The Chinese New Year has come around again, and the millennia-old wisdom again encourages us to capitalise on a new set of positive energies, and vigilantly watch out for cyclic negative influences.

If the energies ascribed to this New Year, the year of the Monkey, are to be believed, the need for vigilance would certainly seem to be true for the forthcoming twelve months!

But Kendo’s approach to life ensures a safe and positive way forward, regardless of unstable or revolutionary the external influences may be; how? Zen through Kyu Shin Do.

The year of the Monkey traditionally heralds opportunity, inventiveness, creativity, energy, and fun, but also the potential for deception, selfishness, hare-brained schemes, and even anarchy, and any and all of these energies are said to be capable of manifesting together, making life nothing short of insecure.

The reflective person will be able to identify the kind of afore-mentioned reversals and successes even outside of so-called Monkey-years, but the cyclic re-emergence of such alleged influences is an excellent opportunity to check on our centredness in the face of such uncertainty.

Consequently, Kendo recommends that we remember that absolute objectivity and clear vision come from viewing the world from the absolutely still Zen centre of Kyu Shin Do. Not only can all energies, activities, and influences be seen for what they really are from that pure, still, place of wisdom, but because you have stilled your own mind, you cannot be influenced by any external energies or currents, so your judgment will be perfectly clear. Your intuitive self will be completely objective and uninfluenced, and will therefore be fully able to guide you through any troubled waters with absolute wisdom.

It has taken over 50 years of meditation by Yogensha, the man behind Kendo’s Mask, and inspiration from the spiritual samurai himself, to develop sensei Kenshiro Abbe’s brilliant vision into this beautiful, simple, and incredibly powerful form – it’s all you need.

The Year of the Monkey has been described as nothing short of a roller-coaster ride of brilliance and opportunity shot-through with possible chicanery and insecurity, but Zen through Kyu Shin Do is the perfect defence against doing or thinking anything unwise in times that may be hard to understand. Perhaps the only real vigilance that’s needed is to remember to find that Zen centre, and view all things from there, and so, comfortably ride-out any roller-coaster!

PS: Perhaps it was the fluctuating genius of the Monkey which meant that our internet connection let us down when attempting to post this Healing Message – this may be an example of the kind of reversals we’ll need to indulge this lunar year!