This is one part in a series of articles focused on misogi, the target audience is comprised of dedicated students and instructors of Aikido.
Please consult a physician before attempting any of the practices herein; while this is for novice, beginner, intermediate, and advanced practitioners, there are inherent risks in any physical training regimen.
General Instructions
General instructions are provided to eliminate conceptual densification for maximum transmission from technical instructions in the Appendix below. This should be helpful for a wider audience to experiment with and develop an awareness and skill in overcoming the challenges of zero-speed torsion.
Video provided by “Sans forme ni chemin”
- Generate Limitless Aspiration and Dedication
inseprable from Emptiness - Stand in Shizen-Tai
while orienting Gravitation and Body
Stand, naturally. Ensure that the natural stance preserves a sense of attention, Espirit de Corps, and a sense of urgency rather than anxiety (for reference consider military calls to attention). Be sure that the attention is not too tight or too loose. Do experiment with attitudes, postures, and structures. - Perform Furitama Vigorously 1
while energizing the Body with Potential
Shake, vigorously. Ensure that the shaking is crossing a consistent center of space relative to the body. Do experiment with the location of shaking, the velocity, and changes in flows. - Reach to Floor Narrowly
while narrowing the Potential to Arc
Reach, very narrow, like reaching through a grate to reach keys that fell through, just out of reach. Do experiment with width of the reach, from wide to narrow. - Reverse the Reach Explosively 2
while jumping the Arc to Depolarization
Explode in reverse, releasing energy constrained by the reversion. Do experiment with different footings, velocities, and <ac|de>celerations. The fluids of the body, are tossed up, like crepes or pancakes, where the cakes are arranged with deft skill in an orderly and condensed vertical stack. Another advanced analogy is a combination of Russian Nesting Dolls of Diablo toys, where the dolls de-nesting while the diablos toss, and where the dolls nest while the diablos catch. Do note that differences between individual weights and distributions will create different eddy currents in practitioners. - Execute 3…4 for a Short Interval
stop immediately if tendons are unable to bear torsion; pay attention to intercostal pressures. note any physiological change day to day. in the event intercostals are exhibiting mild discomfort or “crackling” please do not hesitate to reach out, there is a remedy for this.
Over time, stage 4, 3, and 2, may start collapsing (合) to stage 1, and all stages liberated will collapse to stage 0. This is a sign of progress. That is, just as the reversing is exploded in stage 4, it is implosion to one’s natural stance by conservation of energy to stage 1 and then from stage 1 to stage 0.
Appendix
Technical Instructions
This is for advanced, and master practitioners utilizing heavier mathematical and physical jargon for the purpose of increasing conceptual density for the purpose of expedient transmission.
One useful experiment for developing a sense of 引 and 弛 is in the portion of misogi where one develops explosive torsion to translate morphic fluidic structures while simultaneously remaining connected to a less fluidic reference point, in this case the human body standing on the ground. This practice supports developing of mastery of take-musu cause-effect topologies and supports development of eight-powers.
- Open Generation and Completion Stages
with Jhana & Four Immeasurables - Stand Parallel to Oriented Gravity Normals
with Shizen Tai
assemble fluid orientation; preserve entry; note perpendicular relation - Engage Pull within Compressed Surface Normals
with Musculo-Structural Inversion 1
assemble fluid densification; preserve orientation; note perpendicular exchange - Arc Narrowly through Curved Surface Normals
with Musculo-Structural Lensing
assemble fluid curve; preserve pull; note perpendicular plasticity - Translate Torsion across Laminar Surface Normals 2
with Musculo-Structural Lensing
assemble fluid stack; preserve contact; note perpendicular elasticity - Execute 3…4 appropriate to Conditions
Technical Commentary
Shu-Ha-Ri Classifications
As Shu-Ha-Ri has been evidenced as a highly modifiable Basic Social Process for the purposes of classifying stages of transmission as applied to the purpose of effective education, it is only fitting to offer a commentary utilizing the categories set forth therein.
Shu
Beginner practitioners may arrive at spatial awareness; that is, the ability to sense generalized to specific space in structure. This should evolve to sense specific to energetics, breathing and lingering effects post practice. Additional awareness of results may be felt in practices post this practice.
Shu-Ha Transition
Practitioners crossing the shu-ha transition are in a liminal period (Turner, 1974); here, the rite of passage controlled by not man, but the body itself. A change in metabolic allocation. Master instructors recognize, allow, and subsequently make safe places for the turbulent phenomena in this transition. Numerous accompanying psychophysiological phenomena usually simultaneously manifest and may, in the hands of inexperienced instructors and practitioners, default to abandoning progress in favor of safety in the Shu stage.
This stage seems correlated to vacillations between posture shaping co-contractive movement which is metabolically expensive yet injury protective, and flow shaping feed-forward movement which is metabolically inexpensive yet potentially injury prone (Gribble et al., 2003, p. 2403).
With reference to this exercise, moving in spatial frames of reference is in tension with moving in temporal frames of reference, and spatial percepts and temporal percepts are more prolifically generated by perception new to the experience and “throwing out” recollections of what the new sensations feel like. It is important for the practitioner to experience this, however, the practitioner, if progress is desired, must continually drive toward direct perception rather than the emanations of perceptions continual generation of conceptions (ie. thoughts).
