Thursday, January 16, 2014

Yin and Yang

Yin Yang has always had an appeal to me, from the symbol to the principle behind the symbol. I love the idea that within one lies the other and visa versa. Such a truism of life. Rarely is anything purely dark or light, evil or good, passive or aggressive. Also, the idea that the line is not straight, but that it is fluid and flows into the other speaks to me, as well. Little did I know that the symbol came about by the observations of the night sky.

I stumbled upon this article on the origins of the symbol "Where does the Chinese Yin Yang Symbol Come From?" (fitting title, no?) The symbol is the byproduct of the natural world, the universe. The Chinese character is that of the sun over the moon, the universe. The above article goes into more detail about how it is represented by the night sky and how the ancient Chinese mapped out the cycles.

To look deeper into the history and philosophy of Yin Yang, I found this article from Sacred Lotus to be helpful. "The Philosophy of Yin and Yang". It shows more than just the opposites, but how they move back and forth with each other. Not only their solitary meanings, but their interdependence. How they move back and forth morphing one way, then back to the other.

The 64 characters of the I-Ching, Book of Changes, are the many faces of yin and yang and how they can work to aid us in how we interact with the world around us. The ancients used these changes in every aspect of life. If there is an interest in this for you, I urge you to investigate further.

LINKS
Where does the Chinese Yin Yang Symbol Come From?
The Philosophy of Yin and Yang

The heart of the human being is no different from the soul of heaven and earth.  In your practice always keep in your thoughts the interaction of heaven and earth, water and fire, yin and yang. ~Morihei Ueshiba
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)