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<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="3670">
	<title><![CDATA[Blog on the move]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I've moved my blog to:

[URL="http://ron-aikidothoughts.blogspot.com/"]http://ron-aikidothoughts.blogspot.com/[/URL]

All new post will appear there.]]></body>
	<date>10-20-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3657">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Forty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Fear causes a loss of connection. Loss of connection is the root cause of conflict. Combat happens when conflict cannot be resolved by nonviolent methods. Combat restores connection, albeit in a very harsh and destructive manner.
 
The Aikido of Ueshiba is a martial way that mitigates the harshness and destructiveness of combat by providing me the opportunity to select the appropriate level of violence to apply in a given situation. No violence at all to absolute lethality and everything in between; as an Aikido practitioner the full spectrum is at my disposal.

How to re-establish connection, to neutralize the fear that separates me from the other, using the least amount of violence, is a core component of my Aikido training. I do this, not by rehearsing ever more varied scenarios, but by allowing my training to have its way in effecting change within me. My training strengthens my body, calms my mind, purifies my spirit and integrates all three allowing me to attain my strongest possible state of being.]]></body>
	<date>10-04-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3629">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Forty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Patches of red, maples, to be sure, first to go over; yellow, orange and rust begin to dot the canopy of green that has, since May, blanketed the Berkshire Hills here in western Mass. Autumn is coming and with just a hint of chill in the air my practice begins to subtly change with the season.
 
Back in the day seasonal changes affected barely more than my wardrobe. I existed not in tune with the seasons, more like beyond their influence altogether; summer, winter, fall, spring; other than differences in temperature and the form of precipitation I moved thru them as though within a Gardol Shield (for those of you old enough to remember the old Colgate Dental Cream commercial from 1956). As I have aged I have become more aware of the seasons; their differences and similarities have been imprinted in my body to such an extent that I have never felt more acutely alive. The quality of light as it changes throughout the day, the transmission of everyday sounds, the seasonally specific aromas of the world, the touch of a breeze… seem to permeate my being in ways that bring me to an intimate knowledge of just how real the oneness of all things really is.

Fall is the twilight season, a season of softness and blurred edges; early high color giving way to the browns and grays of winter. Fall practice for me begins to evidence itself with the emergence of techniques that emphasize soft blending movements; Ki practice, less evident in the heat of the summer months, reappears with greater regularity. My practice reflects the fact that my body is reacting to the overall sleepiness that is sweeping through the environment; an environment that I am finding myself increasingly integrated with. One of the benefits of my Aikido training has been an increase of my awareness of how I fit into the larger pattern of existence. Exactly how this happens; how the mechanics of throwing, taking ukemi and the practice of Ki development have all combined over the years to effect this transformation remains something to be answered sometime in my future. Then again, maybe not. Perhaps the answer lies in remaining in the question.]]></body>
	<date>09-17-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3612">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Forty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[She's back...

[center]A Parable (continued)[/center]

As the Ruler passed into the mist that arose about his bridge the Master of Anywhere turned, and looking at the Road that lay before her with newly awakened understanding, began the long journey back to Anywhere. And so it came to pass, after many days of travel, that she decided to stop for a time in Someplaceelse, a town very much larger than Anywhere nestled in a wide valley between the Northern and Southern Ranges.
 
One day, while exploring the manufacturing district of Somewhereelse, she happened upon the shop of Wood Worker. Having used many implements of wood in her daily life and taken them pretty much for granted, she decided to see how it was that they came to be manufactured and learn what manner of person would devote his life to learning and mastering the craft of working with wood. Upon entering she was immediately assailed by the odor of freshly cut wood that permeated the shops interior. The smell was rich, wholesome in a way that spoke of living things, an earthy aroma. Work stations were individually lit with warm yellow glow globes rendering the larger space in varying degrees of blended light and shadow.
 
The Master of Anywhere stood in the doorway letting her eyes adjust to the relative dimness of the shop when Wood Worker ambled over to her, greeting her with warm words and a kind smile, "Good day Madame, how may I be of service?" 

"Good day to you Wood Worker. I am the Master of Anywhere and I am traveling the Road towards home having come from answering a Summons to Appear from the Ruler. I have stopped in your fine town and wish to spend some time with you in your shop learning a bit about the Way of Working Wood." 
 
"Your fame precedes you Master of Anywhere." he said, "Not long ago a traveler passed through here, a Martial Artist of no minor repute, who told of a Master of Anywhere, his teacher for many years it seems, who could perform the most amazing feats of martial skill. He related her mastery of internal strength and martial prowess with stories that bordered on the unbelievable. Yet he spoke with such conviction and open honesty that none who heard him could accept them as any less than the absolute truth. And now here in my humble wood shop stands the esteemed master of whom he spoke wanting to learn about the Way of Working Wood. I am honored Master of Anywhere and say thusly that you may come to my shop whenever and for as long as you wish. Perhaps, with time, you will find what you seek. I will be glad to help in any way."

That is how the Master of Anywhere began her stay in Someplaceelse.

Now Wood Worker had in his employ several apprentices of varying degrees of expertise and experience. They each worked on tasks assigned to them by Wood Worker and as time passed and she carefully watched, the Master of Anywhere began to perceive the form of the Way of Working Wood. She saw that the cutting, shaping, fitting and finishing of wood required techniques; and the techniques, once taught, had to be practiced over and over in order to be mastered. Once mastered, the same techniques could be applied to any number of different projects, the finished works of which scarcely resembling each other. Each apprentice, when first learning a technique would endeavor to ape Wood Worker's movements in an effort to duplicate his result. As they became more accustomed to the technique, the Master of Anywhere noticed that they began to vary their movements in ways that were more attuned their individual selves. And so the form each technique, while yielding results seemingly very similar, varied in ways both subtle and beautiful to behold. In this way each apprentice explored the Way of Working Wood on an individual path, different from all the rest, while all were guided by Wood Worker. The Master of Anywhere began to realize that indeed, just as the Ruler had shown her, there were Ways of Training applicable to almost any activity. And practitioners of any Art or Craft will necessarily perform at different levels of acquired skill. 
 
It might surprise some that the Master of Anywhere was so long in coming to this realization. Understand though that in Anywhere there is but one Baker, one Potter, one Smith; indeed, in the little town of Anywhere each House specializes in something that contributes to the well being of all. But in Someplaceelse there were many Bakers, Potters and Smiths. Other Wood Workers there were too and as she visited their shops she saw that there were many paths traveled by the people exploring the Way of Working Wood. Each Master would tailor his or her Way based on a myriad of factors such that the Art of Wood Working contained within it many individual styles of comparative worth. An Apprentice would gravitate to a Master whose style best suited the goals of the Apprentice.
 
The Master of Anywhere saw that the Training undertaken by one in the Way of Working Wood was, in reality, no different from her own Training in the Way of Martial Arts. And although none whom she met could match her internal strength or martial abilities, she was equally overmatched within their own specializations.
 
Finally the day arrived for the Master of Anywhere to depart Someplaceelse to continue her journey home. She sat one last time with Wood Worker and said, "Wood Worker, I have learned much at your side. Where once I looked at my Way of Martial Arts as the one and only Way, I now deem that this is not so; there are many Ways in the Wide World. Where once I saw just a Baker or Potter or Smith I now see a skilled artisan the worth of whom cannot be measured in power. Indeed, every Way is accompanied by methods of Training that lead practitioners along different paths and so the Way is thereby enriched by the diversity. When next I meet another Martial Artist I will look upon him with new eyes; eyes attuned to the form of his Way that I may see the worth of it. For this I have you to thank."

A small smile played across the lips of Wood Worker. "Safe home Master of Anywhere." And with that he turned his back upon the Master of Anywhere and slowly ambled away into the dusky gloom of his shop.]]></body>
	<date>09-08-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3605">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Forty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Once again I practice the previous exercise, two partners continuously pulling, pushing, lifting, compressing at various points on my body. 

This time, however, instead of remaining in natural stance, I allow myself to move. I find that I am able to move at will in directions of my choosing, regardless of how and where I am being tested by my partners. I move slowly, deliberately opting for directions that sometimes take me directly into the path of the oncoming force; other times moving away; still others moving into stillness. 

This form of the exercise really brings the manipulation of forces to life for me. My partners, looking always to help me, provide enough force to bring me right to the point of structural failure and then slightly beyond. This way I am able to slowly increase my ability to absorb and manipulate ever greater amounts of applied force.

It isn't a contest; it's a cooperative effort.]]></body>
	<date>08-30-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3594">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Standing in natural stance I feel the hand begin to push on my shoulder. Lightly, at first, then with increasing pressure. As I adapt to the pressure I feel another hand begin to press into my lower back; again lightly at first, the pressure steadily increasing. For a few moments I have hands simultaneously pressing at my shoulder and lower back and then the hand at my shoulder is gone and I feel two hands begin to pull down and back on my shoulders from behind. After a short while of pressure on my shoulders and lower back the hand at my lower back is gone and moves to the side of my head and begins to push…

So it goes, push/leave, pull/leave, lift/leave, compress/leave in succession so that I experience a constantly changing variety of forces applied to various places, sometimes alone, sometimes in tandem, while I maintain natural stance. With practice I'm finding that I can bear quite a bit of pressure without moving.

This and other Ki exercises we regularly practice are designed to find and enhance what we refer to as correct feeling. Correct feeling is central to developing a strong stable center.]]></body>
	<date>08-20-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3587">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[It was fun to write anyway...

[center]A Parable[/center]

Once upon a time there lived an esteemed martial artist in the little town of Anywhere. She was an acknowledged Master, locally famous for her supple strength and structure. In fact, she could handle any amount of pushing or pulling on various parts of her body with amazing, uncanny even, ease. She was able to manifest her intent with the slightest of gestures, sending large strong men flying off balance at a whim. When attacked she would just seem to melt into the attacker, absorbing the energy of the attack until it dissipated or was sent back amplified by her intent, the intensity being such that the attacker was totally overwhelmed. All of this while displaying the softness of a young willow in the breeze.
  
In addition to being able to perform with accomplished skill, she also possessed the ability to pass her knowledge on to others and, as it turned out, she proved to be as consummate a teacher as she was a performer. Other martial artists of high repute would continually find their ways to Anywhere in order to test her skills. All who met with her and got to experience her skills first hand would come away suitably impressed; proclaiming that here indeed was one in a million, a martial artist whose internal skills were without parallel. Many requested that she take them on as students so that they too could learn to control themselves with the same degree of expertise as she did herself. Reluctantly, after much pleading and cajoling she agreed to teach them her Way.
 
As the years passed some of her students chose to leave Anywhere in order that they might share their knowledge with others. And so it came to pass that the Ruler heard of the Master of Anywhere and her amazing feats of martial ability. Intrigued, the Ruler caused a Summons to Appear to be drawn up and a messenger was sent to Anywhere in order to deliver it. Alas, the Master was not happy when the messenger delivered the Ruler's Summons to Appear for she had lived nowhere but Anywhere and did not wish to leave her home to undertake the long journey to the land of the Ruler. But Rulers being what they are, rulers that is, are wont to get their way and the Master's Ruler was no exception. And so on a day in spring, bright with the promise of summer just over the horizon, the Master set out to answer the Ruler's Summons to Appear.
 
Now the Ruler lived in the midst of a plateau surrounded by a chasm both deep and wide. Across the chasm spanned but a single bridge, a toll bridge as it turned out, the booth of which was manned by an Old Codger whose job it was to collect the fare from each person looking to cross. Eventually, the Master arrived at the bridge, many days and many adventures from Anywhere, none too happy, mighty weary and wanting to get the whole Appearance over with. So, as you might imagine, she was slightly put out when the Old Codger informed her that in order for her to cross she must ante up the toll.
 
"Old Codger", she intoned somewhat prideful, if I'm to be totally honest in this Tell, "stay your request for the toll for I am the Master of Anywhere and I have with me a Summons to Appear signed by the Ruler himself. That should be enough for you to let me pass." 

"Ah", said the Old Codger looking her up and down in a most disconcerting and uncouth manner. "A Summons to Appear from the Ruler is indeed a most important document. But see, I also have a document, a document also signed by the Ruler, An Order of Collection it is, which obligates me to collect the toll from those wishing to cross the Ruler's bridge."

The Master, after a moment of thoughtful silence, said, "What then is your fee Old Codger; for I see no sign on your bridge or on the side of your hut yonder indicating the amount or nature of the toll?"

"Master of Anywhere", he replied, "the toll to be paid must be determined by the traveler. I simply collect it. It is different for all."

The Master of Anywhere had collected odd bits of gold, silver and precious gems on her journey, varying amounts of which she offered to the Old Codger in exchange for passage across the bridge. All her offers were summarily refused.

A hint of exasperation crept into her voice as she said, "Old Codger, what is this game you play? I have offered up to all that I have and you continually refuse to let me pass. Do you delay me on purpose? Are you not aware that, should I choose to, I could just walk through you and cross the bridge without paying you anything? I am the Master of Anywhere. I have Trained many years and possess power that dwarfs even the mightiest warrior in the land; yet still you stand before me and refuse to let me pass. Why should I not just brush you aside and be on my way? That, I deem, would be ample recompense for your impudence." Her voice, at the end of her speech, carried a hint of the power she possessed and should have been enough in and of itself to cow all but the stoutest of hearts seeking to oppose her will.

"Good Lady", the Old Codger replied, his tone flat with patience, as though he was dealing with a petulant child, "upon me is laid a Chore, yea, given to me by the Ruler himself, that I must collect his toll before I consent to the passage of anyone across his bridge. ‘Old Codger', he said to me ‘it is upon you that I bestow this Chore for in you I see one whose devotion to duty is steadfast as the Mountain Tall far away in the south of the land. I know that you will not fail.' So yes, Master of Anywhere, you may indeed brush me aside with the ease of the wind blowing through a grove of leafless trees. But know this: after my fall, half way across the bridge you will meet me again and you will think your eyes deceive you for there will be two of me to contend with. Perhaps your internal power, the selfsame power you are so justly proud of will prevail a second time but I say this, when you have gone yet half way again four of me will be there to greet you. And when next you have covered half the distance eight of me will be waiting. It is a very long bridge Master of Anywhere."

"Old Codger, you have no power and I am well neigh irresistible. It would prove to be a conflict worthy of Song; Irresistible Force meets Immovable Object." she said and sighed. "But I am no fool. I have Trained lo these many years to develop my internal power and become a great storehouse of its ways and applicability. Yet now I see that you too have Trained. And while you may not possess internal power as I have come to know it, you do indeed have a strength that transcends time and distance; something, I must admit, I had not heretofore considered. I see now that Training comes in many forms and that all have their worth. Now that I think on it, I can see the Potter, the Baker, the Smith; all people, in fact, who Train, in a new light. You have opened my eyes Old Codger and for that you have my thanks." And with that she bowed low, though no less powerful for it.

The Old Codger bowed in return, "Well met Master of Anywhere. You have paid the toll and satisfied the Summons to Appear. There is no need for you to cross the bridge now for you have taught me well; and for that you have [i]my[/i] thanks. May your journey to Anywhere be a safe one and see you arrive happy and content."

With that the Ruler turned his back on the Master of Anywhere and began to slowly cross the bridge.]]></body>
	<date>08-10-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3574">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundered and Thirty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I used to think that my study of Aikido was all about seeking. I have come to understand that it isn't about that at all; my study of Aikido is all about finding. O Sensei, IMO, never intended Aikido to be a ‘one size fits all' art. Consequently, I don't want to emulate him. I can't, not being him, recreate his Aikido in myself. His Aikido was an amalgamation of his life experience; quite unique and surely far different from my own. In a sense, he didn't create Aikido, it grew out of him and all that he was and did. 

What I learned from Maruyama Sensei primarily was how to learn about Aikido through discovering myself. I got from him the notion that waza is but one tool, not the finished work. Ki exercises and testing are likewise just tools of discovery. Forms, exercises, practice… my toolkit for delving into my self and my relationship to the rest of creation from which my Aikido grows and is enriched as I grow and learn.]]></body>
	<date>07-23-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3541">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The canvas accepts the paint 
yet the paint itself leaves no mark. 
Brush strokes 
are rendered and disappear 
as soon as they are completed. 
The painting can be finished, 
and still, 
leave no shadow of itself 
on the canvas 
which is always blank.  

On the mat
my mind,
like the canvas,
is undisturbed;
accepting the attack,
which leaves no memory
to note its having happened.]]></body>
	<date>07-01-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3530">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Mary and I are on opposite ends of the worry spectrum. She tends to smack herself around over things that happened in her past while I save most of my fretting for events that have yet come to pass. Each of us sees that the other worries needlessly. From my point of view she is unnecessarily reliving events long ago consigned to history's round file; so why bother? From her vantage point I am living events in the future that may or may not actually happen; so again, why bother? What we have in common is that each of our proclivities separates us from Now, backward for her forward for me. 

Aikido training has helped me immeasureably in honing my ability to remain focused on the present, getting ever closer to experiencing Now directly. While I know that direct experience of Now is impossible since Now has no extension beyond the moment I can approach it without limit. The ability to shrink the extension of my point of reference broadens my awareness of living life in the present.]]></body>
	<date>06-17-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3516">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The outside roils and churns, 
the inside calm and still; 
the boundary between
where both are neither
and become one in the same
is Aikido.

[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc0RXS3sHoQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc0RXS3sHoQ[/URL]]]></body>
	<date>06-09-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3511">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I just realized that 2009 marks the point at which I have been studying Aikido for over half of my life. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I showed up for my first class a week early :o but 32 years have elapsed since that day. 

I was going to write that I can't begin to write what Aikido has meant to me, but then, that's what this blog is all about, duh. 

Mary and I have an agreement that we are going to celebrate our 50th anniversary together, which means I have to live into my early 90's, another 32 years. So barring any fatal diseases, natural disasters, other calamities or being stupid enough to run headlong into Dan Harden at full speed :D , I may be lucky enough to put in another 30+ years on the mat.

Going to be a helluva journey, but I won't say I can't wait. I'm in no hurry to get there 'cause I'm really enjoying the ride.]]></body>
	<date>05-31-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3502">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Thought I'd post our Ki Syllabus here for those who are looking for ways to develop their internal strength and correct feeling that go beyond solely practicing waza.
 
Ki Syllabus -- the purpose of which is to provide the instructor with teaching tools to educate students in how to establish and enhance correct feeling associated with coordination of mind and body.

