Recently I was going through some old things and came across a dojoPlace of the way; a place for strengthening and refinement body, mind and spirit; training hall record book from the early 90s. Patti and I had just started training here in Pennsylvania and as usual there was a journal entry for every practice, what we did and who was there. There was a surge of interest in AikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy." when we first arrived, but gradually the class size started to get smaller as romantic ideas about this mysterious art were replaced by the reality of daily training.

Students (from left) Andy Cleff, Ben Bowles, Paul Fricker and Bob Izzo take ashort break from digging a gas-line trench to the uchiInside deshiStudent, pupil, disciple (live-in student) quarters on the grounds of Bucks County AikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy.".

Soon most of the classes were just the two of us, and if Patti couldn’t be there, the class was marked “No Show.” I remember resolving myself to working with one person at a time if that was how it was going to be.

Nearly 15 years later it’s nice to see that the dojoPlace of the way; a place for strengthening and refinement body, mind and spirit; training hall membership has grown. Though still a work in progress, this dojo/farm is a realization of a dream. A place where people can come train, work, live. A center for the practice of this art and cultivation of our spirit. A chance to plant a seed in ourselves to last a lifetime.

Every person who has trained with us over the years has contributed in some way. I have a large file of applications from people who have started with the best intentions but have faded away. The “in your face” nature of Aikido training is not easy. For those of us who continue, the rewards are many. We sometimes form bonds with the most unlikely people who we probably wouldn’t have known otherwise. Like old war buddies who have saved each other’s lives, we may not have the same taste in movies, but we know we owe each other a debt.

When you open your doors, you never know who will walk in. We don’t just meet these people; we grab hold of them and throw them around the room, and they us. It’s much safer to stick with people more like us, but this practice won’t allow it. We are pushed to meet a diverse bunch, and there will be more to come.

With more members, communication is more difficult. You may know that we’ve been working on an uchi deshiLive-in disciple who trains full time under senior instructor quarters that will also house a dojo shower. I sent out an e-mail asking for help to dig a trench for a gas line (this shower will have hot water) and received a couple of e-mails back asking, “What’s an uchi deshi house?” Maybe it’s time for a dojo newsletter to help everyone keep informed of what’s going on. We just recently had a meditation seminar with Janaki Pierson; there was our annual sesshin that you might be curious about; and we have frequent seminars that for whatever reason not everyone can attend.

So here we go. Our first newsletter from this community that has formed around Aikido. O-SenseiGreat teacher; the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba’s advice was to harmonize Aikido, farming and spiritual discipline. I have read very little as to why he included farming in this list, save that he felt farming’s natural lifestyle was conducive to a spiritual life. What an incredible opportunity we have. We are all farming something. Best to be mindful of what we are cultivating. This will be our chronicle.