Robyn Lebron canon and its supplements describe such guidelines and present the ethical and communal principles of the Taoist religion A Taoist believes they should make all their decisions within the framework of the Tao, making sure their actions fit with the natural order of things Taoists thus what is required when an event crosses their path, but they what is required and nothing more Some Taoists believe that a Western concept of believing that we have a moral duty to intervene in life’s events is destructive to all involved They consider unnecessary involvement totally against the natural flow of life So, in theory at least, Taoists tend not to initiate action but wait for events to make action necessary and avoid letting their own desires and compulsions push them into doing things.31 A phrase from Taoism is to say an ordinary man can become immortal “if he does good 3,000 times and accomplishes 800 exploits” Of course the number is symbolic It requires people to good without making it known to others as the gods will know it naturally, much like the Christian principle expressed in Matthew 6:3-4, “ǡ ǡ Ǣ Ǥ ” 32 Fortune-telling, including astrology, I Ching, and other forms of divination have long been considered a traditional Taoist pursuit Mediumship is also widely encountered in some sects Talismans are magical drawings/calligraphies, which are used by some Taoist practitioners as forms of protection There are talismans for personal protection that the practitioner wears on their body; talismans posted over doorways to protect a room or entire building; and talismans that invoke specific powers All must be activated via the appropriate ceremony conducted by a Taoist priest Central to ceremonial forms of Taoist practice is the Taoist altar —the external representation of both Taoist cosmology and of the internal alchemical processes the practitioner undergoes on the path to immortality The specific arrangement of the altar varies from sect to sect and takes different forms also according to the particular ritual or ceremony The practice of offering incense, with a bow, to the Taoist altar is called As the incense burns, smoke rises and ashes fall