act decisively by actively
being still and appearing
to do no thing

hear what others will not hear
taste what others will not taste
touch what others will not touch
smell what others will not smell
feel what others will not feel
think what others will not think

reach into the small and make it large
touch the multitudes and with a turn of your wrist
make them few

know the virtue of turning your palm
from covering the earth
to supporting the heavens
and those things that are wrong within and without
will be righted

attend the moment
at the moment
do not wait until the task is half over

being one degree askew in the beginning
results in missing your destination altogether
and no matter how well planned a journey is
there will always be a need for course corrections

in fact
sage wise men will not even think about a destination

before their journey
begins
they have already
arrived

if you make a promise to yourself
keep it

not going to your heart spirit
forces it to come to you
in disorder
that disturbs the bodymind
crippling it to living

approach everything with respect for the magic
inside of it
adhering to the terms of each encounter
so life will unfold
easily

—Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching; An authentic Taoist translation. translated by John Bright-Fey

Taoist alchemy is action through inaction; it is the change of that which is outside through a transformation of what is within; it is the transmutation of meaning and significance of a substance, a person, or a situation via the transmutation of perception and attitude. And to attain to this seeming magic, one must be willing to venture into the depths.

In sterquilinis invenitur: in the filth it will be found.

Openness to the truth about ourselves and about existence as human being requires that we voluntarily experience the terrors, horrors, injustices, and sufferings intrinsic to being itself. These are things, feelings, and places where few people are willing to tread. However, these are the very places where preconceptions are melted down—made available for reconstruction. It is akin to taking responsibility nobly. It is the internal act which turns a task, a burden, a job, a hateful career into a meaningful calling, a purpose, a reason for being.

The opportunity to adopt this transformative attitude comes in each and every moment, and in each of those moments, failure to do so is like a slight error in trajectory. One may not notice it at first, but he will soon find himself wildly off course. His life will start to unfold against his desires. Eventually, if one refuses to course correct, he will come to be averse to life itself. Better to pause in the moment—in each moment—and start with action within. Every action is a chance to course correct, and every course correction moves one toward his ultimate direction.

Direction—not destination. One who has attained and who maintains this magic is always in the midst of his arrival. He has arrived at the Tao way of life, the Tao itself. He has looked inward, introspected, and communed with his heart spirit (i.e. his unconscious). He has learned to transmute the external reality by transforming his conscious will, his own desires and aversions, his attitude. Life unfolds, and he takes joy in it.

Lao-tzu. “Chapter Sixty-Three”. Tao Te Ching; An Authentic Taoist Translation, translated by John Bright-Fey, Sweetwater Press, 2014. pp.121-22