I think I've read in-breath turning left-to-right but also may have seen right-to-left as well. Which is correct?
Also, do you alternate in-out breaths? I read someone saying do ALL your in breaths (sucking return energy through the lips and turning back with a normal exhale) then do ALL your out breaths (ridding attachment fibers through the lips and turning back with a normal inhalation).
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Update... I found this old posting...seems to answer both of my questions:
https://www.reddit.com/r/castaneda/comments/6x1a8y/the_recapitulation_of_our_lives_never_ends_no/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
Edit: "inhalations...left to right"
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The was a recent comment, by Dan likely, that said CC was in a mood and dismissed some question. ... one of the women (senior students) had to step in and give an answer. I thought to ask if the subject was fanning. The is an anecdote in Armando Torres' book where CC is asked about the direction and he replies, "What difference does it make!"
This is inhale right to left, not sure of the source:
"Florinda said that her benefactor directed her to write down a list of the events to be relived.
He told her that the procedure starts with an initial breath. Stalkers begin with their chin on the right shoulder and slowly inhale as they move their head over a hundred and eighty degree arc.
The breath terminates on the left shoulder. Once the inhalation ends, the head goes back to a relaxed position. They exhale looking straight ahead. The stalker then takes the event at the top of the list and remains with it until all the feelings expended in it have been recounted. As stalkers remember the feelings they invested in whatever it is that they are remembering, they inhale slowly, moving their heads from the right shoulder to the left. The function of this breathing is to restore energy. Florinda claimed that the luminous body is constantly creating cob-weblike filaments, which are projected out of the luminous mass, propelled by emotions of any sort. Therefore, every situation of interaction, or every situation where feelings are involved, is potentially draining to the luminous body. By breathing from right to left while remembering a feeling, stalkers, through the magic of breathing, pick up the filaments they left behind. The next immediate breath is from left to right and it is an exhalation. With it stalkers eject filaments left in them by other luminous bodies involved in the event being recollected. "
Inhale right to left. Exhale left to right.
Turn head as far as is comfortable. However, I take that back. Find how far is comfortable, and keep it an inch short of that. What's comfortable a few times, can cause strain after a few hours of it.
The fanning with breath and visualizing makes you a "second attention gazer" after a while.
I used that last night to locate Cholita, who's run away again. I was scanning for her dark energy.
I suspect that all of the various techniques Carlos gave us, are "complete paths" by themselves. It just doesn't seem obvious that recapitulation can lead to waking dreaming, which leads to assembling other worlds, which leads to inorganic beings and seeing.
Your goal in recap should be to blank out at first. Later, to actually re-live the scenes, like a dream vision.
You blank out by visualizing the scenes for a long time, combined with the steady breathing.
Your assemblage point is slowly pulled towards heightened awareness. But because you're sitting in a chair, you won't get the full invigorating bliss you'd get walking around.
Instead, your attention moves inward, instead of outward, and eventually you assemble the blank space between worlds.
Well. A little bit that is.
If you find yourself staring into bright white fog, you've altered yourself permanently. It just won't be obvious until later.
Does this full path thing means that all techniques from CC books lead to the same direction? Maybe if we combine them they give off a synergetic effect, that's the point?
It's more like, there's nothing to learn. We're already sorcerers.
And no techniques are needed.
You just need a hook, to get you to pay attention to the Nagual.
Recap is nice because everyone is basically insane, and it helps reduce that insanity.
The insanity will block your view of intent.
This makes sense. But still the combination of full path methods is kind of a good way to focus our intent, yes?
Could you tell more on this reduction of insanity aspect?
Our internal dialogue makes us crazy. Insane.
Tediously insane, like a paranoid schizophrenic defending their delusions.
That's why Carlos marveled at how the entire world could have been taken over by that internal dialogue.
You'd expect there was an island somewhere, that hadn't been corrupted.
But there isn't.
The recapitulation helps you undo the worst stumbling blocks in your internal dialogue, so you can finally shut it off.
I guess the best analogy would be what the Hindus say:
This is the age of ignorance. Of mud.
Don Juan used a different analogy: Everyone is living in a river of shit, pissing and pooping on each other, unwilling to leave because it's warmer in there than it is on shore.
Sorcerers are waiting on the shore to wash people off, if they make it to the edge.
But they always go back in.
It's not as cozy outside that stifling internal dialogue.
You'll see. Just as you are finally forcing yourself silent all the time, a little voice in your head will start threatening you.
You'll be lonely!
God isn't going to like this!
You'll break something!
I have multiple accounts of that threatening voice, from my students.
One even cried a little, to see it go.
As I am progressing with my daily silence practice I am getting some weirdos like this "Will I loose my ability to recall memories?" "What if I get crazy"? "What if I will not be able to think logically"?
But at the same time great moments of clarity. World is more vivid. Like a dreaming. Attention directed to the external world and sensorium. Less noise, and more energetic feeling inside.
From silence, you'll get super hearing, super smell, super sight (the best your eyes are capable of), and super fast reflexes.
Imagine a cup falling off a table, and your current clumsy attempts to catch it, by reflex. You get one chance normally.
Once you're silent, you'll get 3 chances to catch it, and if they fail, your foot will catch it. You'll be watching in amazement as your hand does all the work, without you having to move it.
That's why there are tales of Taoist masters living in the mountains of Taiwan, who are peerless fighters, despite never having studied martial arts.
And...
So what if you get crazy?
You already are. You'll figure that out.
Unfortunately, so is everyone around you. Their problems start to be obvious.
They also tend to chatter. Once you're silent, idle conversation seems wasteful.
But it won't stop everyone else from talking your head off.
A student of mine claims, once you're silent all the time, it's easy to manipulate people. They begin to trust you more.
What about this white fog? What does this alter in you? I am getting some whiteish coloration of background after some recap..
It moves your assemblage point to a stable view of the second attention. If you can hold it there (just keep watching), it makes a permanent low spot. If your assemblage point moves anywhere near that, it's easier for it to find a stable position.
I called Carlos' allies to Singapore using that. Both of them!
Twice, like an idiot.
First time I had to jump into a cold bath.
Second time they chased me through the huge hotel.
I won't do that again.
Even the locals (Chinese) told me that was really stupid, calling a spirit when you're located at the end of a long hallway.
They love to chase!
Let's hope Cholita gets more manageable, and can "share" Carlos' allies with some of you, before I'm dead.
It doesn't seem like anyone else from private classes learned to interact with them.
I forgot. While you're at it, try to be silent.
Obviously to remember details you'll be thinking away, but let yourself sink into that, like your brain was telling a story.
The idea is to interrupt the normal internal dialogue, with remembering the past.
Just don't let it come back in and start fussing about the cute girl at the sandwich shop, who made fun of you.
Or your Mom's last visit.
All meditation systems work the same way: They interrupt the internal dialogue.
Funny how there's so much competition out there, for what's always the same thing.
I think this may help clear up the confusion. I had this thought when I originally saw this post, but wasn't sure where to find reference. However, In a book I was re-reading yesterday "The Mystical Qabalah" by Dion Fortune, it is addressed here:
"Swami Vivekananda points out, that what is on the right in the male is on the left in the female."
Reference can be found on chapter 28 here:
https://archive.org/details/DionFortuneMysticalQabala/page/n87/mode/2up
This would explain why Don Juan explained it one way to Carlos and the opposite to Florinda.
It’s also strongly recommended in the books and notes to reverse directions if you’re doing recap while in dreaming; if, in waking hours, you start on the right and sweep/inhale to the left, then while doing recap in sleeping dreaming, start on the left and sweep to the right.