Rhythms

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Hope you enjoy the sweetness of this day.

I’ve caught a cold. Don’t you hate those? Nothing much you can do except wait it out, drink liquids and rest, all of which I’ve been doing. Lots of stillness, lots of inactivity.

Except my mind.

I’ve been thinking a lot.

I’m about ready to embark on a creative adventure, a nine-month odyssey of self-exploration via my paintbrush and canvas. Diving deep into my self. Finding out how this old girl is ticking now.

I’ve noticed, recently, in mediations, that certain aspects of my past are wanting to be brought back into my life. For example, I’m feeling the urge to pick up my practice sword and cut kesas. And why not? It’s great exercise. Get’s all the muscles in your body. Last time I did it, about 3 years ago, I was huffing and puffing and hurting (especially my core.) Sad but true. Gonna need to work up to it for sure.

Mr. Al never really understood why I’m so drawn to sword. He sees the violence. True, it is violent and there’s lots of talk about cutting people. It used to get to me, too, cuz I’m such a visual person. But what draws me to sword is the mental bits…the practice of Shinbu and the Fivefold Laws.

Here’s an illustration from Karl Friday’s book Legacies of the Sword, which I’ve begun to read again.

 

See that little black bit in the middle? That’s where all the elements of the Fivefold Laws come together. That’s Shinbu. It’s the rhythm of life. That’s where you want to be in every single movement of your sword. If you’re in Shinbu, you’re undefeatable.

And it’s both a mental and a physical place.

So, when I go out and swing my sword, I’m focusing on the mental aspects of Shinbu so I can produce them in the physical realm.

That’s why I love sword. The body helps the mind and the spirit live from Shinbu–live within the rhythm of life.

Here are a couple of other things to think about:

The vesica piscis…

The flower of Life…

And Shinbu.

Sacred geometry. Rhythms of life.

I’m not going any deeper than that. I’ve got a cold, remember? But it is fun to Google these things and read about them and think on them.

I leave you with this beautiful birthday gift from my love. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all.

And a sunset.

Have a great week, peeps!