I've been learning about Human Design (another system for understanding ourselves and each other). Apparently the manifestor type calls up large amounts of energy targeted in a new direction (to get things started). And then we ought to rest.

We are on a regular schedule again next Friday, and this also begins a month of free classes for new students. If you have friends and family that want to come practice, it's a great time. We'll keep it light and focus on the fundamentals.

It's been a fantastic year of practice at @aikiartscenter.bsky.social. We are on a short winter hiatus and return in January. That also starts a free month of classes for new students. If you are in the Bay Area and looking for a practice (with friendships), we look forward to meeting you.

"The knowledge becomes embodied rather than external. In clinical practice, this shift is crucial: when therapeutic insight is internalized, it no longer requires constant justification, explanation, or self-monitoring. It resides in the body and the relational field." substack.com/home/post/p-...

Source of the day: innate goodness.

Intentions for next year: wash dishes every day and meditate for twenty minutes a day. I ordered a new hour-glass for the occasion.

I am making space for an emerging theme: softening. That means monthly massages and a coaching session. alignmentmassagetherapy.com/albany www.gavrielstrauss.com/youtube-chan...

It was a good week. The Spoon Knife 10 contributors at Autonomous Press got their contracts and bio requests, and that volume will be ready for your enjoyment in the spring. And if you want to plan ahead, the theme for Spoon Knife 11 is Remnants (more info here). autpress.com/2025/07/call...

“It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.” ― Greg McKeown

Thank you Bay Area Book Fest and Two Pitchers Brewing for a fun event today. It's a pleasure to connect with the community and meet more publishers.

"The second attention shocks the first attention with the novelty of more uncertainty and an exposure to hidden variables of what we have not considered." www.paratheatrical.com/attention.html

It was a good week. We got sales at work, held classes at the dojo, and kept up with the dishes and laundry. Then tomorrow it's over to Two Pitchers Brewing to table for @autonomouspress.bsky.social. If you're near Oakland, come by 2pm - 5pm. There will be several presses there.

This art is about walking simply in an imperfect world.

When developing skills, we can look for those with wide application: listening deeply, attending to all parts of the system, and considering the likely outcome.

We have promotions on the calendar for next year, including two new black belts in September. See you at the dojo. aikiarts.com/upcoming-doj...

I’m getting ready for a book event next weekend.

We are opening up the youth aikido class on Tuesday, January 6 and Thursday, January 8 for free to new students. If you know parents in the Bay Area, it's a great message to share. aikiarts.com/kids/

We're delighted to host a table at Pints and Pages in Oakland next Saturday. It's a wonderful chance to do your holiday shopping. And thank you Bay Area Book Fest and Two Pitchers Brewery for putting this together.

Book Release: We are delighted to share that Cannibal-King, the third book in the City of the Watcher trilogy by Andrew Reichart, is shipping around the world. You can enjoy the paperback or e-book options. @andrewmreichart.bsky.social www.amazon.com/dp/B0G528BQ77

It's a fun week. Dean Gloster and I will work with the youth program on Thursday and then meet more of the dojo group at Hao Tran's literary event. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

I went to Israel to see family about every two years and this was the initial trip (at twenty two months).

I've been thinking more deeply about functioning labels and how they can be useful, as long as we each define them for ourselves. Then it becomes about goal setting and optimal participation in our lives.

It's been a good week. We stayed on top of the dishes and laundry, donated clothes to the local shelter, and ordered zafu for the new black belts at Aiki Arts Center. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

It was a beautiful Thanksgiving with family.

Ofer Zur was a real Get it Done person. He could take an idea and run with it, and learn a ton in the process. And in doing so, he generated energy and momentum for the next project.

I'm convinced after years of experimentation that tidying up our exercise habits, our thinking habits, and our communication habits are all tied to each other. When approached with focus and intention, these three areas can become powerful and effective.

"I have a sixth sense. And a seventh for when I need it." - Sue on Veep

It's going to be a good week. I've got a massage planned and Thanksgiving meal with family. And the YMCA is open every day.

"See what happens when you permit yourself to feel something good fully. Notice whether it changes how you move through the rest of your day." Gretchen Kubacky substack.com/home/post/p-...

We had a beautiful youth class today, with sticks and mitts. And I had a dream with all the elements of a Sensei nightmare (huge class, late, couldn't figure out the gi and hakama) though with a totally new sense. In a joyful and expansive manner, the class went on, with inclusivity and purpose.

"There is only one solution to polarization. And that is to learn how to skillfully manage and integrate the fundamental polarities that are driving so many of these deeply entrenched conflicts, both within ourselves and in the world around us." integrallife.com/integrating-...

It's a good day. We sold seven projects at work this week and I started the morning with strength training. The past twenty years of forays into bar method, cross fit, yoga, and pilates have yielded really interesting movements that can be done anywhere.

It's so fun teaching kids again after a five year hiatus. We rolled down the big blue mat at an incline, practiced strikes on the red mat while counting in Japanese, and forgot to use the sticks. Next time. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

We are happy to share that Aiki Arts Center classes for adults will be free all month in January. Students learn grounding, calm, and leadership in a playful and supportive group. We look forward to working together.

"The Age of Aquarius is also a time of expanded consciousness, when we can take control of the earth and become more mindful of human rights. It’s a time of more collaboration and more connections with like-minded individuals." thewisdomdaily.com/what-to-expe...

Aikido classes are free for new students in January. If you are in the Bay Area and looking for a practice, come on by. We meet four times a week and it's a super supportive group. See you at the dojo. aikiarts.com @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

Ofer Zur insisted that he live fully, and that the rest of us do too. He had bravery in spades and did not suffer fools gladly. He believed in the power of our choices and our ability to learn. These are themes to embody every day.

"It is in these quiet moments that we exercise one of our most precious human gifts: the power of choice." Sandeep Kulshrestha www.linkedin.com/pulse/sanctu...

"Obedience is following the grain of things. With that skill of obedience, every natural thing knows above all how to be itself, come what may." - Steven Jenkinson, Die Wise

I like to take constructive action, because good deeds repair the world if we do enough of them. Apparently this food bank is decent, so they got a donation. www.berkeleyfoodnetwork.org

As we prepare Cannibal-King for your enjoyment, here is an interview with author Andrew M. Reichart on the Weird Luck trilogy and related stories. @andrewmreichart.bsky.social autpress.com/2025/11/inte...

We are happy to share that aikido classes for adults are free all month in January. Students learn grounding, calm, and leadership in a playful and supportive group. We look forward to working together.

Developing a sense of pattern recognition is useful exactly to the extent that we reflect on the emerging patterns and take mindful action to shift them constructively.

We are delighted to share all three books in the Weird Luck trilogy by Andrew M. Reichart. Two are ready and Cannibal King is on the way. We'll ship these three together in November. autonomous-press.myshopify.com/collections/...

I really like hourglasses lately, and have a ten minute version for meditation and a one minute version for targeted muscle building (like planks or squats).

"As an ideal in any technique, I focus on eliminating three things: muri, muda, and mura - strain, waste, and inconsistency." - Anno Sensei, in Journey to the Heart of Aikido

Among the great lessons of Lighter by Yung Pueblo is to ask ourselves more interesting questions. Many people pay coaches for this, and that has value, though if we get deeply honest, we can do this work internally and get unstuck.