From:  jisom <jisom@a...>
Date:  Sat Sep 15, 2001  6:51 pm
Subject: Ontario Worshop

Here are my notes on the Aug.-Sept. '01 workshop at Ontario. If anyone has anything to add, please feel free.
Shelley

August 31-September 2 Workshop in Ontario, California:

As we lost altitude flying into the airport at Ontario, a city which seems to have been built yesterday or the day before, I marveled at this complex expanse spread below like an enormous mother board, everything miniaturized and orderly, truck trailers in yards in neat herring bone formations, tiny identical houses all facing one direction linked by asphalt strips, huge warehouses stretching over acres of ground, freeways undulating, automobiles filling parking lots in rows like colored beads, the ubiquitous golf courses — little patches of velvety green turf like unsymmetrical area rugs. I was close enough to see detail yet still felt removed by the fact that it seemed so small, so graspable in its multiplicity. Then suddenly we were coming in for a landing and everything assumed its normal size and I was seeing it from ground-level, a recession of things to the horizon, rather than a flatness on which everything could be apprehended at once in two dimensions.  Ontario is flat and it stretches all the way to the feet of the San Gabriel Mountains which rise suddenly high into the air. From the ground, visible through the hazy distance, they almost seem to be painted mountains on a backdrop.

The hotel I stayed at is a popular place for weddings and there were at least two while we were there. One was a Hispanic wedding, and the bride seemed to spend hours afterward posing all over the interior court garden for the photographers, with her flower girl, leaning on a post, against this tree and that flowering bush, etc. (the groom was nowhere in sight).  On Sunday morning, I came out and saw a diminutive couple dressed in traditional Hindu costumes of pure white, he in white turban, white Nehru jacket, white leggings and shoes and the bride in a white sari.  They looked exquisite and suddenly the Southern California garden was turned into a Mogul miniature.  Streams of Indian people in saris of jeweled colors trimmed with gold arrived to the hotel and disappeared into a room off the reception area.  I also saw a family sitting stiffly and looking grim in wedding planner's office joining forces to link yet another couple.  I took it as an omen that we were ourselves joining in a ceremony to reunite ourselves with our energy body, to re-connect ourselves to the energy we had tied up in the past by recapitulating.

At the new and very white convention center where the workshop was held, our ballroom was sandwiched between (on Saturday) 7th Day Adventists who all seemed to be oriental and who spent the afternoon singing hymns and the Association of Cloggers who danced continuously on special floors. There were people of every age, and physical type, wearing every kind of clothing from athletic wear to frilly skirts. In each room an accomplished dancer demonstrated on stage, calling out the steps in a sing song voice ("Irish", "double heel toe," "step toe right", "grapevine left") to the ragged rows of dancers below, watched by small clots of people in chairs.  I saw a little girl going through a rack to see which crinoline skirt had the most swish to it. It struck me somehow as natural that we should be in between religion and dancing.

I met my roommate, checked in and went over to the convention center. It is a white clean building with a central hallway with high ceilings and polished floors which reflected the great height of the roof, so that one felt a little as if one was floating on the surface over a depth.  I was early and watched Patricia organizing the work-study people to register the attendees, set up tables, distribute manila envelopes, put up signs.

We began the workshop with the antennae pass. Then we did some warm up, including two quick steps forward and back and shaking our entire bodies from the feet up.

1st lecture: Nyei dressed in white shirt, black pants. She looks very young with her wide-eyed candid gaze.

The theme of the workshop to be a "tour of awareness" ... of here, before and beyond.  Infinity sends out bubbles of awareness to know itself. At St. Petersburg, they practiced the antennae remembering that we come from stars. There is no self-reflection in infinity. We are here to unravel the mystery without ever hoping to be able to do it.

The Barcelona and St. Petersburg workshops brought a new view, a different direction.  None of the apprentices had ever been to St. P. before.

