Why seminars?

Aikido - Live - Learn

 

Maybe it is not untrue to denominate Morihei as an avatar of the great Aiki god which came to us to reveal the way of harmony. As everybody of us, Morihei had human and divine characteristics. The worldly and imperfect element waned with his dead, but his divine characteristics stayed with us in form of Aikido.

Morihei has opened a way for us, a way which can be described in physical as well as in spiritual respect. But everybody of us has to go their way themselves, everybody has to choose his direction: "Aikido is a compass".

 

The way of harmony is overarching, but at the same time also very steep. Shortly before his dead, Morihei confessed sadly: "I have given my life to show the way, but if I look back, there is nobody who is following me ..." The lamentable lack of unity among the Aikidoka and the squabbling about who teaches the "real" Aikido is demoralizing. There are alarmingly many people who distort the entity of Aikido with brute force and who stir up disagreements with their words. Morihei's teachings are sadly still abused and distorted.

Despite the coutless obstacles and setbacks, and despite physical and mental barriers, if we practice earnestly and confront the contorting forces with a pure mind, we will sooner or later emerge from the darkness and despair through the way the founder opened for us and who will guide us to the calm and clear light of Aiki to harmony.

 

From "Unendlicher Friede" by John Stevens, the biography of the Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba.