Not what I was expecting but it was something

I approached this book expecting to learn more about the philosophy, but there was none of that.

Instead the entire book was an intensive journey through the history of Taoism as it emerged from Shamanism and the many many details of Taoist Alchemy and magic, and immersive descriptions of the techniques used for them.

If these are things that interest you and you are hungry for some learning, 100% go for it, you will be much more informed and educated.
But if you are looking more for the philosophy and way of life you should also read other books.

If Taoism is of interest to you, by all means read/listen to this and devour some knowledge.

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2 people found this helpful

Very informal and somewhat boring

This is not a spiritual book, it is an informal book, breaking down Taoism.spirituality, it’s history and origins.
While doing so it does not go in depth, so I must say that it is very boring.
The narration does not help, it is so monotone and unappealing.

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Very interesting

Before listening to this audiobook I went through some reviews and noticed that some people did not find something they were hoping to hear/read from the book. Yet in the preface she says that this book is meant to be a guide rather than the destination. And it does a great job being a guide. Personally I got into tai chi in 2018 and I love doing it. However my class mainly focused on the physical exercise rather than the history or spiritual aspects of it. For example the class I attended was called “earlier Heaven tai chi” and I thought it meant tai chi will make you feel like you are in heaven haha. But only after going through this book I found out what it really meant. I found this book very informative on the history of Taoism as well as myths and legends. Each chapter gives you further reading suggestions on each topic discussed in that chapter. This book has an academic feel to it. And I would recommend reading/ listening to it if you would want to learn more about Taoism without feeling like you are being forced into joining a cult.

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Much Enjoyed

A thorough introduction to Taoism with significant attention given to its history. Each chapter provides references to books and authors to seek further knowledge. Much enjoyed including the narrator’s contribution.

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