She talked about cycles of three.  Sorcerers look at any cycles of three.  It has now been six years since the first workshop was given in ‘95 – two cycles of three years each.  We are on the cusp of a new cycle.

In the first cycle, the apprentices/sorcerers wanted to induce saturation, to flood our kinesthetic memory with passes.  The passes addressed us as energetic beings. Now we share a language of movements. This saturation brought about a redeployment of energy. In this next cycle we need to reconsider recapitulation in light of this change of our energy levels.

As a body of practitioners, we've broken our crust (on the outside of the luminous sphere) with the saturation – "we're on the edge – you have tons of energy now."  Now is our chance to either become more egomaniacal than ever or to use the energy for perception. Some of the practice groups are finding each other in dreaming.

Taisha said that we want to unravel the mystery of being, but that it is impossible, yet we must still explore it.

Awareness of death: Don Juan took a party of seers with him when he burned from within.  Carlos went alone.  He wanted to pay back the spirit of man.  "He's your nagual." The mood of seers/warriors is a mood of ultimate respect for other beings and for the mystery that surrounds us.  The Assemblage Point assembles a different view when it moves.  The art of dreaming is to move the assemblage point in an orderly way with sobriety. Stalking fixes the AP in a new position.
Seers stalk new positions of awareness, but never in a helter skelter way. "Impeccability means being functional."

The words "You're fired" cause a shift in the assemblage point (If you're drowning, the A.P. moves).  Nyei asked us to think of something that moved our A.P. in the last 6 months.   The key element of the passes is the breath.

"Don't explain, don't complain," said Nyei.  Don't stalk the position of victim. The recapitulation allows you a distance so you can see what you have been stalking all your life.  Routines allow for repetitious internal dialogue.

First pass: "Stalking the Self" (came out of St. Petersburg workshop)

Right hand on right hip, left hand inserted into right as if into a holster or scabbard. Bring left arm up and diagonally down, swing left arm up and hit three times in a descending order, ... etc.

2nd Lecture: Miles Reid

Seers pay attention to series of three.  They are moments of turning points/shifts.  From ‘95-‘98, time of saturation.  ‘98 saw a new configuration (Note: CC left).  Carlos said: "We're being cooked. Once you're in the pot, there's no way out."

"Oh, I'm Miles Reid," said Miles.  He explained that he states his name in order to renew his link with the spirit.

The second 3 year cycle began with a new configuration, began with a recapitulation mood at the first (?) Ontario workshop.  Now they are bringing back the emphasis to recapitulation.  For a long time, Miles had thought that sorcery was about changing the self.  Carlos said: "It's not about changing.  You don't change. You change your view." Don Juan told Carlos that they were exactly the same which shocked Carlos. "We are exactly the same but I've changed my view. You haven't."

The magical passes can be dangerous because they will redeploy our energy, but the energy will just enhance whatever is stuck in us. That's why we need to recapitulate.  It will help to shift the assemblage point away from where we've always been.  Where does most of our energy go? Complaining and explaining.  He knew of a practice group who reported that they practiced like demons but at the end of three years, they were angrier than ever. They had more energy but only for what they always did.  The recapitulation redirects the new energy accumulated by doing the passes.

Mapping Total Perception: They started mapping the body about a year ago.  There are mysterious areas like vortexes in the body. Tendon energy circulates like a current around the body. Mapping total perception is mapping our energy body at the same time as the physical body. These are the two aspects of our being.

How to get that extra depth in recap.: "We are not what we think we are." Carlos said: "Tell yourself you're impeccable.  Tell yourself your energy body is with you" instead of the opposite.  Don't think that it's hopeless, that you'll never be impeccable and your energy body is as far away as ever.

Second pass: Mapping on the floor with opening the first five-six energy gates of dreaming.

3rd Lecture: Miles

Carlos made the apprentices practice magical passes sitting in chairs. The apprentices went to Taisha's house and sometimes brought their own chairs. Carlos said "We must be beings of our own time and most of us spend a large part of our life sitting in chairs."

