Fashion Umbrellas :: Yin and Yang

All things have a story...

The yin yang symbol is one of the most popular icons to have ever come out of Asia. People all over the world recognize it and it is seen in martial arts dojos, Oriental art work and even mainstream decor. The name of the symbol is “T’ai Ji Tu” in Chinese and it is older than Taoism, the religious philosophy that has taken it to be its symbol. The Taijitu, as it is also known, represents the principles of light and darkness or masculine and feminine energies.

Taoists believe that everything in the universe is a duality. For example, if hot did not exist, we would not have cold. Or, if happiness did not exist, we would not have sadness. The circle part of the Taijitu represents the whole of the universe. The white and black inside the circle are symbolic of the masculine and feminine energies interacting with each other. The black part of the circle represents the yin or feminine side, while the white part represents the yang or masculine side. Each color looks like it is moving into each other, which represents the constant moving energy of the universe. As well, each color in the circle contains a small circle of the other color. This is to show that yang energy constantly turns into yin energy and vice-versa.

In fact, the Taoists believe that everything in the universe either possesses yang energy or yin energy. For example, certain foods have yin energy and are cooling, such as most nuts and fruits. Other foods contain yang energy and provide heat, such as meat and eggs. The Taijitu circle is also the symbol for the soft, internal martial art, Tai Chi. It was also used to help Chinese astronomers plot the sun and stars in ancient China. Although it had many uses, considered on the whole, the final meaning of the Taijitu symbol is probably one of alignment of dualities and cosmic harmony and balance.