1 year ago, April 2016 I got punched in the forehead and had to receive 6 stitches May be GRAPHIC for some. I am Here
May 2015 after my Nationals in Montreal, I injured my right foot, Internal Contusions, and had to go on short term disability I had to Miss work, Karate, could not drive, stuck at home, and I am Here.
September 2014 I injured my right shoulder and had to wear a sling for 8 weeks, even during my Japan trip to support My brothers and sisters on Team Canada at the JKA World Championship – Funakoshi Cup!
Last week, I received my hips X-Ray results, and I discovered that I have osteoarthritis on my right hip. A degenerative joint disease, or a “wear and tear” of my right hip joint.
As per my GP’s findings, it is part of his job to recommend that I stop my Karate.
Hmm…
This made me wonder and get into a state of self doubt about Why I dedicate 6-8 hours a week (teaching and training) on top of work and school dedicated to this art! I recognize all the injuries I have sustained over the last 3 years, (and more through life) due to Karate, has caused my inner critic and self doubt to make noise.
I silence these thoughts with my Ki’Ai!!!
My Love and Passion for Karate-do is greater than anything that can try to lessen my spirit or cause resistance to my betterment and growth!
All these injuries would and rightly so, make some people think twice about continuing. Just Take my losses and move on.
But I am a stubborn pupil, seeking meaning and continual growth
I do acknowledge these injuries and “setbacks” not as losses, but as Learns. What is the real meaning these injuries are telling me?
Not to stop completely, but rather Learn to take care of myself better, and train correctly. Recovery and healing is a major part of Training!
If this is my passion and truly something I Love, then I must do all within my power to make sure I can continue doing this safely with an abundance of energy and good health! So that I can keep training up until my deathbed.
My struggles are meant to refine and improve me not define who I Am!!!
May 7, 2017 is the next Canadian Nationals.
Whatever the results of the competition, I want to celebrate my successes for continuing to improve myself and learning to take care of my body in spite of all the previous injuries, to make sure I proactively deter any new major injuries to happen, within my control.
How will I do this?
Continue to listen to my body when there is pain, address and treat it with care.
Battling my inner critic and judge when I start to feel doubt and unworthiness.
This is my Passion and Love. Karate is a part of my life permanently!
in Life a mantra I recently started to believe in for myself is that
I never Lose
I either Win
or I Learn.
Perspective shift.
Loss is just a word, that provides a concept of a reduction of some thing, that a sense of destruction has occurred.
It can evoke a very harsh flood of emotions, consciously and unconsciously. It taps in to the inner self invoking a hard wake up call to our feelings, and noticing of ourselves, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually; or not.
The experience of death, of a loved one. Has the power to evoke a felt sense of emotion to those close to the individual who’s physical life has expired.
The loss of an attachment, (i.e. loss of mobile phone, loss of a job, loss of money, loss of a possession et al.)is just a fabricated set of information based on external marketing manipulation that makes this noise in our minds, and literally plugs us into the Matrix.
Is being plugged into the Matrix a bad thing?
Ignorance can feel Bliss, but when our conscious humanity and conscious reality is being manipulated for us, this is where I can objectively say lies the issue.
What is being deprived in Reality,
is the conscious understanding of the divine
Being
that we are made off!
I am Unlimited
You are Unlimited
We are Unlimited
energy love, and connection.
I/We, Oui, are made of the same source, expressed in individuality of being.
The noticing of our individuality make it appear that we are unique
but instead this awareness enables us to compare our weaknesses as opposed to our strengths with other people, that causes insecurity which creates a latching on to ‘things’ of this material world that we forget our true divine essences that bring Life into us.
Deep Breathe
Inhale . . .
Hold . . .
Exhale! = 333
The breathe of Life, is something we all share now. until the “Loss” of this life
this Life is US!
it cannot be Changed
altered, manufactured, or fabricated from any external thing.
This will be like puppets, being pulled on strings.
It can only be transformed, by the puppet master.
I am the puppet master.
You are the puppet master, of your self.
Self Possession.
there is nothing ever that is lost!
There is that which is either removed, or I would rather say
Unconcealed
a Blossoming,
cocoon to Butterfly unravelling,
shedding of skin
egg Hatching
Tea infusing
Universal experience!