Our daily awareness focuses on everything except sitting which we do so much of our time.  He described how they would come in to Taisha's house and slump on her couch like a "sack of potatoes." They began to practice sitting right, with awareness.

The seven gates in dreaming are "energetic thresholds we must cross." There is no gravity in dreaming but there are thresholds.

Chair passes: Beginning with diagonal alternating (start with left) arms (from Code), then first leg pass, diagonal kick toward other foot, first dreaming pass, etc., kick first low then knee level, swimming arms, foot horizontal, place foot on knee, kick out and return foot to knee. Alternating arm and feet passes.

Miles, Nyei and Erin answered questions. Someone asked to see a demonstration of how they did the recap. breath. They emphasized what to recap. – personality patterns, traits of character – and discover when they began, when we began giving ourselves syntactical commands.

Saturday Morning:

Reviewed passes.

First question period: Nyei, Darien and Miles.

Pass: 2nd Stalking Form to dissolve the solid idea of self that we all have.

Wiggle fingers palm up, flick out from wrists (5X), wiggle fingers palm down, flick out, open and close hands, flick out; left fist up, grab, right fist down grab, change position of arm forcefully, then switch; bring fists up to sides, tense, etc.

This pass was to "stalk the solidity or fixed idea of the self"  (To learn to grab and let go.)

Lecture: Miles and Brandon Scott

They introduced another portion of a long form by Lujan (apprentice nagual of nagual Sanestaban) who was a Chinese sailor and martial arts expert.  When Carlos showed them the form, he was in direct contact with Lujan and was learning the form at that moment from Lujan himself as he
demonstrated it.

"Joining Forces for an Instant" was part of that long stalker's form (also called "In An Instant").
The form was an illustration of how we interact with people in daily life. The pass bridges daily life and dreaming.  Barbara of L.A. was my partner and she was as slow as I was so we got on great and I actually did learn this one.

Saturday Afternoon

Miles, Nyei and Erin answered questions:

One practitioner said that he/she felt as if we were all on a train. Carlos would have said: "Do you want to come to the front?"  Miles: "Yeah, as soon as I finish my lunch."  This train has no tracks and no known destination.  He got up and stood at the edge of the stage in front of the table looking down at the ground where there were no tracks. "It's scary to be in front of this train."

Another reason for the recap. is that a warrior has no time for the past, he can't be in the present if he's dwelling on the past. He needs all his energy for the present and needs to free his energy from the past for the present.   Darien had once thought that she was clumsy due to something that had been said to her when she was a child.  When she realized her clumsiness was just something she was telling herself, she made the other apprentices handbound notebooks to overcome her idea of herself as clumsy all because of some trivial event or some unimportant comment made in the distant past.  "Look how she made these. Could a clumsy person do this?" Miles showed the audience the notebooks.

Re the need to calibrate and adjust continually. Don't get stuck in cycles of failure.  "Oh, I've failed, I've relapsed."  Don't get fixated on this idea, laugh at the failure and then go on.  Forget it.

They asked us to write down the qualities of someone we admired in one column (Column A) of our log. Then the qualities of someone who drives us nuts in Column B.

A few members of the audience read their lists.  Susurra said her bad qualities all boiled down to "they don't pay attention to me." The qualities on both these lists refer to ourselves, not someone else. Both lists are equal.  Don't look at one as positive and the other as negative.  In the same way, recap. without judgment.  There are no polarities in the self.  Seeing with judgment is to indulge our tendency to project. Nyei said that Carlos was a master at sniffing out hypocrisy in the apprentices and getting them to express their criticism of others ("Don't you think X is awfully pompous?" he would insinuate). Eventually, she said they would agree with him and he would pounce. "You bit the hook and got the worm in your mouth." "Get your shit on the table," he used to say.  "Say you've just been fired, what are you going to do?"

