My name is Jeff Coté, and I am The Occidental Taoist. It is my hope that you will discover something herein that will inspire you to seek radiant health born of a natural way of being that is both peaceful and fruitful. I regularly add to the blog here with topics ranging from the Taoist Internal Arts of Tai Chi, Baguazhang, Qigong and Tao Yin, to Zhongyi Medicine (Classical Chinese Medicine based in traditional Taoist philosophy), Internal Alchemy, Taoist Tonic Herbs and Taoist Philosophy. You may also find art, poetry, and music inspired by Taoism. I make instructional videos in all of the arts mentioned above and you can find links to free basic instructional content. I provide these in the hope that they will benefit you and inspire you to adopt some of the wisdom that has been so fruitful for me.
Along the way you may find that you want to go deeper, learn more and engage with the practices I share more deeply than these introductory lessons can provide. On my Patreon page you can subscribe to a monthly, semi-monthly, or even weekly lesson. Or, if you prefer to just purchase individual lessons, you can browse the store here and find either a downloadable lesson or order a DVD as the lessons come available.
Perhaps you are intrigued by one of the herbs, or herbal formulas that I discuss in my blog and would like to try them. I make all of my own blends by hand in traditional fashion. Most of the herbs I use are either wild crafted by me, grown by me, or obtained through sources I know and trust. I always seek the finest quality and prepare them with care and loving, mindful attention. I learned to make these for myself and my own well being and I craft them for you in the same way i do for myself. In fact, I use the same batches as what I sell.
I am new to the virtual world. I have spent a good many years following the Taoist ideal of “leave no footprint.” Why have I diverted from this path? The answer to that is simple. The world needs peace, radiant health, and the kind of wisdom that Taoism teaches, now more than ever. The pace of the human world is not getting slower, and the choices we make over the next generations will shape the future of humanity for a long time. I want to see that wisdom plays at least as strong a role as knowledge in those choices.
We must learn to use our compassion as much as our passion, and remember that we are in relationship to everything, all the time. How we go about doing things is as important as the things we go about doing. By sharing these arts and this wisdom, I hope to remind the generations to come that we didn’t always rush about at such a pace. Life is fulfilling when we take the time to empty ourselves of all that gets poured into us. And most importantly, we can come home to ourselves wherever we are, whenever we want to, by simply listening; to ourselves, each other, and the subtle spaces between what we hear and what we see.