The first step is the deposit phase. Connect your wallet, select an asset pool (e.g., 1 ETH, 0.1 ETH), and confirm the transaction. Your funds are sent to the immutable smart contract. At this moment, you will receive a secret note. This is not a suggestion; it is a critical command: save this note securely immediately. The Tornado Cash guide cannot stress this enough. This note is your only key to retrieving your funds, and its loss is irreversible.