Dear parents and students,
I hope you had an excellent summer, and trust that the first weeks returning to school or work have been smooth. We had a marvelous weeklong summer camp in July. The Aikido Warriors' (Summer) Camp has been a regular summer program in Saanich since 2005. It provides an overview of Aikido utilitising games and various activities to illustrate and create the conditions for participants to experience the principles behind its practice, philosophy, and applied techniques. Grateful thanks to all camp participants and their parents for another successful camp.
The current Fall Cycle of classes has begun, and it is wonderful to see the familiar faces of returning students, and to welcome a few new faces. If the classes have been beneficial and meaningful to you, share it with a friend and invite them to a class. It has been a long summer, and some of us are a little rusty; however, there are students who may be due to be graded for the next belt level. So, I will be observing you to determine if there will be a grading test in October or November. We'll see. While testing and preparing for tests and exams are important, what is more important is that students understand and internalise what they are doing and learning during class, and are able to respond efficiently and effectively should the need arise.
As we journey through the latter half of September, we welcome Autumn and look forward to celebrations like Thanksgiving and Remembrance Day. For some, the draw and focus during this season is Halloween; perhaps besides Christmas. In any case, this season seems to be a little more reflective and retrospective no doubt due to the shorter days, the longer nights, and as we approach the end of another calendar year; spending more time in our warm, cosy homes and rooms, curling up with a good book, magazine, good music, or just reminiscing while going through personal photographs.
In some ways, while there are rough and tumble extroverts who practice Aikido, the approach in our Dojo is similar: approaching our drills and techniques with quiet, reflective pragmatism, employing soft, flexible subtlety to fine-tune our senses in order to be able to harmonise and to blend with the attacking energy firmly, appropriately, and precisely. The same is applied to weapons techniques in our dojo; first having to execute the empty-hand techniques proficiently before being able to wield a jo or bokken in similar fashion. It is akin to controlling challenging situations with quiet, confident firmness rather than with anger, arrogance, and brute force. One of my favourite lines in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" alludes to the need to maintain our equilibrium while focusing on moving forward in order to 'go back'. While we may regret and despair over our past mistakes and failures, or long to return to the 'good old days', dwelling in that and yearning to go back is impossible. Life keeps moving forward in a never ending flowing stream of living water. We learn, we grow, and keep moving onward; harmonising with life and our part in it. In a way, that is 'Aiki'.
Here, below, is the schedule until December:
Fall Cycle I
Tue: 8 Sep to 27 Oct
167810: 5 pm - Mixed Youth Levels: 8 classes / $101
167771: 6 pm - Mixed Adult Levels: 8 classes / $110
Thu: 10 Sep to 29 Oct
167816: 5 pm - Mixed Youth Levels: 8 classes / $101
167805: 6 pm - Mixed Adult Levels: 8 classes / $110
Fall Cycle II
Tue: 3 Nov to 15 Dec
167820: 5 pm - Mixed Youth Levels: 7 classes / $89
167772: 6 pm - Mixed Adult Levels: 7 classes / $96
Thu: 5 Nov to 17 Dec
167823: 5 pm - Mixed Youth Levels: 7 classes / $89
167802: 6 pm - Mixed Adult Levels: 7 classes / $96
Please click here to register.
Click here for the 2026/2027 Class Calendar
To read some of my reflections and thoughts on Aikido, go to e-Reflections.
Should you have any questions, or need clarification about anything, feel free to approach me or contact me.
I continue to be grateful to you for your presence in the dojo.
With gratitude and blessings,
Yours in Aiki,
Rafael Oei Sensei
Ueshiba Aikido Victoria
© Ueshiba Aikido Victoria: September 2026 |
