Hi All,
First time here and I don't really know anything about Castaneda except his name and a few key points. I'm not a practitioner either nor do I plan to be, but I've been having an experience for the past several years and am wondering if I might find some answers here.
I get semi-regular cramping behind my left shoulder blade, deep in the muscle. It radiates down my spine, under my arm around to my breastbone, and up and over my left bicep into the front of my shoulder joint. There is no obvious physical reason for this, no clear activity strain that would cause issues in this area. It happens in my sleep and I just wake up with the cramp. There are often emotional associations though, it happens more often when I am stressed and avoiding activities that are of key importance for my life path.
I learned about the assemblage point during training for an energy healing modality I practice (SRT); it was on one of the clearing charts. I noted the term because of the location, as it was an area I'd been having regular problems with. It's been happening for 5-6 years or so now, with greater frequency in the past couple years. Before learning of this I hadn't thought there might be a spiritual correlation, though perhaps a psychological one.
If it seems like this could be assemblage point related I would really appreciate some areas to look into, and possibly help deal with the issue. When it pops up the effects linger for days and can last over a week and are quite painful. If this is trying to get my attention about something I would love to work through it. If it seems not assemblage point related I would love to know that too, to start looking elsewhere. Any insights appreciated, tysm.
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If you haven’t yet, here’s this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/castaneda/wiki/assemblage_point/
All solutions in here are self-directed practices. Nobody can do them for you, and nobody can help anyone else do them (especially not to those who aren’t so compelled). All we can do is pass on instructions and experiences etc.
Study and book knowledge only serves to alleviate fear so you don’t completely lose your marbles when the assemblage point does shift, in response to our efforts (failures included)…not because of them.
There’s no way to condense something which is essentially a way of life, down to a prescription.
I haven’t read it yet, thank you. I did a search of the subreddit for assemblage point and reviewed some posts but there were a lot of results and most weren’t beginner level. This is very helpful.
The healing chart was made by a con artist.
There's a few. Dr. Whale too.
Pain pushes the assemblage point to the right, making a very ugly view of reality.
But the movement of the assemblage point doesn't cause any pain.
And it's not located on your shoulder. It's at arms length behind you, on a surface you can't see. Although sorcerers can.
What passes through the shoulder blades is just a beam of awareness, which goes down to the toes where it concentrates.
I suppose the whole left shoulder thing comes from the dent a sorcerer can make, but again, that dent is behind you, slightly up, at arms length.
Which also can be visibly seen by sorcerers.
Whoever has that healing chart, stay away from that person.
It's a scammer for sure.
The charts aren't about Carlos's teachings, they are for diagnostics and clearings in another modality. "Assemblage point" is a single item on one of many charts and is there to indicate if there is a problem with this phenomena. It doesn't teach anything or say anything other than to indicate attention is needed. All I was told about it is that it's something Castaneda taught about, and was explained to me as "where the soul connects to the body, behind the left shoulder".
Thank you for the clarification about the location.
Total nonsense.
As I said, stay away from whoever made that chart. And told you that.
That's a con artist.
Carlos NEVER said anything even remotely like that.
I know, I was a private student of his.
In fact, he would have dedicated an entire lecture to the insanity of that statement.
Including making fun of a "soul in heaven" walking around very slowly, in a tonga.
Forever. With nothing ever changing.
"The soul" is a concept invented to steal money.
Once you hear that word, run! Or guard your wallet.
Soul in this practice is something of an abstract metaphor for a collection of intelligences that has quite a bit of flux and change, not the colloquial Christian understanding. And, respectfully, the concept of soul has a long and evolving history that long predates when it was changed to mean "soul in heaven" and used to steal money. If Carlos would have laughed at that statement, good to know there is a divergence between the teaching and the understanding in this particular instance. It seems not very consequential since the bulk of the system I referenced has nothing to do with Carlos, and I'm unconcerned with finding a single correct way. I'll look into Carlos on my own time and make up my own mind on what I chose to work with, stay away from and who I believe is a con artist. But thank you for the caution, I will file it away.
Edit: typo, had to has
You're very confused by modern religions and philosophies.
Modern being less than 8000 years old.
And you don't realize, if money had been invented, then a "system" or religion is full of shit.
If you stick around here and your head doesn't explode and you didn't start spewing pea soup like Linda blair, you could come to realize it's ALL fake out there.
I'll try to wake you up, but it's obviously useless.
Man evolved to be a hunter/gatherer.
We're 300,000 years old!
But you're obsessed with the last 3000 at the most! Thinking that's "ancient knowledge".
