Today we talk about the Yin Yang symbol, probably the most famous and recognized, we will see its spiritual meaning and what message for the soul does it bring.
Table of Contents
Definition of the Yin Yang symbol:
The principle of the Yin Yang symbol is that all things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites such as male-female, light – darkness, old-young.
This principle, dating back to the 3rd century BC or even earlier, is a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy and culture in general.
The two opposites of the Yin Yang symbol attract and complement each other and, as their symbol illustrates, each face has in the center an element of the other (represented by small dots). Neither of the two poles is superior to the other and, since an increase of one leads to a corresponding decrease in the other, it is necessary to achieve a correct balance between the two poles to achieve harmony.
The origins of the Yin Yang symbol:
The concept of Yin and Yang became popular thanks to the work of the Chinese school of Yinyang who studied philosophy and cosmology in the 3rd century BC.
The first supporter of the theory was the cosmologist Zou Yan (or Tsou Yen) who believed that life went through five phases (wu xing) – fire, water, metal, wood, earth – which were continually exchanged according to the principle of Yin and Yang.
Hence the theory of 5 elements, the cornerstone of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
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What does Yin represent?
Yin is:
- female
- black
- dark
- north
- water (transformation)
- passive
- moon (weakness and goddess Changxi)
- land
- cold
- old
- even numbers
- valleys
- poor
- soft
- and provides spirit to all things.
Yin reaches its maximum influence with the winter solstice. Yin can also be represented by the tiger, the orange color and a broken line in the trigrams of the I Ching (or Book of Changes).
What does Yang represent?
Yang is:
- male
- white
- light
- south
- fire (creativity)
- active
- sun (force and the god Xihe)
- paradise
- hot
- young
- odd numbers
- mountains
- rich
- difficult
- and gives form to all things.
Yang reaches its maximum influence with the summer solstice. Yang can also be represented by the dragon, blue in color and a continuous line trigram.
The Yin Yang symbol in mythology and religion:
In Chinese mythology, Yin and Yang were born of chaos when the Universe was first created and believed to exist in harmony at the center of the Earth.
During creation, achieving their perfect balance in the cosmic egg allowed the birth of Pangu (or P’an Ku), the first human being. Furthermore, the first gods of Fuxi, Nuwa, and Shennong were born from Yin and Yang.
In Chinese religion, Taoists favor Yin, while Confucianists favor Yang in line with the main objective of their respective philosophies. Taoists emphasize seclusion while Confucians believe in the importance of involvement in life.
As expressed in I-Ching:
The constantly evolving relationship between the two poles is responsible for the constant flow of the universe and life in general.
When there is too great an imbalance between Yin Yang, catastrophes such as floods, droughts and plagues can occur.
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The Message for the Soul and Spiritual Meaning of Yin and Yang:
We could summarize the spiritual meaning and the message for the soul of the Yin Yang symbol with these words:
All limitations vanish.
The Yin Yang symbol teaches us that in life all that we encounter is not just light or just darkness. Each side has its own legitimacy and it is good to do so.
In other words: your inner yin and yang need each other!
When the components are in balance within you, this state will be reflected outside you, living the world in harmony.
Is it possible to use the Yin Yang symbol to favor this balance? The answer is yes.
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