21/09/2026
When the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, was asked about the essence of his art, he would sometimes draw three simple shapes: a triangle, a circle, and a square. For him, these were not abstract sketches, but a universal, three-stage model for meeting any conflict or crisis in life - from a physical attack to a verbal confrontation, and all the way to an internal struggle with fear, anger, or anxiety.
The triangle, the circle, and the square symbolize the phases of resolution, tangibly demonstrating how Aikido evolves from a martial art of self-defense into a spiritual path of peace and unification.
1. The Triangle (△) – The Audacity to Step In (Irimi 入見)
Faced with a sudden threat, the human brain defaults to one of three conditioned survival reflexes: freezing in terror, fleeing from reality, or lashing out in defensive violence. The triangle offers a fourth path of inner mastery: Irimi - entering directly into the eye of the storm, into the calm, clear stillness at its core.
Mythological Dimension: The element of Fire (Hi 火). The primordial spark erupting from the void, the tip of the Heavenly Jeweled Spear (Ame no Nuboko 天沼矛) that pierces through chaos, carving out a new direction and path for existence.
Technical and Practical Dimension: The foundational stance (Hanmi 半身) is structured as a triangle whose apex points directly toward the heart of the storm. Instead of waiting for a strike or absorbing its impact, the body advances along a direct, precise, and razor-sharp line into the attacker’s blind spot, neutralizing their momentum before the attack can fully mature. The timing of this action must bypass conscious deliberation - occurring as if in an instant, within the seam between seconds.
Consciousness in Life's Challenges: Audacity over avoidance. When a crisis erupts - an external threat, a difficult conversation long delayed, or an internal obstacle—the first step is to cease retreating or entrenching oneself. It demands a decisive forward step, a steady, panoramic gaze, and meeting the challenge with lucid, fearless presence. As the saying goes: transformation begins in a single moment of decision.
2. The Circle (○) – Complete Merging: No More "Self" and "Other"
A profound bond is forged - a sacred connection (Musubi 結び) that unifies you with the space of the conflict. Our primitive impulse is to "fight back" - to strike, punish, or crush the threatening party. Here, Aikido introduces its most radical paradigm shift: the circle does not fight the threat; it blends with it until the boundary separating the attacker from the defender dissolves entirely.
Mythological Dimension: The element of Water (Mizu 水). The cosmic whirlpool that flows unceasingly, softening every sharp edge and holding all the contradictions of existence as complementary forces within a single, infinite cycle.
Technical and Practical Dimension: The body transitions into circular movement (Tenkan 転換), and the motion becomes an outward-inward spiral pivoting around a pure, precise axis (the point at the center of the circle). The clash transforms into a dance wherein offense and defense merge into one. It draws both converging forces into the calm eye of the vortex, into stillness. The attacker loses their balance simply because there is nothing left to collide against, discovering a renewed equilibrium through the unified field created between both sides.
Consciousness and Unification with the Threat: Transcending duality. On an internal level, the circle teaches that there are never two opposing forces. There is only a single, unified dynamic unfolding in the present moment. Once you stop viewing the other person as an "enemy" and recognize them as an alienated part of the whole that has lost its bearings, the dichotomy of "me and them" vanishes. You tune into their underlying drive, embrace their pain or force, and harness both of you into a shared momentum. There is neither victor nor vanquished here - only the restoration of harmony to the space.
3. The Square (□) – Grounding and Expanding (Shihō 四方)
The resolution of any conflict carries a dangerous psychological trap: tunnel vision. Having neutralized a threat, one tends to fixate on the fallen opponent with a hardened glare, a tense posture, and the intoxicating satisfaction of victory - a fixation that leaves the mind chained to an event that has already ended, blinding us to whatever danger might come next. The square liberates us from this trap.
Mythological Dimension: The element of Earth (Tsuchi 地) and the Four Cardinal Directions (Shihō 四方). The moment when the droplets falling from the Spear of Creation solidify into stable, expansive land stretching from horizon to horizon.
Technical and Practical Dimension: The completion of the technique, the pin, or the throw. The practitioner’s physical structure anchors into the earth along four stable corners (shoulders and hips). Complete control over the attacker is secured with absolute stability, free of unnecessary violence, rooted deeply into the ground.
Consciousness in Life's Challenges: At the conclusion of the confrontation, awareness broadens, enveloping the challenge and the person just encountered within a vastly wider horizon. This state of sustained, unbroken presence is known in Japanese as Zanshin (残心 – the lingering mind). Once control is achieved, the practitioner lets go of all emotional attachment to the individual before them. Awareness does not remain pinned to the floor or tethered to a confrontation that has already passed; it expands simultaneously in all four directions—as if touching the edges of the cosmos. This is a calm, panoramic 360-degree presence. Because no hatred was harbored and no enemy was created, there is no ego-driven triumph. There is only solid grounding and pristine clarity, wherein one is realigned with the world, fully awake and ready for whatever unfolds.
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In every class on the tatami and in every trial life presents, we can seek the path of these three sacred geometries: a resolute gaze and courageous step into the heart of the matter, a circular merging that dissolves separation, and a return to stillness, grounded stability, and an open, expansive awareness.
> About the illustration: A direct student of Aikido's founder who trained under him for 12 years, Fujita Masatake Sensei, visited us in Israel three times. During one of his visits, he took a black marker and a sheet of Japanese calligraphy paper, brushed these three shapes, and beside them concisely inscribed the words of the Founder of Aikido.
