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Volume 4, No. 1, January 2004
DARKNESS AND LIGHT: Perspectives on
the Yin Yang Symbol
Introduction
In the middle of winter, with the darkness of night longer than the light of day, our inner selves mirror the world outside and we are given to brooding over dark and sometimes negative thoughts.
While most of us are not happy when dark clouds of negative thoughts and moods cross - or even cover completely - the skies of our awareness, and some become downright cross or even seriously depressed, with a shift in focus the darkness can often be experienced as the good teacher it is, because darkness is necessary in order for us to appreciate light.
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Figure 1 
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This discussion will explore some of the balances in our lives that exemplify the contrasts of light and darkness, suggesting lessons we may learn from these apparent polarities.
The yin and yang touch upon surface awareness and reach into deeper levels of shadow (those parts of ourselves which we hide from the light of our conscious awareness) and into our collective consciousness.
The pairing and contrasting of the polarities of darkness and light has been a major theme in Chinese awareness, as illustrated by the classical symbol of yin and yang - which will be a focus for this discussion.
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Yin - yang contrasts can be identified in every aspect of our lives. Within the cosmology of Chinese medicine and acupuncture, Yin and yang are polar opposites that must be balanced in order for life to proceed in harmony. The term yin denotes the shady side of the slope and may be associated with qualities of femininity, openness, passivity, receptivity, introversion, diminution, repose, weakness and coolness. Yang is the sunny side of the slope and may be associated with the sun, masculinity, strength, brightness, assertiveness, movement, extroversion, growth and excitation.
In the body, the front is yin relative to the back; the upper portions of the body are yang relative to the lower parts; the inner organs are more yin than the outer aspects such as hair and skin. In matters of health, yang disorders are characterized by fever, hyperactivity, heat and strong movements; yin illnesses include weakness, slowing down, feeling cold and lethargy.
Yin and yang complement each other. If yin is excessive, then yang will be too weak, and conversely.
In Chinese cosmology, causality is unimportant. It is the pattern of relationships which defines reality and any part of reality is relative to the context which is under consideration.
I came to this discussion through the invitation of a friend and colleague to discuss at a conference the masculine within the feminine. In preparing for this presentation, I searched for a yin-yang symbol to illustrate my lecture, and was led to a world of discovery about darkness and light through the variations on the theme of the circle of yin and yang. I share parts of that ever-growing awareness here.
The balance of polar opposites in our awareness
Without darkness, we would not understand or appreciate light.
Full editorial in International Journal of Healing and Caring - On line,
January, 2004, Volume 4, No. 1
You may quote from or reproduce these editorial clips if you include the following credits and email contact:
Copyright © Daniel J. Benor, M.D. 2004 Reprinted with permission of the author P.O. Box 76 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 www.WholisticHealingResearch.com DB@WholisticHealingResearch.com
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