If i follow the trail of your stress,
it will lead to your Deepest
Fear
False Evidence Appearing Real.
Blow the smoke out of the false illusions
fabricated fog
Loss. Less. Never.
If you change expectation for appreciation
Life is Blessed!
I choose to change my L’s from losses to Learns.
I am tha Master of myself, as I am made of divine essence
As are You!
Nothing can be taken from us!
NOTHING.
It is only our thought of something being removed that cause us suffering.
The struggle is Real, and I do not deny any pain or suffering that is being experienced.
BUT what I choose to shift, is the thought of Loss (or have nots), as these thoughts will bring me toward the path of pain, suffering and lack.
Change your L’s!
I never Lose
I either Win
or I Learn.
When I Learn,
drop the L,
in order to Earn,
the abundant rewards that are already within you, to tap into.
I cannot just think emotions to go away, I can only Feel them through me, to come to pass.
Only then can I continue to live in my flow. Like a filter I can experience the emotion fully, and gain the hidden gems and lessons that can be used to continue to help me grow and recognize that only I can complete my own happiness, not requiring anything external to fill my cup.
My cup is already full, and will be constantly refilled by myself, because I freely and willingly choose to share my self and give.
Nothing wasted
I offer and if it is received
then
Great!
If not, it too will go through and pass wherever it needs to go, and if someone takes away something from it,
GREAT!
If not, also okay, I just keep it coming through, because I do it for me.
Never suppressing my feelings until it outputs through, completely.
As a filter I steep in the emotions, but do not allow it to change me, because I am always me.
Like a bag of tea I can choose to transform how the emotions affect me!
Instead of the emotions transforming my being…
Pour boiling hot water into most things, it will boil, burn, get soft, or harden the object it is applied to (vegetables, eggs, fruit, etc)
But with a bag of tea, the boiling water is the thing that becomes transformed for filtering and steeping through the tea leaves as it passes!
Creating a soothing and healing drink.
I heal myself through the emotions that must be experienced wholly, fully, honestly.
Grieving is necessary, to release the expectations I have set in place in my mind, which could be false or true, it doesn’t matter because it is seeking out a ‘sense’ of happiness in the future.
Keeping focused on the present moment is really the key.
It is nice to prepare for the success of the future, but it can only be done by acknowledging the Gifts of the present and what I can allocate and consciously build, to make something grow, so that my future self will be Happy because of my commitment to myself now, as opposed to resenting/ruminating over what choices were not done in the Past.
Is this enough?
More than!
All that I must expect is that I am alive and well as I am able to think, and be happy for the present Health I am living in, with those I choose to surround myself with.
Even those whose presence are not physically near me, their thoughts and Energy still resonates alive and strong, no matter how far, or how near, universally, we are all here, simultaneously. Divine energy and presence flows through all around and within us.
No denying just because it is not always presented in front of us. This is where the filters come in, the bag of tea, within myself (ourselves) to utilize so that I can transform the boiling points, to something healing and provide me Comfort and Soothing because whatever the outcome, the experience is real.
I appreciate the experience, all of them, nothing left uncertain, because a decision was made. Only step next is to consciously choose how I continue moving forward with the emotions flowing in and out, and not get stuck, as I ebb with the flow.
No more suppression of the inner selves, they must all be called out to be present and protect the full self, from any area, emotion, and or living space, within and without.
True freedom and liberation is achieved with the belief and recognition that I create my reality and shape how I can participate with the emotions that come to pass.
Keeping it real: emotions do not have to change my core being, unless I choose to make them stuck in my being.
It is my duty to myself, to clear out anything that causes a clog, a sense of stuckness, within myself, and just release what need not be there.
TL;DR
I allow myself to feel my emotions, fully, wholly, and completely! Letting it come to pass through me. I consciously filter it out and retain the hidden gems and life lessons to gain from the experience. I am not my emotions, I am always me, Luigi, Samurai LG, The Life Elevator.
