194. đ (Chapter VIII) Baguazhang art of war - The Deceptive Return of Melonhead
The Way through Baguazhang - ĺ ŤĺŚćé - A podcast by Peter Hainzl
đ˛đ Some of you may be aware that I have been spending a bit of my time drawing black and white Baguazhang illustrations. Every night I do one illustration and then the next morning post it out yonder. Upon completion, there will be a total of 64 of them. One illustration for each hexagram or gua in the I-Ching or Book of Changes. The character I created for the images has been mockingly nicknamed "Melonhead" by my wife. To her, Melonhead represents, in a modern setting, The personification of The Art of War itself because almost a decade ago, I had used him for another project. That project involved compiling all the various Art of War treatises on the internet into a handmade handbound book. Yup. You heard correctly. Handstitched with the hard covers covered with real leather. Smell that exquisite leather. Mmmmm..... And then I promptly gifted them to close friends in Auckland, New Zealand. If my memory serves me correctly, there should be four swimming around in New Zealand: One in Palmerston North; One stolen from a friend, who "hopefully" still has the replacement second book I gave him; And one either with my parents in Riverstone, or it's with one of my brothers. If it is with one of my brothers, then it's either in England or Canada. The fifth book is with me. This book, instead of a leather cover, it has a furry soft toy [fabric] cover. You wouldn't know it was the Art of War by just looking at it. In fact, when most guys see the book, they refuse to pick it up because their boofheads think it's something gay. Gay guys on the other hand recognise the deception as a profound lesson in the Art of War: What lies on the surface, does not always match what lies underneath. These Baguazhang illustrations are the same. On the surface they're just some fun drawings to keep me busy for 64 days. And it's great to share them with others through Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. But underneath the surface layer, each drawing is a gateway to the deeper levels of Baguazhang and its connection with Qigong. Another way to put this, is that I've been teaching you how to cultivate your own qi through Baguazhang movements. And your brain has been picking up on the cues without you even being aware of it. No. Wait!... That's not entirely correct. A few of you have noticed by either being "inspired" again to walk the circle or noticing the subtle improvements to your technique. So get it in quick and download your copies while they are still free because once I'm done, I will be selling them as a book on Amazon. And please, remember, to send me a quick note of thanks, if you have a copy of the illustrations.