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 Huí, 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...

This new year of the Fire Horse comes galloping in, full speed, on February 17, 2026.

Horses represent movement, restlessness, boldness, and travel, while the Fire element is characterized by brightness, directness, expressiveness, and charisma.

Generally speaking, Fire Horse years tend to signify...

As I look to the year ahead, I'm thinking about how Stuart used to give us guidance for our spiritual cultivation based on the energy of the animal and element of that year.

While I'm not an astrologer, I've been contemplating what I learned from Stuart about the fire element and the horse. These a...

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...