The Eternal Dance of Madame Yin & Master Yang

In Feng Shui, balance – the harmonious interplay between opposite forces – is the key to creating happiness. These opposite forces are called Yin and Yang and they define the dual nature of our entire universe. The happiness you strive for – or currently enjoy – is inherent in the delightful “just right” balance between Yin and Yang extremes. You are continually defining your preferences and making adjustments to strike such a balance in your everyday life. Think of the difference between taking a nice warm shower versus a scalding or freezing one; sitting in a beautifully lit room versus one that is blindingly bright or pitch-dark; participating in a friendly conversation versus a stony silence or loud argument. Happiness thrives in the human-friendly conditions of harmony, comfort, pleasure, and beauty; conditions we enjoy when we know how to balance the Yin and Yang qualities of our lives.

Whether you are a woman or a man, you’ll find that both Yin and Yang qualities abound within and around you. They are not gender specific. The strongest, most masculine man in the world has qualities associated with the classically feminine Yin.When he’s a dad who likes to spend quality time with his kids; a lover who’s great in bed; or a craftsman who keeps his tools clean and organized, he’s revealing his Yin side. Likewise, the most delicate, feminine woman expresses her masculine Yang side in her fast-paced career, her ability to run ten errands at a time, and her industrious participation in a multitude of activities. So, the female and male, the beloved and lover, the goddess and god are forever intertwined within each of us, no matter what our sex or sexual persuasion. With this in mind, let’s breathe life into the world of Yin and Yang and explore how they manifest within us and around us.

Meet Madam Yin, the Queen of Serenity. She’s the keeper of your tranquility, the guardian of your daily rest, the mother of your intuition. Stillness in all its forms – meditation, daydreaming, lounging, and sleep – are all in her domain. Her leisurely pace invites you in and down, where you can fully receive all the subtle, sweet nuances that life has to offer. She’s the diva of the orderly care of things, knowing that order maintains peace of mind. Her magnetic presence resides in all that is calm and comfortable – the overstuffed reading chair; the bed laden with downy linens; the soft window-seat overlooking a shady garden; a sanctuary glowing in the candlelight; a leisurely bath. Her sensual nature is found in all the lovely touches that make a house a home: the bowl of juicy ripe fruit, the voluptuous bouquet of flowers, the simmering soup, plate of cookies, and the many other earthly pleasures that cause you to breathe in deeply and say “Ahhhhh, yes…”

Now Master Yang… he’s the King of Action. His nonstop pace moves you up and out, igniting your excitement and enthusiasm to go, go, go! He’s the wild initiator of speed and adventure, surging through life at a fast, often chaotic pace and always making haste. His dynamic movement animates all that is “on the wing” – the weekday morning rush in the kitchen; a rowdy celebration with friends; the quick-witted repartee with colleagues; the music that whirls you out of your seat; the many activities that can keep you up half the night. He’s expressed in all that’s bright and dramatic in a home – the huge dazzling mirror, an oversized crimson couch, a long slab of brightly polished stone across the mantle, and all the flashy, “bigger than life” things that make you exclaim, “Oh, Wow!”

Madam Yin, goddess of comfort, leisure, and sensuality, is quintessentially receptive to the sweet pleasures of life, charming you into savoring the moment. Master Yang, god of every kind of passion is pure potent vitality, awakening your lust for life with heat and intensity. You experience their romantic union when you are happily engaged in life, with just the right mix of delightful stimulation and deeply restorative leisure.

Oh, but how quickly they can lose their balance! All you need is to really be in a hurry and Master Yang exerts his force and takes over, pushing the calm and orderly Madam Yin aside. The more you make haste and crowd activities together, the faster he goes. Eventually, over exertion causes utter depletion and collapse. In the end, Master Yang is always forced to return to Madam Yin. But a frantically paced without her jaunt isn’t a very pleasant one. Happiness comes when they share the daily journey through life together as intimate partners.

Coming Back To Our Senses

The primary imbalance found in our Western population today has to do with the glorification of Master Yang.  By and large, he rules the Western lifestyle and lords over Madam Yin, impatiently dismissing her common sense cues to relax and slow down. Evidence of this can be seen in the huge popularity of coffee, cola, and other “speedy” caffeine drinks; long demanding school and work-weeks; short vacations packed with activities; the predominance of fast food restaurants; and the passion for action movies, electronics, sports, and big, fast cars. In the extreme, Yang conditions are evident in communities of people who are too busy to know their neighbors, feel entitled to instant gratification, are aggressive, and disregard others in their perpetual haste.

The domination of Master Yang is understandable. Any historical account includes the lament of how long it took to travel, distribute goods, and send and receive communications. Centuries have been ruled by the slow earthiness of Madam Yin. But those times are past. Our Western culture is now the benefactor of speed. After an eternity of slow going, we’ve leaped into a pace that quickens with every passing day. The pendulum has swung from one extreme to the other, and whenever one side is left behind, unhappiness results, and the quest for balance begins. We pine for the missing qualities the other partner brings to life and look for ways to regain equilibrium.

This is evident in the current popularity of “altars to Madame Yin.” She’s being reinstated in the sumptuous spa bathrooms, sanctuaries, lounging areas, reading nooks, and other private “rooms of your own” that are so in vogue now. The burgeoning interest in earth-friendly building and natural health practices, as well as in organizing and creating sacred space in our homes and workplaces, carries our wish to soothe the manic Master Yang. We experience their reconciliation when we bask in the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and feelings we love, fully appreciate our connection with heaven and earth, cherish our relationships with others, and take delight in practicing “random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.”

To create a pleasurable, passionate lifestyle, establishing equality between Yin and Yang is key. Master Yang is always happiest when he embraces the many sensual pleasures Madam Yin has to offer. Conversely, she’s refreshed and uplifted by his passionate enthusiasm. Together they elegantly sweep, bend, and flex to life’s ever changing music. Wooed by each other’s charms, they inevitably fall in love, and as the fantasy comes true, live happily ever after within you. And, inevitably, such an internal love affair attracts others of like heart into your life.