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Way of Tao

leaves and shadows introduction to Taoism video by Kari Hohne

Welcome to Way of Tao, a place to explore nature's way of success. Just as the seed holds within a blueprint of everything it will become, you are also guided by a profound sense of inner direction.

There is a rhythm in nature that reveals endless cycles of renewal. We too, are in a cycle of blossoming outwardly and turning within to renew. No matter the circumstances, nature brings about change to unmask us to ourselves.

When obstacles appear insurmountable, or if circumstances appear to be working against you, remember that life has been committed to your success since the day you were born.

Observe the power and purposefulness of nature; fall back into your center and radiate outward like the sun. Activate a chain reaction of abundance by simply being who you are.

Nature's Inspiration Blog

We are composed of the exact ingredients we see in the world around us and we are a part of nature's drive toward unique variation. Centered in the peaceful power of abundance that comes from knowing everything is unfolding as exactly as it should, we are centered in Tao's natural flow toward endless change.

That Was Zen. This is Tao

Many people confuse Tao, Buddhism and Zen. Buddhism blended with Taoism to become Zen Buddhism, but Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism, and both negate experience.

The way of Tao makes experience rich and meaningful. All that unfolds is our reflection in the mysterious mirror where life unmasks us and challenges us to grow. Zen is a way of clearing thoughts, while Tao is the way itself.

The Zen state of mind comes from the Taoist influence on Buddhism. One adopts the Taoist perspective to observe the true nature of things. Taoism is the practice of learning how to remove the extremes of judgment that create emotional reactions and lead us away from observing the beauty of the unfolding moment.

Tao is a discipline of removing boundaries.

The Way of Tao offers a discipline to observe the human journey from the eyes of nature and it is always 'just so.' All that we are is perfect - and authenticity is more important than conformity. To understand and activate our essence, we cannot negate any part of it. We learn to work with what opens before us - and release our attachment to what blocks us. We learn not to embroil.

Experience is Tao's tapestry for success.

Tao is the principle of change that brings opposites together to transform them. It is the power of life to change - it is the instrument that creates change, and we are also deeply woven into nature's tapestry as it's instrument too.

Rather than fight the flow, we surrender into its flow of change. We release what blocks us from nature's flow toward abundance and growth.

Chaos, order then chaos again - such is the way of the great untangling.

Tao is said to even out extremes to achieve a type of balance in nature. In one area of the earth there can be a cold front, while another has a warm front. Left alone, these extremes would destroy life.

Tao makes things naturally flow, drawing the warm and cold fronts together. Like the positive and negative charges that transform molecules, opposites naturally attract each other. One is Yin, and associated with what is low, while the other is Yang, life's upward thrust.

Once the warm and cold front meet, they begin to swirl and we call this wind. Temperatures are returned to the optimal condition that will sustain life.

To recognize this design and adopt this ease of movement in simply being is the way of Tao. To overcome the extremes of judgment we place on experience is the path of a Taoist Master.

Nothing is good or bad. Nothing is right or wrong. Opposites merely attract each other so all things can be brought back into balance. In this way, we are drawn into life's purposeful movement toward growth and abundance.

Welcome to the Way of Tao

Colorful paint swirling in water

All living things are made stronger because of the changes taking place around them. Do not fight the very thing that guides you in your growth.

Life is always exploring the best of what it might become.

Obstacles, like the dirt and rocks surrounding the seed, merely peel away the protective layers that hide your authenticity. In nature, innovation and uniqueness are the rule.

Nature achieves unity by honoring variation. As one of nature's many expressions of its uncommon determination, the part you play within its interwoven tapestry is directly related to your ability to flourish in your uniqueness.

You are the instrument and the song that is played

Nature reveals how to overcome all obstacles. Water offers a lesson about the power of stillness; when it meets an obstacle, it grows in volume and energy until it breaks through any barriers that would block its forward progress. Fire offers a lesson about the connection between thought and experience, where the flame remains connected to whatever keeps it burning. Mountains demonstrate how constancy chisels the essence of our nature. Honed by the elements, our character is revealed. The Lake inspires a powerful peacefulness, regardless of the changes taking place upon its surface.

When obstacles appear insurmountable,
simply follows nature's ways.

The Tao te Ching is a book (ching) that develops one's power (te) when following a path where meaning can unfold to guide us (Tao). Te is the driving force of Tao active in each creature, and resembles our idea of evolution or individuation. It is the more ancient idea and philosophical root of Qi or Ch'i.

After analyzing the dreams of visitors from around the world, a universal message of wellness emerges in cycles. When we dream, we return to our root where inner wisdom allow us to find our way. When we face crisis, dreams reveal the way ahead, with wisdom and a time sense that transcends our own. Dreams awaken us to ourselves and to our unique pathway. Visit the free on-line Dream Dictionary with its abundance of dream symbols. Consult the Oracle from the I Ching or Book of Changes for daily words of wisdom inspired by nature. Explore our Books on Dreams, nature and Taoism.

Click Books to Purchase from Amazon

Nothing bad happens in life: Nature's way of success

Nothing bad happens in life book cover

Tao te Ching: the Poetry of Nature

Tao te Ching: the Poetry of Nature Book cover

The Essential I Ching: 64 Degrees of Nature's Wisdom

The essential i ching book cover

Customer review: "Excellent New Translation and Introductory Notes...it is amazing to me that there could be this new version by Kari Hohne, which seems at every point to match or exceed the others. She takes the work back to the original, lets go of her own agenda, and writes English with a vocabulary rooted in the heart - that is the way of the Tao and the best translations also. She is right up there with Ursula K. Le Guin, Arthur Waley, Stephen Mitchell, and Ellen M. Chen. "