Equa Do Martial Arts @ Gurnee Martial Arts Academy

 

The EQUA DO Martial Arts Symbol is from the system of "DO SHIN KAI" inherited by Master Deveau in 1978 from his original Master Instructor Thomas Tanaka.  DO SHIN KAI means "The meeting place for heart and mind" and is the way of equalizing the body, mind, and spirit of the Martial Artist. 

 

EQUA DO is a contraction of "equal way".  "Equa" is Latin for equal and In the Orient "Do"  means "the way".  Thus EQUA DO means "equal way" or "the way of equal".  The symbol reflects the way, by showing the three spheres of influence solid, liquid, and gas, in the three circles contained in three half circles.  The three half circles around the three spheres act as a steady base so that no matter which way the symbol sits it rests on two solid legs as a base.  To the sides it shows as two arms reaching out open and accepting to the world from a solid body of strength. And to the top it shows as an open mind reaching into the unknown seeking knowledge from a strong resilient mind.

  The symbol itself also represents the atomic structure of a molecule of water two hydrogen atoms attached to an oxygen atom.

  The first sphere of influence is to the left bottom and represents solid as the human body is solid.  The second sphere is to the right bottom and represents liquid and is to the right as the human heart is to the right center of the body and it represents liquid as the heart is in control of liquid blood.  The third sphere is on top and represents gas or thought and is the head where the brain and soul are, which are there, but cannot be touched or held as a vapor or gas or a thought..

  The symbol and our martial arts take the spirit form of "WATER" as water can exist in all three states - solid, liquid, and gas (ice, water, steam) and there are times where we must react in any one or all of those given states.

  To facilitate the traditional aspect of our school, each sphere of influence is assigned a spirit animal to represent that specific sphere of influence so that it has a physical and spiritual connection to that the spirit guide animal. Assigning a spirit animal physically represents in picture and rank structure form, the level of ability attained by the student.