Taoist Shaman

This book explores the Shamanic roots of Taoist practice, explaining the principles of the Taoist Medicine Wheel, including the Five Elements, the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, the Eight Immortals, plus exercises to access the Tao of Ecstasy.

According to legend, thousands of years ago the immortals known as the Shining Ones were shipwrecked on the Chinese coast. Passing their Shamanic practices - such as ecstatic flight and how to find power animals and spirit guides - on to the indigenous people, they also taught them the wisdom of the Medicine Wheel. From the Taoist Medicine Wheel came the principles of yin and yang, the five elements, the eight forces, the Chinese zodiac, and the I Ching. The Taoist Medicine Wheel can also be found at the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine and the esoteric sexual practices of Taoist inner alchemy.

In Taoist Shaman, Mantak Chia and Kris Deva North explain the Shamanic principles of the Taoist Medicine Wheel, how it is oriented on the five elements rather than the four directions, how it relates to the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and the trigrams of the I Ching, and how it aligns with the eight forces of the pakua. Through illustrated teaching stories, the authors show how the energetic principles of each of the eight forces are reflected in the eight immortals. Guided Shamanic meditations based on the Medicine Wheel are also included.