CELEBRATING MAC

We remember Mac this Summer's end in two clear ways. First with a poem by him and Richard McCarthy. Then with a reflection by Adrian McCarthy on his father. We thank them both for keeping the flame alive for the Zen Judo family.

Another Beginning The first dgree,

Shodan, a new dawn as you peer through the darkness, let the distant, hazy, flickering light inspire and guide you.

Nidan, another small step, still the path is rocky and unnerving challenging your resolve. Sandan, the realisation that it is time to take stock and regress yet proceed onwards.

Yondan, Sensei now, illuminating, near and yet also very far, now it is the time to mirror the way, the gentle way.

Godan, another dimension to your practice, discount nothing, explore mind and movement. Rokudan, black turns to the bands of white and red, practice remains the same, or so it seems, as the dreams touch on reality.

Shichidan, the perception of your fear, fear of weakness which turns to strength, with an inner calming realisation.

Hachidan, the time has arrived whereby the refuge of the Dojo is embodied into your spirit within that sanctuary.

Kudan, and now calm is on an horizon, portrayed in the deep red blaze of a still sunset following the turmoil of many seasons.

Judan, the revelation, the motionless mind, transcending all those fears and hopes that have defined so called boundaries.

Beyond this, the everlasting light of Arts radiates in brilliance.

(6 April 1999)

"There is no place for doubt where doubt is not needed. Without errors we do not learn. Being ourselves means that our functionality is also our dysfunctionality. Recollection is a patchwork of reinforcements and summarisations, leaking truth. My father discovered Zen and with it peace and drive and harmony. The man who toiled in simple employ in the South of England began a new life in his later years, illuminating his natural energy through others he met, and learned from, and taught. He had vision and kindness. And now... He is me and he is my brother and we are he. But we are also different from him. He was an ordinary man, as we are. And now Lily, his grandaughter follows. And I am her... and one day, many years from now, she will be me. 'Even when I am wrong, I am right,' said my father. And I know that even if he was wrong about that, he was right. I said to my dear friend Keo some years ago now, "... and I decided that my father could do no wrong." And now Lily can do no wrong -- and the link between us all moves quietly on through our quite ordinary extraordinary lives." (21 July 1999).

THE ZEN JUDO FAMILY HAS ITS OWN WEB DOMAIN: WWW.ZENJUDO.COM

Thanks to the good work of our webmaster, Andrew Ross, the Zen Judo family is getting its own web domain: www.zenjudo.com. It is not up and running yet, but it will soon (we are looking for a reasonably priced internet provider). Once the domain is up, it shall be available to the entire family, of course. We plan to link all Zen Judo websites on both sides of the Atlantic through the domain so that anyone searching for our style of Judo on the web will find the information in a single web address. Should you like to have your club or website listed, simply send the information to aross@richmond.edu and we'll add it to the site. It would be nice to have an easy to use directory of Zen Judo clubs with the times and days of their practice, so that those interested in the art could find us more easily, and as Zen Judokas travel they will have a place to practice by visiting other clubs.

ALL THE WAY FROM JAPAN TO WORKOUT AT THE WADOKAN!

We were thrilled to have Sensei Morgan Benton visit us last week. Morgan was a Brown Belt student at the Wadokan when he went to Japan two years ago to teach English. There he tested and was granted his Shodan rank by the Kodokan. A year later he received his Zen Judo Shodan rank at Petersfield Community Centre from the hands of Andrew Millard, Rokudan Zen Judo. Morgan currently lives in Japan (in the island of Hokkaido) with his wife Nozomi and his daughter Athena. They welcome Zen Judokas to stop by for a good Judo workout whenever they are visiting the land of the rising sun. Sensei Ed Stockwell, who was in Morgan's same cohort at the Wadokan, brought the Charlottesville's Zen Judo club his partner's visit.

THROW OF THE MONTH

Ko Tsuri Goshi With this technique and that following, you require good balance in a forward direction, as your feet are place in line with one another. The impetus for the throw is provided by your hip which lifts Uke off the mat as you perform the technique, hence its name, "minor lifting hip." To turn in you must pivot on the ball of your left foot, sliding your arm well over Uke's shoulder. Your right leg slides back between Uke's legs extending as far as possible to your rear, your toes on the mat and heel raised. Lower your hip and pull Uke down with you, putting tension on the right sleeve with your left hand. The throw may now be completed by either: (a) pulling with your left hand whilst raising your hip to lift Uke off the mat and over your hip; or (b) pulling with your left hand whilst stepping forward with your right leg and keeping your body low. This draws Uke across your hips by your forward movement. (Bagot, Zen Judo: A Way of Life). Wadokan News is a Zen Judo monthly e-mail news service. If you have any announcements for the Zen Judo community, please e-mail them to hcavalca@richmond.edu and we'll pass them along. If you wish to include others in this service, just send us their e-mail address and they'll be put on the list.

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