Dai Sempai Juliette's Badge

My personal belief is that we should do no harm, and that karate is a way of life that brings personal development and growth, rather than a fighting art. By meeting the many physical and mental challenges of karate, you can become a better person. The Phoenix represents this belief. The Phoenix is a famous mythical bird of great power. It is reputed to eat no meat. It is a peaceful creature and generally avoids confrontation. If threatened, a phoenix will simply make itself scarce.

The phoenix in this badge is red to denote strength, determination, courage. It also represents rebirth, or new beginnings. When met with adversity, try to make some good come of it. “The only constant in life is change. We should therefore strive to ensure that change is always for the better”

The wings are divided into eight sections, to denote my interest in and studies of yoga - representing the eight limbs or branches of yoga, considered to be the path to optimum physical, mental and spiritual health:

Yama

Universal morality – compassion for all living things, commitment to truthfulness, consideration towards others, control of the senses, non-attachment to material things.

Niyama

Personal observances – our attitude towards ourselves – purity, contentment, humility, discipline, self examination, spirituality.

Asanas

Body postures – the opportunity to explore, control, challenge and open the physical body

Pranayama

breathing exercises, and control of prana

Pratyahara

Control of the senses – drawing your focus inwards for contemplation

Dharana

Concentration and cultivating inner perceptual awareness – focus and stillness of mind

Dhyana

Devotion, Meditation, contemplation – to achieve mental clarity

Samadhi

Union with the Divine (enlightenment)

The Tree represents growth, both spiritual and mental. A tree must have a firm base, or deep roots, which represents my commitment to the value of having a strong foundation of technique.

Rainbow colours represent the never ending pursuit of karate, with the achievement of each goal a new one appears in the distance. Perfection, like a rainbow, is always ahead of you yet never able to be reached. A symbol of humility. Together with the white of the phoenix eye, they are also the colours of the body Chakras, with each colour representing a different area we may need to work on to achieve total wellbeing.

Yin Yang – symbol of balance, interconnectedness and the concept of opposing yet complementary forces. Part of my personal martial arts heritage, the yin yang symbol is central to the South Korean flag, representing my past studies of the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do, and also my studies of yoga. Also represents the balance of karate and life outside the dojo.

Celtic trinity knot – represents my studies with Hudson Martial Arts

Black background – in colour therapy, black is said to be protective, grounding and calming. It activates the feminine energies of the body. I like to think a woman can be a martial artist and still retain her femininity – my use of the colour black represents this theory. Because black covers all other colours, it can also be a symbol of focus – the ability to shut out distractions and concentrate on one thing alone.

Black border – Representing knowledge yet to be found – “The wider the circle of knowledge, the greater the circumference of darkness”. Answers always raise new questions, there is always more to be learned.