Yin and Yang: Darkness into Light

“The dance between darkness and light will always remain – the stars and the moon will always need the darkness to be seen, the darkness will just not be worth having without the moon and the stars.” ― C. JoyBell C.

I’ve always been intrigued by the Chinese Symbol for Yin and Yang, the black and white circle divided into two teardrop shaped halves, each containing a smaller circle of the opposite color. This simple symbol is so profound and expresses so much – balance, flow, transformation, and the opposing forces of nature that make up almost everything!

Yin and yang elements are expressed in pairs: the moon and the sun, female and male, darkness and light, hot and cold, good and evil. The elements stay in balance and are not static or separate, instead they are complimentary and relative to one another because they come from a common source. Just like the yin and yang symbol itself, the nature of yin and yang lies in the interchange and interplay of the two components – like night flows into day, the opposite forces in yin and yang flow into each other.

It is said that the nature of yin and yang was first recognized by Fu Shi some eight thousand years ago. He developed the principles of yin and yang, which provide an explanation of the laws of nature that govern the universe. According to his principles, the actions of yin and yang apply to every facet of life and are expressions of everything that exists in our universe.

Lao Tzu, the Taoist sage, tells us that one polarity cannot exist without the other. If there is no “light”, there is no “dark”, no “up” without a “down”. He writes, “Under heaven all can see beauty as beauty only because there is ugliness. All can know good as good only because there is evil.”  He asks: “Is there a difference between yes and no?” “Is there a difference between good and evil?”

Meditate on Lao Tzu’s words for a few minutes and you will see how understanding and embracing the concept of yin and yang allows you to suspend judgment on any one component as you realize that the forces in your life are in a constant state of change, and that they balance and flow exactly as they are meant to.

We can deal much more effectively with past traumas and current problems by visualizing them as naturally flowing (like night flows into day) and becoming their opposites. What if we accept the negative events in our life as a pathway to growth and enlightenment? How much more gracefully can we accept challenges if we know that experiencing them will help us to recognize and appreciate the better times that will come if we just allow them to?

Try these techniques to shift the negative elements that you see over to the positive:

Acceptance – accept your past mistakes, traumas and misfortunes and realize that they have made you the person who you are today, and have given you the strength and experience that you need to create a better life for yourself.

Wisdom – take advantage of the opportunity to learn from negative experiences so that you don’t repeat them. Be aware of your decisions and take responsibility for your actions – it will take you a long way toward higher consciousness!

Gratitude – look for the light and appreciate it, and in bad times, know that experiencing the darkness will make you value the light even more.

Attraction – be positive and open to the laws of the universe, picture the dynamic, flowing symbol of yin and yang, and have faith that the dark times will cycle into the light!

There are so many things that we deal with every day in our own lives and in the world around us that are dark and difficult. There are times when it’s hard to imagine that the world will change and life will get easier. Using the techniques above will help manifest the change that you want to see in your life and the world.

As a spiritual teacher, energy healer and life coach, I frequently recommend limiting exposure to the news, violent television shows and movies, and making sure to spend time meditating, talking to good friends, and exercising. These are just a few of many ways to keep the dark and the light in balance in you life!