Page:Para leer a Carlos Castaneda.djvu/105

 SHIFTING THE LACE POINT

Recapitulation is one of the ways to shift the lace point. Recapitulation, in appearance, is to remember what has been lived, but in reality is a very refined and complex technique developed by the new Toltec seers to move the lace point.

Recapitulation begins with an effort to remember the most important life events, for later remembering all those events in detail and continuity. Then an effort must be made to "re-live" again each of these events; that the body remembers and re-lives what it felt at each of those events; that the lace point move to the exact place it was when the events being relived occurred; the Toltecs called this "remember".

One of the techniques with which Don Juan probably transmitted part of the knowledge to Castaneda was when both together moved their lace point; Don Juan called this "reverie" together, and also probably, via that practice, Castaneda wrote part of his work: through lace point movement.

Don Juan describes Castaneda as a common man, description of which most of us do not escape, not because we are "bad", but because this is where most of us has the lace point fixed. It is not a question of morality, but simply our energy use.

Don Juan tells Castaneda that he has a very exalted self-image, which is dominant, vain, stingy, ill tempered, wretch, trusty and very prone to vices and weaknesses.

"—Are you going to say that I am unbearable? —I said and my voice sounded surprisingly forced.

—Of course you are unbearable —he said, with a serious expression—. You are petty, capricious, stubborn, dominant and vain. You have a bad temper, tedious and ungrateful; you have an inexhaustible vice capacity. And the worst: you have a very exalted idea of yourself, without anything to back it up. I could quite frankly say, your mere presence makes me sick...

—I warned you, you were not going to like or understand it —he said—. The warrior reasons are very simple, but extremely refined. A warrior rarely has the opportunity to be genuinely impeccable despite his basic feelings. You have given me such unparalleled opportunity. The act of giving, free and impeccably rejuvenates me, renew in me the idea of the wonderful. What I get from our relationship is indeed something so valuable to me that I am hopelessly in debt with you."... C.C.	    

THE PLACE WHERE THERE IS NO COMPASSION

The opposite to pity oneself is not have self-compassion. Having a very exalted self-idea produces, in consequence, great personal significance. This we gets in our way, makes us rude, vain and pretentious; but also, personal importance is accompanied by self- compassion. When our personal importance crashes with a tyrant or the world that constantly insists in, not adhering to our thoughts, personal importance becomes self-sympathy.

When a warrior diminishes his personal importance, his daily life