Benefits of -- which include: development and strengthening of correct feeling while stationary or in motion, body core strengthening, introduction to technique basic movements, increased awareness of moving from the center…

Ki Development Exercises 

Solo --
1.	Rowing motion
2.	Ikkyo one direction
3.	Ikkyo two directions
4.	Ikkyo four directions
5.	Ikkyo eight directions
6.	Sai Undo
7.	Sai Undo with side step
8.	Flap arms side to side
9.	Monkey dips
10.	Roll backward
11.	Roll backward and stand
12.	Wrist curls
13.	Wrist breaks
14.	Tenkan
15.	Irimi

Partnered Stationary --
1.	Unbendable arm
2.	Immovable arm from outside
3.	Immovable arm from inside
4.	Weight underside
5.	Vertical arm lift/pull
6.	Collarbone push
7.	Lower back push
8.	Upper back push
9.	Upper chest push
10.	Kata tori push hammi
11.	Kata tori push natural stance
12.	Kata tori push one foot
13.	Katate tori push hammi
14.	Katate tori push natural stance
15.	Katate tori push one foot
16.	Ryote tori push hammi
17.	Ryote tori push natural stance
18.	Ryote tori push one foot
19.	Upper arm grab bring along
20.	Chin lift
21.	Seiza front push
22.	Seiza rear push
23.	Seiza knee lift
24.	Seiza hand lift
25.	Seiza head push
26.	Ukemi front push
27.	Resist roll back and stand
28.	Palm to palm stiff arm push hammi
29.	Palm to palm stiff arm push natural stance
30.	Palm to palm stiff arm push one foot
31.	Palms to palms unbendable arm push hammi
32.	Palms to palms unbendable arm push natural stance
33.	Palms to palms unbendable arm push one foot
34.	Suspend nage between 2 chairs (sitting on optional)

Partnered Motion --
1.	Katate tori move uke backward
2.	Katate tori draw uke in
3.	Katate tori enter to uke's side
4.	Ryote tori move uke backward
5.	Ryote tori draw uke in
6.	Ryote tori enter to uke's side
7.	Two uke katate ryote tori weight underside sink to the mat
8.	Ikkyo exercise through partner's arm (up and down)
9.	Lift partner's arm after ikkyo exercise
10.	Kata tori tenkan, partner tests after the turn
11.	Tenkan ….partner says stop somewhere in the action and then tests immediately for one point
12.	Nage does any throw and uke gets up and tests for one point
13.	Bring uke along without forcing 
14.	Weight underside 2 uke nage moving and stopping

Solo Weapons --
1.	Multi step random forms with jo staff
2.	Multi step random forms with bokken
3.	Multi step random forms with two bokken
4.	Free movement with jo staff/bokken/2 bokken
5.	1000 strikes
6.	Day long bokken/jo staff carry

Partnered Weapons -- 
1.	Lead uke w/ jo staff
2.	Partnered jo staff leading
3.	Push/pull bokken
4.	Lift jo staff
5.	Push down on jo staff
6.	Push jo staff into nage
7.	Pull jo staff away from nage]]></body>
	<date>05-21-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3495">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Joe McParland sent me an email a while back, part of which appears below:

"In my progression as a nage, I'm hoping to reach mushin, operating effortlessly and spontaneously within the situation.  I have no expectation of who will attack, what the attack may be, or how I will respond to a particular attack---it will just happen.  The wake-up call is wondering if I can reach no-mindedness by practicing no-mindedness just half of the time, holding intention the other half of the time."

This got me to thinking about the nature of the relationship of attacker and defender. I am so accustomed to recognizing the dualities that permeate Aikido that I have always assumed that uke and nage are two sides of the same coin. But I am seeing that this may not actually be true; that there may be a fundamental difference between the two that necessarily arises because of the need for uke to initiate the attack as a result of his intent. Now his intent may be to hurt or, in the case of mat training, help his opponent, in either case the nature of his intent is irrelevant. What's important is the fact that intent precludes an empty head, so to speak. 

The other thing that I began to ponder is the whole concept of trying to reach mushin. For instance, while playing a game of Risk with a couple of buddies, one of the players rolled the die too hard and it careened off the table. Without any volition on my part my hand shot out and plucked the die out of the air and returned it to him, much like Master Po's annoying little habit of plucking flies out of the air in the old Kung Fu series. Afterwards, what struck me was the clarity of that short sequence as it occurred. I have had other incidents like that both on and off the mat. It seems to me that this state of mind, or rather lack of same, arises naturally when the situation calls for it and that my Aikido training endows me with tools that can be spontaneously employed when needed.]]></body>
	<date>05-10-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3493">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Spring is finally arriving in the Berkshires. With the warmer weather we are able to open the windows and overhead doors of the dojo during class, letting the world in; kept out as it was throughout the long winter. The dafs and primroses are up and flowering while the rest of the garden plants are in various stages of testing the air; hesitant as though not quite trusting that winter has finally succumbed to the seasonal rite of spring.

The rising temperatures are also reawakening my body. Ukemi is becoming a little easier to take, sweat flows more freely and my oldish joints complain less than they did a month or two ago. Ahh, bring on the heat!]]></body>
	<date>05-07-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3486">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The gentle way, 
often misinterpreted as lacking strength,
is, in reality, 
steel whipcord wrapped in velvet 
that must be felt to be appreciated.]]></body>
	<date>04-21-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3481">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["Scientific cosmology is offering us a new picture of an awesome universe, but science provides no way of personally connecting to it. New scientific ideas as intellectual entertainment are not going to change our point of view. The scientific picture of the universe and the actual experience of it as reality - like mind and heart - each come fully alive in the connection with the other. Cosmic ideas need to be integrated harmoniously into all we know, and that can open us up to the universe. But how in practice is that done? How can we bring our stunted consciousness into harmony with scientific reality? This is the great challenge of our time…" Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, [U]The View from the Center of the Universe[/U].

How does the study of Aikido, a martial art, relate to my understanding of the universe and my experience of being of the universe? Aikido, in the larger context, larger that is than merely a collection of techniques used to deal with conflict, has provided me with a vehicle for experiencing the connection referred to in the first sentence in the above quote. I can read the science, observe my surroundings with my senses and measuring instruments, devise theories and provide explanations for natural phenomena, in other words feed my mind. Through study and book learning I can intellectually connect to the universe. But this intellectual connection is inadequate to enhance my experience of being of the universe and thus my connection remains incomplete on a personal level. To experience a personal connection with the universe requires more than an intellectual interaction with the world; it also requires physical interaction between me and my surroundings. Aikido enables me to experience this physical interaction. 

Motion is at the heart of Aikido. The dynamics of bodies in motion give rise to all Aikido techniques. Motion is at the heart of the universe. The dynamics of bodies in motion give rise to all events that compose the universe. 

On a large scale, the same physical laws governing the motions of planets, stars, galaxies and galactic clusters govern our motion relative to one another when we practice Aikido. What Aikido provides me is a way to internalize those laws and experience them personally. Continuity is the watch word at this scale. Technique mimics the motion of planets and their home star orbiting about a common center. Smooth, effortless and flowing, we move along paths indicated and defined by the continuum which is, in turn, shaped by our presence. And thus my connection with the larger universe is enhanced and brought to life in an intimate way. 

Moving in the other direction, away from the large toward the very small, random motion becomes the predominant player in my Aikido. Random motion, especially during randori, causes every encounter with my partner(s) to be slightly different. Randori happens, technique occurs without volition, we move together and techniques grow out of our motion. I can practice the same technique with the same partner ten thousand times and each encounter will be unique and unpredictable. The randomness and uncertainty of each encounter allows me to internalize and personally experience the physical laws governing events on the quantum level of the universe. And thus my connection to the smaller universe is enhanced and brought to life in an intimate way.

Studying Aikido allows me to contract my point of reference thereby increasing my awareness. With expanded awareness I am able to bring my consciousness into harmony with the scientific reality that my mind has absorbed as my book knowledge has grown. The two, the knowledge of learning and the knowledge of experience, complement each other creating a synergy of understanding that echoes deep within me. My continually changing Aikido therefore, is one tool that I employ to integrate my consciousness with ever changing scientific reality.]]></body>
	<date>04-14-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3479">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The theme of our spring seminar will be the exploration of correct feeling within the context of Aikido. Correct feeling is the state I experience when my mind and body are coordinated. Correct feeling arises naturally when my mind and body approach unity; when I let go of what was, what may yet be and live in the moment. When I have correct feeling I am in my strongest possible state.

At the seminar we will use a combination of Ki exercises and Aikido techniques to help each other experience and explore correct feeling in our own unique individual ways.]]></body>
	<date>04-10-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3477">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Body Manifest Physical Waza
Mind Hidden Ki Feeling
Spirit Divine Connection Universe]]></body>
	<date>04-03-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3476">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I arrive, 
and in the arriving 
I realize 
that having done so is not the end, 
but just another beginning.]]></body>
	<date>04-02-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3475">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Keep one point.
Keep weight underside.
Maintain correct posture.
Coordinate mind and body.
Have positive mind.

I use these, and other, phrases a lot while in class, never however, in a vacuum. The phrases themselves while appearing instructive in nature do not actually transmit any useful information. What is one point and how I keep it? Keep weight underside of what? How do I feel when my posture is correct? What does it mean to coordinate mind and body? Positive mind, does that mean I have to be happy all the time?

The phrases are introduced in conjunction with Ki development exercises and are used to provide hooks upon which to hang feelings engendered when the exercises are performed correctly. The phrase provides me with a point of reference for recalling a set of feelings associated with the performance of a particular exercise. As I grow and get stronger the need for the words to trigger a physical response in me lessens until I can dispense with the association altogether and simply rely on having correct feeling. 

Perform, associate, reinforce and do it again… and again… and again… It's the process that matters, not the individual outcome of any particular iteration.]]></body>
	<date>03-31-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3466">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[quote=Peter Goldsbury, from Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation 12]One might ask how Descartes' problems with skepticism and Neo's problems in the Matrix are relevant to aikido. The answer is that they are not, but the underlying assumptions are. One of the crucial issues with aikido is the degree to which one gives credence to various ‘internal' experiences that are not part and parcel of waza. The issue is compounded by lack of a common language that is immediately understood. This is evidenced by the following instructions, quoted earlier (numbered here for ease of reference):
 
1.	Extend ki to your partner into his back at your right hand into his wrist at your left hand. 2. Do nothing. 3. Wait. 4. Focus your intent on having your partner accompany you. 5. Do nothing. 6. Wait. 7. Imagine both of you beginning to move in the direction his extended left hand is pointing. 8. Wait. 9. When you feel your partner begin to move, use only your ki to encourage him to continue. 10. Follow his lead as you lead him in the direction he wants to go.
 
This could cause a major problem if the partner does not do what nage intends. In addition, if the partner does indeed do what nage intends/imagines, there is still no demonstrable causal relationship between the intention/imagination and the subsequent action. We will see from the discussion on Wittgenstein that one of the issues with aikido, especially after Koichi Tohei split with the Aikikai, is that of the legitimacy of focusing on certain internal experiences that cannot be verified, except in terms of the experience in question. I believe that the real crux of Kisshomaru Ueshiba's issue with Koichi Tohei is that the latter gave undue importance to certain concepts, like KI, and divorced them from the context of aikido training. For Kisshomaru, KI could not be separated from aiki and had to be developed in the kind of training which he himself believed that his father did.[/quote]
As the originator of the 10 instructions paraphrased by Peter above (the original post is number 51 in my blog) I thought I'd add my thoughts to his observations.
 
Whether or not one gives credence to internal experiences in Aikido has largely to do with the method of training one has experienced. Those of us who were ‘brought up on' the teachings of K. Tohei via Ki Society and later by S. Maruyama via Kokikai Aikido learned early on to identify internal states with metaphors evidenced in the principles and ideas both teachers espoused.

Regarding the instructions numbered 1-10 by Peter, I should note that the exercise when introduced in class by Mary was not presented as a list of instructions. The exercise was demonstrated in silence and only after going thru it with partners did we sit down and discuss our reactions. We then changed partners and went thru the exercise again with new insight gleaned from the discussion. I made a laundry list of instructions in my blog for the purpose of illustrating how the exercise is to be performed for readers.
 
The exercise is practiced with what we refer to as ‘intent without expectation'. As such, there is no conflict or problem regardless how uke responds. The first line of the blog post 51 states that: "I don't want uke to obey me; I want him to be me." The last line reads: "This exercise requires patience. Leave your expectations ‘at the door' and just let it happen."
 
That there is ‘no demonstrable causal relationship between the intention/imagination and the subsequent action' is precisely the point. The exercise deals with feeling and the perception of feeling as experienced by two people working in concert without agendas. Following and leading are inseparable; they are the same process and must be performed simultaneously. Only then will the energies of the participants be blended in such a way as to permit the execution of technique without resorting to the notion of overt control of another person. Wittgenstein can, in effect, be ignored since verification of the internal experience independent of the experience itself is neither required nor sought.
 
Tohei's innovative approach to teaching Ki development as a subject independent of, although in conjunction with waza, seems to me at least to have been a bold step to take. While Kisshomaru may have seen such instruction as divorced from Aikido training, I see Tohei as someone who expanded the idea of what Aikido training is; opening it up to include Ki development as an integral part of training.]]></body>
	<date>03-23-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3465">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["To truly implement the Art of Peace, you must be able to sport freely in the manifest, hidden and divine realms." - Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Translated by John Stevens.

Manifest - The realm of the physical, province of waza, training the body.

Hidden - The realm of Ki, province of feeling, training the mind.

Divine - The realm of connection, province of the Universe, training the spirit.

Aikido training is a process I employ to integrate the three realms in order to realize my full potential as a human being.]]></body>
	<date>03-20-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3464">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[quote=Joe McParland]If I say, "apple," is the one you see the same as the one I see, or are they different?[/quote]
Apple is too complex, let's reduce it to "red". If I say, "red," is the red you see the same as the red I see, or are they different? Now you may argue that "red" is defined by a particular wave length of light and that we can agree that wavelength = x is red. That's all very nice, but it doesn't tell us anything about how we perceive red. I can be shown light of wavelength x + dx where dx represents a change in x and call it red. You meanwhile could be shown light of wavelength x - dx and come to the same conclusion that it is red. Whose red is red?

Clearly, since we agreed at a prior point in time that wavelength x is red neither of us can be right. The wavelength of the light we were shown varied from x by some amount dx. We are forced to admit that our definition of red is, perhaps, to constrained to be of any use when dealing with human perception of color. To enable us to talk about red, as it is perceived by humans, in any meaningful manner we must expand our definition of what is red to include a spectrum of wavelengths.

Aikido is like red. We could attempt to define Aikido simply as the form of "what Ueshiba did" and leave it at that. Therefore if I am doing what Ueshiba did then I am doing Aikido. Simple really. The problem with that is that Ueshiba did what he did over a long period of time and what he did and how he did it varied with respect to when in time he was doing it. So like red, that when discussed perceptively, cannot be pinned down to a single wavelength, Aikido, it seems, cannot be pinned down to a single form.
 
So today we have many different forms of Aikido. Yet I can walk into an Aikido dojo anywhere in the world and discern that what I am seeing is Aikido without having to resort to anything but my perception of what is being performed on the mat.

The question I ask myself is - Did Ueshiba intend for Aikido to become so varied in form, and if so, why?]]></body>
	<date>03-19-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3456">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twenty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I can smell the aroma of spring drifting in air still bearing winter's chill; a chill though now without the bite of only a couple of weeks ago. Berkshire winters give up the ghost reluctantly and often there's still snow on the ground when the crocuses and daffodils begin to appear. Not for a while yet, I'm afraid, but still, something has changed, as if winter has finally accepted that it's time to head south for the summer.

Last night in class I felt the familiar awakening of renewed flexibility that I have come to identify as a harbinger of the promise of spring. The gumminess of my joints, jelled by winter's icy grip, is thinning and by May, or June at the latest, my ukemi will, at last, once again not reflect my advancing years.]]></body>
	<date>03-12-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3451">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Nineteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[From the Aikido IS a Practical Martial Arts Thread:

Quote:
Kevin Leavitt wrote:  
If so, is the process really designed to teach folks morals or ethics.... 

I wrote:
I don't see the process of Aikido study as a delivery vehicle for any moral or ethical lessons. Rather the physical practice of Aikido provides me with a way of looking inward to discover who I am and how I interact with the world around me. This process of discovery has enabled me to witness the emergence and maturation of a moral and ethical base of personal behavior that is substantially different from when I started my study. 

My study of Aikido has been decidely inwardly directed, resulting in outward behavior that has been moving toward a more ethical and moral form than would othwerwise have been had I never taken up Aikido.]]></body>
	<date>03-07-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3442">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Eighteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Much of my training is concerned with attaining what I refer to as "proper fit" with uke. Proper fit occurs when uke and I move in concert, our energies complementing rather than conflicting. To have proper fit with uke I must abandon my agenda, notions of winning and losing, my ego. I must allow myself to be absorbed into the moment. Thought moves me further away from the moment and, as a consequence, hinders my ability to achieve a proper fit with my partner. 

Training, therefore, is my process of discovering, experiencing and developing no-mind, a necessary prerequisite for achieving proper fit. Techniques are the tools of training not the finished work, just as brushes are the tools of painting and not the finished canvas.]]></body>
	<date>02-20-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3438">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Seventeen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Body       Thing
Mind        Process
Spirit       Quality]]></body>
	<date>02-11-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3436">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Sixteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[When I began Aikido, I knew nothing and didn't know it. I began to learn and in learning I knew that I knew nothing. As my knowledge grew I found that I had less and less capacity to learn. There came a point at which I chose to forget all that I thought I knew and so began again.]]></body>
	<date>02-09-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3428">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Fifteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Gently falling snow renders the world with its own unique brushstroke. The falling snowflakes the emphasize the stillness of everything else. The edges of things are blurred by the intervening motes of snowflake, distance becomes less clearly delineated. Sounds are muffled; the ensuing quiet seems to remove much of the hustle and bustle from everyday existence. 

