Moving the Assemblage Point
Those already familiar with Carlos Castaneda and his anthropological field work in Northern Mexico will recognize the term “Assemblage Point”. It is much used throughout Castaneda’s twelve books, which chronicle his experiences with a Yaqui Indian named Don Juan Matus between 1960 and about 1975.
Assemblage Point relates to the description of a human being as a “Luminous Egg”, the form in which they appear to sorcerers. Within the Luminous Egg of every person is visible a bundle of glowing fibers. These are called Fibers of Awareness, and the bright place where the fibers touch against the interior of the shell defines the location of the Assemblage Point.
According to Don Juan (by way of Castaneda’s narratives), it is the special ability of the sorcerer to move his Assemblage Point at will. This was among the principles of sorcery imparted to Castaneda by Don Juan during their association, which Castaneda describes as an apprenticeship.
When a sorcerer succeeds in moving his own Assemblage Point he is admitted to a state of enhanced consciousness, where extraordinary forms of knowledge and understanding become available to him. Through the voluntary movement of his Assemblage Point a sorcerer is also able, with practice, to create illusions that may be experienced by others, such as transforming his appearance, being present at multiple locations at the same time, or even influencing the thoughts of another person.
Only experienced sorcerers may perform such feats of sorcery at will, but most people have some familiarity with the unintended movement of their own Assemblage Point. A situation of great surprise, shock, or fright may momentarily dislodge the Assemblage Point of the non-sorcerer, allowing them to perform feats they normally could not. At such moments, the tendency of the Assemblage Point to move is a function of emotional intensity. Reports of individuals who were inexplicably able to lift the weight of an automobile to free themselves or a loved one, after a serious traffic accident, relate to the sudden, unexpected dislocation of the Assemblage Point.
Only a sorcerer may cause his own Assemblage Point to move, unaided by external circumstances. This is the best way to distinguish a sorcerer from a non-sorcerer, and an act of willful sorcery from an accident. But, it is important to note that the young sorcerer (the apprentice) may lack the power to control the resulting location of his Assemblage Point, though he is able to bring about its movement. As a result, the sorcery of apprentice sorcerers may seem absurd, incomprehensible, ridiculous or insane.
