Mastering the pen (and the sword, just in case)
One fateful day, whilst walking past the wrestling room at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, a literal flash of light reflecting off a katana caught Michael Weber Sensei’s eye, drawing him into his first Aikido demonstration—and he never looked back.
He began his Aikido journey in 1989 with John Boland Sensei. Very soon after, his practice would be fundamentally shaped by a life-changing encounter with Mary Heiny Sensei during a seminar.
In our talk, Michael Sensei describes a visceral, mystical reaction to Mary Sensei’s presence—the room’s colors shifted to gold, and he was moved to tears by a profound inner sense of peace. He also described feeling as though he’d been hit on the back of the head. All the while a profound inner voice assuring him that “it’s going to be okay”.
This meeting provided the spark he needed to ultimately move beyond his identity as a “hotshot” student and seek a deeper, more internal understanding of the art. Inspired by Mary Sensei’s example as a pioneer who persevered through societal barriers and physical obstacles with “never-say-die” determination, he eventually uprooted his life and moved to Japan to train in the Shingu lineage under Michio Hikitsuchi Sensei.
Training at the Kumano Juku Dojo placed him squarely at the center of O-Sensei’s spiritual legacy.
In Shingu, Michael Sensei absorbed a philosophy that viewed Aikido techniques not as combat strategies, but as tools to observe one’s interior landscape, emphasizing the subtle ripple of the mind and the discipline of Shugyo training, to move past the limitations of the ego.
By serendipitously connecting with Hikitsuchi Sensei, he became part of a direct transmission chain reaching back to O Sensei’s most private and religiously inspired period of development in the Kumano mountains.
As a high school teacher, Michael Sensei views the classroom as an extension of the dojo. He shares a brilliant story of walking into a room on the brink of violence, where a hot-tempered student was being relentlessly bullied. Utilizing his extraordinary listening, he bypassed his own panic, and delivered a perfectly timed kiai to freeze the room, breaking the destructive trance of the moment.
Then, employing some masterful musubi, he removed the agitated student from his audience, guided him into the hallway, and aligned with his perspective. By challenging the young man to be the “bigger person,” Michael Sensei successfully guided him past his instinctual hardware, transforming a potentially devastating physical brawl into a moment of peaceful de-escalation.
He also translates an Aiki inspired ethic into his parallel career as a published author—applying Hikitsuchi Sensei’s mandate of Shugyo (showing up to the dojo every single day, even if only for 10 minutes) by enforcing a strict daily discipline to write at least one sentence, no matter what.
I’ve often been brutally honest on this podcast about my own writing foibles, posing as an amateur prose poet attempting to express the metaphysical vastness of Aikido (and life). It can be a daunting endeavor to sit in isolation and attempt to forge something meaningful and positive. Writing, much like dojo practice, sometimes requires an intense internal reckoning with one’s own simultaneous arrogance and self-doubt.
This is exactly why the advice Michael Sensei offered me toward the end of our conversation struck such a motivating chord. What did he say? Well, you’ll have to listen for yourself ;)
His Current projects: publishing fantasy novels and role playing games for a fantasy world in development since he needed to stay awake in a high school geometry course back in 1984.
He’s got two novels out with another release planned for this October. Drafts are in line to release some more over the next several years. Links here for The New Apprentice [https://www.orangehatpublishing.com/product/the-new-apprentice/] and Finish the Mission [https://www.orangehatpublishing.com/product/finish-the-mission/].
And check out his dojo!
Aikido of Wales [https://aikidoofwales.com/index.html]
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If you would prefer to make a one-time contribution, you can email me directly at jondiluca@yahoo.com, and as a token of my immense gratitude, you will receive a complimentary copy of Don Dickie Sensei’s deeply reflective volume of poetry, Silent Winds of Aikido.
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