In our natural environment, you run into spirits. It's inevitable! They're very real.
And they TEACH real magic! Endlessly. In person. Wearing cool costumes if you like. Fully visible! Solid at times.
WE DO THAT!
And they love to be friends. For life and beyond even.
Back then, in a world with no money, and no people crowded into cities so that they're stupid and gullible, no one makes up magic.
There's no reason to! They'd get tossed out of the tribe for making up such nonsense as you're proposing.
What happens there is, people learn magic that works. Because it works.
With no reason at all to lie.
And if the population rises as high as that of the Olmecs, around 6000 years ago or so, they get a tiny bit competitive. For who can have the coolest REAL magic.
But once you have money, there's nothing but reasons to lie.
And in that environment with people longing for the magic we evolved to experience, but now stuck in 4 walls all day long with no connection to spirits or travel to other worlds, you have an audience willing to fork over money based on any tall tale.
You seem to be one of the con artists, or aspire to be some day.
If you just stuck around and read for a year, you'd see the absolute truth of what I say.
Greed buries magic. Always.
And NOTHING you have read before, is real or true. It's all a lie.
But you have con artist aspirations of your own, it's clear from your words.
Everyone in here saw that, except you.
You haven't figured out where you are yet.
Or that no one in here every has their hand out for money. Never. No books, no videos, no interviews, no Youtube promotions.
We're only here hoping this magic is not lost forever.
And you came in to do a sales pitch on us.
But you can't even see your own motivations.
You seem very convinced you have answers and there’s a lot of projection on me here and what you presume I think. That’s fine, spend your time how you like. I didn’t come here for an argument or a master. Thank you for the bits of information that were useful to me. Thank you for your concern, but I have no worried about my head exploding from what I will read in this subreddit.
you came here for answers, you got real answers and then then got butthurt they werent the answers you were looking for... thats why Dan said you cant even see your own motivations
I asked for direction to information and I got some of that and I am grateful for it. Then I got a bunch projection on about how I feel, what I believe, and opinions on what may be a con. Like I said, that’s fine, people spend time how they like.
If you want to continue projecting how I feel and what I think have at it. I will refrain from telling either of you what you feel or think, and keep things to my limited observations and my own intentions. I keep responding because I am grateful for the useful parts of the answers I got.
All you have to do is look at his username to see he's a con artist, looking to steal and get attention from others for his "magic man" knowledge. He didn't realize he got answers, because he believes it's all make believe and thinks no one has a right to criticize his own form of pretending. Nothing is going to wake him up. He just wants to steal from others.
I suppose one day we might find out if 10 or 20 years fixes this kind of madness. But I doubt it.
u/astralexoskeleton is likely a woman.
And to be fair, she said right up front she wasn't interested in actually practicing. But for a woman, that can change in a heartbeat.
Oh, I didn't know.
u/astralexoskeleton , I apologize.
Do as you will astral gal. Should have said so upfront!
Nice standing up for yourself too.
Women can go for anything that motivates them.
And I'm not sure they can even cheat people with phony magic they charge for.
They can make it work when it's critical, phony or not.
It's why the Jewish prophets feared witches and ordered them all killed.
Witches had the power to expose their mystical deceptions.
Cholita has studied ALL forms of magic, and likes them all too.
And makes them work if she feels like it.
When she thinks I need correcting, I come home to find she's sitting with her back to me, in tight little shorts, her dark black hair stretched to the sides like crow's wings, and her MacBook Pro is blaring out a magical lesson, "coincidentally" right at the very part Cholita wishes I would hear.
She stages everything but you can never prove it.
I wouldn't be surprised if she can even read tea leaves, but if she doesn't like the result she can make them move around in the cup to adjust the verdict.
You need a spirit for that, but all women are capable of telekinesis.
Thank goodness they can only move a few ounces, or Cholita would have killed me long ago.
But it's really because women are witches.
Just keep that in mind.
Men have the purpose (obsession) to work hard and get things to happen.
Women have the power but less drive.
But why is the same thing ok for women, and not for men?
Women are trying to motivate themselves and put it out there to test viability. To seek a "community" which supports their desired magical lifestyle. A tribe I suppose.
Men are trying to deceive others to steal from them. To take over a tribe, and inflict their anger and misunderstandings on everyone.
Same exact activity, but completely different motivations.
I need to learn to hear which gender is speaking, but I'm clueless about social things.
If I hadn't een, I might have been absorbed into the private class "give up and condemn Carlos" madness.
Both Cholita and Jadey escaped that, and both were brought in later in the private class years.
No "old timers" to private classes survived the purge so far.
