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...

The Book of Sun and Moon, more popularly known as the Yijing or Book of Changes, is one of the oldest surviving literary works in the world. At the same time, it remains one of the most profound pieces ever composed.

It serves many functions at once. It is:

• A book of wisdom

• A book of divi

  ...

Why does Stuart render the Yijing as the Book of Sun and Moon instead of using the standard translation, Book of Changes?

To answer that, we have to look carefully at what the character Yi (易) actually means and how Stuart interprets it in his introduction.

This is not a poetic flourish. It is not...

In Taoist teachings, Internal Alchemy refers to a process of transformation of your body, mind, and spirit that cannot be forced, accelerated, or manufactured through effort alone.

Yet for many people, the language of spiritual awakening assumes that striving and self-improvement are oriented towar...

In this class, guest speaker Tim Burkett continues exploring Zhuangzi, connecting his teachings to everyday life and showing how we can stay grounded, compassionate, and present during personal and collective challenges. The discussion begins with Zhuangzi’s question of whether the world truly needs...

 Once you stop pushing and stop feeding agitation, the next question is simple: what actually guides your actions now?

In Taoism, Lao Zi talked about three treasures that form the foundation of the path: compassion, frugality, and not putting oneself first. If you really want to understand what it ...

Certain issues arise in Taoist cultivation right when things are finally settling. After all the effort to restore Jing (精), regulate Qi (氣), and clarify Shen (神), why does practice begin to look like less doing and more meditation, more stillness, more drifting with the current? And why is it exact...

One of the analogies Stuart often used was the idea of pushing the boat so it can drift with the current. This is a common idea in Taoism. The character for Tao (道) shows a person floating in the water, going with the flow of the river. It’s the image of being at ease and not fighting against what’s...

In this Tao Talk, Tim Burkett explores humor as a core Taoist and Zen practice rather than entertainment. He frames laughter as the moment conceptual clinging breaks—when rigid thinking, expectations, and self-seriousness loosen their grip. Drawing from Taoist stories, Zen anecdotes, and everyday si...

Stuart taught us that spiritual cultivation must always combine practice with study. He wasn’t saying theory matters so you can sound smart or explain things intellectually. He was saying that theory gives the practice its internal alignment. He often repeated the line:

“Theory without practice is ...