Creating A Future of Peace and Harmony
Welcome to my page. I am .. who I am. My name is Michel Ferket.
In my modest experience I believe that aikido is one of the best inventions of mankind. A complete practical personal development in one non-violent marial art which principles comprises everything in life that is essential for all living beings to survive in the best way. To strive for an independent strong free will, an enlightened spirit, a healthy mind and body, harmony, awareness, responsibility, tolerance, understanding, generosity, patience, perseverance, wisdom, peace, love, compassion and respect for all that is living. A never ending evolution to improve yourself and to change your life and that of others for the best. So far I haven't found anything else in life that is more meaningful, worthwhile, and rewarding to work and live for.
Though aikido is not an unfamiliar word, outside the world of the martial arts only few can distinguish it from various other "methods of self-defense". It's trademark, however, lies partly in its sophisticated style and particularly in it's essential motivations. The very word aikido, in fact, contains the three elements which comprise the art: (ai), harmony or love;(ki) spirit or energy; (do), the method, the "way".
The founder of aikido, Morihei Ueshiba(1983-1969), stated that the goal of aikido is not to fight with and defeat enemies. Rather, he said, it is a way to unify all people in the world as though they all were one family.
Morihei Ueshiba O'Sensei
Aikido has no tournaments or competitive matches. Training is pursued in a spirit of cooperation, where each person endeavors to contribute to her/his partner's improvement. Perfection of aikido skills depends more on subtle refinement and cultivation of character than on physical strength. A person who studies and practices aikido correctly, desires only to defend himself without hurting others. To possess this attitude, one must achieve a very high level of integration of the powers of mind and body, the harmonious combination of physical means and ethical motives.
The training of aikido includes four main elements: 1 - Bodily realisation (oneness in techniques) 2 - Moral realisation (oneness in daily life) 3 - Mental realisation (oneness with the universe) 4 - Spiritual realisation (wisdom about the truth of oneness).
"Ai" calligraphy by Morihei Ueshiba O'Sensei
Aikido is a method of self-defense which can be used against any form of attack and - at its highest levels - a Discipline of Coordination, a "way" of harmonizing all of one's vital powers. There is no attack in aikido; it's goal is merely to neutralize an aggresion and render the attacker harmless, without causing him any serious injury if at all possible. Aikido techniques rely on centrifugal, centripetal, and spiral redirection of an attacker's aggression into a throw, wrist/arm lock, or pin, rather than on punches and kicks as the primary defensive strategies.
Around the year 1957
