Yin Yang
Yang is the white side with the black dot on it, and yin is
the black side with the white dot on it.
In Asian and Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin yang,
which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", literally
meaning "dark and light". It
is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are
interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise
to each other in turn. Opposites thus only exist in relation to each other. The
concept lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and
philosophy. Many natural forces, for
example dark and light, female and male, low and high, cold and hot, water and
fire, earth and air—are thought of as manifestations of yin and yang
(respectively).
Yin yang are not opposing forces, but complementary
opposites, unseen (hidden, feminine) and seen (manifest, masculine), that
interact within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. Everything has
both yin and yang aspects as light cannot exist without darkness and
vice-versa, but either of these aspects may manifest more strongly in
particular objects, and may ebb or flow over time .
Yin and yang are always opposite and equal qualities. Whenever
one quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to transform into the
opposite quality: for example, grain that reaches its full height in summer
(fully yang) will produce seeds and die back in winter (fully yin) in an
endless cycle.
It is impossible to talk about yin or yang without some
reference to the opposite, since yin and yang are bound together as parts of a
mutual whole (e.g. you cannot have the back of a hand without the front). A way
to illustrate this idea is to postulate the notion of a race with only men or
only women; this race would disappear in a single generation. Yet, men and
women together create new generations that allow the race they mutually create
(and mutually come from) to survive. The interaction of the two gives birth to
things.
Yin is characterized as slow, soft, yielding, diffuse, cold,
wet, and passive; and is associated with water, earth, the moon, femininity and
nighttime.
Yang, by contrast, is fast, hard, solid, focused, hot, dry,
and aggressive; and is associated with fire, sky, the sun, masculinity and
daytime.
Adapted from Wikipedia.
Some of our jewellery featuring Yin Yang:
