Looked at, but cannot be seen –
   That is called the Invisible (yi).
Listened to, but cannot be heard –
   That is called the Inaudible (hsi).
Grasped at, but cannot be touched –
   That is called the Intangible (wei).
These three elude our inquiries.
And hence blend and become One. (Tao Te Ching chapter 14, Lin Yu Tang trans.)

Everything in the universe is within the Tao. The Tao is like a river moving through everything. Yet, as Lao Tzu said, it is elusive, hidden.

Most people who are on the path to knowledge begin with a feeling. They know something is out there, but they don’t know what. When they find a teacher, the feeling becomes an understanding.

The student then has an intellectual awareness of the Tao but lacks the actual knowledge of the Tao, which can only be experienced.

The Tao can be experienced in meditation. But we also experience it in everyday life. It is all around us.

To use it, you must accept that it exists and that you can use it. Then, it is a simple matter to focus on what you need or want and visualize it. Keep the image of what you want in your mind, and the Tao will deliver it. It’s that simple. But you have to know that it will work.

Now, what the Tao delivers may be different from what you imagined. But, it will be what you need at that moment. The first lesson is that what you need may not be what you want. You can direct the Tao to bring you what you need, but it controls the form that it comes in.

Unlike a belief system, no faith is required. You use it once you are attuned to the Tao, and it works.

As I said, you will learn that what you need is not necessarily what you want. Also, it may not come when you expect it. Never get upset over this. Be open to what comes your way because it is important. It may take time to get things into position and to get people where they need to be.

When you live in harmony with the Tao, the things you need will come to you more quickly than when you work against it. If the Tao brings you a lesson you don’t get, it will patiently wait for you to realize what it says. Once you get it, things will ease up, and your life will improve.