Chaos Randori
In our practice of Aikido we are always adjusting our interpretation of how we will move in relation to the energy force that is moving towards us from variable perspectives using either very fragmented, technique stopping and thinking or moving with a principled, relaxed, effortless, intuitive approach which moves in harmony with the energy force line and let our total being move with it so as to understand where it wants to show us its terminal solution.
We again are staying in our zero point of simplicity in allowing the power line to show us where it wants to go. In allowing this to move where it is going we are staying in an “open ended” disposition to what is appearing in the moment of the interaction.
This open ended disposition allows for many fascinating discoveries in the aikido practice, one of the main ones is to keep us in contact with what I call “the juice” or creative source where we don’t continually go back to the same katas all our practice time, we open ourselves to “what is” in the moment and find our universal hinge so to speak where we are simply revolving around how our intuitive felt sense is guiding us to stay in the juice of spontaneous creation.
As one maintains this zero point of interpretation they can start to practice what in our ryu is defined as “chaos randori” or how to hold chaos. Then this becomes ones disposition in practice and not just one step kata. So, as one allows this to become their guidance one can further let go into almost anything coming at them and practice very synchronistic, dynamic approach as their disposition in life, highly sensitive, insightful, with multi channel processing in any instance. We have at this point allowed our discipline of the overall process to actually be our approach to living and have started to become the art.
To start to allow principles and the overall art to guide us with balanced intuitive and intelligent expression opens us to living Prescence to whatever is arising in the moment, moving in relation from our beingness to the energy that is presenting itself in any moment. Are we aware enough to see where we are trailing off into the past or the future?
If we have not awakened to our Prescence then our mind full of past or expectant of the future is guiding the show, the only way is to stay at the nexus of the linear and vertical and stay present to where “attention” is being led or we are can stay aware and in Prescence and start seeing that each moment opens us to the possiblility of transcending ourselves so we can at least not let the mind and its ramblings consume our consciousness and distract us from living from the true NOW.
This is the same in randori, we get distracted by fragmenting our possible flow with the interaction of trying to do something of familiarity, although that might be effective, we don’t want to get into a rut of doing the same thing in each interaction. The value in staying in Prescence and centered is we don’t get into over reaction to what is arising, we stay open to it and let it teach us the lesson of truly not resisting “what is”.
This is whether we are uke or tori, this fosters a wholistic, spontaneous display of non-resistance so both practitioners can feel to their core the unification process in its essence. At this level of practice we begin to move from the freedom of the unification of our awareness, being, and sensitivity and when synergised allow one to let go of caring where anything is going, throwing someone or being thrown becomes a profound lesson which most of the time elicits one laughing out loud as one is in a chaos mode and the profundity of the outcome is so surprising that the laughter is a “aha” moment or satori. This is the “juice” that was mentioned earlier in this article, staying at the source of discovery and creativity, so as to transcend anything we could ever have planned as an outcome.
One cannot make this epiphany happen, this is the outcome of allowing the process of non-resistance to smooth down the edges of life and the assaults on many levels that have built up in oneself and to see clearly that we created these by our own resistance, unconsciousness, and innocence.
So, now in allowing what will happen to happen, we have opened ourselves to a much needed friend, not just the one on the mat, but to trust, we see that from trusting the process of Aikido we can open ourselves once again and play life. We can enjoy “living on the edge” by trusting ourselves and others and to be able to flow with our life stream and allow it to teach us the lessons that we might not have accepted before we awakened to the juice. Thank you, Will Gable