Lao-Tzu and the Tao, Handmade Medal

"This handmade medal depicts Lao-Tzu, the founder of Taoism, ascending a mountain path, leaving behind a mode of living that distorts one’s relation to ultimate reality (the eternal Tao) and moving into one in harmony with that reality. 'Tao' refers both to the 'current' that underlies the universe ('The force that through the green fuse drives the flower...') and to the Path or Way to achieve harmony with it. Taoism and the Tao-te-ching, a work attributed to Lao-Tzu, are, in a way, manuals of how to train oneself (in part through meditation) to live intuitively, immersed in the Tao, letting go of the mental distractions and cravings that create dissonance with the world as it is and that thus cause dissatisfaction and suffering. In this medal, the moon, a bird, and a cat help guide Lao-Tzu up toward the Tao of peaceful mind. The medal was handmade at In the Co. of Saints in Covington, Louisiana." I design, carve, and cast the medals myself (see last three photos for part of the proces