Yin and Yang

Our civilization is longing, without knowing it, to return to the roots, to the being dimension.

Eckhart Tolle

Are you familiar with this symbol?:

It is a Taoist symbol that shows the interconnections and inter-being between all things we seem to label as "opposites".  In Buddhist terms it would, I suppose, represent the idea of equanimity. 

Balance Between Yin and Yang

Yin is the black section representing the feminine energy  of  darkness/night and the freezing tendency of heaven/space . Yang is the white section representing the masculine energies and boiling tendencies of earth.  Both are equal in their distribution in this circle, meaning one does not have more space or more importance than the other. For this to be a true Yin/Yang distribution of Chi, they must  exist in balance and harmony.  

Predominate but not Completely Yin or Yang

In the white section there is a black dot; in the black section there is a white dot, indicating the presence of feminine energy in the masculine, and masculine energy in the feminine.  Though Yin is predominately dark and chilly in its heaven like nature, there is still the light and warmth of earth in its nature. It has some grounding, some solidity.  Though Yang is predominately light and warm in its earthiness, there is still the darkness and airiness of heaven in its nature. It has some connection with the ethereal. 

Interdependence

Without Yin, there would be no Yang.  Without Yang, there would be no Yin. Their existence depends upon the other. Without darkness, there wold be no light.  Without cold, there would be no heat. Without heaven, there would be no earth .  Without feminine, there would be no masculine. 

The Human Yin and Yang

When I look at this circle I sense that the black Yin represents the invisible and formless realm of our existence, our "spiritual" nature. The "being" part of a human being. When I look at Yang I sense the matter and form that makes up our existence, the "human" part of a human being. Eckhart Tolle, in the video below,  tells us  that the Yin could represent  our being tendency and  Yang , our doing tendency.

There are very, very few people in the world who are completely balanced between the "human" and the "being". 

Hmmm!  If that were the case where do you see yourself aligning at this time in your life?  Are you more Yang?   Are you more grounded to earth, dependent on science and matter,  determining what is real by that which can be observed with the five senses?   Are you a doer and a thinker? Well if you are, you are very normal.  Most of us in today's society are leaning heavily toward the Yang. 

Or are you more Yin? Are you finding that you just might not fit in as well as you used to or that you never really fit in at all because your natural tendency is to be rather than do?  Do you feel a strong connection with heaven, silence, stillness...all that which cannot be seen or picked up by the five senses? Are you more "creative" than "productive"? More "intuitive" than "analytical"?

Now, in true Yin-Yang harmony in the natural world...neither is better or more powerful than the other.  Both are also intricate parts of the experience of being a "human being".  Instead of denying or competing with the other version, just recognize it in yourself.  If you are a doer, a Yang dominated person, you still have a part of you that longs to just be. Do not ignore that black dot within you.  Honor that part of you. If you are a "be-er" or a Yin dominated person, you still have a part of you that needs to do. Honor that white dot. Honor and nurture the Yin-and the Yang in you.

The Disharmony in the Collective Circle 

There needs to be balance in this circle.  According to Tolle, there is a lack of balance in the collective circle of Yin-Yang.  Our culture and societies have conditioned us from very early a es to develop the Yang at the exclusion of the Yin.  We have become compulsive doers and thinkers and have forgotten our natural tendencies and desires to just be. We fail to look beyond form to the formless, beyond earth to heaven.  Our human circle is definitely out of balance.

We need more Yin...more Yin dominated people to step up so that others follow. Hmm!

I am, and have always been more Yin and I always felt guilty and out of the loop because I was not more Yang. I want to express my Yin-ness and at the same time recognize and honor that a smaller section of me is Yang. I want to "be" more than I "do"...but I do know I still have to do.  If I step up to the plate...maybe others like me will drop their false Yang natures and honor who they are to create a more harmonized collective circle.  

So, if it is harmony and balance that is required for the healthy flow of Chi, we need to redistribute the weight, by adding more Yin dominated humans to the collective circle. 

Hmm! Something to think about. 

All is well!

Eckhart Tolle (October, 2021) The Balance of Being and Doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j57b6TigGYM

Robin Wang/IEP (n.e.) YinYang (Yin-Yang) in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.https://iep.utm.edu/yinyang/