>> I can't quite manage a ball, but I can do a cushion-like energy field between my palms. I can push on it a little bit, like if you playing with soap suds between your palms, and once I have the field there, if I tilt one hand, I can feel the energy move in response on the other palm.
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Then you're getting close to the ball stage. Try imagining it like making a snowball. The snow starts out as a fluffy mass in your hands, and you pat it into a around shape with firmer boundaries.