Ki.....Misogi...Spirit

What is Ki? To really understand Ki you would have to also understand Misogi and you would also have to understand spirit.

When training in Aikido we learn to relax and use Ki. Toheis principles of Aikido are great in this respect and to take away the thought of them as principles but rather as great advice then if you really understand them you will find they are......great advice.

Respect your partner's Ki. Great advice. Extend Ki. Great advice. Lead your partner's Ki. Great advice.

Thus it say's to study Ki.

Now if you don't get what Ki is then what is it you are respecting in your partner? What is it you are extending?

Now from a spirit point of view you are spirit. Forget about heart. From a heart point of view you are heart but this is about Ki. This is about Misogi.

Now in Aikido we practice the ways of Ki. To help in this we do techniques. Why? Because the techniques developed were and are techniques which follow the natural pathways of Ki. So when you are trying to use Ki and doing a technique and then all of a sudden the technique works and it was so easy and effortless and different then what happened there? Well the pathway you followed was precisely the pathway of Ki and so you experienced the difference. Wow!

Respect your partner's Ki. Don't hear that spoken of much nowadays. Firstly because respect is not administered and secondly because the mind gets in the way. So many times I have been told 'yeah but......what if?.....blah blah blah. Simple answer......irrelevant!

It does not say respect the persons energy. It does not say respect the persons attitude. It does not say respect the persons power or strength. It says respect the persons Ki.

Many times of course people put themselves in some kind of 'immovable' position in Aikido or if an experienced martial artist put themselves in a position of ready and able to counter anything you try to do using Ki. This is great...this is good practice or really should be looked at rather as a good drill. So Bill grabs my wrist and proceeds to block me doing Nikkyo. Do I follow his energy? No.Do I follow his skill? No. Do I care? No.

Here's the thing....his energy is not his Ki. Even if he has quite good extended energy. I respect only his Ki and thus despite all then that is what I connect to. All else is your own mind led.

Ki is of spirit. Ahhhh...but what spirit? True spirit. So what is true spirit? PURE Spirit.Ahhhhh, in comes Misogi. Misogi is purification. Ki is pure spirit. Thus impure spirit is not Ki. Any old energy is not Ki.

It's no good only having pure heart for that is but one fifth of Aikido. To know Ki you must have pure spirit and thus comes a clarity on Kindness not known before.

It's all good.

Peace.G.