The snow seems to say "slow down, calm down; be at peace, at least for a little while…"

Aikido is, for me, like the falling snow. The motion of Aikido practice counterpoints the stillness of the dojo; walls, ceiling and floor stand, hover and support according to their nature while we whirl around, our motion defining the limits of their realm while they define the space in which we move. Aikido, an agent of integration, blurs the distinction of self, the ultimate differentiator, and fosters unity from multiplicity. The quiet single-mindedness of practice brings me closer to the moment and, for a time, the noise of my life is reduced in scope and volume. 

Aikido says to me "slow down, calm down; be at peace, at least for a little while…"]]></body>
	<date>01-30-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3427">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Fourteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Working through 
or 
working toward.

Via the former, 
I experience the latter 
and so, 
focus on neither 
while being immersed, 
in both.]]></body>
	<date>01-29-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3409">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Thirteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A Metaphorical Parable

Hello. I am a being of immense power. I stand outside creation and possess the ability to observe without interfering. Heisenberg and his nasty Uncertainty Principle are confined to creation; I am free of his curse. I am granting you the ability to step out of creation for a while so that we may look upon another of my works together.

Envision a universe consisting of a single switch. The switch has two possible end-states; end-state zero, called off and end-state one, called on. The switch is considered in an end-state when there is no ambiguity regarding whether the switch is on or off.
 
For the switch either end-state coincides with the moment. In the moment the switch has no motion, no mass, no energy; it simply is. In the moment, the universe that is the switch is static. Between moments the switch will swap end-states. Between moments the switch is not on and the switch is not off. It is between moments that the universe that is the switch is dynamic. The process that the switch undergoes when it oscillates from one end-state to another is called Ki.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…]]></body>
	<date>01-06-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3408">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Twelve]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Where I've been,
my past. 
Where I am, 
my now.
Where I'm going,
my future. 

My conscious self
is never where I am. 
Real-time is an illusion 
for at now there is no time. 

At now 
all things are 
one thing. 

Everything happens between now 
and now 
              and now 
                   and...]]></body>
	<date>01-05-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3406">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Eleven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The moment is irreducible. It has no extension physically or temporally. In the moment the universe has no motion, no mass, no energy; it simply is.

Mary and I have three grandsons. Kai, the oldest, has only lately come to the point where he is able to identify with his own uniqueness as an independently existing individual. He has slipped away from unity with the moment in a way that his younger brother David and cousin Tony have yet to experience. Kai has reached a point where his memories are numerous and rich enough to form an identifiable past from which he is able to conceptualize the idea of a realizable future. He has moved decidedly away from the moment of his life and stepped onto the timeline of his life. David and Tony have yet to complete the same transition as Kai. Their pasts have yet to gel and become consciously recallable and as yet they show no signs that the idea of a future holds any meaning for them. They are still very close to the moment though moving steadily away from it.

My mother will be celebrating her 89th birthday in three weeks. Over the past couple of years dementia has eroded not only her memories but begun to eat into her very notion of self. The timeline of her life has been considerably shortened due to her condition. Her past is a chronologically jumbled collection of images and, as far as I can tell, her notion of future events has become considerable foreshortened. She moves now closer and closer to the moment; opposite the direction being taken by her great grandchildren.

The kids are separating from the moment. In moving away from the moment they are losing some of the intimacy with the universe they previously enjoyed as their consciousnesses become focused more on what has been and yet may be than what is. Life is working on them in ways that are enabling them to stand and function as independent individuals. Each of them is like a little expanding universe within the larger totality; a totality they're becoming less and less intimate with. Mom, on the other hand, due to the shrinking of her past and the erosion of her awareness of the future is moving closer to the moment and, perforce, becoming reintegrated with the universe. The universe is exerting its will and is in the process of enfolding her back into itself. 

To practice the Way to Union with Ki is to realize that the barrier that separates me from the universe is actually permeable and that, via dedicated training and study, while I may not know the moment itself, I may approach it without limit and so increase my awareness of my union with the universe that provided me with my existence.]]></body>
	<date>01-04-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3405">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Ten]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido was first presented to me as the Way to Union with Ki. With that in mind I'm wondering if a purely physical model of Ki will ever be able to provide a complete picture of that process. 

My simplified view, built up over the years, is that I was born into the world fully integrated with the rest of creation and via the process of emergent self awareness and my concurrent socialization as an individual by society, family and friends I was essentially carved out of the whole to assume my role as a distinct person. The emergence of individual forces from a cooling post Big Bang universe is analogous to what I'm attempting to describe. One consequence of my individualization has been the loss of connection with the larger totality of existence that I came into the world with.
 
O Sensei notes repeatedly (From the Founder's Teachings on AikiWeb):

"…you should let the ki of your thoughts and feelings blend with the Universal."

"The secret of aikido is to make yourself become one with the universe and to go along with its natural movements. One who has attained this secret holds the universe in him/herself and can say, ‘I am the universe.'"

"…I am the universe."

"You should realize what the universe is and what you are yourself. To know yourself is to know the universe."

My take on the sentiments expressed in the above quotes, and others of Ueshiba I have come across over the years, is that the Way to Union with Ki is the road that will take me back to the connection I had with the universe before I became fully self aware. There is a barrier that isolates me, that endows me with individuality while shutting me off from communion with the larger totality that I can see and ponder but not partake of.
 
All this leads me to believe that Ki is a complex integrative process that I can partially understand in terms physical theory. But to unite with Ki I am required to experience it on a level that transcends intellectual understanding.]]></body>
	<date>01-02-2009</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3402">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido illuminates my fears and gives them substance. I'm able to face them and learn that instead of overcoming them I can use the energy they supply me with to enrich my experience. When I face my partner my demons are awake, whispering in their nasty little voices of times in my life when choices I made led me astray; riddling me with labyrinthine reasoning as to why failure is inevitable. And I see them for what they are; distractions, attempts to make me abandon mind/body coordination in favor of isolation where fear reigns as I am cut off from the universe. 

There is no room for winning and losing in my Aikido. Both are illusions, as transitory as smoke riding the crest of a gale. The idea that defeating my partner will somehow make me stronger is shown to be a lie. For the victory will feed and grow my ego bringing me further from my goal rather than nearer.]]></body>
	<date>12-29-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3399">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Forty-six is a number. It is composed of a four followed by a six. It is also twenty-three doubled or forty-five plus one, forty-four plus 2 … forty-seven minus one, forty eight minus 2… It turns out that forty-six may be represented by an infinite number of forms other than a four followed by a six. Underlying all forms of forty-six is the idea that forty-six is the numerical representation of a collection of something's that when counted individually total forty-six. So is there a "true" form of forty-six? Are certain forms of forty-six to be considered closer to the idea of forty-six than others? 

Aikido is a martial art. Aikido's structure is composed of techniques. The variations in form of Aikido techniques are manifold. Shiho-nage in this style is performed thusly, slightly different in the school over there. Underlying all forms of Aikido technique is the idea that Aikido is a "Way" of discovering and experiencing Aiki. So is there a "true" form of Aikido? Are certain forms of Aikido to be considered closer to the idea of Aikido than others?]]></body>
	<date>12-24-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3397">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[From on high
the old man laughs 
at the efforts to constrain his creation, 
which even today 
moves out from the source  
along continually fracturing paths, 
diverse and many.
 
Some intersect some not 
by design 
they defy containment, 
so as to ensure 
the continuation of the art 
from which they grow and multiply.

From on high
the old man laughs.]]></body>
	<date>12-16-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3396">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The circle is a perfect distinction.
It contains that which lies within, 
but also that which lies without.

It's a matter of point of reference.

Aikido happens 
where within and without meet
and are no longer distinct.]]></body>
	<date>12-15-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3395">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I said "It's not how I teach Aikido, it's how Aikido affects those who study it." 

Joe McParland replied "There may be a semantic loophole here: Does aikido manifest clearly within the student regardless of the instructor; or, will you say that if the student is not affected as you might expect, then the teacher was not teaching aikido?"

Ueshiba said "All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside you" - [U]The Art of Peace[/U] translated by John Stevens.

I take this to mean that Aikido exists in everyone and that the study of Aikido is, ultimately, the study of one's self. As an instructor I don't teach Aikido as teaching is commonly thought of. I get out on the mat and do things that folks call Aikido technique and students then try to emulate what I show. That's teaching in a sense, but it isn't teaching Aikido. 

I teach Aikido by continuing to learn Aikido. I share my process of learning Aikido with my students. I tell my story and open myself up to them so that they may observe my journey and learn to discover Aikido for themselves. As such, I have no expectations regarding how their Aikido manifests itself.]]></body>
	<date>12-11-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3390">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido isn't, in and of itself, spiritual. I cultivate spirituality in my own life by seeking to integrate myself with the larger totality of existence such that I become more than I am, as defined by my "self". Aikido is my chosen vehicle for directly experiencing unification with the universe on a deeply visceral level.

I don't believe spirituality is something that can be taught, as in; do this, that and the other thing and you will become a more spiritual person. Spirituality, like Aikido, grows from within. A spiritual path can be pointed to but it's up to the individual to walk it and learn from the experience.]]></body>
	<date>12-01-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3389">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido is a way for me to view the world thru different eyes. It allows me see from a vantage point of integration as opposed to the differentiated view I have of the world when I lose one point and the larger "me" is subsumed by the unitary "me". 

When practicing with a partner I am able to experience him/her without the clutter of words that often serve to obfuscate who we really are. When practicing we lay ourselves open to inspection in ways both transparent and honest. Our motion and our interaction are like a chess game where the pieces are always on the board and nothing of the moment is hidden.]]></body>
	<date>11-28-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3376">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and Two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[There is no light quite like October light. It has a quality that rounds off corners and smoothes ragged edges in a ways that soften the world, blending seemingly discordant shapes into a seamless whole. October light eases the passing from summer to winter and stores the promise of spring as a remembrance of the endless cycle of the passing of the seasons.

Aikido has much in common with October light. Aikido softens the edges of uke's and nage's relative motion. It bends linear movement into graceful arcs that lead the eye rather than shock it. Via Aikido, discordance gives rise to harmony as isolation yields to integration and the participants move from plurality to singularity.

It's November now, the beginning of the brown months. October's light has gone to sleep for another year; but like the legendary Phoenix, it'll be back, rising from the ashes of a spent summer. Until then, I have my Aikido to carry me along and remind me of the splendor of its illumination.]]></body>
	<date>11-07-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3372">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred and One]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[High summer is the best time to practice. The dojo is hot, fans move the air, but hot moving air is still… well, hot. The heat loosens my body, eases the winter ache in my joints and energizes my desire to practice. It's as though the warmth expands my body reducing the friction that winter's contracting cold brings on. 

Already the air here whispers of the New England winter waiting just over the horizon. Ice on the windows of the cars in the morning, gardens gone to yellowed leaves, trees moving swiftly from fall colors to leafless brown all speak of the approach of another long winter season. Even with the heating unit, the dojo is chilly in the winter; usually getting comfortably warm right about the time class is about to end. 

In summer my practice turns outward; winter inward. Winter is a time of reflection, a time to assess, to plan, to accumulate. A little less ukemi than when the air is hot and moist, to be sure; but less is not none and at my age any at all is to be thankful for.]]></body>
	<date>11-01-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3370">
	<title><![CDATA[One Hundred]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido is an emergent phenomenon. The mechanics of Aikido technique may be taught. The ideas underpinning Aikido may be taught. Aikido's transformative qualities, however, are not taught, they're experienced. And they're experienced uniquely by each student in his/her own way, in his/her own time. 

As an instructor I have a twofold responsibility. The first is to teach what may be taught; to try to raise the awareness of my students to the point where they may cease being taught and begin to learn for themselves. The second is to provide my students a venue in which their Aikido may grow and emerge; a venue in which transformation is encouraged.

My biggest obstacle in this endeavor is my ego. For in teaching what may be taught there is a danger that I may to want to imprint my image of myself upon my students, to make their Aikido "look" like mine. I must realize that the form of my Aikido is merely the surface of my Aikido and that if this is true for me then it is also true for my students. Knowing this allows me to celebrate the growth of my students rather than fear it.]]></body>
	<date>10-30-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3367">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Hi Joe - Ueshiba's quote in my previous post says it better than I can. I have seen it in myself and others who have trained with me over the years; a gradual moving away from violence (read the word violence in the larger context, encompassing more than just physical assault) as an acceptable option for the resolution of everyday conflicts. Don't misunderstand though, while violence in kind isn't acceptable it does remain on the table if the situation warrants. As a last resort violence is sometimes necessary. It's unfortunate that in today's world many people view violence as the only option to any conflict whether real or merely perceived.

I believe that Ueshiba, as he grew into his creation, saw that the transformative power of Aikido was far more important than its martial applicability. That's why I don't agree with the assertion that Aikido, as it's mostly practiced today, is nothing more than watered down DR. Perhaps in a martial sense it is but Aikido training has led me down a path that opens to vistas that lay beyond the martial application of technique.

I hope this clarifies my statement somewhat. Thanks for reading.]]></body>
	<date>10-24-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3362">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["Practice the Art of Peace sincerely, and evil thoughts and deeds will naturally disappear." - Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Translated by John Stevens.

The spread of Aikido will make the world a more peaceful place… one person at a time. 

The idea that Aikido will somehow cause masses of people to behave in a more peaceful manner is a misunderstanding of how Aikido practice engenders an aversion to violence among practitioners. I'm not entirely sure how practicing Aikido has managed to foster peace in my own life; I only know that it has. Over the years I have seen Aikido work its way into peoples' lives and change them in fundamental ways. Not everyone mind you but some, more in fact than not. 

So now, here in Great Barrington, there exists a small knot of people who practice a peaceful way of living as a result of Aikido study. I'm sure our little corner of the world is not the only place where this has happened. There must be other groups of people who share our passion for Aikido and find themselves living a more peaceful existence. It certainly won't happen overnight, but over a long period of time as more people become exposed to Aikido the numbers will grow. And perhaps, just perhaps, generations from now the world will be a more pleasant place to live… unlikely? … maybe, but one can hope.]]></body>
	<date>10-16-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3357">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Finding the proper "fit" with my partner is an important factor in the proper execution of Aikido technique. When I have the proper fit the technique seems effortless. Instead of having to overcome and control uke I simply move with him and add my own energy to his to effect the throw. The following video illustrates the concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-YmpK9afac

(cut & paste the link)]]></body>
	<date>10-06-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3355">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[There are an infinite number of directions I can move in response to an attack. If I am intersected by the attack it is because I have chosen to move in a direction that will, at some point in the near future, be coincident with the direction uke has chosen for his attack. Our world lines will cross, we will meet and Aikido will happen.
 
Uke and I, of course, are not automatons and our choices will reflect the continuity of our existence, being constantly modified to fit the situation. Aikido teaches me that choices I make in response to an attack need not arise from conscious thinking. Nevertheless, my response to an attack is still the result of a choice being made even though I am unaware of the process behind the choice.

If, as it seems, my response is the result of my making a choice, what then is my responsibility relative to the outcome of the encounter?]]></body>
	<date>10-01-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3353">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[As I watch autumn colors begin to appear on the trees and creep up the sides of the mountains, I'm reminded of the first time I visited Maruyama sensei at the Arch Street dojo in Philadelphia.

Thirty-one years ago as a white belt, I traveled to Philadelphia to attend two classes taught by Sensei. For me, as someone who has a hard time interacting with groups of both people I know and strangers, this was a terrifying experience. Arriving early, I climbed the 4,500 steps :) to the second floor of the Arch Street dojo and entered.
 
Sensei was the only one there, vacuuming the mat! Needless to say, at least to those of you acquainted with Sensei, it wasn't long before I found myself pushing the vacuum around the mat. It wasn't until much later that I recognized the gift that Sensei had given me that night. Allowing me to vacuum the mat gave me time to acclimate myself to the mat and the space. It kept me moving and doing something so that when students began to arrive for class I was far more relaxed than I otherwise would have been. 

I am always mindful of that incident whenever new students come into our dojo. And while I don't have them vacuum the mat by way of introduction, I do try to make them feel totally welcome and put them at ease. New students are, after all, the life blood of any dojo.]]></body>
	<date>09-30-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3352">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Correct feeling is achieved when my mind and body are coordinated. Correct feeling defines my strongest possible state wherein I am able to realize my full potential as a human being. Correct feeling is a broader based idea of power than simple strength. It is the power to be and act according to principles that I choose to live by regardless of whatever external forces are acting to impede me.
 
What then, you may wonder, is coordination of mind and body? Simply stated mind and body are coordinated when they are in the same place at the same time doing the same thing. My body is always exactly where it is and always exists at now. My mind, however, due to its ethereal nature is not limited to any particular place or time. It can be anywhere, anywhen. In fact due to the time lag inherent in the processing of sensory stimuli, my mind, unlike my body, is forever shut off from now. My mind can approach now without limit, but never quite get there. This leads me to conclude that perfect mind/body coordination is not possible. My body can never move off now, my mind can never quite reach now.
 
Mind/body coordination is not something I either have or do not have. If my mind and body were totally disconnected then there would be no me to speak of. The degrees of mind/body coordination form a continuum that is limited by total disconnect on one end and perfect unity on the other. 

Aikido study is my way of bringing mind/body as close to unity as possible.]]></body>
	<date>09-25-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3350">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[For those of you who've never heard of Flag Rock, it's located in Housatonic, Massachusetts on the northwest side of Monument Mountain. The views from the rock are spectacular; south along Route 7 to the Sheffield Flats bordered by the Taconic Range, west the Catskill Mountains where the setting sun provides an endlessly changing picture show as day wanes giving way to a night sky full of stars, directly below the village of Housatonic. My friend Steve and I have spent many nights camping there.

There are two trails leading to the top of Flag Rock. One trail is short and steep the other long and of gradual incline. Both trails lead one to the same place but provide distinctly different experiences getting there. The short trail is quite steep for pretty much the whole way up the side of the mountain. Carrying a pack up that trail is a … focusing experience to say the least; the focus, at my age, being surviving the walk. :D There isn't much opportunity to admire the surroundings; my vision is narrowly concentrated on where my next step is going to be, awareness turned decidedly inward. The long trail is just the opposite. Gradual incline, plenty of opportunity to check out the woods and local scenery; my awareness turns outward to my environment. 

Aikido, like Flag Rock provides me with multiple paths that I can travel. Each path provides me a different experience and allows me to concentrate my awareness according to the dictates of the situation. The paths of Aikido intersect, allowing me ample opportunity to change the focus of my study throughout the course of my life. There is no one "correct" path to the exclusion of all others; just choices that I can make along the way.]]></body>
	<date>09-23-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3349">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[There are many ways of training annd testing weight underside. Here's a video clip demonstrating one of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIMrlue4SUk]]></body>
	<date>09-20-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3346">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Staying rooted while standing and being stressed is all well and good but Aikido requires that I be able to be rooted while I'm in motion. Curiously, I'm not the one who's aware of my rootedness, it's my partner who feels it when we are moving together. I've noticed this myself, especially when I uked for Maruyama sensei; and now when I am uke for several of my longtime students. My students tend to acquire this feeling around the 15 - 20 year mark. Suddenly as ukes they will become very heavy; when they take the role of nage I'll feel their connection with the larger reality as I attack. During Ki exercises I'll be able to push and pull them with much greater force than before.

When I get thrown by someone who is rooted in motion their connection with the universe is palpable. I feel it in my bones as though I'm falling into a very solid hole that is at once empty and heavy as all get out. And I don't just give myself over to the throw, all light and airy. Since I'm a lot older now than when I began this journey I have to take care of myself in order to be able to fall and stay healthy. Consequently all my attacks come in a committed but controlled manner with much centeredness and weight underside. My balance, if not taken by nage, will tend to reinforce my feeling of heaviness and I'll be very difficult to throw.]]></body>
	<date>09-19-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3345">
	<title><![CDATA[Ninety]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I practice to extend ki before the attack is realized. When done correctly it puts uke off balance just prior to the engagement. Here's a short clip to illustrate the point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYxtF31Do2k]]></body>
	<date>09-18-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3343">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Excitement is in the air! The word is spreading… the old Aikido is dying, from the ashes of which will emerge a new Aikido, rising like the Phoenix reborn, wreathed in the power of aiki. Aikidoka from far and wide will flock to the new art, for once tasted, the power of the new Aikido will seduce them with the promise to fulfill that which has, these many years, been missing from their training.

Maybe so, maybe so indeed. It's possible that right here, in this small corner of the Aikido universe, a new movement is being born, will take root and spread throughout Aikido like fire thru a field of dry wheat. In a mere generation we could see Aikido overhauled and remade; new, improved, made relevant in a modern world where the quaint concepts of the old Aikido have withered in their usefulness and application.

It will be interesting to watch the unfolding of this future's history. Will the movement succeed? Will practitioners of the new art take Aikido from an art of reconciliation to one of confrontation? Will they use their new found power as a tool of understanding or dogma? Will this change be revolutionary or evolutionary? 

Time will, as time does, tell. Till then I'll just keep showing up and training.]]></body>
	<date>09-17-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3340">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Here's a short video clip of a simple Ki exercise we do that involves pushing. A lot of people think this kind of training has disappeared from modern Aikido practice. Not true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pPQqXtKwKE

(have to copy & paste the link)]]></body>
	<date>09-15-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3339">
	<title><![CDATA[Eight-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Throwing is falling in reverse, 
the other side 
that conforms to the will and intent 
of the us that is unity and no longer we 
of what once was.
 
Falling is the other side of the throw, 
no less for its having the stigma of losing 
in the eyes of those who know not 
of the connection shared 
by the us that is unity and no longer we 
of what once was.

Aikido is the unity,
minds/bodies/spirits
become
mind/body/spirit
and no longer we 
of what once was.]]></body>
	<date>09-13-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3337">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido as a Way is a journey of many possible paths. It is rich in possibilities beyond my imagining. I can, I realize, explore only a small portion of its extent in my short lifetime. With so little time to travel the Way I have no time to wonder at or argue about the rightness or wrongness of anyone else's chosen path. I let them be.
 
From time to time over the years people have joined me and we have traveled together for a while. I have learned from them all, in ways obvious or unlooked for but always appreciated. Hopefully they have taken some of what I have had to give, little though that may have been, and benefitted thereby as I have benefitted from them.

My Aikido is unique to me and my sharing of it is merely a portion of my story being revealed at the moment of its doing. Those with me at any given time get a glimpse, keep or discard it, and go on in the telling of their own tales.
 
Coming together, we call the interaction a class.]]></body>
	<date>09-11-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3336">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have my partner stand in natural stance. Standing in front of him and placing my right hand on his left shoulder I begin to push. I want him to absorb my push and transfer the energy into the ground thru his feet. As he gains confidence and is able to identify with the correct feeling more readily I can increase the amount of force I apply to his shoulder until I am pushing quite hard. At first I am careful to push towards his spine and slightly downward. Later I can vary the direction of the push while he responds dynamically to the changing force vectors.
 
I have described this exercise before, or variants of it anyway. The exercise is intended to point out the difference between absorption /resistance and to help my partner strengthen his center via increased loading. Nothing new here.

I can, however, change things up slightly and turn this exercise around so that I am the one being "tested" as follows. All is as before except that when I place my hand on my partners shoulder I do so very lightly with my elbow bent quite a bit. I'd like my upper arm and forearm to form an acute angle. Now when I push I do so not using my arm and hand, instead I use my center, pushing directly at his center, applying as little force as possible. At first my partner feels nothing; I wait and continue my "mental" push. My intention is to occupy his space (not literally, think metaphor). If I do this correctly, at some point his structure will break and he will move off his mark.
 
I suppose this is as close to competing as we get in our practice; for if I give him the slightest bit of physical energy he can absorb it, redirect it and maintain his ground.]]></body>
	<date>09-10-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3335">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["You're not doing my Aikido".

Interesting sentence. In and of itself it says nothing since it can be read and interpreted in two completely different ways. First: "You're not doing my Aikido."; meaning the Aikido you are doing isn't the Aikido I'm doing and since I'm the big hoo-ha the Aikido you're doing is wrong and therefore is not Aikido. Second: "You're not doing my Aikido."; meaning you should not be attempting to just copy me and do my Aikido. Find Aikido within yourself and do your own Aikido. 

Same sentence two very different implications. The point is without the surrounding support structure of the total situation within which the statement occurred; we have no way of knowing what the speaker actually meant. In addition, even if present at the time of its utterance, there's no guarantee that you or I would hear it the same way.

But why even worry about it? Easier to just show up and train; more fun too.]]></body>
	<date>09-09-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3332">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[If I am in tune with my surroundings resistance disappears and my sense of "otherness" is replaced by feelings of inclusion. When I am centered, Ki unblocked and flowing, things seem to "go my way"; life is good and I feel light and flexible. Those times when I am out of sync and my Ki stagnates are punctuated with seemingly insurmountable difficulties that plague everything I am trying to do, life seems not so good and I feel heavy and stiff. Maruyama Sensei would often show two ways of doing something and then ask suggest "you decide which is better." How I face all situations in life is my choice. I can choose the path of light and wisdom or the path of darkness and ignorance.
 
Aikido is my way of training myself to be in harmony with my environment no matter what the circumstances may be at any given moment. This is a more important goal for me than the ability to overcome an opponent or the acquisition of power.]]></body>
	<date>09-08-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3330">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[At first I saw Ki tests as merely measures of my progress in mind/body coordination. Later I began to realize that continued practice of Ki tests fostered a strengthening of my center as well. It's like weightlifting, various exercises using progressively heavier weights builds strength as muscle fibers are first ground down and then rebuilt in greater density. Ki exercises using progressively stronger testing force builds mind/body coordination via a similar tear down/rebuild process. In the case of Ki however, it isn't muscle fiber being torn down and rebuilt, it's my ego.]]></body>
	<date>09-06-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3329">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Katate ryote tori, an uke on each arm. They grab hard, no pulling or pushing, just remaining immobile. My objective is to extricate myself from their grasps; while moving as slowly as possible. Technique is optional. Breaking the grip is enough.
 
This exercise is a really good focusing tool. I have to focus on my center and focus my intent in order to find the paths of least resistance down which I may move. 

I wait. While just standing there feeling the energy being expended by my partners I can gather it into my center, let it build, adding to my own power. Power can be released explosively, but this exercise calls for a deliberate slow release of the stored up energy. Watching it happen from the outside is kind of like watching paint dry, but feeling the collapse of first one partner's structure followed by the others is quite extraordinary.]]></body>
	<date>09-03-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3328">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["The Art of Peace is not easy. It is a fight to the finish, the slaying of evil desires and all falsehood within". - Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Translated by John Stevens.

The practice of Aikido isn't always comfortable for me. Introspection is a large part of what Aikido practice forces me to do and I've had to learn to overcome my natural reticence to delve too deeply into my own innards, so to speak. Training strips away layers of falsehood that have been built up as a child and continue to be added as life progresses. So it isn't about "getting there" in any formal sense, it's more a process that continues as long as I live. 

Part of what Mary and I do in classes we teach is find ways to make students confront their inner selves in ways that make everyone, us included, uncomfortable. Once at a seminar we were teaching Mary had everyone pair up and take turns whining at each other. The result was quite illuminating. The majority of the students there jumped into the exercise with gusto and while no one was comfortable with it everyone later agreed that they learned something about themselves for having done it. Two folks were so put off by the exercise that they left the mat until it was completed. Hearing them whine at each other as they walked off struck me as somewhat ironic since that was the object of the exercise in the first place. The point of the exercise was for students to excise a natural reaction (whining about an adverse situation), bring it out into the open where it can be seen and so remove from it its power to immobilize. 

Discomfiture provides me with a counterpoint to the comforts in my life, without which I would surely less appreciate all that I have been blessed with.]]></body>
	<date>09-02-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3327">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Push or extend, resist or absorb. Which is better? What works for me? I push uke and he pushes back, I extend thru uke and he falls. I resist uke and he exerts more force, I absorb his force, redirect it and he falls.
 
Many years ago one of my buddies, a wrestler of high repute on our high school team decided it would be cool to attack me from behind and bring me to the ground. There was no intent to harm on his part, just the normal horsing around engaged in by sixteen year olds in those days. Outweighed by an easy thirty pounds I had no chance of powering my way out of the situation so I just accepted his force, bent from the waist, let him pass over my back and led him to the pavement. I supported his head as he landed, no harm done. Onlookers suitably impressed, I tried to look nonplussed as though what I had just done was the most natural thing in the world. Truth be told, I was just as surprised as my friend laying there on the ground. The whole thing happened without any thought on my part. This incident came to mind not long ago when I felt myself being challenged by one of my students during practice. I look upon those tests as a chance to relax more and exercise my ability to absorb the force being applied, or extend thru it. 

Push or extend, resist or absorb. It's always a choice. Training is a way to strip away my ego and make my choices based on the needs of the moment.]]></body>
	<date>08-29-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3326">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The following story is true. It happened when I was eight or nine years old, can't remember exactly. Bobby and I (seems like in those days almost every first name ended in a "y" or "ie") were walking thru the woods, where the high school we graduated from years later now stands, when we came upon a man who promptly performed an act upon himself that doesn't require further elaboration here. We weren't so much scared as taken aback by the suddenness of the encounter. What scared us silly was the Bowie knife that appeared in his hand when he finished and him saying something to the effect "Ok, now it's your turn".
 
Bobby and I looked at each other and something extraordinary happened. I could hear him counting in my head and was sure that he could hear me too. I knew at the count of three we were gone and sure enough when I hit three in my head we both took off down the trail. I don't know if the man attempted to follow us or not, I never looked back because I wasn't just me anymore. The connection Bobby and I shared in those moments was so complete that we each seemed to be running on four legs. Needless to say we didn't stop until we were safely back on the streets of our neighborhood. When things returned to normal, we sort of just went back to being kids again and we never talked about the incident. Bobby died of an OD a year after graduating high school so I'll never know if he actually shared the same connection I felt with him on that day.

In class I often speak to my students of the importance of forming a connection with uke when practicing. Ki exercises, technique, randori, weapons work -- it doesn't matter. When I am able to lose myself in the moment, be in the question as Mary would say, I am able to connect with my partner in a way that comes close to what I felt that day in the woods so many years ago. That connection is Aikido. Taking that ability to connect out of the dojo and applying it to encounters in daily life is mastery of Aikido. Hmmm, still a long way to travel, can I get any luckier?]]></body>
	<date>08-28-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3325">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I trod my path and the journey is long, no end in sight. Not that it matters for the journey is, and not the end which brings to a close that which is worth traveling. And enjoying it so much why would I want to hurry it along? Is it the promise of attainment; the acquisition of mastery? Or perhaps power only just dreamed of, quickly gained at the expense of… what, if anything? If I could cut it short, gain in a year what otherwise would take most of a lifetime, would I want to; would I be crazy not to? What of my students? Do I short change them because I realize the value of the road long traveled?
 
I think not. My students are free to seek their ends wherever they desire. They aren't bound to me or forced to stay with me on my road. There are alternatives available to them. Many of them, over the years, have availed themselves of those alternatives. Some have returned, some not. It's the way of the world.
 
Besides, I see myself more storyteller than teacher. My Aikido is my story, my practice the telling. I'm continually amazed when I see people still interested in the tale, still showing up after 10, 15, 20 years and more. I realize that the story is no longer my own, but ours. Together we weave a tapestry that contains a part of all our lives. And of what importance is mere power in light of such shared experience?]]></body>
	<date>08-26-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3324">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["The techniques of the Way of Peace change constantly;…The Art of Peace has no form - it is the study of the spirit." - Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Translated by John Stevens.

Regarding techniques; I learn them, I practice them, I perfect them. I use them to condition my body, to train my mind, to purify my spirit. Technique forms the core of my practice, yet my ultimate aim is to free myself from the constraints imposed by the very technique I practice day in and day out. My personal challenge is to transcend technique, to break through into a realm where responses to situations arise from the situations themselves and are not imposed by me or my partner.]]></body>
	<date>08-25-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3322">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[When I paint I start with a blank canvas, usually white, sometimes black or gray. Using a variety of brushes and techniques I apply color to the canvas and as I progress a scene gradually appears. The clarity of the scene is dependent upon the distance from which the painting is viewed. The optimum distance for viewing a painting will vary with each observer; but generally, too far away and the scene will fade to obscurity, while if too close the scene becomes just a collection of blobs and streaks of colors.

Uke and I are a blank canvas upon which we will render our Aikido. Practicing randori we employ a variety of attacks and defensive techniques, and as we progress the breadth of our Aikido gradually appears. Viewing Aikido being performed is akin to viewing a painting. An observer too far away sees an obscure blur of motion, too close and the synergy of uke and nage is lost as the frame of reference of the observer becomes too narrow.]]></body>
	<date>08-23-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3321">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[So what is blending anyway? Simply put, blending is congruent motion. Initially, when uke attacks and I move to blend with his motion, I seek to align our paths such that there is no point at which the arcs of our movement intersect. In so doing, if my timing is accurate, I will leave behind a void in which he will find no support for his structure. He will, of course, try to correct his balance and I will follow his lead, still parallel with him, slightly ahead of him, adding to his energy. In this way I will choose where and when we do finally intersect. The point of intersection is where our paths will diverge and the technique will happen. Blending makes it all possible.]]></body>
	<date>08-22-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3320">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["All the principles of heaven and earth are living inside of you." - Morihei Ueshiba, The Art of Peace, Translated by John Stevens.

The Ki of heaven, the Ki of earth; the knowledge of where I'm from and where I'm going; the principles and techniques of Aikido; all right here inside of me, growing and blooming as I continue my practice. 

I was very fortunate to have had a teacher who understood that Aikido is a process that is learned from inside; that as a student, I needed to discover Aikido myself and that his job was to guide my process of self discovery and not spoon feed me the answers. I owe Sensei Maruyama a debt of gratitude, the repayment of which I hope is continually being fulfilled as I carry his teaching methodology forward with my students.]]></body>
	<date>08-21-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3319">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Lead and follow, follow and lead…

I offer my partner one end of the jo and he moves to take it. Following his lead, I lead him along the path he has chosen keeping the jo just out of his reach. I never try to force a direction on him; it's enough to simply let him decide where he wants to go as he tries to grab the end of the staff. Changing directions in response to him I may move my hands to the other end of the jo and offer him the end I have just relinquished. On we go, continuously shaping the pattern into randomly varying simple and complex weaves, forming a threefold tableau of interconnected energies. If he does manage to grab the jo he just lets go and we continue as before.]]></body>
	<date>08-19-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3318">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Descriptions and instructions regarding Ki development are all just metaphors folks. They're pictures used to aid me in identifying and strengthening what I feel to be going on within my body as I perform the various exercises. I use metaphors to give my feelings illustrative substance that I may continue to draw on and further build on as I continue to learn and grow. When the feeling has been reinforced to the point where I can summon it at will I dispense with the metaphor, it's no longer necessary as the feeling itself becomes the reality without need of external support.

Aikido is simply the method I have chosen to engender the growth and strengthening of my Ki. That Aikido technique has varied applications is a nice side benefit; but my primary goal has become, over years of training, Ki development. I make no secret of this. Others have other goals and there's room for all under the tent. I have my own training to tend to in addition to the nurturing of my students so I leave the "whose right" debate to the people who have vested interests in being right. Not my problem.

Debating over Ki metaphors is like trying to debate the blueness of the sky on a sunny day or the sound of music. All are intimately entwined with the feelings of the observer and, hence, subjective in nature. Scientific analysis of Ki is just another set of metaphors attempting to describe the underlying reality, no more or less correct than any other descriptive endeavor. I use whatever metaphor supports my progress and growth. Rigid doctrine has no place in my art.]]></body>
	<date>08-18-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3317">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventy]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[There are times when I have to step back from what seems important to reflect on the fact that importance is a relative concept. What seems important to me in the moment may actually be inconsequential when I realize that out there in the world all sorts of events are occurring that trivialize what's going on in my reality. Times like those call for gratitude on my part.]]></body>
	<date>08-17-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3315">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A blank page contains nothing and potentially everything. Now is like a blank page; it contains nothing, yet at now all things are possible.]]></body>
	<date>08-15-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3313">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A lot of the Ki exercises we study are designed to enable us to remain immobile while being pushed or pulled in various directions or otherwise distracted by our partner. At first glance it may appear that we are training to resist the forces being applied in order not to be moved. This assumption is derived from the fact that outwardly it does appear that resistance is exactly what is going on. Inwardly, hidden from the observer outside, what is happening is that the student is learning how to absorb and redirect the applied force so as to give it nowhere to "rest". A force with nowhere to rest can perform no work, it has potential only. The force can be directed into the ground, as in some Ki tests, sent back to its source as in kokyu dosa or stored at the recipients one point to be released in an explosive counterforce. 

This absorption of force is a kind of strength quite different from muscular strength. It's more strength of will than strength of fiber. It's what gives the experienced aikidoka the feeling of extreme heaviness that seems all out of proportion to her physical stature. It's the mountain that falls on you during a well executed timing throw.]]></body>
	<date>08-14-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3312">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I see aikido as primarily a process of self-discovery; a pursuit of my relationship to the universe, my own spirit and my fellow human beings. As such, my understanding of aikido grows from within me as a result of continuous training and contemplation. My growth and maturity as a person and as a student of aikido are so intertwined as to be indistinguishable. The study of aikido is a process of maturation wherein my life experience helps shape my aikido development and vice versa. 

As an instructor, I find it difficult to express what is going on inside of me as I continue to grow as a student. It is only recently that I have begun to relate to my students my process of learning and discovery as divorced from the transmission of the form of my aikido.]]></body>
	<date>08-13-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3311">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Self defense transcends all martial arts while encompassing them all.

The nature of conflict involves opposing viewpoints colliding at a particular place and time (the center of conflict). Without the collision the conflict cannot happen. Suppose Wellington had made a wrong turn and instead of getting to Waterloo to meet Napoleon ended up somewhere else instead. Or suppose that Napoleon, arriving at Waterloo first, had arrayed his forces in such a way that Wellington, upon seeing the forces so situated, realized that an attack would be suicidal. The conflict would have had to have been postponed until another day; or if both parties took the ensuing time to rethink their positions, may never have happened at all.

Aikido allows me to approach conflict from either point; go off in another direction or occupy the center of conflict in a safe and unassailable position. But allowing me to approach conflict from either point of view doesn't guarantee that either approach will be available to me should a conflict arise. Suppose I find myself surrounded by six attackers who, unlike their movie counterparts, aren't so dumb as to attack one at a time. It would seem that going off in a different direction is not an option; and although I may be able to occupy the center of conflict my position will hardly be safe or unassailable. In a situation such as this "It is necessary to develop a strategy that utilizes all the physical conditions and elements that are directly at hand. The best strategy relies on an unlimited set of responses." Morihei Ueshiba, The Art Of Peace, translated by John Stevens.]]></body>
	<date>08-12-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3310">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[If I seek to control another person, to have him bend to my will, I must accept the responsibility that goes with that control. I cannot in good conscience abdicate my responsibility because it may inconvenience me. I have chosen to subjugate another human being and he is, therefore, in my charge.

In practicing my Aikido I look to control only myself. Uke has complete freedom to do as he pleases. I lead and follow and so look to see the world from his point of view but just slightly ahead of him.]]></body>
	<date>08-11-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3308">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido training turns me inside out; the form of my technique is an expression of the depth to which I have plumbed in my effort to understand myself, my relationship to others and my place in the universe. If I am fortunate enough to train and teach for another 30+ years I expect many vistas as yet only imagined to be opened up to me. It's going to be one helluva fun journey.]]></body>
	<date>08-10-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3302">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Applied force only feels powerful when it is given somewhere to stop and rest.

I get in a right stance and have my partner stand just outside my right leg and put both his hands on my right hip. He then will begin to push directing his force towards my trailing left foot. I absorb his force into my center and let it flow thru my left leg and foot into the ground. From right stance this exercise is relatively easy and even beginners should be able to complete it successfully getting a good idea what correct feeling actually feels like. 

I like to make the exercise harder by bringing my rear foot forward until I am in natural stance as my partner continues with his push. Continuing, as my partner pushes, I slide my left foot forward until I'm in a left stance. Bringing my right foot forward into natural stance and then into a right stance, I can continue moving this way all the while having pressure applied to my hip.]]></body>
	<date>08-09-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3301">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I have a center to which is drawn that of which I am. And still my center draws not just but gives back as well and so becomes a continuous loop of giving and receiving. Thus is my connection to the universe established and reinforced.

Having established that I am of the universe not merely in the universe, what then is the nature of my of-ness? How am I linked to the totality?
 
I think of myself as an energy well. Energy condenses at my center (one point) and coagulates into the matter that forms my body. As a living entity I also emit energy in the form of electromagnetism. Thus I am seen to be simultaneously an attractor and an emitter and so my connection to the universe is established. I am simply a conduit; but not so simply after all. For added to the physicality of my of-ness is another component: self-awareness. Self-awareness cannot be explained by any of the sciences; it cannot be measured or quantified. Self-awareness is a mystery. For all that we can say is that it is inexorably linked to life.

Practice of Aikido enhances my self-awareness. As I continue to train I become more acutely aware of my intimate connection to the rest of the universe. It is as though I am ‘tuning' myself as a master piano tuner tunes a Steinway. Aikido training integrates mind and body resulting in mind-body just as Relativity integrates space and time into space-time. I am a continuum; a temporary ripple of the Continuum.]]></body>
	<date>08-08-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3300">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Because now is all there is it takes no time to move from here to there yet I force myself to measure its passage.

Consider; the moment, discrete, standing alone, is all there is yet I perceive moments continuously giving rise to the passage of time. My body is locked into the moment; its very physicality guarantees that it can only be in the moment. My body is constrained by the laws of physics. My mind, however, is relatively boundless, constrained only by the limits of my imagination. The continuous nature of my mind creates the illusion of the "passage" of time. The dual nature of time, discrete and continuous, provides the framework upon which the dual nature of my self, body and mind, is able to exist.
 
Aikido training allows me to experiment with the nature of my perception of time. Using G. Spencer Brown's observation that I noted in a previous entry:

"In general, a contraction of reference accompanies an expansion of awareness, and an expansion of reference accompanies a contraction of awareness." The Laws of Form by G. Spencer Brown page 10.
 
I recast it as follows:

In general, a contraction of reference accompanies a slowing of time, and an expansion of reference accompanies an acceleration of time.
 
In theory, if I could become completely centered, achieve perfect mind/body, time should, as perceived by me, come to a standstill since one point is without dimension and my frame of reference would also be without dimension. That is to say I would have to integrate my mind totally with my one point. As I continue to train I continue to shrink my frame of reference relative to my one point. I can close in on my one point without limit, but never quite get there.]]></body>
	<date>08-07-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3298">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[My partner attacks. I throw and keep my hands on him at all times, doesn't matter the technique, I want to keep my hands connected with him. I don't attempt to control his movement as he rises from the mat to attack, just feel his movement, blend with it and throw him again. Repeat as often as desirable. We usually practice this exercise in a circle, throwing each uke 3 or 4 times before moving on to the next attacker.]]></body>
	<date>08-06-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3297">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I face my partner in natural stance, knees locked. I raise my arms fully extended, elbows locked, to chest height. My partner raises her hands and places her palms on mine. While I remain stiff and resistant she begins to push. She slowly increases her pressure until I am taken off balance. She notes how much force was needed to move me.

We reassume our initial positions. This time I relax, keep one point and let my knees and elbows bend slightly. As she begins to push I make no attempt to resist the incoming force, instead I absorb it into my body and let it flow into the ground. I notice that my bent arms help to dissipate her force so that only a portion of which reaches my shoulders which, being relaxed, give it no place to rest. I find that I can stand on one foot or move into my partner with relative ease as I gain more and more experience coordinating mind and body.

Beginners can start this exercise in right or left stance, bringing the rear foot closer to the front, as they gain more experience in absorbing the force, until they are in natural stance. When working with a beginner, push with just slightly more force than it took to push her off balance in the first repitition of the exercise as she learns to relax and absorb. This will enable her to gauge her progress, learn how correct feeling manifests itself in both mind and body and provide positive feedback on her efforts.]]></body>
	<date>08-05-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3296">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Power is seductive. 

To paraphrase what someone once posted in the forums; who in their right mind would refuse the power of Superman? Is Aikido then all about the acquisition of power? Is attaining power an end in itself? Is that why I train? And having attained power what then do I do with it? Is continued training simply an effort to constantly increase my power? What's the point? 

When the acquisition of power becomes my primary objective of studying Aikido I have lost my way. The seductive nature of power is based on a false premise; the premise being that power is a measure of worth. Worth as a person, worth as an authority, worth as a provider and protector, worth as a martial artist, the worth of my training methodology; these things are not simply a matter of determining the magnitude of my power.
 
Power simply is.
 
Power is seductive.]]></body>
	<date>08-04-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3295">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The length of a journey is measured more accurately by the changes undergone by the traveler than the time it takes to complete. It's not that the journey itself changes the one doing the traveling; rather the journey provides a framework upon which change may occur. Change is inevitable. It is a function of life and growth. I can view changes in myself only in historical context. Since now has no span yet is all that exists, I can note how I have changed but never be aware of change as it is occurring. 

As I continue my Aikido journey up thru the years of my life I can appreciate how fortunate I am that this art provides me with a healthy structure upon which I am able to engender change in myself. Mind, body and spirit have all benefited from my pursuit. In Aikido I have been given a great gift. Via teaching and providing a place for others to explore their Aikido I hope to give something back and so complete the circle of take and give.]]></body>
	<date>08-03-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3294">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Uke attacks with a right handed shomen. I evade his strike and with my right hand resting lightly on his right arm, my left hand lightly on his lower back, move behind him. 

We have choices. He can turn to his right and come find me; he can turn to his left and come find me; he can step straight back and come find me; he can continue forward and choose to leave me be. I can try to force him to turn to his right by pulling on his arm and shoulder as I continue to turn or I can suggest he turn to his right by making it seem the most logical and safest way for him to move. However, once he has chosen a direction I will encourage him to continue along his selected course. Once we are moving in concert the technique will happen of its own accord; will feel and look effortless.

For me Aikido isn't about controlling uke and bending him to my will. I practice to make each encounter agenda free and seek to control only myself. My relation to uke is all about suggestion and encouragement. I suggest and then encourage him to pursue whatever choice he makes regarding my suggestion.]]></body>
	<date>08-02-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3293">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Sometimes the hardest thing to do is just keep moving forward. 

But the universe permits no going back, so forward it is. 

Besides, by the time I'm aware of it, it's history.]]></body>
	<date>08-01-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3292">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I am a small bit of the universe that is able to look upon itself and wonder. 

I'll spend my life on a quest for knowledge and if I'm fortunate, before I die, I'll gain some glimmer of what it's all about. Realizing I'm one part in a play of billions of actors I see that there are many paths available, only a few of which I will be able to take, others of which will be taken by different actors wending their way thru their lives.
 
Aikido, as it has become evident over the years, is one path I have chosen to further my knowledge of myself and how I fit into the larger scheme of all things. Aikido has enabled me to study aspects of the universe on a personal, visceral level that no amount of book knowledge could replicate. Aikido is like "do-ing" Newtonian mechanics. Practicing Aikido brings Newton's laws of motion to life in ways his equations can only hint at (irimi). 

On another level, it's relating to people, once strangers, who have gone on to become close friends; friends who have chosen to join me on this quest, at least for a while. Aikido training and teaching has provided me with the tools and a venue that have allowed me to start to overcome my innate shyness around other people and begin to see the world thru their eyes (tenkan). 

So much to learn and so little time.]]></body>
	<date>07-31-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3291">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Lead with a lure or lead with bait.

There are times when uke attacks with a grab and I'll want him to get this close but no closer so I'll lead with a lure. Other times I want him to establish a firm grasp so I'll lead with bait and let him take the hook. 

When luring uke it is necessary for me to move myself in such a way that the intended target seems to remain stationary while the rest of my body evades his attack. The stationary target is, however, just an illusion; the fact is that the target stays just beyond his reach. It seems stationary because it moves only a small distance compared to the rest of me.

When baiting uke I'll let him grab the target and let him assume that he has immobilized me; all the while moving myself off his line of attack. For instance, I can let him grab katate tori while I execute tenkan in such a way that my wrist and hand remain aligned with my center even though the wrist is solidly held by uke. I can execute irimi in the same fashion. 

When dealing with strikes baiting is perhaps not the best choice. :)]]></body>
	<date>07-30-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3290">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I assume natural stance, arms slightly extended in front of me, elbows slightly bent. My two partners take up position alongside me and place a hand under each of my elbows; they begin to lift. Keeping one point and weight underside I maintain my position while they try to lift my arms.

I can adjust my percieved weight upward by dropping my center slightly causing my partners to drop with me. As I do this I notice when a point of eqilibrium is reached and my partners are literally supporting all my weight. At this point I can begin to move around the mat. The motion feels almost like skating. There is no weight on my feet yet my partners are unable to keep me from moving at will.]]></body>
	<date>07-29-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3289">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I don't want uke to obey me; I want him to be me.

Many thanks to Mary E. for introducing me to the following exercise.

Have your partner stand in natural stance with his left hand extended. Lightly, very lightly, grasp his wrist with the fingers of your left ( finger tips only) hand and put your right hand on his upper back (again, finger tips only). Do nothing. Wait. Extend Ki to your partner into his back at your right hand into his wrist at your left hand. Do nothing. Wait. Focus your intent on having your partner accompany you. Do nothing. Wait. Imagine both of you beginning to move in the direction his extended left hand is pointing. Do nothing. Wait. When you feel your partner begin to move use only your Ki to encourage him to continue. Follow his lead as you lead him in the direction he wants to go.

This exercise requires patience. Leave your expectations "at the door" and just let it happen.]]></body>
	<date>07-28-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3288">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Motion is the most pervasive characteristic of the universe. Everything in the universe moves. Even space itself is not at rest, expanding as it is. It's as though the universe is taking a large breath. 

Aikido is the study of bodies in motion relative to one another. Motion is at the heart of Aikido training. 

My technique flows naturally from my movement in relation to uke. During randori I never ‘think ahead' and try to choreograph my techniques, I simply move and let the technique happen itself as a result of my interaction with uke.]]></body>
	<date>07-27-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3287">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I used to live and work in New York City. When I go back there, as infrequent as that may be these days, I like to watch people on the crowed sidewalks as they move against the flow. I've noticed that there are three types of walkers in that situation. First there's the person who apparently has no personal space. This person is constantly being jostled and bumped by other folks moving in the opposite direction. His eyes are usually lowered and he seems to be folded in upon himself. Next is the person who powers his way thru the oncoming traffic. He radiates authority tinged with hostility. Shoulders squared he briskly walks his path and seems, via his body language, to dare others to obstruct him. Then there's the person who moves effortlessly as he weaves his way thru the crowd. His personal space is obvious without being obtrusive and he seems to be able to find openings into which he moves and passes thru without disturbing the current. 

When I practice technique I look to minimize my physical contact with uke so as to give him no inkling that there is any danger at hand. Leading him while I follow his lead I want to create a void into which he will move where, with a slight touch, I can disturb his balance and effect a throw. I never seek to overtly control uke. By keeping myself just out of his field of vision I am able to suggest that he must move in such a way as to come and find me. Once he has chosen a path I encourage him to continue along it thereby accelerating his motion. At that point the technique will become evident, arising naturally out of our combined motion.]]></body>
	<date>07-26-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3285">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, 
Of all things physical and metaphysical, 
Of all things human and all things super-human, 
Of all true manifestations of the head, 
Of the heart, of the soul, 
That the life is recognizable in its expression, 
That form ever follows function. This is the law."

"The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered"," published Lippincott's Magazine (March 1896).

There is only one Dance. Many forms of Dance exist. Is there only one true form of Dance? There is only one Painting. Many forms of Painting exist. Is there only one true form of Painting? There is only one Music. Many forms of Music exist. Is there only one true form of Music? There is only one Aikido. Many forms of Aikido exist. Is there only one true form of Aikido? 

It has been said that those who are not doing Ueshiba's Aikido are not doing Aikido for, after all, there is only one Aikido. But isn't all this quibbling over what is and is not Ueshiba's Aikido really a debate over the form of the Aikido that is being practiced? I have yet to see a universally accepted definition of what Aikido is, much less an accepted definition of what Ueshiba's Aikido was. Before Ueshiba took on his first student there was only one form of Aikido, Ueshiba's. But as with any art form, as soon as more than one person engages in it the form of the art has the potential to change and grow. 

The form of my Aikido is in harmony with the function(s) to which I intend to put my Aikido. My movements, training methods, teaching style are all factors that determine the form of my Aikido and are all ultimately reflections of my intent.]]></body>
	<date>07-25-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3284">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I assume a right stance. I relax, keep one point and have my partner grab each of my wrists and push, easily at first then with steadily increasing force. As I absorb the push I let the energy flow thru me into the ground via my rear foot. When I have balanced his force with my absorption I bring my rear foot forward until I am in natural stance with both feet parallel. Moving from my center, I slide one foot forward and extend Ki into my partner moving him backward. I do the same with the other foot as I begin to walk my partner across the mat.

I can vary this exercise and use two partners, one to each wrist, grabbing with two hands and practice as outlined above.

When performing this exercise the choice of metaphor is strictly up to the participants. The imagery isn't the issue, it is finding and enhancing correct feeling that enables me to channel and redirect the force that is being applied by my partner. 

Enjoy.]]></body>
	<date>07-24-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3283">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[When I move my motion forms an eddy in the fabric of the continuum, the echo of which, moves out in all directions from my center.

Training. Training. And more training.

Aikido is a form of `do-ing', it is learned via performance.

It has been said that one must be shown each and every nuance of Aikido in order to `correctly' perform the techniques and, as a consequence, grow. Otherwise the student will just continue to practice incorrectly forever. I do not subscribe to this view. Aikido practice is a self-correcting process. Continued training allows me to learn the principles from the inside out. My body, mind and spirit are simultaneously affected during practice. As a result all three are tuned to the movement of the techniques and adjusted as I gain experience. 

The feedback I get from training continually provides me valuable clues as to the correct direction of my effort. As I build on the knowledge gained from practice I perform the techniques more efficiently, increase the strength of my Ki and gain greater understanding of Aikido in general.]]></body>
	<date>07-23-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3282">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[When all else is gone and I stand bereft of  my masks, naked to the universe arms wide eyes open not feeling not seeing, then I will find Ki.

Knowing is a hindrance to learning. The minute I know something I cast the knowledge into stone and assume that which I know will be invariant with respect to time. Therefore I will no longer seek to learn about it. This type of reasoning leads to stagnation of my intellect.

For instance: 1 + 1 = 2 is a very elementary equation in arithmetic. It is one of the first things children learn and hence know about numerical relationships. If I then insist that 1 + 1 = 10 someone who knows that 1 + 1 = 2 will argue that I am incorrect. When I point out that 1 + 1 = 10 is indeed correct provided the base of the number system in which the equation is rendered is 2, the other person's knowledge is thereby challenged.

That, however, is immaterial to the discussion at hand. It is the initial reaction to my assertion that 1 + 1 = 10, ‘you're wrong, 1 + 1 = 2, I know it.', that's important. The act of knowing has created a barrier to learning; a barrier that is easily scaled provided the knower is willing to expand her horizons.
 
I see this all the time in Aikido. As I age and grow, my technique evolves to accommodate the physical and psychological changes I am continually undergoing. New ideas occur to me that when integrated into my Aikido change it's form. So today's technique looks somewhat different from the technique I taught aforetime. Students who are most secure in their knowledge are the ones who have the most trouble adapting. This is what I mean when I say that knowing creates a barrier to learning. If I can accept that what I know today will in all likelihood be different tomorrow I can forget about technique, learn about Aikido and hence myself.]]></body>
	<date>07-22-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3281">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[No reason why sweat can't as easily be combined with joy as with grim.

My partner and I come together in the middle of the mat, no designation of who is nage or uke, no expectations as to outcome. The exercise is designed to blur the lines of attack and defense such that we are both engaged in both simultaneously. We operate with grabs only since another aspect of this exercise is to learn to follow my partner's energy flow while he follows mine. 

I grab his wrist and he ignores the grab so I let go and grab his shoulder. He attempts kata tori ikkyo and I fade away from the shoulder grab in favor of a grab somewhere else. During all this he has grabbed me at my elbow and evaded my own ikkyo, his other hand goes for my shoulder and I turn but he feels my intent and switches to another attack. We are constantly in motion and eventually one of us will over commit and end up getting thrown. The next pair will take our place and continue the exercise…

We usually do this with two pairs of people on the mat simultaneously, the rest standing around the edges waiting to enter the fray. There's no set order, as soon as a throw is executed two people jump in and begin.
 
The energy in the room becomes palpable as the exercise goes on, everyone intent on either participating or waiting to have a turn. The room is silent except for the noise generated by the moving bodies and the occasional slap as someone takes ukemi.
 
Sweat and smiles are always evident when we finish.]]></body>
	<date>07-21-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3280">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Chaos and clarity merge to unity, at now, when all is clear then and when are without meaning. 

I remember as kids we used to lay in the grass on warm summer days and watch the clouds pass overhead. We would pick out shapes that appeared in the cloud formations and watch as they were transformed by the wind and heat of the sun into other recognizable objects. There was no sense that the continual metamorphosis was in any way other than natural and as one set of clouds passed from view we would move on to the next finding new things to ooh and aah over. Childhood (and I mean pre-teen childhood) was a time when there wasn't much past to clutter up my mind carried around like so much baggage, and the future was some far off thing that would arrive some day but not in my lifetime. It was a time of both newly found self-awareness and a realization that now was all that mattered. It wasn't until I grew much older that the weight of years behind me began to grow heavy and the shortness of years before me became readily apparent. 

Coping with change as a child was easy. While settled in the present change didn't feel like change because there wasn't a reference of continuity to measure newness against. The present was a series of unconnected unique encounters called life.  

I find that my students often have trouble when a technique they have been doing one way for years is all of a sudden different in some way. To them the change seems sudden while to me it's a result of continual refinement over a long period of time. I could point this out to them, and often do, but the message seems to get lost somewhere along the way and I observe much consternation as they struggle to incorporate the new idea into their practice. With the passage of time I notice that the revised technique starts showing up with more regularity.]]></body>
	<date>07-20-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3279">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Resistance requires counterforce, absorption emptiness.

Assume a right stance. Have your partner stand behind you and put his hands on your shoulders. Tense your body and resist as your partner pushes on your shoulders forward and slightly down. Have your partner note the amount of force required to move you off balance. Return to the initial position. Now relax, keep one point and instead of resisting your partners push absorb it letting it flow thru you down your front leg and into the ground. Initially your partner should use the same amount of force required to take you off balance in the tensed example and slowly increase the pressure as you become more adept at absorbing and channeling his power.

As you gain experience with this exercise begin to close your stance until you can perform it in natural stance with feet parallel. You can also vary the direction of the push so that your partner pushes forward and up instead of forward and down. Or have him exert unequal pressure at each or your shoulders attempting to rotate your upper body while also trying to push you forward.

Perform the same set of exercises with your partner pulling instead of pushing.

Ki exercises enable me to discover correct feeling which embodies my most dependable state of being where mind and body are coordinated. They go beyond being testing tools, becoming aids in Ki development and strengthening when repeated over and over. Practicing Ki exercises allows me to feel the subtle changes that occur inside my body as I work with the applied force and endeavor to maintain my center, calm my mind and connect with my partner's center the better to bring about our unity of purpose.]]></body>
	<date>07-19-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3278">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[As I age I notice that my eyes are not what they used to be. Reading anything less than a banner headline is impossible without glasses and when I'm tired, my mid range vision gets blurry around the edges. Sight is the sense I rely on most when getting around in the world. Hearing, smell, taste and touch are decidedly secondary players in this regard. So it's with some trepidation that I watch as the years roll on by and my eyesight degenerates. 

In class I will occasionally institute a blindfold drill where nage must execute technique while deprived of her sight. We have several variations of this drill: nage and one uke, nage and multiple ukes, nage in a circle of ukes, guess the attacker's identity. When I practice these drills I'm amazed at how quickly the other senses will compensate for my lack of sight. I am usually able to hunt uke down and engage him on my terms rather than simply waiting passively to be attacked. 

 What I am discovering is that sight, because it is so dominant, will drown out other more subtle clues as to where the attack is coming from and when it will be launched. This realization is leading me to hypothesize that an acute sense of vision can actually impede Ki development.]]></body>
	<date>07-18-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3276">
	<title><![CDATA[Forty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Teaching I add my ripples to the pond. Out they travel from the center of my experience and touch many lives along the way.
 
I knew from the outset that one day I would teach Aikido and have my own dojo. Teaching is my way of adding to the song of Aikido. As I give back what I have learned from others and discovered for myself I weave new threads into the Aikido tapestry. It doesn't end there though. Some of my students will go on and become teachers in their own right. Aikido will be enriched by their experience and knowledge. Aikido is no longer a single art. That ended when O-Sensei took on his first student. Each practitioner brings to the mat an Aikido colored and shaped by who he or she is. 

This is why the argument over which Aikido is the real, true Aikido is pointless. Aikido has become so multifaceted that the argument is rendered meaningless. I think that O-Sensei intended Aikido principles and techniques to be applicable to all situations that may occur in one's life and that with dedicated study and a correct attitude anyone should be able to master said principles and techniques. 

It has been argued that Aikido philosophy has become irrelevant in the modern world. The words ‘peace' and ‘harmony' are said with a sneer in the voice as though the ideals represented thereby are without worth and need no mention in the context of a martial art. So today you have Aikido being taught as a pure fighting system without regard to the philosophical foundation that led O-Sensei to create the art in the way that he did. You also have Aikido being taught as an art that mostly disregards martial applications in favor spiritual development and personal growth. In between the extremes the Aikido spectrum is full and rich with variety.]]></body>
	<date>07-17-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3275">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Ki is the bond, my source of unity with all things.
 
What I find especially interesting is the idea that there are secrets to developing Ki power, secrets that few know and fewer are willing to share. 

Ki power is developed through dedicated training, slowly, over many years. The strength of my Ki is proportional to the amount of time I have spent seriously studying and practicing Aikido. No mystery, no secrets, no incense, no magical phrases chanted over and over; just long, hard, sweaty practice. 

Ki exercises (development), Ki testing (correctness) and Aikido technique (application) all contribute to developing my Ki power. Ki power is a naturally occurring phenomenon that exists within me and needs only to be exercised daily over a long period of time to be strengthened. 

It's no different than strengthening the muscles. Perform the correct exercises and as the years go by my body will grow stronger. No mystery, no secrets, no incense, no magical phrases chanted over and over; just long, hard, sweaty practice.

I know now that the knowledge I seek is there inside of me. If I open myself up to it and let my Ki flow back from where it came it will be replenished tenfold as I continue on my path]]></body>
	<date>07-16-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3274">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[When attacked I become the attack, when attacking I become the throw.
 
For an attack to be "real" it must be composed of three elements: strategy, tactics and intent. Strategy and tactics of an attack can be easily simulated in the dojo. An attacker's intent is to maim, disable or otherwise harm the one being attacked for whatever reason. I'm not aware of any Aikido dojos where intent to harm one's partner is an integral part of daily practice. I have been to many Aikido classes, seminars and camps over 30 years and I have yet to see anything that can be termed a "real" attack on the mat. 

Often Aikido students mistake speed, strength and resistance for reality when attacking. These are all components of an attack, but in and of themselves do not constitute a "real" attack. For the attack to be real the intent to harm must be present. The attacker must forego all restraint and really want to hurt the defender. This is what happens in uncontrolled situations that occur outside of the dojo. 

For me, the reality of Aikido training is learning to ignore uke's intent. How can this be accomplished in the dojo when intent is totally absent from an attack? Exactly! Constant training in the absence of intent allows me to see and react to the mechanics of an attack without having to deal with uke's emotional baggage that is fueling his intent. Aikido has taught me that there is no distinction between uke and nage and hence, no conflict. An attack is a gift, an opportunity to practice my art.]]></body>
	<date>07-15-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3273">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I am more than what I am. There is something that is me that is not made of me but exists beyond the limits of my being.
 
I make choices every day. When to get up, what to have for breakfast, what to wear, go to work or not, how to get there etc. It seems that I am continually confronted by alternatives in life's decisions. Many apparently automatic responses are really conscious decisions. Don't cross the street while traffic is moving, don't leap off that high building and the like. It would seem that decision making occurs on different levels with regard to consciousness. Patterns related to danger evoke decisions without my having to think about them while non life threatening patterns allow me the luxury of consciously debating which direction to take... choices. 

In my study of Aikido I am also offered a multiplicity of choices as I progress. As such my view of what Aikido is has changed throughout the years. I chose, in the early years, to concentrate on the martial side of Aikido. I sought to relate technique to ‘real' situations. How would this or that technique serve me in a fight? I wanted to know why we didn't get into stable seemingly strong, immovable karate-like stances prior to executing technique. I was young and threats were always just around the next bend in life; or so I chose to believe... choices. 

I'm older now having survived all those fears unique to the young and find that Aikido provides me with a venue in which to venture down other paths of exploration of meaning in my life. I have chosen to pretty much abandon the martial side of Aikido as it relates to my personal development. Perhaps the shift from training my body to honing of my spirit is just a natural part of Aikido evolution that all long term practitioners undergo, I don't know. I do know that Aikido training is enabling me to look more deeply into how I ‘fit' into the larger scheme of things and how I relate to people around me... choices. 

I treat spirituality as a personal quest and don't broach the subject directly in class. My students are free to find spirituality on the mat, or not. It's not up to me to choose for them. I am interested only in coaxing their Aikido out of them in hope they will be wide eyed enough to see it. Coming to my dojo and studying with me they put themselves on the path. I give them a shove and the rest is up to them... choices.]]></body>
	<date>07-14-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3272">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Get your weight off your feet.

I always carefully observe how students distribute their weight when preparing to receive an attack. I note which foot receives the major portion of their weight and watch as they attempt to move smoothly into the technique we are practicing. Over the years I have noticed that no matter which foot takes the body's weight, the center must rise before it can move in a lateral direction. This is due to the fact that before a weighted foot can move the weight must first be transferred somewhere else. 

Try this: get into a right stance and lean forward so that most of your weight is over your right foot (front). Now withdraw your right foot as though moving along the trajectory away from an oncoming yokomen strike. Notice that before you can move your right foot you have to shift your weight off that foot first. In effect, your center must rise. This takes time and you are vulnerable while executing this move. You can perform the same experiment with the rear foot only instead of retreating execute irimi by stepping in with the rear foot.

Now try this: Walk from one end of the room to the other. Notice how the trajectory of your center remains ‘flat' with respect to the ground. Also notice that you're not as aware of your weight shifting from foot to foot as you were in the prior example. This is what I mean by having no weight on your feet.

When you walk naturally you are moving from your center. Why should your motion during the execution of technique be any different?]]></body>
	<date>07-13-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3271">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[‘I' am the difference between past and future.
 
I coalesce at now. I leave my past behind in the dustbin of history and open myself to a future that rushes at me but never quite arrives. Past and future are orders of arrangement that I construct to help me cope with now. After all, the moment is all there is and it has no span either backward or forward; it simply is. 

In Aikido class I practice technique. Techniques are executed repeatedly in order to hone skills, develop Ki, coordinate mind and body etc. I tend to mentally call my own play-by-play and provide color commentary as well. This behavior is a denial of the moment and a clinging to the concepts of past and future; as though berating myself for a perceived lack of technical skill in the technique just performed (past) will improve my performance executing the same technique later (future). 

I am so oriented to punishment/reward driven behavior. Patting myself on the back for a job well done on the mat is no different from chastising myself for blowing that shihonage. Both are ways of using past behavior to affect future results. Both are ways of avoiding the now. 

I am at my most powerful state when both mind and body are coordinated at now.]]></body>
	<date>07-12-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3270">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[The following is a Ki exercise, not technique. Nage assume a right stance. As your partner delivers tsuki with his left hand, attacking your lead, execute tenkan. You are now facing the same direction. Your partner's arm is extended, left foot forward. Grab your partner's wrist and attempt to pull his arm toward you; your partner should resist. Notice how much effort is required to get your partner to move.
 
Now keep the same position only this time let your hand rest lightly on your partner's wrist without grabbing tightly. Extend Ki and lead his arm ever so slightly forward before bringing it around along an arc that spirals downward toward your body; your partner should resist. We call the slight forward motion taking up the slack. Again, notice how much force is required to move your partner. 

Done correctly, taking up the slack opens his shoulder causing your partner's resistance to melt away as his arm is lead along a relatively complex curve which is much harder to resist than the straight line pull described in the first paragraph. 

Try it, have fun.]]></body>
	<date>07-11-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3269">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Lead and follow, follow and lead; the difference is perceived only from outside.
 
I have several analogies I use when teaching the concept of leading. I'll speak of leading uke's mind, grabbing her Ki, leading the attack, moving on the intent etc. My initial lead determines how well I will evade the attack and subsequently be able to redirect uke's energy along a harmless (to me) path. 

But there is no leading without following. While I am leading uke I must also be following her and so to further lead her on. I don't switch from leading to following and back again; rather both actions are performed continuously. Leading and following are no more separable than mind and body.

Uke and I have different goals at the onset of each encounter. Uke seeks to intersect me at some point and apply either a grab, blow or both. My aim is to avoid said intersection and lead uke along a different path. This process involves my leading uke's mind/body along lines that will be unoccupied by me. At all times it is important for me to know where uke is going and so I must follow her lead as I lead her following.]]></body>
	<date>07-10-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3265">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[When there is no one to receive it what happens to an attack?
 
I remember when I was with Maruyama Sensei that he always stressed that technique should be effective but that going out of one's way to injure an adversary was wrong. I teach my students the doctrine of least possible harm. It is my view that if walking away from a situation will avoid conflict then that is the correct technique to employ. If immobilizing an opponent will end the conflict then there is no point in injuring him. Of course least possible harm can escalate to killing an opponent if the situation warrants. It is my responsibility as a practitioner of Aikido to determine the correct response to a given situation. Gravely injuring or killing a person when a lesser response is adequate to defuse the conflict, and then blaming it on an 'instinctive reaction' is unacceptable. Why else am I training if not to learn to react to stress calmly centered? 

As a student and teacher of Aikido I am called on to adopt to a high standard of conduct both in peaceful daily life and in a conflict situation. Yamada Shihan puts it this way in [u]Aikido Complete[/u]:

"Uyeshiba discovered the spiritual potential of the martial arts. He believed that the basic principles of the universe are harmony and love and that these can be attained through the martial arts. He believed that a doctrine which does not teach these principles is not a true martial art." 

and,

"The main purpose of Aikido is to build a strong mind, body and spirit for use in daily life. In addition, however, Aikido also trains its students to live in harmony with themselves and with one another."]]></body>
	<date>07-09-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3264">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Motion is a universal constant, the tie that binds.
 
It is only through motion that the concept of time derives any relevance. Time is a construct I use to order the events of my life. It is how I construct my past and delineate my future. It has been said that time is what keeps everything from happening all at once. The fact is that everything that happens does happen all at once, at now. 

Motion occurs because I remember now as the past and anticipate now as the future. The connectedness of my memories and anticipations gives rise to the illusion that now moves from past to future and that events follow one another in ordered sequence. 

I am always centered at now. There are, however, degrees of centeredness. My body remains perfectly located at now. My mind defines the radius of my center. Dwelling on the past and future increases the radius of my center. When I let go of past and future the radius of my center shrinks. As the radius of my center becomes smaller, my mind and body grow more coordinated. Aikido training is the method I have chosen to help me realize coordination of mind/body and hence reduce the radius of my center. 

What does the world look like when the radius of my center is zero and my mind and body are perfectly coordinated? 

Can self awareness exist when the radius of my center is zero?]]></body>
	<date>07-08-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3263">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Light reveals what darkness hides, I hold my own candle to illuminate the path.
 
Aikido belongs to the world. With each passing day the number of people finding Aikido grows larger and more diversified. It is no longer possible for anyone to lay claim to being the final arbiter of what is and is not Aikido. The art itself has grown beyond the bounds that people or organizations try to enclose it in. And for that we should all be thankful. For the growth of Aikido, its multi-directedness, has only enriched the art and those who follow its many paths. 

An art that does not change and grow to reflect the times in which it is practiced and taught will eventually wither and fade into relative obscurity. I do not believe that O-Sensei meant for this to happen to Aikido. He recognized that his art would change with the changing times and so embraced change as a natural consequence of growth. 

