Hi Bob,
I have been asked to come out and do a seminar in Berkeley, which of course I will take great pleasure in doing. And if you could come and do a demonstration or talk on aikido in the Bay Area, it would feel like coming home or coming full circle. It was taking your class at UC Berkeley that started me in aikido 41 years ago. I remember thinking as you talked about aikido that I really couldn't imagine spending time learning how to hurt people. And then the last day of class you showed a film of O'Sensei, and that was it! I showed up at the UC Berkeley aikido club, totally clueless, but having some sense that someday I wanted to be like the man in the film. So I hope you'll come and be part of the seminar.
Paul Linden
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Frager Sensei,
I first heard about you when I was very young, perhaps ten. I was at my first seminar and the women in the dressing room were talking about an American man who had met and had some interesting stories to tell about his training with O'Sensei. I remember hoping that I'd get to meet him. Now, many years later, I have the pleasure of inviting you to teach and speak at one of my own student's seminars. I am aware that you are one of the first teachers to introduce Aikido in California. I would be honored to have you speak and teach at Brandon's seminar taking place at Aikido of Berkeley in February of 2011.
Kayla
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Sensei,
As Paul Sensei was getting his first exposure to Aikido in your care, I was busily being born. As I mentioned at the Aikido and Psychotherapy seminar, it has been my pleasure to recreate the Aikido club you started at UC Berkeley. Kayla Sensei has agreed to host a fundraiser at Aikido of Berkeley and Paul Sensei has agreed to fly in to both teach traditional Aikido and connect this with his well regarded somatic process called "Being In Movement" which helps people to approach conflict from an inner state of calm alertness and compassionate power. Especially given your early, formative, and ongoing extension of aiki principles into education, therapy, and transformative work, it seemed to me an obvious choice to ask you to join us.
I hope you will consider accepting Paul's and Kayla's invitations and help us to raise funds to continue Aikido at UC Berkeley by favoring us with teaching and demonstration combined with stories of your early days bringing Aikido in the United States. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of giving the current Aikido students at UC a sense of the history they continue today. Whatever portion of time will work for you on February 18th (evening), 19th (all day), or 20th (all day) will be made available. If you are free to join us for a meal as well, even more stories might be forthcoming and that would be all to the good.
The event details are being finalized and are available at http://culturesmith.com/The_Future_of_Aikido_-_Peace_Practices Finally, if you have ideas about how this might be a more successful event, or how Golden Bears Aikido at UC Berkeley (http://goldenbearsaikido.com) might be even more likely to establish itself for the long term, I'd love to hear any suggestions you feel moved to offer. If you cannot join us on those dates, please say so and allow me to request another opportunity to introduce my students to your unique perspective on the future of Aikido, and allow me another opportunity to help you raise funds again for the image archive or another of the causes near your heart.
With gratitude,
Brandon