Taoism has never been a unified religion, but instead consists of numerous teachings based on various revelations. Therefore, different branches of Taoism have very different beliefs that nearly all braches share. Some of these are naturalness, vitality, peace, ‘non action’ (Wu Wei), receptiveness, ways of speaking and guiding behaviour.

‘Tao’ means the flow of the universe, or the force behind nature. ‘Tao’ is believed to be the influence that keeps the universe balanced and ordered (In my mind Tao is almost the equivalent of our God (Christianity)).

‘Wu Wei’ is a central concept in Taoism. It is often expressed by the contradiction ‘action without action’ or ‘effortless doing’. The goal of Wu Wei is to reveal the soft and invisible power within all things. For example, Water is soft and weak, but it can move earth and carve stone. In the state of ‘Pu’, there is no right or wrong, beautiful or ugly there is only pure experience or awareness. Taoists believe that humans are a microcosm (miniature version of) of the universe. Taoism states that by under standing himself, man can gain knowledge of the universe, and visa versa.

On certain dates, food is set out as a sacrifice to the gods and/or spirits of the departed, for example the Qingming Festival. This could include slaughtered pigs and ducks, or fruit.

Another type of sacrifice is the burning of Joss paper (a type of money) with the belief that the images burnt by the fire will re-appear not as another image, but as the actual item in the spirit world.

Also on certain occasions, street parades take place. These are also very lively and usually involve; fire crackers and flower – covered floats playing traditional music. The street parades can also include line dances or dragon dances.

Here is a list of some modern Taoists:

Edward Gorey – a writer and artist 1925-2000
Alan Watts – an interpreter and populariser of Asian philosophies 1915-1973
Alexander Anatole – an ordained Taoist priest 1948
Wes Bentley – film actor 1978

A very well known Taoist is Bruce Lee widely regarded as the most influential martial artist.

The Taijitu – “Yin and Yang”



This is one of the symbols of Taoism, and is likely to be seen on flags, temple floors or stitched into clerical robes.

Taoists temples may fly square of triangular flags. They usually feature mystical writings or diagrams and are supposed to provide guidance to the spirits of the dead, to bring good fortune and increased life span.