Baguazhang: Dragon & Thunder by Kevin Wikse.

Kevin Wikse Vimana Vajra Dragon Baguazhang



The Thunder trigram of the I-Ching expresses the energy and birth rank of the eldest son, Dragon. Dragon is not the pinnacle of Yang's energy that his father, the Lion, but a close second. The eldest son possesses the elemental attributes of wood or bursting, growing, and coiling power. We see this as tree roots breaking through concrete, uplifting objects weighing thousands of pounds, wrapping around pipes, or whatever else they find. Thunder is twin to lightning, which causes sudden fear and awe. Dragon has excellent strength. Only his youngest brother, Bear, and his father, Lion, surpass him in this. Dragon's power is that of tensile and tendon strength. He possesses a near-unparalleled degree of movement. Dragon's fighting skills are worthy of his air of superiority and arrogance. 


Dragon is smug and aloof due to his prowess. He delights in the inevitable defeat of his enemies. Dragon is the eldest and firstborn son, reflecting his brash personality. His birthright is to inherit all that is his father's. Any challenge to his position is met with exceptional cruelty and ruthlessness. Dragon is not simply a formidable foe but an uncommonly violent fighter. 


The Thunder trigram is expressed by two yin lines supported by one yang line. Comparing the Thunder trigram to the human body, the upper yin line speaks of a flexible and open mind to all possibilities. The middle yin line denotes a loose and free-flowing upper body capable of a bewildering amount of movement. Lastly, the yang line displays a firmly rooted lower body connected to the earth and not easily displaced. 


The Dragon can be accurately described as a chain whip. The long, deadly, and highly flexible chain would be the upper and middle yin lines of the mind and the upper body. The handle of the chain whip is held in a steady hand, and the base of the chain whip's power is the yang line. In my line of Baguazhang, Dragon is seen as the line of whispy incense smoke rising from a ten thousand pound incense burner. Dragon demonstrates how to develop a very supple spine. The invisible middle pillar of the Thunder trigram is seen as the spine flanked by ribs. According to Daoist belief, the hollow channel relates to circulating energy up and down the spine, which leads to the ability to become lighter or heavier and grow bigger or smaller at will and other esoteric talents. 


Dragon's military strategy is brutal but sophisticated. Employing a vast arsenal of high and low attacking combinations, coiling in, out, and around his adversary's offense and defense. Short, long, or medium range is all the same to him. Dragon deploys strikes equally with his fingers, palms, elbows, wrists, and knees. His whip-like arms can attack and defend from any angle. Like his father, the Lion, and youngest brother, Bear, Dragon is an expert wrestler. He uses the "roll the ball" method as his father, Lion, does, but with a sinuous undulating power instead of violent ripping and tearing. Dragon brings potential harm and injury to his adversary with every fluctuation in movement. Paradoxically, his adversaries are left attempting to wrestle a ghost, finding void space everywhere they try to attack. Dragon is never where they want him to be and always where they do not. 


A heavy-handed fighter like his father, he, however, tends to be more selective in his targets, like middle brother Snake. His ruthlessness becomes clear as he makes primary marks on the eyes, temples, nose, ears, throat, back of the head, and groin. Dragon chains his combinations together to strike and rip all of the above. Like a Lion, the Dragon pulverizes arms, legs, fingers, and toes. The Dragon claw hand position in my lineage of Baguazhang can strike and seize. Whatever Dragon hits can also be torn off or used as a handle.


Within the Daoist belief structure, it is thought that:


Assuming the Dragon shape while circle walking creates a robust blood-oxygen mix. Circulating blood and energy throughout the major channels and the liver, benefiting the eyes and sending power from the heart to the palms of the hand. Ironically, while the Lion favors the rolling-the-ball martial technique more than the Dragon, the Dragon shape is better suited to developing the energy ball qigong practice. The Dragon shape strengthens the heart-to-hand energy current, making each hand a magnetic yin/yang polarity towards the other. Rolling the Ball Qigong (mimicking holding a ball between the palms of hands) creates a secondary energy field with an existing field.


This additional energy field within your aura (body's energy field) strengthens and repairs the primary field by correcting the body's internal energetic imbalances. The bigger and brighter a person's aura, the healthier a person tends to be. The Dragon's upper body is more fluid than the Lion's. The energy ball's location can be moved, and specific body areas benefit by being within its smaller radius. Focusing on fewer organs for specialized healing.


Practicing the Dragon summons forth confidence and the fortuitous attention of this often haughty but formidable creature. The upper body shape is both a specific frequency and transmitter. The duress in the legs acts as the power to broadcast the frequency. Daoist circle walking creates a portal by defining the radius of the wuji or void within the physical world. Holding the Dragon shape and meditating on its qualities entices the Dragon spirit to draw near, making it aware of you and placing yourself in its amazing purvey.


Through sustained and committed practice, those who have found the Dragon's favor (through sustained and determined practice) will discover that their enemies will fear them. They will stumble into high positions of authority and experience notable increases in good luck and health. Lastly, both demons and ghosts will timidly approach seeking employment.


-Kevin Wikse


Vimana Vajra Baguazhang


Kevin Wikse is a 30+ year martial arts student specializing in Baguazhang. He has successfully employed this ferocious martial art to protect himself and others from elements of southern California's 1990s gang culture as well as early 2000s Neo-Conservative jackoffs during the post-9-11 (inside job) Bush/Cheney-era nightmare. Most recently, Kevin Wikse brought Baguazhang to bear against the mentally ill agents of the radical Communist Left by unapologetically crippling members of ANTIFA and BLM on the streets of Portland, Seattle, Boise, and Tuscon as they engaged in flagrant acts of domestic terrorism against this great country in both 2016 and 2020. 



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