CHAPTER DISCUSSION: Chapter 29, Career Advice

[Nora Renka]

No: HPFGUIDX 116611


--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "justcarol67" 
<justcarol67 at y...> wrote:
> 
>> -Nora adds in one long thoughtful note about Occlumency; learning 
>> to relax is a skill, and a very tricky one at that; it is NOT well-
>> developed by taking a beginner and hitting them until they chance 
>> to actually manage to relax and deflect a hit; should be 
>> interesting to see if teaching method is addressed at all...
> 
> Carol:
> The problem with your analogy is that Occlumency, like resisting an
> Imperius Curse, requires being on your guard and fighting off the
> enemy's attempts to penetrate your mind. Relaxing would be 
> disastrous and could even be fatal. Snape is trying to demonstrate 
> to Harry what he would be up against if LV tried to invade his mind 
> and the only way to do that is to impersonate Voldemort. Basically 
> Snape tells Harry what he needs to do--whatever it was that he 
> instinctively did to fend off the invasion by Crouch!Moody. But 
> Harry isn't listening.

No offense, but you misunderstand (and I did not properly explain (or 
it was shunted into other notes on this thread, because I did discuss 
it), I think), what true aiki relaxation (what I meant by relaxation) 
is.  

It most definitely is NOT limpness, as we so often think of it.  
Someone who is relaxed is actually far *stronger* than someone who is 
not, because muscles and mind are in unity.  You must be relaxed to 
effectively fend off someone and be truly on your guard...relaxation 
is a state that keeps you on your guard.  If you're tight and nervous 
and stiff, you are actually brittle and weak and easier to break 
through.

I think it's a good analogy to Occlumency (for me, at least), because 
of what it feels like.  When I attack someone who is truly relaxed in 
an aiki way, I literally *bounce* off of them.

It's the coolest feeling ever.

If they actually try to exert force against me, I have something that 
I can resist against, and it becomes a force contest that I might 
win, but it's a collision rather than a deflection.

Snape says that resisting the Imperius curse is like Occlumency.  I 
say this with some lack of clarity on the mechanics, but one 
generally does not fight back effectively by flailing and struggling 
and hitting directly at someone.  One fights back by getting 
everything lined up together, getting oriented in one's center, and 
presenting resistance from there.  That's relaxation.

-Nora tries to keep this on-topic, but would be happy to try to 
explain more in OT-chatter or elsewhere