Universal Bagua Nomenclature: Cloud

Nomenclature is fun word. I don’t get to use it often. You probably know what it means, but just in case…

Nomenclature is

  1. a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art, by an individual or community.
  2. the names or terms comprising a set or system.

Number and Words

Bagua-Word-Images

Some Baguazhang systems use numbers for palms. You can do that, and you can still work through some of the tasks and training devices at UBagua.com.

In the beginning, I strip out the numbers because, for me, words and associated images offer clearer connections to the Elements. For example, an Earth Palm makes more sense (and feeling) for me than #2 Palm.

(We’ll put numbers back in later… to understand binary concepts and to link the King sequence of Palm Changes.)

For now, it will be easier to work through Universal Baguazhang using Word connections because words offer clearer images.

Sky Not Heaven

I changed the wording at Universal Baguazhang… we’ll use Sky here. And I hope you’ll enjoy the switch. For me it’s more tangible.

Touch the Sky.

Revisit Sky Palms in Baguazhang for more about this concept:

“You can see it. And at some point in your training…

You can feel it. (Maybe that’s Heaven.)”

There’s something else…

Cloud Not Lake

Cloud BaguaThis one is unique.

It has the most possible names, translations, and image of all the trigrams.

Lake is possibly the more common translation of this trigram.

Some others include:

  • Swamp
  • River
  • Mist
  • Cloud

I’m sticking with Cloud. Here’s why…

First, I grew up in Northern Minnesota, on a lake: Cedar Lake near Aitkin.

The common nomenclature (hah! I used it again) is lived on the lake, but you should know that my home was next to the lake. In  addition, when using the Lake itself, I was either on the lake because I used a boat or a raft, or in the lake swimming or diving.

I want to make the distinctions clear because…

Cedar Lake is Water. While my experiences swimming, boating, and lounging on the Lake could fit some of the images and ideas of Cloud, that’s a stretch. It’s right on with images and ideas of Water.

Water comes from Lakes, whether they’re under the boat, surrounding a body, in front of the home, or imagined underground. So you see: Lake becomes redundant… Lake is Water.

When I look at the other possible translations, I see a whole other Element. It’s different. There’s something else there and it’s not Water, as much as Mountain is not Earth.

  • It’s that mistiness in the morning… birds sing about it.
  • It’s the thing you see when you hear the Simpson’s tune.
  • It rests on top of Swamps and Bogs, and it sparkles in Rivers.

Call it Cloud.

When you do…

You’ll see a whole other Element.