War and Peace start in the hearts of individuals. Harden not your your hearts. Be outwardly ready for war, but maintain the gentleness and fluidity of a Loving heart; the pilot to drive the vehicle of the Self for war, for the sake of justice. War gives off the sense of Destruction when spoken about. But what is War? A battle or struggle to overcome a form of resistance to achieve a lasting calm and peace. The real war is internal, this is where all the turmoil and chaos needs to be worked on. All the outward aggression and tension is stemmed from the internal struggles and resistance that one is unable to set in order. I train myself to gain mastery and control over my physical form. As I do this, the real war going on is inside, trying to maintain an internal clarity and calm. I train to fight not my fellow man, but fight my inner demons, and learn to overcome the internal resistance I’ve built upon myself over time through insecurity, external influence, and other various traps that block me from realizing my true potential. We are all fighting our own war. Be clear however that the war you are actually fighting for is your OWN, and not a war imposed upon you to fight and spend your energy on. This will lead you further from the Peace which our universal souls yearn to realize.
In the end my goal for fighting this war is Self Possession. Who or what will I allow to possess me, except myself? There is no THING in this universe that I Will allow to possess me.
I AM ME!
If Anything external possess me, then I am on the path to losing myself.
I was not generated in this world to be possessed.
Like the dignity of a Mountain, I will stand in grandeur and calm, and enable others to climb on to gain a greater vision of the world in themselves.
There is so much “corruption” in the world of politics, as discovered and delivered by the media, and through analysis of the numbers when it comes to money not potentially being spent where it is supposed to, politics and politicking can sometimes give off a negative connotation (for the minds of those who do not fully understand it). HMM? This is a topic that I won’t touch on regarding governments etc, but rather what the purpose of Politicking is, and how I/we have internal Politics of our mind.
Our mind, our conscience, our self talk, is a form of politics.
First off, let me answer the question I posed in the beginning.
What is Politics?
In the grand scheme of things, Politics is the organization of human beings.
From an Aristotelean perspective it is the highest form of human organization and classification. What I mean is that Politics is the top of the food chain in terms of dealing with the Human condition, the way to organize human beings to live in harmony together, to grow, strive and uplift each other, for the sake of the Polis (city/community).
Politics aim is to work with and find solutions to making sure the greatest good and Eudaemonia is achieved for all. Basically the aim of politics is supposed to be able to create a system to bring forth and enable the individual to achieve their maximum potential, and self actualization!
This is what I believe.
It starts internally though. As the external politics of governing people, citizens, to live freely and justly, harmoniously, is something we experience in daily living, politicking starts in our own mind.
Organizing our own mind, our own thoughts, beliefs, habits, and character.
Politics can receive a negative connotation because of the scandals that are portrayed in media, and actual experience in real life, regarding people who are in “power” manipulating the very people they are supposed to support, and or manipulating people for their own personal interest.
Politics is a subject that I hear to often that people avert to conversing about. Because of the thin line of manipulation and really seeking the good. What I refer to is, people are uneducated in determining how to differentiate “politicking” for the sake of altruism or egotism; communal growth or communal destruction.
Before I break off too much in a tangent, politicking is tricky in a sense of learning to find harmony within the constant individual differentiations that make up humanity.
At this present day there are approximately over 7 Billion people inhabiting this earth. That is 7 Billion individual lives, 7 Billion different minds, 7 Billion paths to peace, justice, life, – 7 Billion worlds!
How can we harmonize and find a way to organize 7 Billion individually different lives to work, live in harmony for the benefit of growth and maximizing potential for each individual, without sacrificing some for many?
It starts internally, in the individual’s mind. Politicking our own mind. This has been the talk of the sages, prophets and scholars since the beginning of man (at least from what knowledge I am exposed to). This is what spawned religion in all its forms, beliefs in higher entities, gods, beings; External forms to understand the Internal.
Politicking one’s mind is where it starts. Humans have the capacity of self talk, and are able to spawn thoughts out of one’s own volition, inception. Generating thoughts, which create an internal dialogue in our heads, which can create anxiety, turmoil, or tranquility and harmony. The mind is the first thing I must learn to organize and learn to politicize my self. Set discipline govern my OWN self, my OWN domain, my OWN kingdom, before I can hope to Harmonize externally with the 7 Billion different worlds (I/We, OUI).
The mind, which I have the ability to take control of, and self actualize, has the capacity to manipulate me through FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real), and the capacity to transform and mutate me to Grow into my Maximum Pure Self. Politicking the mind is where it starts, the self talk to re awaken the god within in us all.