I am a woman, apologies I didn't know my sex was important or I would have mentioned it at the start. I am frequently mistaken for a man online, perhaps my writing style comes across more masculine.
This is accurate to how I operate. I use a lot of different forms of magic and learn in a non-linear way. One thing leads to another, I learn a little, then circle back when it's relevant. I'm attracted to a wide range, and find most have something useful to offer even if it is a small part. Usually I have odd experiences first, then seek related practices and teachings to help me work with them.
It's highly likely that the healing charts don't have an absolute correct answer, but they work well for some things. Mainly protection, removing blockages, identifying attacks or mysterious illness, practical divination such as timing, and direction toward further study. I am a pragmatist so I continue to use them for what they work for. I don't currently charge for services, I use the method for myself and people close to me. I may charge in the future if my skills improve enough to merit it, I don't wish to cheat anyone. The other people I know who practice and charge what I think is a reasonable fee (all women) use it as a platform alongside native psychic skills such as foresight and mediumship. I am still tuning my intuition and am not that advanced.
Cholita sounds like a cool lady with a skill level I would like to someday have. I admire that type of approach.
Again, thanks for the useful information, I will go over it, likely at a slow pace, and hopefully find some answers. I am concerned the reoccurring pain may be linked to some kind of attack which I will investigate, but so far from what I've learned here it seems there is only a moderate chance it is related to the assemblage point. What has been provided here should help me find out when I take a closer look. Be well.
Here's an interesting story that shows the difference between men and women.
A witch in Russia had learned to summon some huge Cobra spirit, said to be the king of demons that witches have available there.
Being Russian, she was totally in to it, and even went to graveyards to get dirt to use in ceremonies.
But the demon started biting her on the shoulder, and she'd even wake up in the morning with visible scratches.
She was terrified.
Someone sent her to me.
So I explained it's just an inorganic being, told her what those were and that they were tricksters, and she just hadn't "wrestled it" yet. So it doesn't know how to behave. Their default is to frighten.
And that once she overcame her fear, she could order it to take any form.
I suggested a Siberian Kitten.
I'm very fond of those "Cheshire" cats ever since a good friend cat of mine plunged to its death from 10 stories high in a Moscow apartment complex, trying to sneak next door to the old lady who gave it yogurt. On a very icy day.
It was so fat it could barely walk around on flat floors, let alone icy beams on the window balconies.
That type of cat literally talks! A bit too much perhaps, always making cat noise snide remarks about anything they don't approve of.
She didn't believe that the Cobra could be transformed and kept complaining to me, but eventually her fear got the best of her and she tried my advice.
She got rid of the serpent demon, and did indeed turn it into a kitten.
But she was very angry with me.
She said now she had an annoying kitten following her around the house, and I'd ruined her main source of power. The intense fright and creepy crawly feelings she picked up from the demon.
Told me off she did, and I never heard from her again.
Darn witches...
This is funny and sounds like a friend of mine who works with demons. She is Romanian. Seems she still learned something valuable about how she sources power.
I don't work with demons. I summoned one on accident once when I was more reckless and didn't understand the reality of these things. I don't think it was very powerful, but it hung around my house for a long time and had some unpleasant emotional effects. I didn't know it was there still as I wasn't very sensitive, but a friend who is skilled at seeing was visiting and told me. I eventually learned how to get rid of it but it's not something I've repeated.
I'm sorry to hear about your cat friend.
"Vasya".
Hey mate, this is not related to this exact post/comment.
I just stumbled upon your profile today, freaking amazed that all the knowledge is kept somewhere, thanks for everything you did for the community, warm regards.
Wait until you see the videos we'll produce!
It's one thing to look at pictures, but another entirely if it's animated.
AND, it's a lot easier. You'd think it was harder to draw, but the 3D stuff is "recyclable". So if you make a purple "puff" from particles that glow and flow, using the built in physics of animation software, you have that "puff" forever. And can put as many on the screen as you like.
Theoretically you can even teach them to be "sentient" just like the real puffs, which are pieces of your energy body.
Teach them to stick to the "pouches" on 3D beings, collect together to form a "blue ball of energy", and even teach little women's faces to act like inorganic beings, and fly onto the puffs when they're at moderate strength.
Have the intense puffs show videos in the middle, the way the real ones do.
We have enough skilled practioners now to know at least a reasonable amount about the "rules of the energy body". At least enough to design an animation where you don't have to program every single thing.
Theoretically you could take Kylie in a Tensegrity video, scan her movements, transfer them to a 3D photorealistic Kylie, then put it in darkness with the programmed "puffs".
