The Shaman and the Seer
Taoism’s earliest roots can be traced back to prehistoric Shamanism in early China. The ideas at the foundation of Western beliefs originated in the Fertile Crescent area of the Middle East.
Because of the trade occurring on the Silk Road between these regions, they may have shared ideas, but their perspectives would have been vastly different.
While there is no record of this type of interaction, we can imagine what such a dialogue might have looked like:
East Meets West
In the year 1414 BCE, beneath a sky thick with stars, the great trade routes of the world whispered secrets from distant lands. Along the narrow pass of the Pamir Mountains, a caravan of merchants wound its way eastward, their oils and spices trailing the scents of Babylon and beyond.
Among them walked Nabu-zeru, a seer of Babylon, his eyes searching the heavens for signs, his heart heavy with unanswered omens. He was dressed in a linen robe, dyed in a shade of blue, and adorned with tassels. He wore a conical hat and a large, lapis lazuli pendant for guidance and protection.
The caravan descended into a vast valley, where the wind carried the low hum of drums. Smoke from a distant fire curled skyward. Nabu-zeru’s companions spoke of the Wu people, Shamans who called to spirits and read cracked bones for omens. Curiosity stirred within him, and he descended the hill to meet them.
At the heart of the gathering stood a woman in a silk robe, adorned with intricate embroidery and circular bronze mirrors. She was Wu Lian, a Shaman or Wu of the Shang people.
The elders spoke of her as one who bridged the world between heaven and earth. Her gaze met Nabu-zeru’s, and although they shared no language, one of the guides acted as an interpreter.
Heaven and Earth
They sat beneath the stars, the soft murmurs of the caravan fading into the night. Wu Lian placed a polished bone upon the fire, watching as the cracks etched their message. Nabu-zeru traced the patterns in the sky, the constellations guiding his thoughts.
“The heavens speak,” he said, his voice low. “The stars show the paths of gods and men alike.”
Wu Lin nodded as she traced the symbol of the swastika or Wan on the dusty ground. She described how it portrayed the Big Dipper, called Beidou, or Ladle of the North, revolving around the north star, Beiji.
“The position of the Ladle guides our ritual dances. It changes position as the sky moves to make the Wan. In it, we see the Supreme Pole or Great Ultimate, moving yin and yang in harmony.”
She pointed to the curling fractures in the bone. “But it is the earth that speaks,” she continued. “Our answers dwell in what has been broken and remade.”
They spoke of fate, the river of time that both shaped and was shaped. Nabu-zeru showed her the planet Jupiter, and told of Marduk, who brought order from chaos.
Wu Lian spoke of the balance of opposites that renewed all things. “Yin and yang are opposite, like the masculine and feminine aspects of what we see. They come from Wuchi or limitless emptiness, but they unite in Taiji or Tao."
Nabu-Zeru understood duality in how the heaven and earth behaved, but to him, the earth was orchestrated by divine will.
She continued, "When one increases, the other decreases. When one is depleted, it becomes the other, thus heaven always achieves balance on the earth. Thus day dissolves into night, and the earth blossoms inward and outward during winter and summer ”
Fate and Flow
Nabu-zeru spoke of kings who demanded knowledge of victory and ruin. Wu Lin spoke of leaders who learned to emulate nature’s way of balance and harmony.
The two spiritual leaders seemed to embody the essence of yin and yang, in appearance and in their ideas. He was assertive and settled in his ideas – she was flexible and yielding to what she called the ‘Way.’
“And yet,” Nabu-zeru continued, “fate binds us all. The stars are fixed; their stories long foretold. We read how the gods write their will across the night sky. The movements of Ishtar and Marduk foretell the fate of our kings and kingdoms. What signs do you watch in your land?”
“Like everything on the earth,” Wu Lian replied, “the skies too, ebb and flow. We listen for the will of heaven through the flight of birds and the cracks in oracle bones. Have you seen how fire reveals the unseen?” They both looked deep into the fire.
