There is no image, no metaphor; the Aikido practitioner stands physically upright on the Floating Bridge of Heaven. The cross formed by Takami musubi and Kami musubi defines the paths his feet must follow, showing him in concrete terms how he must walk.
The natural architecture of Aikido movements follows a sacred geometry. Aiki is an initiation ritual that binds and allows the spirit at work in the universe to penetrate the body and heart of man, reproducing the model used by this universe to create.
A demonstration – supported by O Sensei's film footage – that the driving force behind the movement in Aikido is the release of energy along an axis running from the earth towards the sky. The founder of Aikido constantly used this form of energy in his techniques.
O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba wrote in his book Budō, : ‘The true master of the sword is he who wears a smile’.
