Welcome to the Taoist-Lifestyle Blog! Learn to blend ancient practices with contemporary living. Engage with nature, improve your well-being, and delve into Martial Arts and Alchemical work for a balanced and fulfilling life. Join us on this transformative journey!

What do you truly need to begin the path of Taoist internal alchemy? In this new issue of Golden Cinnabar Letters, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen reflects on the “bear necessities” of Neidan practice—drawing from both classical tradition and personal experience. From finding the right teacher to creating the right conditions, this article explores what is essential for a meaningful and successful journey.

“Understanding both life and death is key to getting rid of fear. Once you understand what death really is, there’s no need to be frightened. And so, you need to die to ‘understand’ it. You may think now that it is impossible to understand anything once you’re dead. You’re right. Understanding death does mean that death is the end of your life, of you, of your thoughts and feelings. Yet it’s the beginning of something else. And there are different ways to experience death. So

Searching for and Meeting Jia Dao Chinese ink painting in the style of the Southern literati tradition (12th - 13th century), depicting a solitary scholar in the mountains. Notes from the Tower of Songs Issue 2 By Dan KJ Vercammen Let’s travel back in time to the Tang dynasty to meet an interesting poet: Jia Dao 賈島 (779–843) . A Buddhist who, in his poems, seems also fascinated by a Taoist lifestyle . He was also known as Langxian 浪仙—the wandering immortal. As the theme of th

Chinese poetry reveals layers of meaning through sound, imagery, and suggestion. In this first issue of Notes from the Tower of Songs, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen introduces a famous poem by Li Bo and reflects on its melancholic beauty.

An introduction to the Cinnabar Library and the role of texts as “threads” (jing 經) — sustaining and transmitting Taoist alchemical tradition across generations.

In this first issue of Zhuangzi for Cultivators, Prof. Dr. Dan K.J. Vercammen reflects on the famous story of Zhuangzi and the tortoise. Set against the political realities of ancient China, the passage reveals Zhuangzi’s uncompromising view on freedom, power, and the conditions for a long and meaningful life. From a Taoist alchemical perspective, the choice to “drag one’s tail through the mud” remains a powerful metaphor for living freely, beyond status and authority.

What defines a Chinese lineage? Not reputation or claims, but transmission: a living continuity that binds people together, protects a body of knowledge, and safeguards its essential characteristics. Within a tradition, the distinction between those “inside the gate” and those outside it is not a matter of status, but of responsibility, depth of training, and the preservation of what cannot be obtained through texts alone. This essay offers a closer look at lineage as it func

Do you practice qigong? Do you think your qigong practice is neidan?¹ It is important to understand the difference between qigong and neidan. Neidan is internal alchemy, a very intense practice transmitted by traditional teachers in traditional ways. It is embedded in culture, e.g. Taoist culture, and is a multifaceted practice, connected with almost all facets of Chinese culture (medicine and health practices, martial arts, meditation, ethics, philosophy and religion, etc.).

I’ll let you in on a secret: if it’s Chinese and it’s ancient, it’s never simple. Chinese culture is a hug e and complicated thing, in which everything is interconnected. And so, the answer to the question “What is Neidan (Internal Alchemy)?” needs more than a few words.