The noisier environment of percepts emanating through perception may quickly obstruct further progress, or worse yet, be seen as signs of sloppiness or impreciseness in the practitioner, dropping the practitioner back to shu. There is much more to say on this, however it is crossing into the article on shu-ha-ri and is outside of the scope of this article.
Ha
Advanced practitioners may arrive at temporal awareness; that is, the ability to sense exchanges in compressing or expanding matter and space across time, and the topologies within which this occurs; where the temporal compression is correlated to fluidity, and temporal expansion is correlated to solidity, depending on inertial frames of reference. Take for example, a sheet of glass, technically it is a fluid, and moves so slowly relative to perceptive experience, that it appears solid. However, a trained eye, can see the matsu-kaze principle in effect in historical places with older window panes that have moved to a decent effect to display turbulent flows within the glass’s movements.
Master practitioners may arrive at temporal mastery; that is, the ability to not only bear witness to the effects aforementioned, yet through experimentation and applications of activities akin to Analog Digital Conversion (ADC) and Digital Analog Conversion (DAC), realize Ethical Kairostic Exchange (Divine Bodhi-Sattva activity). These experiments and applications progress to field operations (ie. functional programming), entire fields of joining and dissolving operations are employed, where operations on manifolds between spatial and temporal fields are proportional to perceptions of intuitive solving of fixed (凝) and unfixed structures (解); like resolving tangled colors on Rubik’s Cube faces or tangled structures in herringbone necklaces, for the purpose of, and this is where the conceptual description should stop, this is another subject hinted at in parenthesis.
Breaking practitioners naturally exhibit stage 2-4 at stage 1.
Ha-Ri Transition
Practitioners entering the Ha-Ri liminal rite of passage contend with highly accurate and precise reflective percepts nearly perfectly overlapping direct perception. In order for the practitioner to break out of the liminal Ha-Ri transition, the practitioner must continue to investigate and drive at direct perception; it will take great courage in removing the afflictions of the drive that produces this illusion, as up unto this point it has co-trained to greater and greater skill. It produced near perfect cognitive percepts in support of navigating spatial-temporal reality and moving matter-energy in pursuit of satisfying instinctive, individual, and social needs and desires.
This period, with respect to the practice here, seem subject to temporal smearing of percepts emanating from slow wave propagation, and here is the thin marker that reveals its function and presence. This shimmering smearing correlates well with the recollections of “rainbow”, “thin veil”, “curtain”, or “reflection” accompanying descriptions of the precise illusions generated by highly developed perceptive abilities of accomplished masters of meditation in Buddhist literature.
While there may be further discussion here, this is only here for reference in the final conceptual pointer to the Ri Stage. The remainder is outside of the scope of this article, stored in memo libraries for future articles, and more fit for direct transmission at this time.
Ri
Liberated practitioners luminously exhibit stage 1-4 at stage 0.
Note that this practice simultaneously trains triangle, circle, and square characteristics, where the square is developed to maximum capacities constrained by stability in limitless awareness of stage 0. That is, one’s practice will only ever grow to the limits of stage 0.
Instruction Commentary
Master Instructors will note magnitudes and directions of progress and regression, rather than describing the practice, or following strict regimented forms of this practice. Results will be seen in repeated trials through posture, gait, technical execution, temporal offsets of stimulus-response, and a narrowing of temporal gaps between attack departure and appropriate technique arrival. Follow principles of least impulse to maximum effect, this is a body/heart process, not an intellectual exercise; the intellectual presented here was made to enhance instructor abilities in the body/heart.
For the purposes of marketing, dojo may adopt synchronized practices inclusive of stabilized forms, for offering a bridge to common established social norms, both informal and formal, that expects that consistency and repetition brings mastery. The instructor remains fully knowing that this is a socially common Kegan’s Cognitive Level Stage 2 and Stage 3 understanding. This is constraining for students developing and accessing Stage 4 and Stage 5 cognitive awareness.
Instructors are charged with gauging the need for marketing activity and development activity; balancing the needs of individuals, groups, organizations, and local environments. In other words, if visitors are operating at Stage 2-3, and students are growing into Stage 4-5, be sure to balance the needs of marketing and transmission operations. If there’s no need to market to Stage 2-3, and students are at Stage 4-5, then move to Stage 4-5 instruction, shunt psychic transferences and counter-transferences with awareness. If help is needed determining Kegan’s Cognitive Level of practitioner or instructors, and visitors, please consult a trained psychologist in these matters.
Optional Commentary
Some instructors may use thin rice paper on wood floors below practitioners’ feet to test for lateral shearing forces during reach (stage 3) and reverse (stage 4), which lead to leaks of unified energy along perpendicularity.
Footnotes
1 Furitama has general and specialized instructions in another article.
2 For advanced practice, during stage 3, proceed to narrow the gap between the base of the feet and the floor, while maximizing the gap between the top of the crown and sky. Refrain from this in groups if the phenomena of stage 2 has not been sufficiently generated.
References
Turner, V. (1974). Liminal to Liminoid, in Play, Flow, and Ritual: An Essay in Comparative Symbology. Rice Institute Pamphlet – Rice University Studies, 60(3), pp. 53-92.
Gribble, P.L., Mullin, Lucy I., Cothros, N., and Mattar A. (2003). Role of Cocontraction in Arm Movement Accuracy. Journal of Neurophysiology 89(5), pp. 2396-2405. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.01020.2002