A Letter from Bill Sensei

Dear Friends of Okugyo,

As we enter into the new year the yang spiritual ki of our
environment continues to grow in intensity. Nature is attempting to
purify the earth and all beings upon it. Unless we empty ourselves of
everyday concerns and self-centeredness, no amount of training will be
sufficient to merge with the times we are now living in.
We are living with the problems of global warming and natural
disaster, the general lack of clarity and awareness of the world
population, a worldwide instability of the financial markets, and the
population of people who are, for the most part, sleeping at the helm.
The ki of nature and the universe is pushing each of us towards
awakening, yet when we resist this natural power of evolution, the
result is only greater difficulty.
In these times it is especially important to live intentionally and
take responsibility for our own spiritual evolution. The rest of
nature evolves at the dictates of natures law and order, yet it is
natural for human being to become free and that requires intentional
practice with a definite purpose. First of all it is important to
become really clear exactly what that purpose is and then put it at
the forefront of our everyday lives.
I hope that more and more people, especially aikidoka, will take it
upon themselves to go beyond the mere study of technique and seek the
deeper meaning and potential behind this incredible training. In this
spirit I welcome each of you to attend Okugyo as often as possible in
this New Year.
If you are planning on attending a retreat, please sign up online as
soon as possible to it is easier to prepare for the number of people
attending. On the other hand, if you are not attending also, please
answer this email and let us know that you will not be attending. In
the same way this makes our planning much easier. Thanks and I hope to
see you in Vermont in February.

Sincerely,
Bill Gleason