courage of the heart is very rare, the stone has a power when it is there, We study war in the name of peace. ~ O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba ~ Founder of Aikido ~ ~ hi-den ~ ~ From one thing, know ten thousand things-- ~ ken-tai-ichi-jo ~ ... the body and the weapon are one ... . . . . . . . . . ~ ni-ten-ichi ~ ... the two as one ... . . . . . . . . . ~ ryo-do ~ ... the way of both ... . . . . . . . . . ~ musubi ~ ... harmonious connection ... knot ... . . . . . . . . . Musubi -- literally means knot. And it is, in some ways, the heart and essence of ai-ki. I have heard Musubi described as the hormonious connection between two people, between two things -- which is what a knot does. It connects two ropes and makes them one. In some of the dojos of the ancient ryu, there was one huge knot, wound around itself so many times that it looked like a huge ball, three/four times the size of a basket ball. The binding of two things into one --- hojo, the binding arts. ~ ma-ai ~ ... harmonious distance ... . . . . . . . . . Distance ... but you must understand how to work with this, how to use it, a man cannot jab(hit) you if he cant reach you, -- moving out of his reach -- entering his space, -- getting off the line of attack, tools tools tools, and, of course, enticing him to attack, ~ Metsubishi ~ ... blinding someone ... . . . . . . . . . Metsubishi -- the covering or removing of a persons sight. The simple form would be to strike someone's eyes. But this principle can also refer the simple covering or positioning of one's body, to cover the opponents line of vision. It could also refer to turning out the lights, or using some object (e.g., piece of furniture, sand, sunlight, shadows, etc.) to block, hinder, or confuse someone's clear perception of what is occurring. Strikes that come from under someone's line of vision, can also be included in this principle. Hiding something behind ones back, etc. There are, of course, more esoteric applications of this, like hiding one's strength behind a feigned weakness. Or the using of someone's emotions or sensitive, "hot buttons," to blind him from what is really occurring.. These "feints" though, introduce the complementary principle of misekake -- feinting maneuvers. This, of course, ties into go-no-sen. ~ san-kaku ~ triangulation . . . . . . . . . To hear is to forget-- To remember is to listen-- To do is to understand-- secondary pressure . . . . . . . . . bring elbow to the side . . . . . . . . . water flows path of least resistance . . . . . . . . . accept that which is offered ... and mirror ... . . . . . . . . . lost track, find path, . . . . . . . . . hands push feet pull . . . . . . . . . changing priority . . . . . . . . . ... attach ... detach ... (stick-cling ... let go) . . . . . . . . . you think where you feel (where contact is made, your attention is) . . . . . . . . . potential base . . . . . . . . . single weighted double weighted . . . . . . . . . cumulative locking (of all joints to center) . . . . . . . . . disturb balance, then break balance, . . . . . . . . . separation of center create a common center . . . . . . . . . irimi:heel-of-foot tenkan:ball-of-foot . . . . . . . . . coil to uncoil . . . . . . . . . centripetal centrifugal . . . . . . . . . create dependency, remove dependency, (allow opponent to fall) . . . . . . . . . back pressure . . . . . . . . . weight dropping gravitational marriage . . . . . . . . . true projection (point shoulder / finger / arm) . . . . . . . . . sectional movement . . . . . . . . . using half the circle . . . . . . . . . bridge the gap . . . . . . . . . gate of the eye . . . . . . . . . move sooner, not faster, . . . . . . . . . less is more, more often than not, . . . . . . . . . light as a fox, heavy as an ox, . . . . . . . . . implosion explosion . . . . . . . . . lines . . . . . . . . . apex points . . . . . . . . . If the water in the pond is not still and motionless, you will not be able to see the moon's reflection in it-- You and I and everything in this universe exist as a part of the endless flow of God's love. Realizing this, we recognize that all creation is bound together by the same benevolence. To harmonize with life is to come into accord with that part of God which flows through all things. To foster and protect all life is both our mission and our prayer, and we call our path: Take-Musu-Aiki ~ Morihei Ueshiba ~ : : aiki-no-michi : : Say is easy, do is hard--

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Arthur Paul Levine ©
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