I have some exciting news to announce. An extraordinary development occurred in my strange little story…
Rev. Koichi Barrish has agreed to teach me Chinkon.
Chinkon, meaning "pacifying the soul" or "calming the spirit," is an ancient Shinto practice aimed at gathering scattered aspects of one's spiritual essence back within the center of the body.
This mysterious process offers a way to achieve a state of inner stillness, to strengthen the soul, and to restore innate purity, aligning with Shinto's emphasis on spiritual cultivation and connection to the divine
It goes without saying, (but I’m trying to be a writer, so I have to ) that this could be a profound personal pivot point - digging a direct channel to the esoteric wellspring I believe shaped the very art of Aikido.
The immense significance of this opportunity is something I’m still trying to fully process.
As you might’ve have noticed - my virtual obsession with Chinkon began shortly after the inception of this project, fueled in part by a transformative passage from A Life in Aikido, by Kissomaru Ueshiba. That brief chapter, recounting O Sensei’s three-day immersion in Chinkon Kishin with Onisaburo Deguchi in Ayabe, ignited my relentless study.
What I think I’ve learned so far is that O Sensei saw Chinkon as essential for developing wisdom. His focus ultimately shifted from passive kamigakari (spirit possession) towards actively embodying divine power and achieving unification with universal principles. He aimed to become one with kami and the movement of nature.
My admittedly syncretic classification of Chinkon (and Aikido itself for that matter) as a form of theurgy emerged immediately from this autodidactic submersion, reflecting my intuitive understanding of its profound nature.
And now I have the chance to learn how to do it myself!
Learning from Barrish Sensei is particularly invaluable because it comes with the assurance of proper lineage protection. He stressed the inherent dangers of the practice, a caution that resonates with my own research into Omoto’s mediated spirit possession, which they ultimately ceased due to safety concerns.
Learning from Rev. Barrish, therefore, offers me access to this powerful practice in a way that respects its traditional transmission and, crucially, mitigates the risks associated with an incomplete understanding. This direct instruction will provide an embodied experience of one of the very practices that shaped O-Sensei's creation of Aikido.
This isn't about gaining new information - it’s about striving towards an authentic, direct route to experiencing this profound art’s origins first hand.
Barrish Sensei has been teaching Chinkon since the 1980s - and he emphasized to me that its primary purpose is to revitalize the senses and gather the dispersed aspects of the spirit, consolidating them within the body's center (aka the tanden or hara.)
The ultimate goal, as he describes it, is to sync one’s vibratory essence to the Kami's vibratory essence - returning to the source, activating life power, and living naturally. Importantly, it's about raising to meet the divine, rather than trying to pull the divine down to you. (sounds like theurgy to me)
As per his instructions - for the past week now, I've been diligently working on ibuki-nagayo, or ibuki-ho (long life breathing). Ibuki-ho involves prolonged inhalation and exhalation. Deep breaths. Aiming to become a living channel for cosmic energy.
If there truly is a method for tuning my mind and body into better alignment with the cosmic gods, the universe, or whatever other name a mortal like me can give to the ineffable, mysterious, greater being, I’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity.
No matter how difficult it seems right now to make room for breathing exercises among mundane activities like survival / making a living, I’m incredibly excited to embark on this next phase of learning.
To learn more about the important, amazing work Rev. Koichi Barrish is doing please check out the links below:
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