In essence we are all GODS of ourselves. Through the creation of ourselves from the beginning, we are here, alive, through my sense perceptions, and my ability to think is because of my conscience life.
The Path I am walking on, my Luigi Dō- is to seek inwardly my pure and true self, politicking my mind to understand that My goal is to meet my self divine, so that I may be able to Live outwardly and share my light…
I remember Izumiya Sensei’s (Instructor at the JKA Honbu Dojo) beautiful explanation of the aesthetic of Budo Karate. This was during a Koyo Camp in Ottawa, ON Canada last August 2014.
***(I am writing my interpretation of Izumiya Senei’s explanation from what I recall, of the translation I heard)***
Beautiful Karate cannot be made or adjusted to look beautiful. Beautiful Karate is not for the purpose of posing for a picture or a moment. If the technique executed does not have the intent of destruction, it is not beautiful. The technique becomes merely for show. Beauty in Karate is found in its purpose, in its capacity for destruction. When a technique is executed, it’s purpose is an uncompromising destruction, Ikken Hissatsu (to annihilate with one blow). When the technique executed completes its purpose, it is the epitome and form of Truth and Beauty.
(Breathe)
**Karate Do resonates a meaning for Destruction, but in this form of destruction, True Beauty lies in the CREATION of this Destruction**
An analogy he described was that of a Baseball Pitcher and a Golfer. A baseball pitcher’s aim is to throw the ball either as fast as they can, or at a specific position to strike out the opponent (batter). The pitcher throws their ball from their hand with the intention to pitch a strike out. This is the pitcher’s purpose. When the pitcher decides to focus on the technical formation of the arm and decide to shift its angle in order to have a superficial aesthetically beautiful throw, or focus on their glove holding the ball, or anything else except getting the strike, the purpose is lost and the pitch is not intending to strike out its opponent (batter), even though it may. The pitch does not look beautiful, it would be deemed a weak pitch because the batter may have a higher chance in hitting that pitch. The purpose of the pitch is to strikeout, and minimize the batter’s chances of actually hitting the ball. When this type of pitch is executed by the pitcher, their form during the moment of execution will be beautiful. When the throw achieves its purpose, the form that the pitcher performed to execute the pitch would be a beautiful pitch, as maximum efficiency was used to throw the pitch naturally. A beautiful form of a pitch lies in its perfection, when its intended purpose is met, striking out the opponent (batter). It means the pitcher’s body mechanics, arms, leg, hips, connected harmoniously to execute the throw of the pitch in its most optimum way that the angles of the arms, rotation of the hips, movement of the legs would aesthetically look beautiful, as it is executing a move in its maximum positions, moving naturally.
Some Deep Stuff. An example pitcher who executed beautiful form to me would be Randy Johnson.
Ikken Hissatsu
The Analogy of the golfer starts with, What is the purpose of the First Swing off the tee? That first initial drive of the ball as a first stroke. The golfer’s purpose is to drive the ball for the potential of a hole in one, if not at least get closest to the green, and closest to the hole as possible within the circumstances of external factors, e.g. wind. When the golfer swings naturally with maximum expansion and contraction, rotating arms, rotating hips, rotating legs, in a synchronized execution of total mind body and spirit connection, the golf swing is the epitome of beauty.
The moment the golfer decides to pay attention to the angle the arm is holding the golf club, or focusing on the positioning and rotation of the arm, torso, or leg, too much, the Drive of the swing is forgotten. This defeats the purpose of the swing. When Swinging with the purpose of maximizing efficiency with the intention to get the golf ball into the hole, the Golf swing will be the epitome of beauty in its technique, as it was executed in the perfect form, fulfilling its job, sinking that hole in one. In essence stroking toward the path of least resistance for that hole in one.
This of course is forging that Karate mind, focusing on the target, and executing the technique in a state of Mushin.
My mind was just blown away when I heard Izumiya Sensei speak these words, (through a translator). One of my fellow Karateka who understood Nihongo (Japanese), tried his best to retranslate it, but stated he was also just as blown away almost to the point of tears in the beautiful delivery of this passionate understanding and explanation of the purpose of executing techniques in Karate-do.
