A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO YIN & YANG

Fundamental to all the different schools of Feng Shui is the expression of Yin & Yang. It is easy to segregate these terms and regard them as either complex, esoterical or purely oriental in terms of their meaning. All Yin & Yang is expressing is:

1. The unity of all phenomena

2. The dynamics of change

Once you get the hang of the basic energetic qualities of Yin & Yang, you can begin to apply descriptions or distinctions of all facets of our life in terms of Yin & Yang. It is rather like wearing magic spectacles - your Yin/Yang glasses! Although the terminology sounds oriental, which it is, the basic principles are universal and have been expressed by other cultures over hundreds and thousands of years without specifically mentioning Yin & Yang.

The concept of unity is well summarised in the following principle: "all phenomena are manifestations of one infinity". In other words, everything in our environment and in our universe has come from one source. Yin & Yang do not describe specific items or details - simply tendencies. The western mind would perhaps like to categorise their surroundings, their actions, their food into neat columns of Yin & Yang. It does not work that way, they are qualities that interact and are interrelated.

The Taoist symbol simplifies the relationship of Yin & Yang. The circle reflects unity - "all phenomena are the manifestation of one infinity" - the shaded section could represent the darker Yin energy whereas the white section represents the lighter, brighter Yang energy. Within each section there is a small portion of its opposite. This emphasises the principle that nothing is totally Yin and nothing is totally Yang - there has to be a small amount of the opposite present to give it some dynamism.

Yin has traditionally been associated with the Earth and our environment. Its qualities represent the winter, the cold, the dark, stillness and water. Yang, on the other hand, represents Heaven, infinity or the cosmos. Yang's nature is warm, well lit, bright, fiery, active, moving and living.

The early interpretation of Yin and Yang in Feng Shui would undoubtedly be in the Form School where Yin represented the cold, darker, shady, north facing side of a hill whereas Yang represented the warmer, brighter, well lit, sunnier south facing slope. The stillness and cold that Yin represents is more associated with the spiritual world, with death and consequently grave sites. Yang, with its symbolism of activity, warmth and heat, is more associated with the living - dwellings, homes or palaces.

In modern Feng Shui, Yin & Yang can provide us with a useful starting point when we look at our home or office from a fresh perspective. What are the comparisons that can be made between these two environments? Basically, a home is where we restore our energy, recharge ourselves, rest and need to feel protected. On this level, we could consider the home relatively more Yin than the office space which needs to be active, bright and highly charged for our work to be effective. Therefore, from a Yin/Yang perspective, we need to bring qualities of Yin into our home that can create a restful, re-charging environment which feels protective at the same time. On the other hand, an office which has plenty of Yin colours, Yin furnishings or Yin lighting is more likely to dampen down the charge of Yang that we are more likely to need in this environment for our work to be successful. With this argument in mind, here are a few Yin/Yang based Feng Shui tips:

For the Home

1. Bring good quality Yin into your home environment. This could mean, relaxing and warm décor, soft furnishings, warmth, relaxing music.

2. Your bedroom. This is where we receive the ultimate Yin charge - our sleep.
All the above qualities need to be considered in this space and it is best to avoid bringing too much Yang into this environment - TV, fax machine, computer, office work.

The Office

Here you want to bring in and emphasise a little more of the Yang charge. Like with good use of Yin/Yang thinking, there needs to be some subtle use of Yin within the space as well. However, here are some major points to consider:

1. Make sure that your entrance, logo, name plate is brightly visible.

2. Lighting - this wants to be bright (Yang). Furniture - this is best if it is functional, stable and well designed. While it is important to feel comfortable in the office, you would not want to have soft, deep, laid back sofas to work from while you are trying to actively engage your brain!
Other Yin/Yang considerations about your home could be whether your home is rural (more Yin) or urban (relatively more Yang). Is is an old, period property (more Yin) or a modern home or office (Yang). Consider who is living in the space - elderly people need a more Yin, retiring, relaxing environment which is quieter and for many, often dimly lit. On the other hand, a home with young children who have plenty of Yang energy and they are active and growing (Yang) ideally needs a bright space that matches their charge. These Yang, young active souls also need the opposite - space (Yin) whereas elderly members of the community need to have their own routine, their own space, privacy and protection (Yang).