Brandon in the back of the room said: "I'll answer that."  He came up to the stage with a bag, then he pulled out bits of paper on which he had put his reactions to being fired, sorting different remarks in separate piles. "He's an asshole.  That's a complaint."  "They can go screw themselves.  That's a complaint."  "I didn't have enough help. That's a justification." "I never got any appreciation.  That's a justification."  "I never wanted to work there anyway. That's a justification."  Everything he had written was either a justification or a complaint and Brandon made two piles of them on the table.

Saturday Evening:

Renata Murez spoke.  She said we were on a Tour of Awareness and they were going to demonstrate a pass for this. She said that we should all review the agreements made with or without our consent. We are more than we think we are.  We are connected to the dark sea of awareness and to infinity.

We have an energetic counterpart which we will meet in a corridor of silence.  We will know the true nature of everything and gain freedom for infinite possibilities.

Practiced Pass:  Starts with antennae, sitting on chair. Later did it on the mat.

At the very end, the apprentices practiced "Stalking the Self" behind a white screen so they were shadows projected on it. It was very effective. The shadows loomed and became small, as they advanced and moved back or disappeared off the edge.

Sunday Morning:

Reni, Nyei, Erin and Miles on the stage for questions. They described the different notes they had received from practitioners and some of the things people had said to them.  Some reported the experience of heat, of the floor moving. Someone asked what to do during emotional interactions as with their children when they're at the end of their rope -- when upset or interacting with people/children, "Notice your breath." We need to be "scientists of awareness." Someone asked about recapping traumatic events.  "You don't need to force anything.  You should know when to enter your battleground and when to retreat."

"Practice the magical passes with the intent to shift our view.  What is it that makes us defend our view of ourselves?"  Someone asked if the witches were still around. They answered that they were still in contact and were "excited to see us bring the message to you."

We practiced inner silence for awhile. The room was anything but silent and Reni said: "Silence isn't the absence of noise." Next door, a Baptist service was going on. There was singing, then a monotonous drumming which went on a long time. Then a preacher began his sermon. We couldn't hear his words, but sometimes his voice was like the howling of wind in an escalating storm and sometimes he sounded like a raging father expressing his frustration violently, perhaps as small helpless children would hear it, very emotional and frightening.  The congregation were reliving their own past moments in this cathartic yet essentially benign form.

Mapping with Seven Gates breath and weight.

Came out of the artificially lit room at noon to the dazzling noonday sun. Over the San Gabriel mountains was this huge thundercloud with anvil top (reminded me of the preacher and his tempestuous sermon).

Sunday Afternoon:

We reviewed the "In An Instant" pass with a our partner.

Reni and Erin talked about Carlos and the Oakland workshop where he had told us all to practice the Oakland pass exclusively for a month.  He said we had created a "consensus of intent."

We were asked to outline our practice and to spent 10-15 minutes twice every day shutting off the internal dialogue and then report our results at the next full moon (Oct. 2).  Attention@c... We were to create a "consensus of silence." We could practice our silence in our practice groups as well.

They recalled how Carol Tiggs used to ask them about their day: "Was it an artistic day?"

Darien read the poem "Hora Immensa" again. It was read earlier in both Spanish and English.

We were told that our doubts were due to not wanting to appear bad or wrong. This had been inculcated in us by our parents as a way of dealing with us as children. Something here about head banging.  Anyone remember?

What Carol Tiggs said about complaining: "what if this is your last moment of life?  What complaint has any meaning at the moment of death?" Carlos said: "Do your work as an artist."

Then we practiced the Tour of Awareness pass using the chairs (Antennae and sitting down). And at the end we shut our eyes and silenced our internal dialogue.  The apprentices opened the big door in the rear letting in a flood of daylight which made the bright interior lighting seem dim and they all filed out quietly.  And that was the end of the workshop.

Afterward a large number of attendees stood near the exit chatting and saying goodbye to each other. It was a very affectionate workshop. I saw a lot of hugging going on and even hugged a few people myself.

