Feng Shui Friday – Yin and Yang

I hear lots of people refer to yin and yang these days, which is awesome! This means that the concept of these opposite and complimentary forces of the universe is becoming well known and something that people are resonating with. Yay! But what does it really mean?

Anything can be considered yin or yang depending on what you are comparing it to. For example, a flower is considered yang compared to a blade of grass and yin compared to a tree. Sometimes the definition yin or yang has got to do with size, but not always. There are also objects, feelings and actions that are generally considered yin or yang in nature. The moon is yin while the sun is yang for example. Here’s a short list with some more examples:

YANG:
– sun
– day
– masculine
– warm
– light
– active

YIN:
– moon
– night
– feminine
– cold
– dark
– passive

The concept of yin and yang comes from the Tao and it describes the law of unity of opposites, put simply, how opposites really only can exist in relation to each other. So in a way you can say that up creates down, high creates low, dark creates light and yin creates yang, and vice versa.

The qualities of yin and yang are complementary and they interact with each other within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system. The yin and yang qualities can be stronger within specific objects and they often change over time.

Certain rooms of your house will have yang energy, while others are more yin. Generally speaking this comes down to the activities you do in these rooms and how often you spend time there. Your bedroom for example is yin as you sleep in there, while your living room often is yang as you spend your time there participating in different activities.

How can this knowledge benefit you? The main thing I would recommend is to look at the way you are utilising the rooms and spaces in your home, what do you want them to be? Active or relaxing? Then furnish and decorate according to the use of the space. Bright, uplifting colours in your office and living room. Calm, soothing colours in your bedroom or meditation nook.

You can change your mood and state of mind with colours and light, the brighter the light and colours, the more yang the energy and the more active you will feel in this space. The more soothing the colours and the more dimmed the lights, the more yin the energy and the calmer you will feel in this space.

Put this to practice and see how it works for you! Feel free to post and met me know how you go, I’d love to hear about it!

Happy Feng Shui Friday!