Riding the Wave of the Tao - Keys concepts of Taoism
What follows echos the teachings I received at Ming Shan (Bullet, VD)—and is a preamble I offer before each consultation.
An Empirical Method
The Chinese were among the first sedentary farming societies, already practicing agriculture during the Neolithic period. In order to survive, they developed an empirical method to understand the world: observing, experimenting, recording, and refining knowledge to keep only what proved effective. They repeated this process for thousands of years.
The discoveries made through millennia of such research are still available for us to learn from today. In the West, farmers used similar methods. The simple “proof” of their effectiveness is that these practices persisted through time. Our grandparents and great-grandparents had no time to waste on ineffective “woo-woo” ideas—if something did not work, it was not transmitted. Only knowledge that was truly useful endured, even if much has been lost along the way.
Their ontology (i.e., their way of existing in the world) is often described as analogism: they perceived resemblances between the macrocosm and the microcosm and derived rules from those correspondences. A Chinese saying captures this worldview:
“Man imitates Earth, Earth imitates Heaven, Heaven imitates the Tao, and the Tao imitates Nature.”
Let’s take a brief look at some of the core principles of Taoism.
The Symbol of Yin and Yang
The Yin-Yang symbol is not just a beautiful design for a tattoo—it is the result of careful observation of the sun. The Chinese used a gnomon (a stick planted upright in the ground) to measure the movement of shadows throughout the hours of the day and the seasons of the year.
From these observations, and through their analogist wisdom, they developed the concept of duality expressed in the yin/yang symbol: shadow and light, night and day, rest and activity.
Within the symbol, each side carries within itself the seed of the other. When Yin reaches its maximum, it transforms into Yang; when Yang peaks, it gives way to Yin. They are inseparable, two faces of the same coin, each defining and carrying the other.
Most importantly, in Taoism, it is the interplay of contraries that generates movement. Yin and Yang are not static opposites, but dynamic forces in constant alternation. It is through this ceaseless interplay that life flows, cycles unfold, and the Tao expresses itself in continuous transformation.
The Five Elements
Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE, the Taoists developed the Five Elements system as a framework of classification—an essential tool in their analogist worldview. The five elements are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood.
Together, they form a homeostatic system: a self-regulating structure that maintains balance.
The Cycle of Creation (Generating):
Fire creates Earth, Earth creates Metal, Metal creates Water, Water creates Wood, and Wood creates Fire.
This cycle is like the accelerator of the system—it drives forward growth, transformation, and renewal.The Cycle of Control (Regulating):
Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood, Wood controls Earth, and Earth controls Water.
This cycle is like the brake—it prevents excess, restores balance, and ensures no element overwhelms the others.
If there were only the cycle of creation, it would be like driving a car with only an accelerator: the system would spiral out of control. The control cycle acts as the necessary counterbalance, ensuring harmony and stability.
Here is a summary of each element in its seasonal and symbolic context:
Water (Winter)
North. The beginning of the cycle. Downward movement, depth, silence, potential, creativity hidden in stillness.Wood (Spring)
East. Expansion and growth. The passage from the invisible to the visible. Creativity, vision, new beginnings.Fire (Summer)
South. Rising movement. Illumination, joy, vitality, the peak of manifestation.Earth (Between seasons)
Center. Transformation and nourishment. Reflection, absorption, integration, stabilization.Metal (Autumn)
West. Contraction and return inward. Letting go, purification, trust in the cycle of life.
The 3 Lucks system
In Taoist thought, life unfolds through three kinds of luck or “chances,” each shaping our path in a different way:
The Chance of Earth
This is where you were born—your family, your country, your environment. It is not easy to change, because it depends on circumstances you did not choose. Where we begin in life sets certain conditions, and some are less flexible than others.The Chance of Humans
This is everything we do to come closer to ourselves—the actions, practices, and choices that allow us to grow. For example, taking a Bazi consultation belongs here. But this chance is not infinite: at some point, we must humbly accept that we can only do so much, and honor our limits.The Chance of Heaven
This is what you cannot control. Winning the lottery, meeting someone by “chance,” or sudden twists of fate all belong here. You can encourage it—through good practices, like exploring your Qimen Guardian—but ultimately, Heaven decides.
Together, these three chances form the framework of life: the ground we stand on, the actions we take, and the mysterious flow of destiny.
Why Taoist Principles matter in Everyday Life
Taoist principles are not meant to stay in books or temples—they are meant to be lived. They remind us that life is not something to conquer, but something to flow with. By observing the balance of Yin and Yang, the cycles of the Five Elements, and the framework of the Three Chances, we gain perspective on where to act, where to accept, and where to simply trust.
These tools don’t promise perfection. What they offer is something far more valuable: a way to move through life with less resistance, more clarity, and deeper harmony—with nature, with ourselves, and with the rhythm of time.
Arts du Tao, Principes fondamentaux, 2023, Fabrice Jordan & Sarah Blanc