On the flight out, there were these extremely long thin clouds and one I passed had exploded at the bottom in an atypical way and in the fibers of cloud extending downward were a rainbow of colors.
   
Jackie Firstenberg

In An Instant

stand lost in space, alone, in front of infinity.
with no awareness of each other, another being stands also alone at the side.
begin moving backward, moving opposite leg and arm in circular motion, making a V shape relative to each other as move backwards towards impact.
bump into one another and begin the first engagement.

turn to face being. fan arms in a circular motion several times ending with the right arm in front, palm flat, thumb tucked, hand faces fingers pointing up on a diagonal.
one being raises left arm to strike a blow at shoulder height and advances with the right leg leading for 3 blows and 3 steps alternating left and right. the other being parries the blows and retreats in synchronization. pause. begin the encounter again with the partner striking and advancing, other parrying and retreating until at place where the movement started.

scrape mud off/animal step with left foot first while each moves backward l,r,l,r for a total of 4 steps away from each other. on the 5th move, left leg kicks a lateral gate as pivot on right foot 90 degrees turning to the right so left shoulder faces partner. left foot is slightly behind the right. fibers drop.
failure. fall forward from the waist as pause and hang.

something happens and a second chance becomes available. scissor legs in a jump, once in place as rise up to stand up, left leg forward.
scissor jump (legs switch forward to back position) 3 more times as move to again face the other being with the left legs slightly in front. begin the second advance with more awareness of the other being in front.
do a clockwise circle small and fast with the right arm in front of the body then with the left arm move counter-clockwise wide and slow as bring up the left leg bent at the knee to the chest with a pivot to the right on the right leg. arms are at the right side as unwind from the crouch and place the left leg back on the earth in the stand facing the partner. swing the arms out in an arc in front and across the body and as they reach the left side, kick forward with the right straight leg on a diagonal to the left and step forward. swing arms back toward the right and advance with a left leg in the diagonal kick and step. end up left shoulder to shoulder from other being and pause to inhale, bringing up the left forearm to meet the same move by partner so arms cross and touch.

pull down a rope with the left hand with a tiny jump back and reaching down to knee level. jump back in crouching position twice still pulling on the rope link between in the left hand.

kick up the right leg in a straight leg swing to the front and then place on earth slightly back. left leg slightly in front now. raise both arms up along the sides of the body, circle up and front, back to the hips and thrust forward and up with the palms facing up, flat and open ending at solar plexus level.

circle parry with the right arm then swing left arm around to the left side in sync with left leg coming up into bent knee crouch, pivot to the right and return to stand again facing one another.

bring both arms up again along the sides of the body to shoulder level and thrust forward in new dream position with wrists together, hands facing outward. thrust again from the solar plexus level as jump forward.

move diagonally back to the right two steps starting with right leg and right arm circling down and up around then step back and arm circle with the left, slight pause as right arm is in the front and right leg in front on the heel.
step forward with the left leg and circling left arm and when left leg lands, adjust to move diagonally back over and across back with the right leg and circling arm. same back diagonal with the left leg and circling arm to the left back diagonal. pause again with the left leg in front on the heel with toes pointing up.
for the third encounter make a sliding diagonal step with the left leg while drag/pull the right leg along the earth and then take a second sliding step leading with the left leg again. end up back to back with the partner.

stand there and absorb the awareness of this other being in this back to back position. bring arms up to the left side overhead and pull down a pole of energy on a diagonal to the right. arms up to right side and pull energy diagonally to the left. do a total of 6 pulling diagonals (3 sets of l/r sequence).

sit back to back for a recapitulation.

From:  "Michael Matthews" <mmatthew@f...>
Date:  Wed Oct 3, 2001 2:41 am
Subject: Re: Lujan's long form

Lujan's long form

These movements are reminiscent of Chinese sword exercises, especially towards end when palms are  together. I don't remember the name given exactly. I'm not good with names.

