If a painting is worth a thousand words most english translations are more like titles to an abstract painting.
This is “Lucifer” by Jackson Pollock who struggled deeply with his internal “Demons.” Looking at the etymology of Aikido terms is an excellent way of better understanding the meaning of what is done in practice. Kanji characters are paintings of a visual concept. Future posts will discuss specific characters and terms but for your own study I recommend Kanji Network.
I appreciate how Aikido can be applied to various aspects of life, even art. I have actually been fascinated by symbology for a while. My oldest Great Dane’s name, Ensō is Japanese for “circle,” the symbol is used in Zen Buddhism. The meanings of the Kanji symbols that make up the word roughly translate to “circle of togetherness”. It represents the beginning and the end of everything, the circle of life and the balance within. It can mean infinity or enlightenment, it can mean the moon, it can mean fullness or emptiness, presence or lack of. It is a very unique symbol and as you see, can come to mean many things. Strength, oneness, acceptance of imperfections are all acceptable meanings behind the ensō. It represents the moment, when you can simply be in that moment and express that. It is generally expressed by dipping a brush into ink and painting a full circle without lifting the brush, the ink is thick in the beginning and towards the end, begins to fade, this also has been said to represent the journey of life. I feel like I picked the best name for my dog, because he is so peaceful and provides such a perfect balance to my life. I am thankful I was able to represent his presence with such a fitting name. The most important thing I have learned from his existence, is to appreciate these moments, to think fondly about the past and the future, but to plant my feet firmly in the present.