Tensegrity

**Skywalk3r** · 03-28-2007 07:11 AM

I was studying the principles of Tensegrity. Both the Physical and Archetechural application, as well as how it applies to the flow of Energy and Fluidity. A fascinating concept and theory put into reality by both Casteneda, with an ancient handed down routine brought to the masses. And Kenneth Snelson, with his super impressive design in sculpture that is Needle Tower. Take a second and google "Needle Tower by Kenneth Snelson" if you have never before seen the sculpture. I recieved a great deal of knowledge, by simply looking at the photographs, visualizing the theory at work, and contemplating how it applies to aspects of the path of knowledge. Casteneda used this theory to describe a energy workout basically used in strengthening the amount of energy you have, as well as developing more through the usage of visualization and specific movements used to exite filiments carrying through the assemblage point I presume.. I was reading them off the internet, from someones notes they typed up and posted, and doing them at the same time in my apartment bedroom.. Which was kind of rocky at first. But then, something very strange started happening to me..

I don't know if anyone is familiar with the term "Somasomatic" or not but for those who aren't I will give you a brief summary. It is a term used by Medical Science to describe the phenomena of "muscle memory", i.e. A physical movement that has been practiced by a person over and over, forgotten by the mind from a long period of non-usage, will be remembered by the body muscles first rather than the mind when trying to be recollected, if that makes any sense...
Anyway, I was having Somasomatical experiences while doing some of these exercises... And I couldn't figure out why or how, seeing as this was the first time I had seen, and studied Casteneda's(Toltec) movements, it was feeling so f$*%ng familiar to me... Like Deja Vu in my body almost. And then it hit me.. The reason some of these movements felt so strangley familiar to me, was because I had done some of these movements before....

When I was 19, I studied Southern Shaolin Kung Fu, or Hung-Gar. And my Sifu or (Sensei) was a man who I had always regarded as having massive inner Chi. Even before reading anything on Don Juan, or the path of knowledge, I had a general idea of what Chi was and my Sifu had more than an average man. And he would take us through a routine JUST like what they were describing on the computer screen. Some of the movements were so familar because we had done alot of them in the same ORDER as well. I look back and remember how highly my energy was charged in those classes, and wondered if my Sifu had learned this from his Master, or from Casteneda's early works or seminars on the subject of "Tensegrity". Now granted I am not familiar enough with both routines to say whether or not they are indeed the same.. But I have a hypothesis, that these two sequences could have the same basic principles in movement. If you could identify and recognize similarity in the movements from 2 different cultures' sacred energy gathering rituals, such as the Chinese practicing similar movements in Kung-Fu to instill clear and dynamic energy, and the Ancient Toltec Shaman of Mexico using same techniques to develop energy for purposes of intent. You could thereby add validity to the Movements for creating and distributing bodily energy or Chi, because two completely different cultures are using the same basic techniques to develop Chi or energy although they have never co-existed, or shared knowledge.

If I come up with any evidence supporting my theory, I will update this thread with my findings. Thanks for reading this Hypothesis and any feedback on this or Tensegrity, in general, would be greatly appriciated.

-May the force (of intent) be with you.

**Oneiro** · 03-28-2007 01:08 PM

Well.. hats off to someone who's even heard of Tensegrity.

You should try some of the movements during LD.. amazing things may happen.

**carlhungis** · 03-28-2007 01:49 PM

Now, wasn't Castaneda pretty much outed as a fraud? I enjoyed his book TAOD, but I really heard a lot of criticism about him being a fraud. I never bothered looking into it much, because I really didn't want to spoil the book that I had enjoyed. Perhaps he was deemed a fraud for ripping off eastern "Chi" movements and claiming them as his own?

**Oneiro** · 03-28-2007 02:01 PM

Originally Posted by carlhungis

Now, wasn't Castaneda pretty much outed as a fraud? I enjoyed his book TAOD, but I really heard a lot of criticism about him being a fraud. I never bothered looking into it much, because I really didn't want to spoil the book that I had enjoyed. Perhaps he was deemed a fraud for ripping off eastern "Chi" movements and claiming them as his own?[/b]

He's been called a fraud for basically every reason you could think of.. but 99.9% of the detractors have one thing in common: they don't LD.

You say that you have read TAOD. It's a small step from reading it to actually trying out the techniques therein. If you do that, you'll know that as far as LD is concerned, Castaneda was spot-on, right on the money. He really knew his stuff. Fraud my arse..