Stand in horse stance with left hand over right side vital centers and right hand on top, inhale.
Unsheathe left hand striking down to the left, exhaling.
Slash hand diagonally up to the right inhaling.
Slash down and up along same diagonal  exhaling.
Continue with left hand over top inhaling and strike at head , chest and waist like energy body pass exhaling.
Bring left hand across waist palm facing down on right side of body, right hand behind left, palm facing forward, step forward with the left and then right and push both hands forward inhaling.
Step and pivot 90 degrees backward to the left, the right hand fends to the right, palm facing the right, at shoulder level and left hand strikes to the left at shoulder level palm facing down. like karate chop. Eyes follow hand to the left.
Pivot another 45 degrees back to the left and the left hand strikes down and right hand follows in a fending role. Exhaling during both these moves.
Step forward with the left so the left foot is along side the right, hands come up and right takes over coming straight up and down with an exhale.
This is slower than other moves.
Strike an X with right hand (like predilection of the right-side movement).
Bring right hand over head and strike down while stepping forward with left inhaling.
Do 180 and do same overhead strike stepping forward with the right inhaling.
Put palms together on left side at waist level, right over left, and slash to the right,
Step forward with the left and slash back to the left flipping the hands over.
Step forward with the right and slash back the right.
Step pivot backward to the right 90 degrees but keeping hands in same position, side step to right and right hand separates from left and strikes toward the right at shoulder height. Eyes follow strike.
Right hand comes back to join left again.
Slash with both hands towards the right pivoting 180 degrees all way around then hands come up over head as if wielding a sword and strike to the right.
Retreat one step, left foot first, and right hand is placed over left vital
area and left on top.

I lost track of breathing didn't I. You inhale and exhale each subsequent
move.

Movement can be done with tendon energy (abruptly) , smoothly or slowly with
breathing depending on your mood.

Breaking The Solidity Of Oneself

Stand in basic Tensegrity stance. Make sure the lower disk is active, buttocks tense. Knees bent over the toes.

Both hands come up and bend 90 degrees at elbows; palms face up; wiggle fingertips as if tickling.(count of 5)

Then stop the wiggle and flick fingers outwards getting rid of excess energy.(x5)

Turn wrists upside down and repeat the wiggling movement with fingers facing the floor.(x5). Again flick fingers outwards getting rid of excess energy.(x5)

Wrist face up again. This time crunch fingers into a fist and then open fingers forcefully releasing the tension.(x5). Again flick fingers outwards getting rid of excess energy.(x5)

Wrist face down and crunch fingers into a fist and then open fingers forcefully releasing the tension as in precious pass.(x5). Again flick fingers outwards getting rid of excess energy.(x5)

(The next two passes are from the 'tension relaxation series shown in Ontario about 3 years ago)
Left arm straight up, above the shoulders, fingers in fist position facing floor, Right arm straight down, by the hip, fingers in fist position facing floor.
Keeping both arms straight alternate them going up and down as if pumping something. (So that when one arm is up the other is down.) (x10). - While doing this pass be aware of the area around the belly button working - After the ten repetitions keep the same position (one arm up, one down)
hold the breath and TENSE the whole body(to a slow count of 10)...TENSE
everything almost to the max. (The backs of your legs, shoulders, arms, torso, hairs on your head ... everything)
then RELAX, exhale (out loud if you want) and let whole body go, bend over and let the head hang lose, arms hang.
Slowly come up and repeat the same pass but this time right arm is up and left arm is down.
As you slowly come up after having repeated the pass, go into the basic tensegrity stance; both hands come up together with fingers open backs of palms touching then they separate and breathing in you scoop in everything in the horizon in front of you and to the sides.(as if you're doing breaststroke in the sea). From there the hands become fists as they come to your sides. They are facing upwards and come to rest at the sides of the body by the lower ribs. Elbows are bent 90 degrees and tight next to the body. Shoulders are down away from the ears. Hold the breath and TENSE the whole body to a count of 10.... Then RELAX everything, exhale and let go, bend over and let the head hangs lose, arms hang.(repeat this pass twice -optional-)
Slowly the body comes up.