Nabu-zeru agreed: “Indeed. Fire’s dance upon sacrificial altars speaks to us, and the entrails of animals whisper secrets of the divine. Yet the stars speak with the greatest certainty – the heavens are a mirror of fate.” He described how they read the stars like a language in the night sky.
Healing and Prophecy
“Spirits dwell in the rivers and mountains,” Wu Lian replied. “And the ancestors watch over us. I enter trance to meet them, to heal the sick or calm the restless souls. Do your gods walk among you?”
Nabu-zeru couldn’t imagine this. “The gods are distant but powerful, speaking through dreams and omens. Enlil commands the wind, and Ea whispers wisdom from the deep. We summon their voices through sacred incantations and purifications. But to walk among the spirits, as you say – that is a bold path.”
Wu Lian had traveled among the spirits her entire life. “It is not boldness, but balance. To travel the spirit world is to mend the broken harmony. Yet even the spirits are bound by the great forces of heaven and earth.”
He replied: “We find balance in how the heavens divide the day into days, hours and minutes.” These ideas of a 24-hour day and 60-minute hour still exist today, and both cultures followed a lunar-solar calendar.
He continued. “We watch for signs of chaos, knowing the gods may bring flood or famine when the world falls out of order.” Wu Lin had observed how nature drives order, disorder and order again.
“Nature heals a lack of balance through endless change,” she replied. “Our drums echo the heartbeat of the earth,” she continued, “and our songs call to the spirits. I have seen sickness flee when the spirits are appeased. How do you call forth your gods to heal?”
“We chant the names of the gods,” he replied. “We offer sacred herbs and pour libations. The priests of Gula, goddess of healing, mix potions while I read the fate of the ill through signs and omens.”
“You read the illness through signs, and I see it in the shadows that cling to the body,” she replied. “The spirit’s unrest must be calmed for the body to mend. Perhaps your goddess and our ancestors both lend their strength in different ways?”
Water and Stone
“We are bound by fate. The gods have written our days in the stars that carve their paths across the sky. And yet, kings still seek to defy what has been foretold,” he answered.
Wu Lian smiled, her voice like the rustle of leaves. “Fate is a river, flowing ever onward. We are not its masters, but we may learn to move with its currents.”
Nabu-zeru contemplated how even the surest fate might be met with grace. ”Perhaps it is like the water yielding to the stone.”
She replied: “Yes, water yields to the stone today, but over time, the stone also yields to the water. Stones are shaped by water.” She was puzzled by his inability to see the malleability and complimentary nature of the earth.
They parted as the first light of dawn brushed the sky. Nabu-zeru’s heart was lighter, though the stars above remained unchanged.
Far across the mountains, the Wu Shaman watched the sun rise, knowing that darkness would come again in the evening. And tomorrow, the sun would rise again.
She pondered why Nabu-zeru spoke with such certainty in a world that provides more questions than answers. She wished she could have told him how It is the question that opens the seeker to how life shapes us.
East and West Today
Nabu-zeru's description of divine will, with its emphasis on prophecy and predestination, evolved into the religious traditions that would shape Western thought. His belief in cosmic order and divine judgment found parallels in later monotheistic faiths, where sacred texts and prophetic visions provide moral and spiritual guidance.
Wu Lian, by contrast, embodied the principles of harmony and interconnectedness that remain central to Eastern philosophy. The swastika or Great Pole would evolve into the symbol of Tao, depicted as a swirling circle of yin and yang around a central void.
Her perception of fate as a flowing river mirrors the Taoist and Confucian concepts that later emerged, emphasizing alignment with natural forces and acceptance of change.
In this hypothetical exchange, the essence of two worlds touch: one seeking certainty through divine decree, the other embracing the fluid dance of what is visible on the earth.
The echoes of two very different perspectives would ripple forward through time, shaping the beliefs and philosophies of civilizations today.