The Power of Yin

The TAO says:
“The softness and yielding of water overcomes the hardness and strength of stone”

TAOISM is a chinese philosophy which advocates simply the way and order of the Universe.
Through stillness and receptivity (feminine or yin) natural intuition guides us in knowing when to act and when not to act (masculine or yang).
‘The World is ruled by letting things take their natural course. It cannot be ruled by going against nature or arrogance.’

MAN’S MADE Vs NATURAL WORLD

We live in a world dominated by control, man-made law, armies, hierarchical organizations, physical strength or brute force (when necessary), imposition of the many over the few, competition, fear of lack or not having enough (I will take before others take from me).

And the world is in, to put it bluntly, in its lasts legs.

But if we watch nature, we observe that things have a synchronistic rhythm where all living beings seem to know, respect and, therefore, fit in.

In man’s made world there is struggle.
In nature there is harmony.

In man’s made world there is force.
In nature there is flow.

In man’s made world there is rush to finish the trip.
In nature things have a cycle and nothing is rushed, but follows its inner blueprint for growth.

In man’s made world there is thinking.
In nature there is Universal intelligence, alignment of energies and easiness of completion.

Man’s made world is creating scarcity of resources, overpopulation and separation from the natural world. It doesn’t adapt to change but enforces outmoded patterns until force majeure enforces change. It changes very slowly and, sometimes, entire civilizations don’t survive.

The natural world renews itself and it is always sustainable. It is adaptable to the changes as they manifest. It has an inbuilt fast response mechanism or survival.

WHY DON’T WE FOLLOW WHAT IS SO OBVIOUS?

We all know this. We are aware of this. We may see in in the TV and press and think this is not happening to me but deep inside we know that when it does happen, we will be as vulnerable as everyone else. Think of the times when there is a petrol scare and the mayhem that takes place by everyone trying to stockpile food and clogging petrol stations… our whole society comes to its knees in just a couple of days.

So do we think that ignorance is bliss?

Are we aware that, as the Native Americans put it, our actions affect the next 7 generations? What of our children, and the children of our children?

Why do we persist in, literally, digging our own grave?

YIN - YANG
The I-Ching is the greatest foundation of Chinese philosophy.
It’s development is from the natural phenomena of our universe.
The second character means a book, a profound book. The first character means ease or change: the I-Ching is called "The Book of Changes".

The light color area which indicates more sunlight is called Yang (Sun). The dark color area has less sunlight (more moonlight) and is called Yin (Moon).

Yang is like man. Yin is like woman.
Yang wouldn't grow without Yin. Yin couldn't give birth without Yang.

MY CONCLUSIONS

I believe that the whole issue here is a lack of balance. We have become predators by using male characteristics, such as force and gathering (if not hoarding). Competition: we bloat on our success, which normally means someone else’s loss. We are overcome by Yang.

But if we take the approach of the feminine, we will nurture and share instead of take. We will activate the normally dormant infinite intuitive intelligence of the universe that is in each one of us. We will align ourselves to the cycles of nature and cooperate, rather than raid and bare, with nature.

We believe in taking action (yang), yet, sometimes, keeping still (yin) and waiting for the right time would be more beneficial: the action would be more accurate, less frenetic, less hysterical. Action for the sake of action is no better than inaction.

We may feel that the stone is stronger so we have adopted a male approach. But if we look deeper, we will find fear as a base of our attitude and choices: we don’t like what is different from us, we feel threatened, and we resist change, which is the natural way. Until acceptance and compassion become the basis of our choices and attitudes, we will continue the way we are.

Because everything in Nature seeks balance, the pendulum must come back from the yang to the centre and follow its momentum to the opposite extreme, the yin.

And since we have pushed the pendulum to its maximum stretch, the swing will be dramatic, chaotic. Nature will take law in its own hands and the earth will survive, with or without us, like it has done countless times before.

But we have a choice.

My appeal to the audience is not to ask to take specific steps. I appeal each individual to no more, no less than a change of heart.

To align ourselves with our inner truth;
To find the meaning of our existence here by opening a path and listening to our intuition;
To find the passion hidden in our heart;
To feel the world rather than think the world.

Then, allow this passion to lead us towards a destiny of authority and meaning, helping to save what we can of our way of life, creating and make the shift to that inner peace we are so desperate to find.

The choice is ours. We can continue this way or we can decide to change, one at a time.

When we become like water, soft, malleable and flowing rather than the stone, hard, unchanging and heavy, we will have understood THE POWER OF YIN.