And when she did the tensegrity moves you got from her video, you'd get a fairly accurate idea of what that pass does in darkness, without having to "master it".
Apparently Bruce Wagner had a similar idea and has a video media project going on.
He owns the book rights.
When the townsfolk come after us with torches and pitchforks, we'll know we're on the right track!
Right now I only get angry goats.
You're right on both counts. My interest in practicing may change as I look into this further, depending on if what I find is right for me at this time. I may also double back in the future.
u/danl999’s experience with men is heavily colored by the hundreds of them who wandered through here in a given year attempting to private chat with him. He put up with them for several years in fact, far longer than most would’ve been able to… and came to the personal conclusion that 98% of them are liers and unmitigated pieces of shit.
I maintain that the issue is the sort of people why try to contact him in that manner in the first place, ones who are looking for something; specifically some person to either absolve them, hold their hand, or be their guru.
He’s a high-functioning autistic (maybe Aspergers), and doesn’t even like talking to people or being touched!
And his experience with women is almost entirely different, which is why it would’ve helped
to state that upfront. But we don’t require it.
This is understandable, thank you for the context. I wanted to refrain from making assumptions about what was influencing the response as there was high risk of being wrong due to lack of information. I have had similar issues with men (them being liars) so I mostly work with other women. If I do work with men I take a long time to observe them and choose carefully. I like to keep my independence even if it means I have to learn more from mistakes than guidance.
Often I don't state my sex up front because some magical communities are dismissive toward women. I will remember that is not the case here and will be careful to mention it if I post in the future.
I just removed the link to that transsurfing post from the Wiki page. I must have done a search for posts that included assemblage point in the title, and then made links to them all.
Yea, the transurfing was a total con job.
Couldn't even do what they claimed, regardless of whether it's nonsense.
It's like the Monroe followers.
CAN'T do what they claim! Even if you consider it's nonsense.
It's not that they're deluded. It's that they lie!
You can tell by their discussions.
The lie is, how often they confuse an ordinary dream for such an experience.
And how they did it. The implication being they actually tried, and didn't just pick a random dream to exaggerate that week.
And how much work they put in!
Look at this place. It's next to impossible to get anyone to put in real practice time.
And OURS works. Kicks the Buddha's ass even.
So no one is going to work hard on "Astral Travel". Since it DOESN'T work, other than to let you re-interpret a dream caused by your obsession.
They imply they practice daily, and that they can do that when they want.
And all the others who are in the group lying, feel safe to make the same claims.
But if they could do even what they claim, they'd evolve. And realize it's not true. And maybe start looking around to figure out what's really happening.
It's a "hoard of angry liars" to be ironic and copy Second Ring of Power.
Monroe was an evil genius, because he realized all you needed was a "support group" to give the liars somewhere to get attention, and then "certification" that it's a valid practice.
And "justification" in the form of "Hey, the CIA believed it".
When in fact, the CIA got conned.
There's even a Columbo episode about the con.
And the liars will try to figure out how to make their own "franchise" so they can steal too. So they don't really care if it works at all.
I'm convinced Monroe bad guys have taken over SEVERAL subreddits.
Including the "prison planet", which banned me the instant I start saying Monroe was a bad guy.
The transurfing is also a good example of that effect.
But the group died because it was nonsense. And I suppose, it actually took a little work to pretend that thing.
So it was not only bogus, but it even required some effort.
Then one of our own tried to take it over?
Hope he's gone for good.
People already gave you enough of guidance for understanding the assemblage point, entertaining the possibility it could be spirituality-related phenomenon, so I can now share my thoughts.
Don't want to come off too dismissive, but have you checked for any medical reasons that could be the cause of the pain? Seen a neurologist, did an MRI, for example?
Did anybody ever touch you in that area on your back, some person you dislike, maybe? Some somatic pain results from an unwanted/unpleasant touch if you are an assault survivor or have a deep emotional trauma. Some people recovering from trauma might be hyper-sensitive and if someone even just touches/taps them on the shoulder/back in a friendly manner, the sensation of the touch might cause burning/discomort/pain in the area for months and years with no real physiological issues, just psychological ones.
You don't sound dismissive. This was my first thought of what is the most likely cause, something psychological or physical. When it started it would only come up once a year or so and I would just let it go. Now it happens once every couple months so I'm more motivated to deal with it.
