Last Thursday April 23rd was “Earth Hour”, a world wide event to raise consciousness about climate change. Tel Aviv participated by turning out the lights in the city and we at Integral Aikido joined in by also turning out the lights and holding class by candle light.
Earth Hour is a global event that was organized by to WWF to raise awareness about climate change. It began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. From San Francisco to Rome, to Sydney, to Tel Aviv all stood in darkness for a full hour.
In Tel Aviv several well lit land marks turned off their lights and there was and rock concert with the “Balkan Beat Box” in “Rabin square” that was powered totally by concert goers who peddled the generators that provided juice for the amps and lights.
For our aikido class we turned off the lights for the evening and trained by candle light. Even with the candles it was quite dark for the training. Therefore we did several exercises to raise our sensitivity and awareness, such as blending with attacks with the eyes closed, “listening practices” and moving meditation.
In many ways our practice in aikido is about developing awareness and raising consciousness. As an authentic and traditional “path”, aikido challenges us to embody perspectives that are higher, more inclusive and more conscious. Cultivating such perspectives can indeed be a challenge to the self, but at the same time the path and the practice serves to support us through these challenges. And the path is a truly “integral path”, then it will challenge us not only at the level of self, but also challenge us to raise our awareness in cultural and in nature too.
It is a satisfying feeling to live in a city that participates in Earth Hour. Here at the beginning of the 21st century we are becoming more and more aware of the dangers that we humans are inflicting on our home planet. As we become aware of these problems we also need to become aware of new solutions to face the very problems that we’ve created. Earth Hour is a great way to do this. It is a wonderful community activity, a really cool way to save energy, an event that raises consciousness about climate change, and it also brings a very special atmosphere to our training.
The next Earth Hour will take place on March 27, 2010. Integral Aikido will be patricipating once again and we hope that you can join us too.
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Two of the most challenging aspects for anyone claiming the Integral perspective is first discovering how to translate Integral into their life, and then actually applying that translation as a practice personally, culturally and professionally. Here at Integral Aikido we are constantly pursuing these two aspects. We place a high value in having a solid foundation in traditional aikido practice but what really excites us is using our practice as a vehicle to push the leading edge in the evolution of consciousness and culture.
As a transformational path Aikido provides a traditional cultural context, a trans-personal philosophy and effective practices that nurture development across many lines. Aikido is a well established way and point of view from which to translate and give meaning to the world. It has been around a while and you pretty much know what you’ll get.
Over the past 3 1/2/ years Integral Aikido has endeavored to provide a traditional aikido learning context with (almost) daily aikido classes, periodic aikido seminars and workshops, and regular meditation gatherings and retreats. Furthermore, we have hosted traditional events such as an International Aikido seminar with Christian Tissier Sensei, 7th dan, as well as 3 10-day Vipassana meditation retreats with Sayadaw U vivekananda.
As for pushing the leading edge of culture and consciousness, Integral Aikido’s past evolutionary activities have included regular Integral Practice workshops, Integral Aikido seminars, Integral Meditation workshops and courses, and the innovative merging of aikido and contact improvisation w/ our “Aiki-contact” jam sessions. We have also been honored to host Integral teachers such as Integral Zen Sensei and Big Mind facilitator Diane Musho Hamilton and Aikido Sensei Patrick Cassidy. And, of course this includes the project that is dear to our hearts “Aikido Without Borders”, which is an Integrally informed N.P.O.
