Associated with late autumn and the transition into winter, the Dog is the ruler of the 9th Moon. The primary duty of the Dog is protection, vigilance, and guarding boundaries. In a broader sense, it can represent security systems, defense networks, legal compliance, and institutional stability. Fal...

The hexagram for the month of the 9th Moon is Hexagram #23, “Removing.”

It is composed of the trigram for Mountain above and the trigram for Earth below. So this hexagram depicts five Yin lines at the bottom pushing upward, leaving only one single Yang line at the very top. It is the image of a mou...

 9th Moon (October 10th – November 8th, 2026)

In this seasonal blog series, we offer Taoist perspectives on living in accordance with the larger seasonal changes unfolding throughout the year. Rather than treating Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter as fixed blocks of time, Taoist philosophical system...

Tai Chi, Qigong, and even meditation always talk about letting go of muscular tension. It’s one of those fundamental statements everyone makes. We’re told to relax, release tension, not use strength, and become more internal.

In Taijiquan, we often talk about moving away from forceful muscular effo...

Madame Wei Huacun is widely revered as the founder, matriarch, and first grand master of the Supreme Clarity (Shangqing) School of Taoism. Her teachings shifted the focus of Taoist practice away from external alchemy and communal rituals towards placing emphasis instead on solitary meditation, inter...

On the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, millions across East Asia climb hills and mountains, sip fragrant chrysanthemum tea or wine, and carry sprays of dogwood (cornelian cherry). Known as the Double Nine Festival or “Chong Yang Jie,” this ancient tradition represents far...

Turning the Light Around

In the sixth talk of his series on The Secret of the Golden Flower, guest speaker Tim Burkett reviews the practice of turning the light around. He connects this Taoist teaching with the backward step in Zen: returning attention from its outward scattering through thought an...

This month we move into the 8th Moon represented by the meticulous Rooster. Precise, discerning, vocal, and proud, the Rooster is fiercely protective of its boundaries and has an eye for aesthetics. All Signs have potential shadow traits, and the Rooster’s are perfectionism, vanity, micromanaging, a...

The hexagram of the month is hexagram #20, “Contemplation.” It represents stepping back to gain a higher-altitude perspective. Formed by Wind over Earth, it reflects the position of a tower overlooking the land or a sage observing with complete stillness and awareness. It highlights panoramic vision...

The following is the concluding talk I gave during our Tracing the Wall workshop on August 22, 2026. The workshop has since been developed into Tracing the Wall: The Complete Internal Cultivation Method, now available as a self-study program through the Sanctuary of Tao. I’m sharing the talk here be...

The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary figures in Taoist lore, some of which we know to have been actual, historical people. They were not originally a banded group however. It appears they belonged to different timelines (the ones we know actually existed, at least) long before anyone grouped...

The longtime protégé of Master T.T. Liang, Stuart Alve Olson (1950–2025) was a renowned teacher, translator, co-founder of the Sanctuary of Tao, and author of more than forty books on Taoist philosophy, health, meditation, and the martial and internal arts. He was born on September 22, 1950, in Moor...