2014, the year of the Yang Wood Horse has proven to be everything one would expect from this type of year. This year we left two years characterized by inward searching energy (water dragon and water snake) and entered a year dominated by an element (wood) known for growth, new beginnings; think of a small plant or tree just beginning to grow/sprout. The horse is known as a noble animal and is associated with being: strong, disciplined, regal, elegant, travel, adventure, also capable of great speed and endurance/perseverance.

When combined a Wood Horse year has the potential for fast growth. In a Yang year this effect can be compounded even further. Those versed in even a rudimentary understanding of Taoist philosophy, know that fast uncontrolled growth often does not have a good outcome, nor is it long lasting.

Surely, there were quite a few incidents this past year that occurred very quickly, and picked up momentum almost “out of nowhere”. Ah, the year of the horse indeed.

In this review, however, we will focus on some of the positive events this past year.

Nine faults a master or teacher must avoid January 23, 2014
Being a master or teacher should be one of the most respected and appreciated positions in society, to a lesser extent coaching as well. Since people in these positions have close personal contact with people from various levels of society…

Nine things that will lead any student to failure January 26, 2014
In a prior article we listed 9 faults or traits masters and teachers of any subject or system must avoid in order to be successful and to help ensure the success of their students. This article is going to shift…

China shares over 5,000 years of scripts with the United Nations February 12, 2014
A major event occurred at the United Nations in New York City, not surprisingly the event was not covered on any of the major Western news networks.The Chinese Ethnic Scripts Exhibition made its debut and was organized by Liu…

Annals of Internal Medicine agrees with Taoism: multivitamins should not be used February 28, 2014
For the last several decades (at least the last four), multivitamins have been promoted as the perfect solution for improper nutrition. Many reports and stories, mainly in the form of advertising and marketing, have portrayed vitamins as preventing various diseases…

World unites against Monsanto and GM food May 15, 2014
Recently, Vermont became the first state in the U.S. To pass a GMO labeling law. This law requires all food that contains any Genetically Modified ingredients to be clearly labeled as such. For instance, if your corn chowder contains…

Unraveling the mysterious and misunderstood concept of P’u July 14, 2014
Many people who study or casually read about Taoism will at some point come across several principles and concepts which are considered important to the Taoist system.Some of the more popular principles are: Wu-wei, Tao and Te, Lao…

Chuang tzu’s advice on recognizing the true nature of things July 27, 2014
In a recent article “Unraveling the mysterious and misunderstood concept of P’u”, we examined how the true meaning of P’u is not the uncarved block, rather it is the ideal of remaining or…

Harvard study proves meditation can hinder the onset of Alzheimer’s September 26, 2014
If you ask most adults who are middle age or older, what their greatest fear is in regards to aging, many will say they do not want to “lose their mind”. They want to be able to…

The unnatural state of natural food in the US November 21, 2014
When you browse the shelves at your local grocery store, you may have noticed that more and more products contain the dubious label “Natural” or “Natural food”, or contains “Natural ingredients”.Morning and evening…

Who were the three kings/wise men of the Orient? December 26, 2014
Many of you may be familiar with the classic Christmas carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are”, some may be listening to it now, and yes, some may be tired of hearing it.Let’s re-examine…

There were many examples of positive things that occurred this past year, most of which, ironically never made it into the mainstream news or the 24 hour infotainment stations.

Let us all commit to making 2015, the Year of the Sheep, a year where we focus on the inner development/cultivation of our body-mind and spirit.

Don’t miss another National Taoism Examiner article. Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button below; also make sure you click all of those social network buttons and share the article with your friends and family as well. You can also follow the Qi Institutes Taoism blog.

Do you have a story, photo or video from your area that would be of interest to Taoists? Feel free to email (TJ@theQiInstitute.com) and they may be included or featured in a National Taoism Examiner article.