What's in the Winter 2025-2026 Issue?

Embodied Sciences of the Ancients

Long before modern physics, Daoist "observatories" explored the universe through inner experience. Ancient Chinese scientists turned inward, using observation, breath, and qigong to study energy (qì) and consciousness (yì). Their self-as-laboratory approach led to insights into health, healing, and harmony that parallel today's studies of mind and matter. By revisiting this embodied science, we rediscover how awareness and energy shape human well-being and our connection with the cosmos.
By Roger Jahnke, OMD.

Teachings on Enlightenment: The Mystical Treasures of The Ancient Lingbao Daoists (part 2)

Blending early Daoist and Buddhist thought, the Lingbao tradition redefines enlightenment as radiant harmony with the Dao and liberation through transformation. Rather than retreating from the world, practitioners refine body, mind, and spirit through virtue, ritual, meditation, and internal alchemy. Each stage deepens awareness and dissolves ego boundaries, leading to effortless action (wú wéi) and unity with the cosmos. Enlightenment becomes not an escape but a luminous way of living in natural accord with the Dao.
By Prof. Jerry Alan Johnson, Ph.D., D.T.C.M.

 

The Secret of Force

This essay explores the paradox at the heart of Taijiquan—how true martial power arises not from tension but from softness, awareness, and harmony with natural flow. Through classical teachings, Daoist philosophy, and Chen-style methods such as silk reeling, the author reveals how principles of sōng (relaxation), rooting, and circular motion transform yielding into strength. The discussion connects yin–yang dynamics, fājìn (energy release), and the Eight Energies with physical, mental, and spiritual cultivation. By Dr. David Clippinger

 

 

Eight Characters of Destiny

Explore the colorful world of bāzì (八字), China's ancient art of reading life through time and elements. Once used for matchmaking, bāzì grew into a philosophy connecting personality, health, and fate itself. Blending humor with history, the article shows how this system mirrors the rhythms of nature—how fire can represent passion, wood creativity, and water reflection. Readers discover how the same logic that guided farmers and emperors now echoes in wellness and psychology. More playful than mystical, bāzì reminds us that balance is the real goal. Whether it's love, health, or timing, this cosmic art still whispers the same advice: flow with life, and bring patience… or maybe just wear red socks. By Lisa A. Lee, PhD

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