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Due to great interest in last Fall's Tensegrity event at the Shambhala Center in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, a new opportunity of collaboration is now available to a larger number of participants at this Summer workshop, an interactive experience between the modern expression of the tradition of the shamans of ancient Mexico, guided by students of Carlos Castaneda, and the Shambhala branch of Tibetan Buddhism, with the participation of Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.
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For the
shamans of don Juan's lineage, which originates in ancient Mexico,
the mythical figure of the plumed serpent represents a state of full
presence — sky and earth embodied joyfully together
in the heart of man — the interplay of the self and
its energetic twin, which they called the dreaming body.
In this extended workshop, participants will be guided through the art of Tensegrity — the modern expression of the shamanistic movements called magical passes and the path of the warrior-traveler that Yaqui shaman don Juan Matus taught his four students: Carlos Castaneda, Carol Tiggs, Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar. Workshop
attendees will practice the Plumed Serpent form, and self-examination
exercises, all of which call forth the integration of the diverse
community that we are — as individuals and
as social beings.
Program Schedule: Thursday, July 31 Friday, August 1 Saturday, August 2 Sunday, August 3 Cost: $375 Note: Registration, as well as room & board
arrangements are made directly through Shambhala Mountain Center,
either by phone or online (click below and scroll down to housing
options): For an audio clip of last year's Tensegrity event keynote talk by
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche click on the sound-player below: Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche is the head of the Shambhala lineage. An incarnation of Mipham the Great, he is also the dharma heir and son of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Shambhala Mountain's founder. He is the spiritual director of Shambhala, a global network of meditation and retreat centers, and the author of the best-selling books Turning the Mind into an Ally and Ruling Your World. Rinpoche's background embraces both Eastern and Western cultures. Born in Bodhgaya, India, the site of the Buddha's enlightenment, he grew up and was thoroughly educated in the western and eastern traditions and received his spiritual training from his father and other distinguished Tibetan masters.
FAQ: The magical passes of Tensegrity act on the body and mind as a physical and energetic unit. According to the shamans who discovered them, their physical effects, which include an increased sense of well-being, resilience, flexibility and inter-coordination, are a by-product of their energetic effect: the shift of perception brought about by a redeployment, or recycling, of energy. When shamans see energy directly, they see human beings as spheres of luminosity. They see that the stress of daily living disperses energy away from the core of this luminous sphere to its edges, where it forms a crust, rendering it unavailable for use. The magical passes redeploy or return energy to the core of the luminous sphere, where it can be used for any purpose we choose-including expanding our perception. The movements of Tensegrity create a wonderful mood of mental and physical alertness. Practiced over time, they have the cumulative effect of quieting the internal dialogue, leaving one refreshed, revitalized and new. This frees our energy for examining and adjusting our daily thoughts and actions, which can help us to access what don Juan called the true mind, the mind that comes forth in the merging of the self and the dreaming body. Carlos Castaneda described Tensegrity as this integration of our being, an integration which is specific to time and space, and which therefore can transcend it; it is not holding to the outer crust of ritual or habit; rather it's an inner knowing that you are connected to the Spirit, to the dreaming body, to everything that is; and the only way to access that state is through consistent practice. He said that Tensegrity is how we're relating to now, rather
than to exterior forms of the past. And now is a time where, from
this state of interconnectedness, we can integrate traditions.
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More on Tensegrity for new participants: Tensegrity is the name now given to the magical passes: positions and movements of body and breath that were dreamt and stalked by men and women seers who lived in Mexico in ancient times, and passed on to Carlos Castaneda, Florinda Donner-Grau, Taisha Abelar and Carol Tiggs by their teacher, don Juan Matus. Don Juan was a Yaqui Indian from Yuma, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico, and the heir to a lineage of seers that originates in ancient Mexico. The word "Tensegrity" is borrowed from an architect, engineer, scientist and dreamer whom Carlos Castaneda knew and admired: R. Buckminster ("Bucky") Fuller. Fuller defined tensegrity as a combination of tensional integrity, the forces at work in architectural structures whose integrity and resilience are maintained by their flexible elements. The students of don Juan found Tensegrity to be a perfect description of the warrior-traveler's way expressed in contemporary life: for them Tensegrity refers to the interplay of tensing and relaxing the tendons and muscles, and the energy that surrounds them, when practicing the magical passes; Tensegrity also refers to the art of adapting to one's own energy, and to each other's energy in a way that contributes to the integrity of the community that we are, as individuals and as sentient beings. Tensegrity is the subject of a book (Magical Passes) and four DVDs, as well as classes and workshops given in Latin America, the United States, Europe, and Russia by the students of Carlos Castaneda, Florinda Donner-Grau, Taisha Abelar and Carol Tiggs, and their teaching associates. There are more than 170 Tensegrity Practice Groups worldwide. |
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