Family festivities in the shadows
Families filled up the hardwood floor of the High Frequency Loft on Friday (Nov. 11) for Ninja Night led by Psychedelic Shaman, Monk and Ninjutsu instructor Kajika Clint Littlefield.
Cacao sweetened by maple syrup and agave was handed out to kick off the special seikatsujutsu event, which was billed as an opportunity to practice traditional samurai and ninja skillsets. Participants were classified and priced into three categories, individuals ($11), couples ($18) and families ($25).
After the opening cacao ceremony, which is a communal and ritualized form of consuming cacao for spiritual purposes, individuals then were grouped into pairs to engage with one another in intuition drills. The drills involved one person in a kneeling position closing their eyes in front of their partner and the two taking turns raising their left or right hand in front of their blinded partner. The point of the drill was to use non-visual cues to reach out and grab where you think your partner raised their hand — either to your left or to your right — and some could pick up on those cues better than others.
Kajika then segued into obstacle avoidance drills. He modified it from the drills he would do when he was learning the ninjutsu arts in outdoor environments in the dead of night. This familyfriendly version featured yoga blocks stacked on top of one another and small cones placed haphazardly on the floor. Then, the lights were switched off, leaving the ninjas-in-training to navigate the course in the dark. A tiny dog named Woodstock sat safe from harm on a nearby sofa.
Once the shadow skills were strengthened, it was time for the shurikens to be unleashed. Kids and adults circled around Kajika and kept an eye out for any rubberized shurikens flung their way. The youth did their darndest to avoid the flying stars, even by trying to hide under a thick yoga mat. A team of ninja novices returned the shurikens back to Kajika to keep the flow of the game in constant motion.
According to Kajika, he plans to keep the Ninja Nights going.
“I’ll be doing one a month, basically,” he said. “But, next month, I’m going to be doing two. I’m doing one on the 9th and another one on the 13th. They’re going to always be slightly a little bit different. But they’re going to be kind of geared towards families and just people who want to come and just have fun.”