Shake left leg, shake right leg, shake left hand, let the tremor spread throughout the left side, then right hand joins in, and the vibration spreads to the rest of the body till all of you is shaking.

Turn the body ON.

Go into forward stance, left leg forward. Then with a jump change foot positions so that the right leg is in front. Do this 5 times quickly.

Then standing up straight as if jogging on the spot to a count of 5 bringing knees high up to the chest. After count of 5 freeze with the left knee high up near the chest. Hold position for a moment and balance. Then do another set to the count of 5 and then freeze holding up the right knee near the chest. Balance.

Then do 3 large leaps into the air to the left. (both feet come off the ground, knees almost touch the chest if you can!). Another 3 leaps back to the right.

Both hand grab excess energy from the vital centres (left and right) and then shake it off with a flick of the hands towards the ground.(x3).

Body straightens up. Stand still and let the wave of silence envelop you.

The left hand comes up and gently taps the right side under the ribcage 5 times. (This beckons the intent to be silent.) Then the hand returns to the left side.

The final two passes are from the Heat series. They are done in succession.

No 33 " Moving Energy with the breath from the top of the head to the VC (minor variation - in the second part of the pass exhale only after you do the hand circles as you are pushing the breath out)

No 37 "The Lateral Breath"

Finish by rubbing the energy onto the vital centres.

Stalking the Self

1. Standing in Tensegrity position, L hand covers the R vital center, R hand covers L hand.

2. L hand pulls out and strikes down to the L side of the body leaving R hand covering the vital center.

3. L hand moves diagonally head high, to the R side of the body, then back down to L side of the body.

4. L hand moves diagonally to the R side of the body, head high, then moves laterally in front of the face to the L side.

5. L hand strikes laterally towards R, 3X - shoulder width, chest width, waist width.

6. L hand moves out in front of R vital center, palm down. R hand moves just behind L hand, wrist pulled back 90 degrees, palm facing the L hand.

7. Take one step forward with both feet, L-R, maintaining hands position.

8. Pivoting on R foot, turn L 90 degrees, extending arms laterally at shoulder height while maintaining palm-facing positions (L palm down, R palm vertical).

9. L foot takes one step back, the body bends slightly at the waist, L hand strikes down beside L knee and R hand strikes down in front of L knee - all in one smooth motion.

10. Standing up, bring L foot even with R foot.

11. Edge of R hand strikes down vertically from head level; R hand strikes diagonally down to R at 45 degrees from in front of face; R hand strikes diagonally down to L at 45 degrees from R front of body;

12. L foot takes one step forward, the L hand circles back over the head and strikes vertically downward.

13. Pivoting on both feet, body turns R 180 degrees as edge of R hand strikes down vertically from head level.

14. Extend arms 45 degrees L at shoulder height, L palm up, R hand palm down covers L hand. Both arms strike laterally to the R. Wrists rotate to flip hands, L over R.

15. L foot takes a step forward, ahead of the R foot. Both arms strike laterally to the L. Wrists rotate to flip hands, R over L.

16. R foot takes a step forward, ahead of the L foot. Both arms strike laterally to the R.

17. Pivoting on L foot, turn R 90 degrees, extending arms laterally at shoulder height while maintaining palm-facing positions (L palm up, R palm down).

18. R hand, palm down, moves laterally to cover L hand. Both arms strike laterally to the R, palms together. The arms continue moving R and rotate over the head as the body pivots on the R foot turning 180 degrees. Both arms strike laterally to the R.

19. Take one step back, R-L, as R hand covers the L vital center and L hand covers R hand.

With thanks and affection. Dave Moore & Theophano Tarala, Toronto Canada