The stars need the sky.

Here is a fine piece of calligraphy by Takayama Chogyu who was a writer in the Meiji period.  It reads, "Sky with stars, ground with flowers, and people with love." As human beings our most natural tendency is love, but this concept of true love has been blurred somewhat over the years.  This calligraphy espouses O Sensei's personal philosophy of life which became the basis for Aikido.

To understand Aikido is to understand nature.  With things in their most natural state, the stars need the sky, the flowers need the ground and people need love.

Aikido exists not to go against nature but to follow a way of life that is in harmony with it.