Baguazhang: Ape & Lake by Kevin Wikse

The Monkey is an animal that mirrors human-like characteristics and, in truth, a creature we likely share a distant common ancestor. Like man, the desires and morality of a Monkey reflect the qualities of a lake. Often shallow but can be dangerous and unexpectedly deep. The surface of the Lake reflects all of heaven above. It is a mirror for man to see his reflection in the significant mandate of Celestial movements. Humanity's place in the universe. Monkey is also a mirror for man, seeing himself in the lower world of the base and animalistic. As above, so below. There are profound truths held by both worlds. 

Monkey wears its emotions on its sleeve. Hyperexcitable and easy to rile, Monkey is expressive in its displays of surprise and wonder. The Monkey is not far off, emotionally, from the wild exhilaration of a man when he first made a fire (perhaps the defining moment when "man" split from or defined himself as distinctly separate from the Monkey). Monkey is exceptionally bright, even devious. As mentioned above, Monkey and Lake can have unexpected depth. Monkey's intelligence is deceptively complicated, his plans submerged and agendas hidden beneath the surface. Such is the military strategy of Monkey.

The Lake or Dui trigram reveals an individual's structure adopting the Monkey shape. The Dui trigram is a yin line setting atop two yang lines. Monkey requires an open and intelligent mind to adapt on the fly. However, both the upper and lower body of the Monkey are yang, ready to enact mental machinations with power and speed. Besides Lion, only Monkey has yang lines for its upper and lower body. In the Wong family, Baguazhang the Monkey is the Monkey King, Sun Wukong the Monkey King or White Ape. He can shrink or grow to a fantastic array of sizes. One moment, the Monkey is a pygmy marmoset; the next, he is King Kong. Same tactics but different applications depending on the person's size and, at high levels, the "energetic" size the person is assuming.

The Monkey, like man, is a tool user. Hand strength, particularly the pinching strength of the fingers, is of great importance. Prominent handwork is expressed in the fighting methods employed by Monkey. The movements and postures of the monkey martial strategy appear playful, like engaging in familiar social situations such as offering food, receiving goods (trading), flirting, and conversing. However, all these gestures can cause grievous injury.

Monkey is notorious for grabbing, twisting, and ripping the enemy's hair, nose, lips, ears, fingers, genitals, and skin. Pinching flesh and separating muscle from bone. Monkey tactics call for gouges, digs, and drills with his fingers into the enemy's nerve cavities, eyes, temples, ear canals, nostrils, and throat. Monkey strikes with open-hand chops and slaps, which double as grabs to latch onto the enemy. The kicking of the monkey martial strategy targets ankles, knees, groin, and stomach. Monkey likes quick, sharp kicks and purposely stepping and stomping on toes to impede the enemy's movement and distract.

Like Lion's "rolls the ball," Monkey's iconic "offers the peach" specializes in manipulating the enemy's head and controlling the opponent by steering them by the ears. More connections between the Monkey, Snake, and Lion. A monkey is a link between the Lion and the Snake. If the Monkey were more aggressive or yang in his thinking, he would become the father, the Lion. Still, if the Monkey were more yielding or yin in his upper body, he would become Snake. While developing skills in one (Lion, Monkey, or Snake), you gain ability in all three.

In the Wong family, Baguazhang, the Lake trigram, or Monkey, is an essential cornerstone in martial and spiritual functions, especially in "mimicry" or "reflection." Chinese magic or sorcery (Wu) belongs to the Lake trigram. A lake reflects or mirrors the celestial procession above it. Entering into a still body of water, you enter the "other world" influenced by the present astrological conditions reflected atop the water's surface. Monkey corresponds to Lake due to his innate perchance for mimicry (Monkey see Monkey do). 

Sun Wukong is a spiritual entity and cultural hero featured in many legends traced back to the Song dynasty. Sun Wukong was a monkey born from a stone (probably jade) who acquired supernatural powers through Daoist practice.

The Monkey King knows seventy-two transformations (shapeshifting) into numerous animals and objects. There is a circle walking set demonstrating these seventy-two changes. Each of his hairs possesses magical properties, capable of making clones of himself (splitting or dividing himself), weapons, animals, and other objects. He knows incantations to command wind, part water, conjure protective circles against demons, and freeze humans, monsters, and gods. 

Sun Wukong likely originates from the White Ape legends of the Chu Kingdom, who revered gibbons (primarily white ones). Sun Wukong was canonized as a Daoist immortal before incorporating it into Buddhist myths. Sun Wukong likely shares similar origins with the Hindu monkey god Hanuman. He is like Sun Wukong, just much larger in size and strength. 

In the Daoist traditional belief structure:

Holding a monkey or ape upper body shape while integrating it with either one-legged standing postures or circle walking conjures vitality up from the naval (lower dantian) into the heart center (middle dantian), pooling in the lungs and filling the cupped hands. This posture opens and widens the upper back and deepens the breathing capacity of the lungs. The pooling of energy in the cupped hands drains down to the feet through the torso, sexual organs, and the legs. Lastly, the power in the cupped hands shows the energetic reflection of the person's face. It strengthens the eyes, ears, and third eye (upper dantian). Over time, Monkey increases a person's physical strength and psychic senses and improves breathing/respiratory functions.

Practicing the Monkey or ape in the spiritual dimension calls forth blessings of prosperity and occult power from the Monkey King's attention. The upper body shape is both a specific frequency and transmitter. At the same time, the strain and duress in the legs act as the power to broadcast said particular frequency. 

Daoist circle walking creates a portal by defining the radius of the wuji or void within the physical world. Holding the Monkey or ape shape and meditating on its qualities, you are enticing Sun Wukong's spirit to draw near, making him more aware of you, and placing yourself in his auspicious purvey. Those who have found the Monkey King's favor discover many earthly needs aided by fortuitous means. The ill designs of demons or ghosts laid on them sufficiently meddled (monkeyed) to be useless.

-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.