Feng Shui - The Balance of Ying and Yang

Feng Shui. Yin and Yang. You may well heard of the two all the time and yet not put together - well at least not completely and fully. How does it all work? These Ying and Yang concepts along with and together with the concepts and practice of Feng Shui?

"Yin" can be said to be the "Way of the Earth" itself. Just like the earth and nature's cycles Ying contracts and condenses, in an almost endless cycle and twist. Yin represents the passive principle and principles as found in nature itself exhibited and detailed by darkness, cold and wetness. On a human level it can be said that Yin symbolizes femininity and inertia. Yet it may seem, on the surface, that Yin's dark qualities can be said to somehow express a darker viewpoint as well as viewpoints of the Chinese views of women themselves. This is simply not so and should be emphasized in a most emphatic manner/ Even though Yin's associated traits may not appear desirable they are not directed at any one person or even group and grouping. In its simplicity Yen is most desirable and wanted. Yin is the essence of quietness, in-wardness and retrospection. In previous traditional Chinese cultures women generally stayed at home and inside their dwelling and dwelling spaces.

On the other side of the fence, or of the tracks, Yang can be seen as the masculine side of the equation. While on a human level Yang is often expressed and exhibited as masculinity as well as the most positive side of emotions. Yang is often referred to as both the ways and means to heaven. Yang can be said to represent the land of the living whereas Yin may represent the land of the deceased and departed. Yang also contains an aspect of its counterpart giving credence and credibility to the phrase "What goes up must go down " and "What comes around goes around" and finally "Sun up , Sun down".

The point of this all - is the question of balance and balance in our lives. If we lack balance our lives will be in the fruitless. How many people get to the end of their lives only to realize either that all this consumerism and one up-manship of goods and possessions that they were perusing means very little at all. On the other hand one may realize that all their devotion at work, at the behest of angry and demanding bosses resulted in a lifestyle that left little time and energy for their families and their true dreams. In essence they were busy at work building their someone else's dreams rather than their own.

Feng Shui is all about balance - whether at home furnishings, their arrangement and decoration and also most importantly in our own lives. The talji symbol illustrates and demonstrates the eternal interaction between the two forces of Ying and Yang. Eternally and constantly just like flipping two sides of a coin - Ying and Yang are in a constant struggle indeed battle. Yet Yin and Yang are interwoven. They can never be separated just as the two sides of a coin can not be split or removed. One side of the coin is no better than the other side - they are just two different sides of the object that indeed compliment each other.

So is it with Yin and Yang and the personal challenges and struggle in our lives. Our lives must be in balance just like the Ying and Yang forces of our own Feng Shui. Feng Shui!

Autor: Morris E. Brown

Morris E. Brown
Extended Stay Winnipeg
Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

Added: February 28, 2009
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/