tao tea, talking nonsense about tao: star anise and verbena leaves.  you are on a journey, we always are. you meet a friend [or he meets you]. you haven't seen each other in ages and you'd like to have a chat together. nearby there's a café: the tao tea. you get in and you sit on the floor, on two comfortable cushions; you let the inebriating smell of that magic place embrace you. your friend tries to wake you up from this relaxing moment as he wants to talk about some considerations he made long ago, concerning the insubstantiality of the tao. it sounds appealing to you, so you order a tea and get ready to listen to what your friend has to say. once the tea is over you will both go back to your own journeys, as this is what we do in each and every moment: we are on a journey [in the tao]. that's what i'm going to offer you in this e-book: a chat between friends, in front of a cup of tea. if you think you don't have time, or if you don't feel like spending money to sip some tea together, then don't stop! wave your hand to your friend from a distance and go on with your journey, as the thoughts written in this e-book are already present inside all of us [you just need some time to listen to them]. when you meet your chatty friend again you might be in a different mood and you might stop and want to hear what he has to say; or maybe not. in any case, have a good journey!