The Nature of Yin and Yang
One of the most common symbols of balance and harmony is the symbol of yin and yang (pronounced “in” and y-“ang”- rhymes with wrong.) The idea of yin and yang evolved in the early Han dynasty (207 B.C.E.- 9 C.E.), during a period of great upheaval in China. Lao Tzu ( born March 24, 604 B.C.E. in theory), author of the Tao Te Ching or the I-ching, created Taoism after prompting from a boarder official (likely, Guan Yin Zi) whom he encountered on his way out of Honan to retire in the mountains of the west after a long time of serving the government. At this urging, Lao Tzu settled temporarily in the mountain pass and wrote his great manuals to life, then was reportedly never seen again. According to Lao Tzu and his “manuals” for Taoism, the purpose of human life is to live life according to the Tao (rhymes with "cow"), which requires passivity, calm, non-striving (wu wei ), humility, and lack of planning- in essence to follow the currents of life without struggle. From this quiescent philosophy came the idea of “yin” and “yang”, a theory based on the understanding of the natural cyclical balance of life that follow the true way of nature or the “tao” (the “way”.)
The theory of yin and yang is based on the idea that everything in creation is made of a mixture of the polar opposites of “Qi” (also known as chi or energy) that have completely opposed qualities but cycle together and are part of the same whole. Each half is in perfect balance with the other and contains a “seed” portion of the other as one cannot exist without the other. Essentially, the flow of yin and yang elements is cyclical- when yin wanes, yang waxes and vice versa (as is seen in the spinning yin yang symbol at the top of the page, called the T’ai chi T’u.) In the same vein, when one ends, another begins, in a perpetual cycle. Each portion of the cycle, in both yin and yang, can be divided into 3 levels: low, middle and high energy, which allow us to grade the kind of energy we are dealing with and to see where it is at in it’s cycle (see figure 1.) Symbolically, the idea of yin and yang can represent the similarities and differences between male and female, physical and astral, magickal and mundane and the many other polar opposites of the world that cannot exist without each other as each has qualities of the other and depends on the opposite qualities the other possesses.
| Yin | Yang |
| Blue tones | Red tones |
| Night, Dark | Day, Light |
| Rain, Water, Cold | Sunshine, Fire, Heat |
| Winter, Autumn | Summer, Spring |
| Electrons | Protons |
| Gas | Solid |
| Odd Numbers | Even Numbers |
| The Moon | The Sun |
| Taurus, cancer, virgo, scorpio, capricorn, pisces | Aries, gemini ,leo, libra, sagittarius, aquarius |
| North, West | South, East |
| Right, Down | Left, Up |
| Intuition | Intellect |
| Passive, Static | Active, Dynamic |
| Contraction, Decreasing | Expansion, Increasing |
| Conservative, Traditional | Innovative, Reformative |
| Sour, piquant, peppery, astringent, softly acid, sweet | Salty, bitter, alkaline |
| Valley, River | Mountain, Desert |
| Fat | Thin |
| Curve | Straight Line |
| Soft | Hard |
| Solidifying | Dissolving |
| Psychological (Astral)World | Physical (Observable) World |
| Dragon | Tiger |
| Kidneys, Heart, Liver, Lungs | Bladder, Intestines, Skin |
Note: Both the color green and the state of liquid share properties of both yin and yang in near balance.
Understanding Yin and Yang
In order to properly understand the concepts of yin and yang, one must also understand the seven laws of yin and yang, as well as the twelve theorems.
The Seven Laws of Yin and Yang Energy
1. All that exists are different manifestations of the infinite oneness.
2. Nothing is static: everything changes.
3. All opposites are complementary.
4. No two things are absolutely equal.
5. To every front there is back.
6. The greater the front the greater the back.
7. Everything that begins must end.
The Twelve Theorems
The twelve theorems of yin and yang are complimentary to the 7 laws and help us to understand the nature of yin and yang as they apply to the world, the things around us and energy exchanges.
1. Yin & Yang are the two poles of the infinite.
2. Yin and Yang result from the Infinite movement of the Universe.
3. Yang is centrifugal; Yin is centripetal; Yin and Yang produce all energy and phenomena.
4. Yang attracts Yin and Yin attracts Yang.
5. Yang repels Yang and Yin repels Yin.
6. When Yin is empowered it attracts the Yang and vice-versa.
7. The force of attraction and repulsion between any two phenomena is proportional to the difference between the Yin and Yang constitution.
8. All phenomena are ephemeral because of the constant alternation of their components of Yin and Yang.
9. Nothing remains neutral; either Yin or Yang is dominant.
10. Nothing is purely Yin or Yang everything exists according to the laws of polarity.
11. Yin and Yang are relative: old Yin attracts young Yin and old Yang attracts young Yang.
12. All physical forms are Yin at center and Yang on the surface.
Figure 1 & 2: Yin and Yang as One
As seen in figure 1, when yang reaches it's lowest energy (more yin than yang) point, it cycles into the realm of mostly yin. Once mostly yin is reached, the energy rises to a summit and decreases again, the energy becoming mostly yang and beginning again as is seen in figure 2. Please picture figure 2 as a cyclical image, representing the continual cycle of yin and yang with no end.
Figure 3: The Coin Problem
Problem: How many sides are there to a coin?
Answer: There are two and an edge. One face is yin, the other is yang and the edge is like the qi holding them together. However, each face is part of the whole or the qi, and each face is merely a perception of the nature of the qi.
Figure 4: Lao Tzu Leaving Honan on a Water Buffalo
Note: The idea of yin and yang is a Taoist concept, not a pagan one, but is still functional within the pagan realm. I don’t advocate randomlyassimilating other religious and philosophical traditions into paganism as a whole but I do think that the idea of yin and yang is highly useful in paganism in that it explains how the world functions in a concise manner and speaks to the idea of magick and mundane, god and goddess, spiritual and physical.
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