**carlhungis** · 03-28-2007 02:26 PM

My understanding is that he was criticized for his later works, not TAOD.

**Man of Shred** · 03-28-2007 03:39 PM

it's just that every book after Journey to Ixtlan seems like something out of a fantasy novel.

**Oneiro** · 03-28-2007 04:30 PM

..and what does LD appear as? Ordinary everyday reality? All LDers live in a fantasy novel..

**Skywalk3r** · 03-28-2007 11:51 PM

Originally Posted by carlhungis

Now, wasn't Castaneda pretty much outed as a fraud? I enjoyed his book TAOD, but I really heard a lot of criticism about him being a fraud. I never bothered looking into it much, because I really didn't want to spoil the book that I had enjoyed. Perhaps he was deemed a fraud for ripping off eastern "Chi" movements and claiming them as his own?[/b]

The point of Casteneda being a fraud is mute.... I learned more from mistakes that he made than I actually learned from his teachings. (And trust me you can't make up the kind of blunders this guy went through on his path to knowledge.) I have read every book until he jumped into the abyss. And the thing is, he wasn't even the protagonist of his own stories.. I found myself wanting to strangle Casteneda many times in the course of reading his works, due to his being a complete BONEhead at times.. Casteneda was merely a catalyst for an accomplished Nagual like Don Juan to impart ancient knowledge into the masses.. The only thing that kept me reading the series was Don Juan's pragmatical information, and Don Genaro's amazing feats of intent... If you dabble in LD and havent read this series.... "Your're trying to smack a homerun with a putter." IMO of course. But fraud or no, applying the concept of "Tensegrity" to magical passes and percieving energy is brilliant.

**Man of Shred** · 03-29-2007 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by Oneiro

..and what does LD appear as? Ordinary everyday reality? All LDers live in a fantasy novel..[/b]

except one thing about CC: he believed his lucid exploitations are real. Cheat death? Get bodily trapped in inorganic realms? Going through an imaginary wall of fog to physically go into a realm? Get serious.

**SKA** · 03-29-2007 01:15 AM

I've actually seen this Needle tower in real life once at a Dutch Museum. It is pretty amazing indeed.

As for this Somasomatic ''muscle memory'' I've read something once that may imply on thisbut then in a mental way:

I read in a Drawing-Psychology book that if you Draw scenes and things that you used to draw when you were a young kid will bring back alot of memories and give a feeling of trust, wellbeing and pleasant familiarness: i tried it and it works realy well.

When you're trying to draw the scenes you had been drawing over and over again in your childhood it will feel very familiar as if it immediately digs back down to the memories of the times when you drew those things before.

This works quite well for inducing memories and sensations from childhood.

**Skywalk3r** · 03-29-2007 02:50 AM

Originally Posted by ranma187

except one thing about CC: he believed his lucid exploitations are real. Cheat death? Get bodily trapped in inorganic realms? Going through an imaginary wall of fog to physically go into a realm? Get serious.[/b]

I understand your point but your still not seeing the forest for the trees... Whether or not CC did these things is irrelevant... The only importance should be placed on what DJ said to CC along the way.. But in all honesty who are you or I to say what is possible and impossible when dealing with and exploring the unknown and the unknowable?

**The Cusp** · 03-31-2007 01:44 AM

All right, the thing about Castenada's writings is that beleif in it is not required. It's something you have to prove to yourself, through practice. I would have had a hard time beleiving in the ability to "see" untill it happened to me. If seeing is actually possible, then why not realms of inorganic beings.

I've found the majority of Casteneda's detractors fall into two groups.

The first are those who expect to uncover the secrets of the universe just by reading a book, and are dismayed to find that they actually have to work at.

The second, who are more vehemently opposed, are those who read it and went with it, practicing for awhile. THen at some point they have a change of heart, and feel foolish for having been suckered into it. I suspect these people actually made some progress, then gave up, frightened by the truth. THey don't want it to be real, as it's too scary. Much easier to live in the simple world you think you know.

I think most people have "shamanic" moments in thier lives, some kind of weirdness that is out of the ordinary, and the mind forgets these moments as easily as it does a dream.

Castenada's "theory" on the movement of the assemblage point is the only explenation of that explains the peculiarities of dream recall, and why they are so easily forgotten, or if not forgotten, just inaccesable during normal awareness.

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