Aikido and the Spiral

The purpose of the spiral is restoration of balance. This is to do with yin and yang, this is to do with centre, this is to do with your true nature, this is to do with loving acceptance.

The main thing to study I would say, when it comes to the spiral, is to first recognise it is a manifestation which appears when there is an imbalance to handle. This applies and is a spiritual principle and can then be seen in action in the mental field and the physical field also, as it is with all spiritual truths.

So let's take a look physically. A good place to start is in the bathtub or the sink. Watch the water go down the plughole. A spiral forms to handle it.

We have various energies at play here but basically we have one large body of water trying to get from 'a' to 'b'. Yet the hole is only small. So a spiral forms to handle it. The same with tornado's and hurricanes. We have high pressure and low pressure and heat and cold etc and when the imbalance is great enough and one side wants to rush into the other we have spirals forming. After which all is calm again.

Now there is another principle to consider here when addressing the spiral and that is the principle that energy prefers circles. What is a spiral actually? A series of connected circles.

This principle is used in the field of electronics with the copper coil and in building work with the drill and the screwdriver.

The spiral handles great quantities of energy......easily. The basis of taisabaki.

On a more jovial note have you heard about the whirlwind romance?

Now, mentally you can experience the spiral in many ways. What about when you are trying to understand something and the book or person is giving you so much data all at once that you go dizzy, you spin mentally. A spiral manifesting to handle the overload.

Balance restored mentally is what we call understanding.

Aikido uses the whole complete spiral which is actually a torus. Imaginge an egg timer. It's like two cones. A simplified way of seeing the completeness. Up and outwards wherein lies kokyu, down and outwards wherein lies koshi.

Two dimentionally it is the figure 8 or infinity.

Lastly I would say that the most important point is the principle of the circle.

The circle of light thus is utilized by the phenomenon of the spiral.

Peace.G.