The politics, the titles, the claim of legitimacy and the accusation of its opposite are all just window dressing. All that matters is training. Each hour I spend on the mat is another hour spent on the mat; another hour that moves me inexorably closer to the perfect unification of mind and body. That is my goal. Others have other goals and I wish them well.]]></body>
	<date>07-07-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3261">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Get in a right stance and offer your right arm to your partner, elbow and wrist slightly bent and relaxed. Have him grab your wrist just above the joint and push towards your shoulder. Relax and absorb the force so that it flows thru you and is dissipated into the ground via your rear foot. While your partner continues to push slowly pivot on both feet until you turn 180 degrees. Be sure to keep your hand in front of you as you turn. Your partner should follow your turn and move in so he can continue to hold your wrist and push. You and your partner are now facing the same direction. Your partner is still pushing but instead of the force coming at you, you feel yourself being pulled. Again, don't try to resist, just let go of your arm, settle into your center and redirect the force of the pull downwards and into the ground via your front foot. Your partner will now reverse the direction of the pull and test you by exerting force back towards your shoulder. As in the original push, absorb the force and let it travel thru you and into the ground via your rear foot.

It's important to pivot slowly in this exercise. A slow pivot allows you to really feel how the applied force changes direction and how your body structure and center are thereby affected. Your partner, as you become more comfortable with this exercise, should steadily increase the amount of force applied. Keep in mind that this isn't a contest and the object is for you to help each other find and enhance correct feeling while being continually stressed.]]></body>
	<date>07-06-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3260">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Before the attack lies intent, upon which I can move with impunity.
 
This has to do with the physiology of the human body and its interaction with the mind. 

There is a moment before I am attacked when I am able to move and my attacker is unable to do anything about it. I have a small window of opportunity between the time when the decision to attack is reached and when the attack is launched. Thought to action is not instantaneous. There is a slight lag while the signals from the brain are transmitted throughout the body to the muscles required to execute the attack.

I call this time interval the intent. Move on the intent. Sounds easy; but how do I determine when the intent is? There is no intellectual way of making this determination. The ability to sense the intent comes only through training. As I continue to train I begin to feel the intent viscerally. If I can banish fear from my mind, move without forethought and acquire mindbody I will be able to make use of the interval and not be there when the attack arrives. This ability requires many years of practice to develop to a point where I can sense the intent with any regularity.]]></body>
	<date>07-05-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3258">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Movement through time is an illusion.
 
Now does not permit motion. Now has no extension either into the past or into the future. Now is the dimensionless present and the motion I perceive occurs because I can never experience now in its completeness. If I could, then all motion would cease and time would stand still. It follows that I must exist close to now but never quite reaching now in its fullness. It further follows that if I cannot exist at now I must exist all around it. Around now are past and future wherein I exist both forward and backward from now. Since past and future are creations of my mind, necessary to make sense of now that changes continually, I am led to conclude that motion through time is an illusion. What I perceive as motion is remembrance of things past and anticipation of things to come. 

Via Aikido, I am able to approach now in an ordered way. I can approach now without limit. I cannot, however, reach now in any real sense. I will be forever locked out of now, existing in past and future to some limitled degree. Training allows me to make the limit smaller and smaller as I learn to lose myself in the moment and consequently become less and less aware of my self.]]></body>
	<date>07-04-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3257">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Interpreting my sensory input I create the universe but it's physical only and who can believe that it's all there is?
 
The universe is vast beyond my comprehension. And yet, in a sense, I create the very universe that I can't begin to comprehend. The universe I experience is a result of my interpretation of what my senses gather. The interpretation in turn is affected by who I am and what I have learned over the years. Beneath it all lies the question: is there an underlying ‘real' reality? 

You and I can look at the same apple and agree it is red. But when pressed for details we will not agree precisely on the ‘redness' of the red. We are both approximating the color red based on the limitation of our visual acuity. Who's right? Is there a real red beyond our field of vision? Does it matter? 

Aikido is like the apple. I create my Aikido from sensory input provided by my partner when he attacks me. All that I have learned about Aikido plus how I view the universe and my place in it will aid me in interpreting that input, from which will arise technique of a certain form. You will go through the same process and the form of your technique will be slightly different from mine. Can it ever be otherwise? Whose technique is right? Is there a ‘real' Aikido that lies beyond our ability to perceive it? Does it matter?]]></body>
	<date>07-03-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3256">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Some believe unbendable arm is a trick, a ruse to fool the masses; still though, the arm doesn't bend, does it?
 
Unbendable arm is what hooked me on Aikido. As a life long resistance trainer, the fact that I could, without overt muscular resistance, keep my arm from bending while someone much bigger and stronger strained to bring my hand to my shoulder awakened in me the idea that Aikido held mysteries worth plumbing. 

Unbendable arm is a Ki exercise. I learn, from performing this exercise, that strength isn't merely bulging muscles and that there is a profound difference between stiff and soft. Ki exercises provide me with a way to train myself to find a reliable state of being while being tested in various ways. There's no mystery here, just practice. Ongoing practice of Ki exercises sets up a feedback loop within me that continually corrects my efforts. 

Ki development is attainable by anyone. There are no select few who possess arcane secrets that can be passed on to a further select few and so on. Maruyama Sensei told Mary and me that "Ueshiba did it, I do it and you can do it too." Anyone is capable of doing what he does, it's a matter of practice, practice and more practice.]]></body>
	<date>07-02-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3255">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Stillness in motion is the core of my practice. I seek to move while remaining where I am in order to present a target that isn't there but elsewhere when the attack arrives. That is the essence of evasion.
 
Moving from a standstill is far more difficult than changing direction. The weight of an immobile body tends to sink to the feet and must be redistributed before motion can begin. A body in motion can change direction with relative ease. 

When practicing I always keep moving. Having thrown my partner, I make it a point to continue moving while he gathers himself for another attack. In this way I'm never caught flat-footed. Strangely, it's not necessary that I keep my feet moving for this to work. Any part of my body will do. I find that as long as I'm moving something, my weight will remain off my feet and concentrated at my center. This enables me to move easily in any direction without time-wasting weight redistribution prior to moving. 

Being constantly on the move also presents uke with a more difficult target to hit or grab. I am always presenting uke with little openings that appear and then go away and I try to keep my tempo varied and non-rhythmical. My motion, while smooth and flowing, is peppered with sudden changes in direction and/or speed. 

To get used to this type of moving I rely heavily on the bokken and jo staff. I devise short combinations of strikes and blocks that employ changes of direction and varying speeds. I vary the tempo within the exercise at different points and then change when the tempo varies the next time through. All the while I move, strike and block from my center and allow some of myself to flow into the weapon thereby blurring the distinction between me and it.]]></body>
	<date>07-01-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3254">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I am more than the sum of my parts which cannot be summed at all.
 
There are times, fortunately few and widely separated, when I believe that my views about Aikido should be recognized by others because I have something of worth to say. It's at times like these that Aikido seems important on more than a personal level; that it is meaningful in the larger sense of the word and that I must defend my interpretation of the art when my ideas are assailed by others. This is, of course, laughable. 

To think that I have latched onto a Truth and that my vision has been expanded beyond that of a normal mortal borders on delusional. When I begin see Ron as Sage of the Age the time is ripe for me to inadvertently bop myself in the head with my jo staff or trip over my own hakama while demonstrating in front of a packed class. Thank goodness for reality checks! 

I am realizing that I have nothing to defend, that the light I use to illuminate my path is my light only, that those who study with me do so not because I have so much to give them but because I provide them a venue to give of themselves and so discover who they are. And that is where the real truth of Aikido lies (interesting juxtaposition of words, no?), the synergy of a class of dedicated students, all of us struggling on our individual roads coming together for a few hours a week to create something beautiful by opening ourselves up to our Aikido. 

 O-Sensei created Aikido as a way of making the world a more peaceful place to live. I see and feel this every time I get on the mat to teach and train.]]></body>
	<date>06-30-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3253">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Knowledge of Aikido comes from within, as a teacher it's my job to allow students to express it.
 
Aikido is, first and foremost, a path I have chosen to travel. The meaning I derive from the teaching I've had and the studying I've done on my own is germane to me and helps shape the road I'm traveling. My students have chosen to come with me for a time and share my interpretation of what Aikido is. Along the way other branches of the path present themselves and sometimes a student will wander away in another direction. We're all responsible for our own Aikido. 

As a way of peace through harmony and mutual respect, Aikido works for me. As a martial art that I can use to protect myself and my family, Aikido works for me too. As a vehicle of personal growth and enlightenment, ditto. These ideas are not mutually exclusive. 

What I don't insist is that anyone follow my way. I teach my students that Aikido comes from within and it's my job to provide them with a venue in which to explore the Aikido within themselves and help them to express what they feel.]]></body>
	<date>06-29-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3252">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty-one]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Grab both of your partner's forearms just above his wrists while he stands in a right stance. Making sure that he is squared up and facing you directly, tell him to stiffen by tensing his muscles. Tell him to resist you when you begin to push. Push into him and note how much energy is required to take him off balance. Now have your partner relax the muscle tension. Tell him to let his arms bend slightly at the elbows and wrists and drop his center slightly by bending his knees. Tell him to keep one point and extend ki (or, feel free to insert your favorite metaphor). Instead of resisting suggest that he absorb the energy of the push and let it travel thru his body and on into the ground at his rear foot. Tell him to let the relaxed joints of his bent arms dissipate the force, unlike his stiff arms in the prior test which concentrated the force at his shoulders. Now using the same amount of energy as in the first test, push into him. When he doesn't move begin to increase the power of your push gradually. 

As the student becomes more familiar with the idea of absorbing and dissipating instead of resisting forces, have him bring the rear foot closer and closer to the front foot in subsequent iterations of the test until he's doing it from a natural stance with both feet parallel to one another. 

As the one pushing your responsibility is to help your partner find and reinforce the correct feeling of being able to absorb the energy of your push. Therefore carefully direct your push into his strength, which is generally slightly down in the direction of his center. This is especially important for beginners as it is very easy for them to become discouraged if you don't allow them to discover where their strength lies by deliberately pushing in odd directions away from their centers. When students become more experienced with this kind of testing you can vary the force vectors to allow them to "move their centers around" as you push off line.]]></body>
	<date>06-28-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3251">
	<title><![CDATA[Twenty]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I am ultimately responsible for my own Aikido.
 
As an instructor I impart only enough to invoke. My goal is to have each student realize Aikido from within. 

Aikido is a matter of attaining correct feeling, of attuning myself with the rhythms I continually set into motion by the nature of my existence. 

If I find myself in conflict with another I must examine what fear of mine is providing me with the negative energy required to perpetuate the conflict. Purging the fear will remove the danger and negate the necessity for the conflict to continue. I can accomplish this unilaterally. 

Aikido encompasses even those who would limit its growth. 

I can find Ki only by looking inward.]]></body>
	<date>06-27-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3248">
	<title><![CDATA[Nineteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I don't observe the attack, I become the attacker and see myself through the attacker's eyes.
 
The center of conflict is the focal point of any attack. If the attacker can occupy this point she will more than likely control all aspects of the conflict. That is why, as nage, I always seek to occupy the center of the conflict. In this way I can see the situation from any point of view that I wish. When I link myself to the center of conflict I become one with uke and so merge attack and defense into one entity thereby neutralizing the intended harm. There are many phrases used in Aikido instruction to illustrate this point: lead uke's mind, lead the attack, harmonize with uke, redirect uke's energy etc. 

For this to be effective I must willingly abandon thoughts of defending myself and simply immerse myself in the flow of the action. It is only then that I will be able to achieve the unification of the opposing forces that form the nucleus of the conflict, and bring forth a new frictionless unity of purpose. Attack and defense disappear and resolution without decision emerges.]]></body>
	<date>06-26-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3247">
	<title><![CDATA[Eighteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[That which I am always was, always will be, though in other guises yet to be revealed. 

As I have grown older the reality of my mortality has pounded ever louder on my door. I have begun to think about what it is that ‘I' am and what makes me so keenly aware of my own existence. I am me in this form for the briefest of time. When that time is up I'll cease to be me as I am and…. what? 

Is that it? Will I just sort of unwind; my body decompose and its constituents return to the universe to be reconfigured in some other guise at some other time and place? And what of me that isn't my body; my awareness? Is awareness simply a function of being human and alive? Does awareness arise from the interaction of chemicals in my brain? Or is there more to it? 

Aikido training touches more than my body. It hones my spirit as well. While training I am afforded a glimpse of something larger than myself of which I am an integral part. In my view of the world, we as human beings are part of a larger consciousness that is struggling to awaken and grow; to take its rightful place among other such entities which in turn will give rise to an even larger consciousness etc. If we manage to outlast our self-destructive tendencies and get off this planet to expand throughout our galactic neighborhood we will eventually reach a critical mass and so give birth to what we are destined to become.]]></body>
	<date>06-25-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3245">
	<title><![CDATA[Seventeen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[This is a very simple example of one way to teach a beginner to move from his center. Have nage stand in a natural stance. Touch the top of nage's head and say ‘concentrate here'. Put the fingertips of your hand just below nage's collar bone and push with increasing force towards the nage's spine and slightly downward. Note how much force you have to exert in order to move nage off balance. Return nage to natural stance.

Touch nage's one point and say ‘concentrate here'. Put the fingertips of your hand just below nage's collar bone and push with increasing force towards nage's spine and slightly downward. As you push, remind nage to ‘keep one point' and ‘extend ki'. With practice nage will be able to absorb greater amounts of force applied to the push than you initially used to push him off balance.

Once nage can perform this exercise successfully from standing it's quite easy to have him begin walking into the push and move you off balance. The exercise is performed as above but instead of standing and absorbing the push, nage literally walks into it. At first, while consciously avoiding concentrating on one point, nage will be taken off balance because his upper body will not move forward as he begins to walk. When nage switches to keeping one point he will begin to be able to walk through the push with relative ease.

The choice of metaphors you use to help nage visualize what is going on in this exercise is unimportant. You can talk about ground path, facial contraction, body connection, friction, angular momentum or whatever. Students will develop their own images to visualize the feeling of centeredness (what we call correct feeling or their strongest possible state). The feedback from the pushing is what allows nage to learn what feels dependable and then enhance and strengthen that feeling in order to absorb more force as uke gradually turns up the juice.

As with all paired ki exercises that involve testing it's important to remember that this isn't a contest. Uke's job is to aid nage by applying the correct amount of force in order to facilitate nage's ability to absorb the force and remain stable whether standing or in motion.]]></body>
	<date>06-24-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3244">
	<title><![CDATA[Sixteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Recently Mary and I visited the Kaufman house, at Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. After touring the house and grounds I thought to myself, here is a prime example of the principles of Aikido applied to daily life. The house is in perfect harmony with its surroundings. It doesn't so much sit on the site as seem to grow out of it, more like a natural formation than something built. The amazing thing is that Wright only visited the site once before designing the house. Now Wright never studied Aikido but he must have been aware on some intuitive level of the principles that underlie the art. This became evident to me when I sat and contemplated how the house conforms to the site. 

I read about Aikido and whether or not it is an effective form of self-defense or how it ‘measures up' against other martial arts in regard to destructive capability and I wonder if people aren't maybe missing the point. Aikido is an engine of creation. Practicing it creates good feelings among the participants. Studying together with my students in the dojo I become aware of the community that has grown and developed from a collection of individuals who formerly had no relationships to one another.

I have begun to see what O-Sensei was trying to say about Aikido and how its dissemination throughout the world would make the world a better place in which to live. When quoting O-Sensei in this regard I am usually met with a response the starts with the equivalent of "Yeah but…". I have learned that my best response to that attitude is a mental shrug and to continue to practice and teach. The beauty of Aikido is that it will make itself known in all its fullness to each and every student in the student's own time.]]></body>
	<date>06-23-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3243">
	<title><![CDATA[Fifteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[In my view, the universe I find myself created from is also a product of my creation. Everything I learn, see, hear, feel, smell and taste gets combined within me, the result being my view of the universe. When I am sad and depressed the universe appears dark, cold and inhospitable. Conversely, when I am happy and uplifted the universe welcomes me with light, warmth and abundance.

Aikido training teaches me these things. Before Aikido I lived in a universe that was something other than me; a large mostly empty place in which I was less than a grain of sand on a beach. Now I can see that I am not in the universe at all, I am of it. The realization of the difference between ‘in' and ‘of' has had a profound effect on me. Aikido training is teaching me to cultivate peace within myself and hence bring peace to my universe. I believe that this is what O-Sensei discovered; that if enough people grow peace within themselves the world would perforce become a more peaceful place in which to live. Inner peace begets individual freedom which can be very frightening to some. Perhaps this is why some folks seek to suppress the idea of Aikido as a way of peace and harmony. 

A while back I had to deal with a nagging back/rib injury, the pain of which waxed unbearable and waned to almost non-existent. When the pain rose the world seemed a hostile place. The light too bright, the temperature either too hot or too cold, strange smells assailed me in most unpleasant ways. Conversely, the world seemed much friendlier and more accommodating when the pain lessened. You get the general idea. 

I found that while on the mat practicing the formerly hostile world would seem less so and my pain would fade into the background. As I immersed myself in the class I became more aware of my integration with the universe and less aware of my self-imposed differentiation from it. While isolated from the universe my pain was proportionally larger due to the relative smallness of my self. Becoming one with a much larger whole reduced the effect the pain had on me. I had, in effect, redefined the parameters of my universe (my self) and the superimposition of my pain thereon was spread out over a much larger being and diluted.]]></body>
	<date>06-22-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3242">
	<title><![CDATA[Fourteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[A bokken is not a proxy sword. It is made of wood, contains no finely honed edges to cut with and no sharpened point to thrust and puncture with. As such, I am able to use the bokken in ways that would be unwise to attempt with a sword. 

Bokken practice affords me the opportunity to perfect my movement, strengthen my center, condition my body and perform complex motions while employing all my tools simultaneously. Working with the bokken from the inside has had a profound impact on my approach to teaching/learning Aikido and my technique. 

I don't teach the bokken katas I learned in Kokikai. In fact, I have dispensed with katas altogether. Instead I employ short 3 or 4 step forms that I make up as I go along. Some contain simple transitions between strikes and parries; others are much more intricate. We practice them for a while, concentrating on the motion, not the specific blows and blocks. We'll then move on to something else. I tell my students to forget the specifics and feel the dynamic that arises between them and their weapons. I don't want them memorizing long sequences of prearranged movements. This kind of rote learning stifles spontaneity and creativity. The student concentrates on learning the moves and as a result loses the meaning of the motion that connects the individual techniques. 

In bokken practice the emphasis is on the motion and locating and occupying the center that is common to both the me and the bokken. This gets really interesting in multiple person drills where the geometry of the motion becomes more complex.]]></body>
	<date>06-21-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3240">
	<title><![CDATA[Thirteen]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Is an eddy in the river or of the river? Is it distinguished from the river in any fundamental way other than my perception of it? If the configuration of the river changes and the eddy disappears has something been taken from the river; is the river lessened by the disappearance of the eddy? I am like that eddy; a temporary arrangement of matter/energy of the continuum. I come into existence and, after a time, cease to be and become another arrangement. The universe is not increased by my appearance nor lessened by my absence.

Self awareness allows me to ponder the larger totality of being around me but in no way separates me from it. For there to be a real distinction a boundary must exist. Where is the boundary that separates me from the universe? Can it be perceived, measured, touched or otherwise empirically proved? Does it have an effect on my surroundings so that it's existence may be inferred from the measurable behavior of other objects? If not then the implication of a "separation or distinction from other" cannot be a boundary in actuality. It must arise from something else.

The equating of self awareness and separation is learned. I have to be taught to differentiate myself from the universe, to individualize. Having learned this lesson has led to my perceived isolation from the universe. The road of Aikido is my path to reintegration with the universe. 

All that makes me "me" is drawn to and concentrated at my center. The study of Aikido has taught me this on both intellectual and visceral levels. The truth of this can be felt on the mat during practice when the duality of uke and nage merge to unity. 

Self awareness gives me the ability to choose how I will view my own existence in relation to the universe. I can opt for integration or separation. The important point is that the option is mine to choose.]]></body>
	<date>06-20-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3239">
	<title><![CDATA[Twelve]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[You can't see ki; can't touch it, taste it, smell it or hear it. Ki can't be measured in the physicists' lab; can't be shown to have any measurable effects on massive objects. While it is elusive in the manner of dark matter or dark energy ki can be felt by human beings. And it's at this point where many Aikido practitioners lose their way regarding ki. Invariably they are wont to ask ‘What is ki?' One might as well ask what is love or hate or envy or any other feeling. For ki is feeling. It is the feeling one has when one's mind and body are coordinated (same place, same time, same activity). Relegating ki to the realm of feelings precludes the question of whether ki has independent existence in the physical world. 

Released from the burden of having to determine whether ki exists or not, the student is free to develop an understanding of what ki feels like and this is where the use of metaphor comes into play. Human beings use metaphors to explain and make sense of the universe. Metaphors can be simple such as "saving time" (good) or "wasting time" (bad). Metaphors can also be complex such as E=mc*2 (a mathematical metaphor used to show that mass and energy are inexorably related, the essence of each contained within the other). Feelings are depicted metaphorically all the time "love is sweet" and "the bitter fruit of jealousy", for example. Indeed, much of poetry is concerned with describing feelings in everyday terms through the use of metaphor. Viewing ki as a feeling allows one to create metaphors that can be employed to develop this feeling, come to an understanding of it and ultimately enhance it. 

From what knowledge of ki I have accumulated over the years, I see two fundamental paradigms emerge when it comes to understanding the nature of ki. One paradigm is based on "independent ki" metaphors; the other on "dependent ki" metaphors. 

Independent ki metaphors emphasize the cultivation of ki as an external resource. Concentrate ki at the one point, extend ki, let ki flow freely are all metaphors that invoke images of ki as existing independently of the Aikido practitioner. From this point of view the student is seen to be a vessel for storing and concentrating ki and also a conduit through which ki is able to flow and be directed. Ki is accorded independent existence. It has properties which can be felt by the student; properties which when cultivated allow the student to perform at a level greater than can be explained by the student's physical being alone. 

Dependent ki metaphors evoke images of ki as being generated within the student's body by the correct application of principles of movement, ground path mechanisms, fascia and other structural conditioning etc. Dependent ki metaphors remove ki as existing independently of the student and replace it with ki as a generated force. 

Let's look at unbendable arm for a moment in light of both classes of metaphors. When I began Aikido the first thing I was taught was unbendable arm. It was explained that I should relax, keep one point and extend ki from my center through my arm and let it go out and away. I did these things (that is I imagined what I would feel like when these things were happening) and when tested, my arm did not bend. Conversely unbendable arm could have been explained to me in terms of the juxtaposition of opposing muscle groups and how by correctly manipulating them I could keep my partner from bending my arm. Or I could have been told to let my body absorb the applied force on my arm and let the force flow through me on into the ground. In any case, translating the metaphor into the correct will result in my partner being unable to bend my arm. 

These paradigms are fundamentally at odds. But isn't the conflict really illusory? We don't experience "reality" directly. We interpret sensory input in our brains and formulate our separate realities based on a host of filters and amplifiers that we have constructed over the span of our lives. The long and the short of it is we see the world metaphorically. As Aikido students, we learn to build metaphors to explain and understand the concepts ki. Who is to say that one person's ki metaphor is correct while another's is incorrect if the observed result of both students' Aikido execution is the same? If a student is taught unbendable arm using independent ki metaphors and another student is taught unbendable arm via dependent ki metaphors and when tested both students perform unbendable arm, which paradigm is right? Does it matter?]]></body>
	<date>06-19-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3238">
	<title><![CDATA[Eleven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Curiously, even though I am of the universe rather than in it, I can, on a conscious level remove myself from the universe and ponder its nature and my relationship to it. I think that this is what gives rise to the notion that I am a part of the universe but not necessarily fully integrated within its fabric. I don't remember the awakening of my consciousness, that point at which my individuality asserted itself and began the process of differentiating me from everything else. Perhaps this is because it occurred as a gradual process rather than a sudden explosion of realization. 

My earliest recollections of individual awareness go back to when I was  3. Memory, it seems, is the marker for awareness. Prior to that point I have no awareness of my self as myself. 

Since I am of the universe, I am it which, in turn, can look out upon what I have created with my minds eye and see itself for what it is. So I am both of and not of the universe; it's a matter of perspective. 

Aikido training allows me to home in on my connection to the universe via the practice of technique. The most pervasive characteristic of the universe is motion and Aikido is the study of motion. Aikido technique when executed properly enables me to feel my relation to the larger existence from which I have been cast. The coordination of mind, body and spirit I experience when practicing integrates me with the universe in a way I last experienced when I wasn't aware that I am me. In essence, my study of Aikido has taken me full circle; from connected to separated back to connected. Interesting.]]></body>
	<date>06-18-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3235">
	<title><![CDATA[Ten]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Get in a right stance and extend your right arm straight out in front of you. Make a fist and keep your arm rigid along its entire length. Have your partner grab your wrist and push. Feel how his force travels up your arm and settles in your shoulder. Have your partner note how much force is exerted in order to bring you off balance.

Get in a right stance and extend your right arm out in front of you. This time let your fingers relax and curl and let your wrist relax and bend. Let your elbow relax and bend slightly. Have your partner grab your wrist and push with the same amount of force required to bring you off balance in the exercise above. If you relax and keep one point the force of his push will distribute itself along the various angles of your arm and very little of it will reach your shoulder. 

These simple exercises illustrate the idea that when you are centered and relaxed you are much stronger than when you are tense and stiff. A relaxed body will naturally form angles at the joints that will cause forces applied to move around it's center and not be concentrated at a single point where the force will be most effective.

I use this and other Ki exercises to help students determine what Maruyama Sensei calls correct feeling. I have students experience both feelings and leave it to them to decide which is better.]]></body>
	<date>06-17-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3233">
	<title><![CDATA[Nine]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Some things for me to beware of: 

Thinking I have all the answers. I don't. And thank goodness for that. Can you imagine the responsibility? 

Others who claim to have all the answers. They don't either. 

Accepting students' power. Students are always trying to give away their power to their instructors. I have plenty of my own power and don't want anyone else's. When I sense a student doing this I go out of my way to give it back. If you're an instructor and don't know what I'm getting at, you should. 

Needing recognition for my efforts. Being an independent and no longer affiliated with an organization sometimes has me missing that nth dan designation after my name and looking forward to my next promotion. When I feel this way I realize that I'm just looking for a way to be mean to myself, feel sorry for myself or succumb to the fear du Jour. 

Falling into the I'm tough trap. I am capable of hurting people. The skills I have acquired over the years give me the ability to do this. Fortunately those same skills, having tempered my temper, have shown me that tough is a relative thing and that as tough as I may be there will always be someone tougher.]]></body>
	<date>06-16-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3231">
	<title><![CDATA[Eight]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Via the proper application of Aikido principles; from conflict is born something beautiful to watch, from conflict is born reconciliation and mutual understanding, from conflict is born a synergy of opposing viewpoints, from conflict is born resultant harmony. Aikido is the engine of creation that takes the raw material of conflict and transforms it.

If I defeat an opponent he continues as my opponent with the insult of injury added to his beef with me. In the long run this is counter productive. Better I should find a way to convince him that from me there is nothing to fear and his need to act on his fear is unnecessary. Conflict is, at it's root, all about fear and where there is no fear there is no danger.

Aikido is not the art to study if my primary interest is learning physical self-defense techniques that I can use to overcome adversaries. What I do learn from the study of Aikido is that I carry my enemies within me all the time. My enemies are my fears, those feelings that make me dangerous and so someone who engenders fear in others. The offspring of mated fears is conflict.

Aikido training helps me to purge myself of my fear. And if I can become fearless then I will be of no danger to anyone. If I'm not dangerous no one will fear me or what I do and hence will have no reason to enter into conflict with me.]]></body>
	<date>06-15-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3230">
	<title><![CDATA[Seven]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I move through space and I am solid, yet when viewed from my one point space is what occupies most of what I am. It's a matter of perspective. Choose a sufficiently small frame of reference and I become as empty as the universe vast distances separating my constituent parts; expand that same frame of reference enough and I become a point source without dimension. Perspective. Frame of reference. Relative. Will the real me please stand up? 

Sometimes, when I'm taking a breather, I watch my students move and notice how some of them move freely as though any resistance to their motion is non-existent, while others always seem to be moving through a viscous medium that hinders their progress. Watching, I wonder at the nature of motion. Why isn't it the same for everyone? Is it simply a matter of anatomy? Are some people inherently stiffer than others? I have seen students become supple in their movements as a result of many years of training and it's always amazing to behold. One day I'll be watching someone and I'll say to myself -- hey, she's really flowing through that technique, where'd that come from? -- and then smile. 

 Friction impedes motion. Aikido training, I have discovered, reduces friction within my body and, consequently, improves my ability to move. When I extend Ki the space within me expands resulting in less friction and freer movement. Relaxation is product of reduced friction within the body. This leads me to the conclusion that practicing Aikido will engender relaxation. The common notion is that one has to relax first if one is to perform technique with Aiki. I believe this is putting the cart before the horse. Continued study of Aikido will, in and of itself, lead the student to the correct state and Aiki will arise naturally.]]></body>
	<date>06-14-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3227">
	<title><![CDATA[Six]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Relativity Theory teaches us that motion is, well, relative and that there is no preferred frame of reference in the universe from which absolute motion can be determined. 

Aikido is all about motion. The very heart of the art is revealed in the motion of bodies relative to one another; motion born of conflict (be it staged or real) and resolution. As nage I seek to find a place of calm amid the flurry of movement; a place where my motion is minimized and uke's is maximized. The center about which our centers move is that place. That is where my balance and stability are greatest and where I will expend the least amount of energy to achieve the desired result (conflict resolution). Maruyama Sensei calls this minimum effort for maximum effect. 

The linking of nage's and uke's individual centers with the common center to form a unified whole is a manifestation of Ki. The ability to feel, occupy and control the common center (extend Ki), forms the basis of powerful, effective technique. The internalization of the notion that the common center is continuous and ever returning is the goal of my practice.]]></body>
	<date>06-13-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3226">
	<title><![CDATA[Five]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[How many of us realize how old we are? 

Consider; the universe is composed of a finite amount of stuff. All of this stuff was created at the instant the universe came into being. All that was then still is today long, long eons from the beginning. Reaching back to the beginning of time our bodies are composed of material that was created in the death throes of early stars, sent on its way through the cosmos in cataclysmic super novae and eventually condensed into us. Our bodies, on a very fundamental level, are literally billions of years old. 

Aikido has forced me to reevaluate my view of the universe and my relation to it. Indeed, after years of practice I realize that I am not in the universe; rather I am of the universe. The distinction is not trivial. ‘In' implies contained within but somehow separate. ‘Of' implies integrated with and not separate. If I am of something then that something is part of the fiber of my being and all of what it is becomes available for my use. Thus by proper unification of mind and body (of, not in) I am able to ‘extend Ki' and realize strength that would otherwise not be available to me.]]></body>
	<date>06-12-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3225">
	<title><![CDATA[Four]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[It is necessary, first of all, to free myself from the constraints of belief. Belief in and of itself is neither good nor bad. Problems arise when I let my beliefs box me into positions that I am compelled to defend though events would lead me to believe otherwise were it not for my stubbornness. My beliefs should form a scaffold from which I can build and not a cage in which I will be bound.

Aikido is one way I have of rendering my universe for others to see. During practice I am painting a picture or creating a living sculpture of how I see my world. If I become constrained by belief my Aikido will have no way of flowing freely. If, on the other hand, my belief is without bonds it will shape the nature of my Aikido and give it meaning. 

O-Sensei taught that Aikido should always be practiced in a joyful manner. A constraining belief system will rob me of my joy and affect my practice in a negative way.]]></body>
	<date>06-11-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3224">
	<title><![CDATA[Three]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA["In general, a contraction of reference accompanies an expansion of awareness, and an expansion of reference accompanies a contraction of awareness." The Laws of Form by G. Spencer Brown page 10.

Each of us creates the universe in our own image. No two of us will see, hear, taste, smell or feel (in the tactile sense) exactly alike. We can agree on generalities such as that apple is red or that ice cream tastes like coffee but we won't experience the red or the coffee in exactly the same way. As individuals we experience the universe, each of us, in a completely unique way. The birth of a baby brings a universe into being and the death of a person causes a universe to dissolve into …? 

Awareness is largely involuntary. I am, I see, hear, smell, touch and taste. I process the stimuli and produce the world. I remember, and in remembering I create the past. I wonder, and in wondering I create the future. As my past and future roll out behind and before me my point of reference expands, thereby diminishing my awareness of the present. 

I tell my students to coordinate mind and body. Easy to say, but what does it mean? I explain as follows: My body is always where it is in space and time. It can't be anywhere but where it is. It is always at ‘now'. My mind isn't fettered in the same way as my body. It isn't tethered to now and can be anywhere anytime. So to coordinate mind and body both must be at now.

With mind and body coordinated I have contracted my reference and thereby expanded my awareness. I have ‘one point'. Aikido training is all about coordination of mind and body; for at one point is where I am able to tap into the energy of the universe and perform to my greatest potential. Maruyama Sensei calls this attaining correct feeling. 

There are degrees of one pointedness. Imagine the perfect coordination of mind and body as a dimensionless one point. Less than perfect coordination of mind and body will be equivalent to a one point containing a diameter greater than zero. When we begin our training we come to Aikido with our one point where it is. As we train and gain control over ourselves the dimension of our one point will grow smaller and smaller, closer and closer to perfection.]]></body>
	<date>06-10-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3222">
	<title><![CDATA[Two]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[In a universe consisting of a single point, motion and stillness cannot be distinguished. Introduce a second point into that universe and motion/stillness are instantly differentiable. 

I have noticed that when I am moving with a partner on the mat there comes an instant in the execution of a technique where all motion seems to stop, yet we are not still relative to one another. It is at this point that we become a single entity, our motion in concert such that we seem to be standing still. Our centers meet and merge at the center of conflict which nage has occupied and uke and nage disappear. The center of conflict is the anchor point at which stability and resolution are brought about. The restoration of order from the chaos of the attack results in the dissolution of the conflict and hence the disappearance of the center of conflict. Correctly executed, Aikido resolves conflict without decision, without a ‘winner' and a ‘loser'. 

I seek always to occupy the center of conflict as nage. Drawing uke into my sphere, our integration removes the internal reference point that defines our motion relative to one another. The center of conflict becomes simply the center that is ours in mutuality. We are one, if only for the moment, and our conflict ceases to be.]]></body>
	<date>06-09-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3220">
	<title><![CDATA[One]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[I remember Maruyama Sensei would speak of Aikido as a vehicle that would lead the student to enlightenment through dedicated and diligent training. 

I have noticed that as we move from the 'center' of Aikido (O-Sensei) the further away we get generationally, the more the idea of competitiveness begins to make its way into the art. The words 'right' and 'wrong', 'real' and 'fake', 'legitimate' and 'contrived' etc. begin to show up in the lexicon of Aikido more and more often. These diametrically opposed ideas form the nucleus of conflict, competition and strife. 

O-Sensei wrote "there are many paths to the top of Mt. Fuji..." I take this to be a metaphor for the growth of Aikido as it has spread throughout the world. Dissemination invariably leads to change. How many of us remember the old grammar school experiment where a story was told to the first student in the first row who then passed it on to the person behind and so on until the last person in the last row heard it and was told to repeat the story so all could hear it? The resultant story was never the same as the one originally told by the teacher. Aikido is no different. Each teacher will change the story a little bit. That teacher's students who go on the become teachers themselves will embellish the story further. This is what makes Aikido such a rich and beautiful art. It's like a living, breathing entity that changes all those who encounter it and is then thereby changed by those it touches.

Just as the basic framework of the story in the grammar school experiment will emerge at the end so that students hearing the final story told aloud will recognize it despite the differences in detail; what remains noticeably unchanged throughout growth process of Aikido are the underlying principles that get transmitted from generation to generation of instructors, the DNA of Aikido if you will. This is why you can walk into an Aikido dojo anywhere in the world, regardless of 'style', and recognize the activity being performed as Aikido.]]></body>
	<date>06-08-2008</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="3219">
	<title><![CDATA[Aikido is...]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[Aikido is the union of Mind, Body and Spirit. 
Past and future approach now without limit. Aikido is now. 
Motion is the agent of change. Aikido is the study of motion. 
Move on the intent. Aikido coincides with intent.
Conflict is born of fear. Aikido purges fear.
The center of conflict is external to the participants. Aikido is the occupation of the center of conflict. 
Winning and losing continue conflict. Aikido is resolution without decision.
Conflict is continuous and ever returning. Aikido is the realization of this.
Opposites create tension. Aikido integrates opposites to form a tension free unified whole.]]></body>
	<date>06-06-2008</date>
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