If a waza-technique is executed with it’s intended purpose of destruction, all the positioning of the foot, aligned with the knee, rotation of the hip, release of the arm, expression of Kime, would be all properly connected and harmoniously present an aesthetically sublime form. That is because the path of the Technique fulfilled it’s intended purpose, maximizing its utilization, and efficiency, least resistance was given, and that is the definition of a beautiful technique. The Aesthetic of Karate-do lies within its practitioner performing and executing its technique with intended purpose- the body mechanics will naturally fall into its proper angles, position of hip, alignment of spine, arms, legs, positions of stance, accuracy of technique, and distancing (mai-ai) when the technique is executed to purposely deliver the Ikken Hissatsu. If that strike in all its perfection and beauty fail to deliver the killing blow, the movement and execution of the successive technique will and should be also executed with the intended purpose of Ikken Hissatsu, and again through its action create another beautiful technique. Instead of multiple individual Poses (especially which sometimes can be seen in kata performances, for the sake of showcasing a feat of flexibility, agility, strength, balance etc.) the performance of the Kata should express an intended purpose of each individual technique as a separate battle against an imaginary individual opponent.
**The Beauty of Karate Do can be found in its Creation of Destruction. My understanding of the Destruction created, though is stated for ikken hitatsu, or the Killing blow, is rather not intended to destroy Life (my esoteric understanding) but rather to DESTROY any resistance prohibiting one to actualize one’s maximum potential for creating the execution of the perfect technique. Therein Lies in the Beauty of Destruction… The Destruction of resistance to achieve perfection…in so achieving the path of least resistance, the Beauty of Karate-Do is in the creation of the technique, A fulfilment of Life being actualized to its maximum. Hitotsu- Jinkaku kanseni tsumoru koto (Seek perfection of character) **
The Aesthetic and Beauty of the techniques of Karate-do can be achieved through its practicioner executing the waza in its maximum naturalness that the body mind and spirit produce in harmony.
One of my favourite clips of Enoeda Sensei. Can see his Tora (Tiger) Spirit.
The Beauty in his execution of the technique with the commitment of destruction, yet still beautifully controlled.
***Just like a Tiger’s Beauty lies in its nature of being known as a destructive animal, it’s perfection is based on its creation, this theme is expressed in the poem of William Blake- Tyger Tyger (See image below).
The Power, Beauty, Gentleness, yet Ferocity of a Tiger, is something that Funakoshi Sensei, and perhaps also his instructors/mentors (I have no source of knowledge on this just through my own speculation) may have looked into nature of the animals for inspiration.
Shotokan Tiger
*The Shotokan Tiger is drawn with its individual lines to signify the individual parts that create the whole. Individually the lines may not signify much, but together it is complete, perfection, like the circle, like in a Kata.
One who is able to elevate himself back to life when one is down. And one who is able to raise, the life of others in their moments of struggle.
To me this is my definition, and my intention of what it is to be a Life Elevator. First and foremost it starts from within.
An Elevator’s function is to work through pulleys and cables to raise a cart to different heights and levels up or down. In Willy Wonka’s world, it goes in all directions, and even to break passed any glass ceiling and hover over the landscape.
As LuigiDo I am still in constant search of myself. I must travel in all aspects of my beings, my ups, my downs, my swaying from my own path, but learn to redirect myself back to the floor, that I must be on. Back to the plane that I must be on in order to achieve the things I set myself out to achieve. Karate, work, writing, relationships, games, travel etc.
A Life Elevator is one who is in essence a being who is able to raise oneself up from whatever circumstances they are placed in. Simultaneously, part of that essence of Raising Life, can work to assist in raising others as well. We are all walking our own individual path. But sometimes when we get stuck on a roadblock, or are scared to push on through the darkness, or even just in a state of loneliness and no control…one just needs to press a button within oneself to get themselves out of that “floor” and move up to another plane. Or Someone can be there to help keep the door open, when its about to close, or rather push the door closed if one is struggling to keep something open for nothing.
Raise Yourself whenever you are not moving, whenever you are down, or whenever you just feel you need to level up. Take the stairs if you must, but the goal is to Elevate from any situation, cannot stay stuck in one floor forever… If you are living on one floor, then raise the stakes of what How that floor works, raise the ceiling, or break passed it, no limitations, You control the internal buttons, the pulleys, the inner mechanics of the self.
Luigi DŌ 