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Yin and Yang: A Primer
For a moment try to imagine that everything in the world is the same — not just the same size or shape or color, but completely undifferentiated oneness. The Chinese call this state the original Tao (pronounced dow). We also find this concept in the Bible. Genesis tells us, "In the beginning...the world was void and without form." But before long God created light out of the darkness and the earth out of space and dry land out of the waters. That's one version of how yin and yang got started. In Chinese philosophy, out of the Tao came yin and yang, the original pair of complementary opposites from which everything else is created.
It has been said, "There is nothing constant but change." Likewise, yin and yang are not static; they constantly changing. The young becomes the old, the night becomes the day, the seasons cycle, and so on. The yin/yang symbol is a visual representation of this concept. The symbol consists of a circle that represents the universe. Inside of the circle are two shapes, one white and one black. These shapes are dynamic rather than static. They are like fish, swimming, moving, merging, evolving into each other. Within each shape is also a little of its opposite to symbolize that nothing is pure yin or pure yang. Nothing is completely homogenous. One cannot exist without the other. Even though they are opposites, each contains a little bit of the other. In all yin is a little yang and vice versa. Diversity exists on all levels.
We find that yin and yang are relative terms. They derive their meaning in context with each other. This is particularly true in terms of the human body. For example, the inside is yin, and the outside is yang. The front of the body is yin, and the back is yang. The lower part is yin, while the upper is yang. Feet are therefore yin compared to the head, but the tops of the feet are yang compared to the soles. So we can see that what is yin in one situation can be yang in another, and it is the relationship between two things that determines which is yin and which is yang.
This "theory of relativity" is often hard for Westerners to grasp, because we are generally taught that things are absolute. We are familiar with the expression, "East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet," but this does not take into consideration the relativity of position. North, east, south and west are relative depending on where you stand on this round planet. To use another cliché: "One man's ceiling is another man's floor." To see things more accurately we must view them in the context of their surroundings. The parts must be seen in relation to the whole.
Another example of the interconnectedness of yin and yang is the male–female dichotomy. Men are considered to be more yang, while women are more yin. Yet Western science shows that all men have some estrogen (female hormone) in their bodies, while all women have some testosterone (male hormone) in their bodies. Men can be gentle and nurturing, and women can be strong and powerful. We are each made up of a unique mixture of both yin and yang qualities, which is fortunate, because when yin and yang separate, life ends and we die.
So there in a nutshell is yin and yang. I tried to keep the basic concept simple while showing how complex the whole theory can get. Please tune in next month for more about yin and yang, Chinese medicine and your health.
© 2003–2008 Larry Forsberg. All rights reserved.
Articles posted on this Web site are for personal use only and remain the property of Larry Forsberg, L.Ac.
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