is moving in one direction and we can interrupt that flow for a moment and step out of what we are. Reni said that we have an almost infinite capacity to remember advertising jingles and song lyrics yet we can't remember to act impeccably every moment of the day. She said this is due to the fact that all our energy is taken up with the concerns of daily living. Reni mentioned that our awareness which should cover our entire luminous ball is reduced to just our ankle level, from an area at or just below the protuberance of the ankle bone to the bottom of our feet. The movements of the running man stir up this awareness and move it higher.

We were quickly instructed in the individual passes of Running Man while sitting up and then performed them once in sequence while lying down. After a short break, Nyei again took the stage to talk about affection. She said that the type of affection she is talking about is that in which you write a blank check and don't look to see what the amount is that was filled in.

Nyei said that people who attend the workshops for the first time often ask if they will be at a disadvantage because they will learning the passes for the first time and many of the other attendees already know them. She there are no advantages or disadvantages in the world of sorcery, "only opportunities". She explained that they have discovered that the greater the number of participants at a workshop, the easier it is for everyone to learn the passes and to remember the movements and everything that was said.

Nyei also talked about how much we should practice. Basically she said it was an individual thing. The passes should give us a sense of well being and balance. If we get dizzy or feel out of it, we're doing too much. She said if we start to feel unbalanced when practicing just some of the individual movements, we should then practice the long form version which has a perfect balance of each of the movements built into it.

After the instruction for the Pass of Affection which was led by Nyei, the workshop ended with enthusiastic applause.

Addendum: Nyei also said that the secondary function of the male sexual organs is unbending intent.
   

To: The Ixtlan Mailing List
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 12:46:53 -0400

After exposure to the raw energy of a rainy, Saturday morning in NY we were guided to the relative safety of a gymnasium on the 3rd basement level of Hunter College in the upper east side of Manhattan. It was described as being in the womb of NY.

There was a blend of new and experienced practitioners but a show of hands seemed to indicate that as a group we were predominantly first timers at a workshop, an estimated 300 participants of every age, shape, and size. We were told that there was no benefit or advantage to be lost or gained between newcomers and the more experienced, each struggle was individual, and by learning and practicing the passes we all have an equal opportunity to experience the benefits and to witness the effect of mass on sequential learning through saturation. That is exactly what happened.

We were taught the Magical Passes for not-doing.

The energy drain caused by our focus on the demands and routines of daily living (bark on the outer shell)? has rendered us unable or incapable of learning new behaviors and processing new information. Our awareness has been reduced to the area around the ankles. The passes were designed, and are utilized, to stir and free up this energy and make it available for us to begin perceiving other uses for our energy and other possibilities (paraphrased of course). The issue of how to gauge the intensity of our endeavors was illustrated by a story about the man who complains about his shoulder hurting. He was describing how he swung a sledgehammer all day and this pain was hurting right here. The advice of course was stop doing what was causing the pain..... if it doesn't feel right, then it probably isn't..... if it feels bad for you, don't do it!

It was only the masculinity series that was not performed by women historically. At some point, the women overthrew the men and there has been a deep distrust between the sexes since. The men regained control several thousand years ago. People with a womb have the equipment to 'see' it is a natural occurrence..... they see constantly.... they take it for granted. The time they spend with sorcerers or warriors is important..... to have it pointed out to them.....make them 'aware' of their seeing. People without wombs have to 'learn' seeing. Once this has been accomplished, it is recognized as a treasure and is never taken for granted. (interpretations and corrections [of my notes] are not only welcome but essential)

Two of the chacmools from the videos were present on the team of tensegrity instructors. They are recognizable, but a profound difference is present. They resonate with a sense of strength and growth. Even the newest member [of the energy trackers] has an inner something. They were not overtly demonstrating, or teaching impeccable behavior, rather the stage was flowing with smooth transitions and fluidity. There were no video screens as described in other, larger workshops.... with a square stage in the center of the gym, and trainers facing four directions, they accomplished almost a sense of intimacy. Personal concern over the end of DJ's lineage seemed to dissipate....... with beings like these to learn from, a new sense of hope seems to manifest.

The team of tensegrity instructors began with the Masculinity series long form, then the series for the womb. Mats were pulled out later, after lunch, for the running man series. Then there was an unanounced special surprise, the hauntingly beautiful series of passes called the Passes for Abstract Affection. How warriors love. This series has been taught before. Performed together in pairs, we selected 'same sex', 'same height' partners. All day long rules of personal space had been observed, we had spread out evenly about the gym, physical contact limited to handshakes and hugs. Suddenly we were surrounded by intensely shifting of AP's..... at one point warriors foreheads touching..... breath mixing. Then back to back, AP's touching, piercing, occupying the same space....... scientifically impossible and unimaginable. Experiencing the unknown the unknowable (trying to describe the undescribable). It would be interesting to find out how as individuals that series affected the participants. Question of how many of the partners lingered together after the workshop...... if you were there, try to post your perceptions of that moment. Later, my partner performed the passes in Madison square garden while I wrote them down.... we sat on a bench in a park and talked about everything....... we strolled through central park in the middle of the night. We breathed in Times Square.

In Times Square, a group was performing a tai chi series that looked amazingly similar to pulling a rope of energy.... he suggested that we cross the street and do the passes beside them,.... I hesitated.

the moment had passed.....

the wheel of time had turned.

A 12 hour drive home...(partly due to a wrong turn and being lost in Queens...then another wrong turn and being lost in the Bronx) the further I drove the more I could feel slipping away.... with the slipping went all concerns about the expenses.....

With abstract affection,

Sven