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We hope our newsletter finds you well as we welcome the Water Dragon, the ruler for the month, which comes soaring in on April 17th. The Dragon marks pivot or transition points. They store energy, and the specific element combination can determine how that stored energy expresses. Dragon months tend...
The hexagram for the month is #43 Decision. This hexagram is intense. The image suggests that something must be declared decisively or cut away. It represents a buildup that has reached a breaking point, the need to take a clear stand, and either exposing or confronting what can no longer be hidden....
Xi Wangmu (also known as the Queen Mother of the West) is a profoundly important figure in Taoist philosophy and Taoism, and actually predates Lao Tzu and organized Taoism itself. Xi Wangmu is a remnant of an earlier matrilineal society in ancient China. Before the big three teachings (Taoism, Buddh...
The third day of the third lunar month is the Immortals’ Peach Celebration Day, known as the Pántáo HuĂ, or Feast of Peaches. Peaches are symbolic of immortality—i.e., the peach of immortality as presented in the legends of the Western Royal Mother (Xi Wang Mu), which became her most famous attribu...
In this monthly blog series, we offer Taoist perspectives on how to live in rhythm with the seasonal changes unfolding over the coming weeks.
The first thing to understand is that rather than treating Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter as single blocks of time, the Chinese system tracks the year in s...
Welcome everyone. This is the final talk in the Zhuangzi (Chuangzi) series, “The Way of the Butterfly.”
Next month, we’ll begin a new series on The Secret of the Golden Flower.
Today’s theme connects to something symbolic:
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It’s Easter.
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The metaphor of death and resurrection.
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From a ...
This Second Moon of the lunar year (March 19, 2026) is represented by the Yin Metal Rabbit, who hops onto the scene on March 19th and ushers in the Spring equinox.
Gentle and clever, the Rabbit embodies receptive Yin energy. Its internal sensitivity grants it the ability to “sense” and “feel” its e...
Starting March 19, 2026, the Rabbit Moon’s hexagram is #34 Great Strength. This hexagram denotes strong energy and momentum delivered decisively. It alludes to a sudden increase in power, energy, or visibility.
When taken into account with the larger period’s hexagram (the year’s), which is #46 Asc...
On the 19th day of the 2nd Moon, which this year falls on April 6th, we celebrate the Golden Immortaless Guan Shi Yin’s Birthday. Known as “Vessel of Compassion” and “The True Person” to Taoists, Guan Yin is highly revered in both Taoism and Buddhism. Asians, and the Chinese especially, have long pr...
You would be hard-pressed to try learning about Taoism and Taoist philosophy without any mention of Lao Tzu. Considered the founder of Taoism, his philosophical work, the “Tao De Jing,” is the foundational text and cornerstone of Taoist philosophy and its teachings and practices. This work explains ...
In this new monthly blog series, we will be offering Taoist perspectives on how to live in rhythm with the seasonal changes unfolding over the coming weeks.
The first thing to understand is that rather than treating Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter as single blocks of time, the Chinese system track...
Lily introduces Tim Burkett as a former guiding teacher of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center, someone who helped build it over decades and continues to teach and mentor there. Tim notes that this is his next-to-last talk in a series on Zhuangzi, and that he plans to speak next on The Secret of the...