I don't have any history of injury in that spot and it activates in my sleep without identifiable related activity. I sleep on my opposite side from where the pain is, but it is possible a sleeping position caused a cramp that became a recurrent pathway over time, and may be putting pressure on a nerve. I am looking into seeing a doctor who can refer me (I don't have a GP rn) and getting it checked. A friend knowledgeable about Chinese medicine pointed me toward some meridian points in that area that might be related as they link to anxiety and emotional blockages. I may look into getting acupressure. I typically treat it with pressure, heat and meditation when it flares. Occasionally I make it worse with pressure so it would be good to see someone.
I don't have an assault history, and unfortunately can't remember the events surrounding the initial occurrence. It was at a stressful time in my life and there was a person or persons it could be related to, either from ill-intent or sympathetic pain. Someone I am close to was recovering from serious injuries, though not in that spot. His father was very hostile to my presence. Intuition says this is probably not relevant due to the type of stress that precedes it. It tends to be related to life path issues, and I was making a lot of directional decisions at that time. I thought it might be self-sabotaging fear, as the pain makes it difficult to do necessary tasks at key moments. Or perhaps it is a backward unconscious attempt to ground myself.
I was told by I woman I worked with that there is external magical resistance not in my best interest to me pursuing this life path . My level of trust of her is on the low end of moderate, but I don't think she would intentionally mislead me. It's something I hold at arms length but keep an eye on. This was said in general, not related to the shoulder issue, I am connecting the two because of the times it flares. The chart system I use, where I learned of the assemblage point a couple years back, has not indicated a direct connection between the two. I have never asked directly, and will the next time I use it.
I am probably looking into this possibility now as I had my first known instance of sleep paralysis one night before the one where I woke up with pain. This has never happened before past flares so it seems unlikely to be related, but it is motivating me to look into potential spiritual causes more closely. During the paralysis I had the impression of being in a parallel place, lying down the same way I was in my bed. I was holding an object with what felt like my energy body, with the opposite hand from the one connected to my problem shoulder. It was a similar shape and weight to a prescription pill bottle, maybe slightly heavier. The feeling of intent in the space was harmful, and I sensed two entities moving behind me. I don't know of what type. There were sounds similar to the crinkling of thick brown paper, but more atmospheric and electrical.
I tried to move or speak and couldn't so figured it was sleep paralysis. I did some protection exercises then tried to make incremental movements until I woke up and regained control of my body. It worked, I went back to sleep fine after that, normal dreams etc. I haven't given it much thought or investigation, mostly my concern is to prevent future instances as it was disturbing and scary. Then the pain after the following night that prompted me to seek answers. It's not uncommon for me to pursue one question then find answers to other questions.
I appreciate your insights. It's led me to think about some things I hadn't considered as far as possible touches or adverse experiences that seemed minor at the time or are distant from memory. I agree I should look into many possible causes. I'm trying to keep all my bases covered.
I see, by the sound of it, you have quite a bouquet of stuff going on lol, but enough faculties to figure it out.
Just keep in mind, in all the touch-trauma instances I know of the initial touch INSTANTLY caused discomfort/burning and then became a recurring issue over the months and years, so people would know/remember right away.
Lol yes, there is a lot going on. I get weird visitors, not all well-intentioned, and for the most part I just do what I need to keep myself free unless there's a reason I want to interact. I spend more time on things that are throwing a wrench into my mundane life. I'll poke around here and see what I can learn, starting with the direction offered.
That is a helpful clarification for the trauma touch. I think it is not related to this issue. I have another spot that may have that source, but it is rarely activated and causes me few problems. It provokes fear alongside a cramp. Again, thank you!
Hi there, I don’t think anyone has recommended the recapitulation process yet so I’m going to. Recapitulation, the importance of it really can’t be overstated. There’s a wealth of information in the menu up there. You might like Taisha Abelar’s explanations of it or maybe there’s a woman that could explain some of the more womanly aspects of it that I cannot, but there it is.
It’s like my body and my true self can be heard and I can really tune into what my problem is when I’m actually putting effort and time into it. If there’s something in there for you to find, recapitulation is the way to do it. If your issue has anything to do with your past history in any way, recapitulation is the most effective and pragmatic modality to identify it and cleanse it. I’ve tried a few different systems on my way to finding this place, Jung and the active imagination, internal family systems, inner child stuff, spiritual warrior stuff, energy healing, which I completely dropped when I found this place. It’s that profound, and feels like nothing but pure energetic truth without all of the “flavours and toppings” (I.e bullshit) layered on as in other systems. It’s just you and infinity, in the darkness, cleaning you out.
My experience has been the more I read about it, the more I understood the value of it and nuance to it, but nothing can beat practice. In there is where the inner guide can be found. Threads to follow. Where to dig.
Thank you! Sorry for the delayed reply, I haven’t been checking Reddit lately. I will look into this.