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             Probably the most well-known of symbols of Taoism are the "Yin and Yang," which are the "dynamic force of the Tao, constantly interacting with one another," according to the Web site www.thetao.info/tao/yinyang.htm. The characteristics of the Yin are: "feminine, passive, receives, soft, dark." The characteristics of the Yang: "masculine, active, creates, hard, bright." The symbols identified with the Yin are the moon, tiger, north, while the Yang's symbols are sun, dragon, and south. The original meaning for Yin was "north side of a hill (away from the sun)," while the Yang's original meaning, the Web site explains, was "south side of a hill (facing the sun)." .

             A very relevant and exciting discovery was made in China in 1973 when archaeologists discovered two copies of the "Lao-Tzu," the ancient silk manuscripts from a Han Dynasty tomb in southern China, according to an article in Contemporary Review (Mackintosh, 1992). The essence of the manuscripts is "how to find and keep to the way"; the "way" was the goal of all Chinese philosophical enquiry, which was, "what is the way a man should live?" The article's author explains that Lao Tzu was "a semi-mythical sage" who "reportedly" instructed Confucius. But other books indicate that Lao Tzu was a co-founder of Taoism, so there is confusion there. .

             The Many Faces and Aspects of Taoism: One of the mistakes that researchers have made over the years when studying the origins and development of Taoism is that too much of Taoism has been "ignored or misinterpreted," according to Taoism: The Enduring Tradition (Russell Kirkland, 1-3). The reason for the misinterpretation of Taoism, Kirkland writes, is that there are "diverse but interrelated forms of Taoism" and none of the "interpretive models" that scholars have studied assure a full understanding of Taoism.