Progress: Lesson 7 / 10

Cultivating the Tao (修道)

Imagine the Tao as a farm. Cultivating the Tao means helping that farm grow, improving it, and making it more productive for the future. The more time, effort, and heart you put into this farm, the more it will return to you. A farmer upgrades his tools, learns new techniques, and adopts new methods so the farm can produce better crops. A Taoist cultivates the Tao in the same way — always learning, improving, adjusting, and advancing.

Bringing the Tao Into Your Life

Cultivating the Tao means bringing the Tao closer to you by embracing it, using it, and consuming it. You apply its teachings, its power, and its knowledge into your daily life.
Not just on Sundays.
Not once in a while.
Every day, in everything.

If you do not know how to use the Tao in your life, or cannot think of any examples, then the question is simple:
Why have you not asked?
That is your responsibility.

What Are You Actually Cultivating?

Remember: learning Taoism is not about cultural arts, history, tai chi, tea, or herbs. Taoism is a religion. It is about the divine side — the gods, the spiritual forces, the unseen world, and the powers that flow from your sect’s source.

When we talk about cultivating the Tao, the real question is:
How much of the Tao’s power have you brought into yourself?

Your knowledge — what you know about the sect — is one thing.
But the true fruit is your ability to receive divine power, communicate with the gods, and deploy that power into real situations in life.

Your ability to call on the Tao’s help, to channel in the divine forces, and to use Taoist magic effectively — that is the core of cultivation.

Don’t Waste Your Years Inside a Sect

If a Taoist spends years inside a sect but still cannot channel the divine power of their lineage, then they have wasted their time.
It is like standing in the kitchen for ten years and still not knowing how to cook.

Taoism is not about exercise routines, herbal lore, or reading ancient history.
It is a spiritual path that gives you direct connection with your sect’s gods and deities. Taoist magic is the interface — it is how you communicate with the divine, channel power, and deploy help for yourself and others.

Knowing the theory is the appetizer.
Being able to actually channel and use the power — that is the main dish. That is the fruit you are cultivating.

Do not become a disciple who stays in a sect for a lifetime and ends up as nothing more than decoration during public ceremonies.

A Lifelong Journey With the Divine

Cultivating the Tao is lifelong. It is about your ongoing relationship and interaction with the divine powers connected to your sect.

If your master has not yet guided you into this subject — the real spiritual core — then perhaps, in their heart, you are not yet a true disciple. You might still be treated as an “outer-door student,” similar to a summer-camp visitor.

To cultivate the Tao, you must step deep into the relationship with your gods, your master, and your lineage.