Eight forces sustain creation:
Movement and stillness,
Solidification and fluidity,
Extension and contraction,
Unification and division.
In many ways Aikido is a study of opposites. Each of the above forces are employed at different times in Aikido practice. One key that has been useful to me is to break down a motion into the above pairings and to contrast the attack being dealt with rather than complementing it. In other words, if the attack in question is an attempt to divide my energy, then I unify. If the attack is one that intends to contract my stance, I extend. In this way the energy of an attack is completed, and can be brought to a peaceful conclusion.
Another way to look at these pairs is to see how each can contain the element of its opposite. By embracing stillness in movement we achieve grace. Movement contained in stillness is power. Contraction within extension leads to balance. Extension within contraction is readiness. Solidification within fluidity is focus, fluidity within solidification is adaptability. Unification within division is wholeness, and division within unification is possibility.
Lastly we can look at complementing these energies to attain their opposites. By matching a motion we attain a relative stillness. By dividing with our partners we unify. And so on..
