Aitoshi is out in Dayton this weekend at a kuji 3 seminar with Stephen K. Hayes and shamanic guide Dana Robertson. Meanwhile, I'm snowboarding at Eldora's opening weekend.

The two are actually pretty related. Kuji 3 (of 9) is about "riding the energy of the universe." That's a sophisticated concept, the total meaning and implications of which will defy a simple blog post, but that's not going to stop me from talking about it. Riding the energy of the universe means tuning it to where thing are going, what energies are dominant, and positioning myself within that. It's not the same as seeing the future (that's kuji #7) because riding energy is something that happens in the present. It may give us some sense of the future and how to position for it, but the sensing of important factors and the adjusting to those factors - that happens firmly, even radically, in the present.

Kuji 3 energy riding is also not the same as intention-sensing (kuji 5), or receiving messages from other minds or the cosmos itself (kuji 6). Those are somewhat separated from the receiver by space - they are events happening elsewhere that will or could affect you. Kuji 3 is happening right here - it relates to sensing the forces and currents that are affecting you right now. It is about not being ignorant to what is affecting you.

Snowboarding enforces that in a big way. You have to stay tuned in to many tiny details that are rapidly changing. You are affected by your own body, the snow conditions, the sun, the wind, your mental focus, your emotions, other riders and skiers, and the condition of your snowboard. Most of those things are in a constant state of flux. Throw on top of that real anomolies - a hidden rock or root, unexpectedly slushy or icy snow, an unanticipated snowmobile or skier pile-up, a snowboarder sleeping in the middle of the run, or a rogue squirrel.

The intellect can't track it all, so the only way to succeed is to get into a state of flow and allow a combination of instinct and directed awareness to take over. It sounds mystical, but it's very practical and clear. When you mess it up, you slam, which reinforces the fact that you were doing it wrong. That helps with the learning curve.

Although the ancients didn't have snowboards, they clearly understood the idea of "tracking multiple factors beyond the intellect with a combination of instinct and directed awareness while remaining open to the possibilities". It arose in battle, on horseback, and strategically in life. I feel so lucky that we can study these themes today in both compelling modern ways (and snowboarding sure is compelling), in compelling ancient ways (like Aitoshi is doing now), and through the echos that permeate the stories of our lives.

Toh!

Labels: kuji, ninja, snowboarding