The centre of the cross upon which the feet of the Aikido practitioner move is the Centre of the World, the point where all oppositions are reconciled and resolved. The Centre of the World is not in any given geographical location; it is wherever balance is achieved, and at all times.
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.
