lazy man

I don't think you are going to find an authentic Taoist retreat with internet or a website:)You are going to have to "beat the brush" to find the real deal...or be real lucky. The Chinese Gov't has a very tight lid on all religion in that country. The great leap forward destroyed all the well know monastery's and killed or re-educated teachers and students up to the mid 70's. You are going to get an "approved" version of Taoist philosophy and martial arts (Wu shu) there. Maybe in the back country "Tien shan mountains. And Capitalism has very tight lid on religion in this country (USA).Lots of folks without complete transmission teaching all kinds of "Feel good" stuff with out knowing short and long term effects. A nice way to make a living. Not saying it would not be a fun experience and that you may get something useful that was not looked for originally. I have friends that have gone ( Wu Dan, Shaolin) and they had a great time. The most impactful events that happened to them where with the mountains themselves. Best

Dealing with negative energy is uncomfortable for sure. However this part of life is "the firing process" along the way. It can't be ignored. Only the individual effected can judge what level of response is appropriate at the moment. A big one is "do you truly know yourself?" (art of war aside). Life will give you what you need (sometimes very uncomfortable). You need to trust it and then trust it some more! The more you do the more Life will trust you. A person can ask for help and it will arrive in the most unknown way. This I can attest to. Best l

Daelin, So simply:) Agree with your five lines. The only (?) way one can get around not having a "real" guide is to work on listening. Then the way becomes your guide, it trusts you and you trust it.... as you say.

Thank you . I have always considered myself a junior Tao bum:) Best

Nice to have found such good info on the web. Have been studying Baguazhang for a few years as well as Taoist studies. Hope to learn and share. Best Lazy Man