​​One of the most profound philosophies that the ancient Chinese gave us is the theory of Yīn-Yáng. It has permeated popular culture so deeply, that it is even an emoji on our digital device, yet many do not really understand it. We see this symbol and we think Yīn-Yáng but the actual name of this symbol is the Tai Ji symbol. It is not wrong to describe it as Yīn-Yáng, as it does represent these. However, most people do not really interpret Yīn-Yáng correctly.
 
There is often a reference to Yīn-Yáng as being a dualistic theory. I find this incorrect, as most times dualism refers to two things that are opposed to each other - "either-or," "black or white," "dark or light," "female or male," "good or bad." This is not what Yīn-Yáng refers to. The symbol is very clearly pictured with a white, fish-like form with a black eye and a black fish with a white eye. Black and white are bound together; there is neither one that it completely black nor completely white at any point in time. There are no absolutes. The Tai Ji symbol is actually a symbol in motion. 
 
If we were to begin to look at the white fish from its tail and move clockwise, this could represent the growing of the Yáng; like the beginning of day. But at the tail of the white fish is the head of the black fish, the largest part of the fish's body. If we were to look at this as the transformation of night to day, this point of white tail and black head would be midnight. When the maximum of Yīn occurs - midnight, the smallest of Yáng has already begun its ascent; as such, the seed of daylight has already begun its germination. What we experience as sunrise would be represented halfway up the white fish body and noon would be at the head of the white fish. There once again, even though we experience the highest of the light, the seed of Yīn, the tail of the black fish, has already begun to manifest. This is definitely NOT dualism. This is equilibrium in motion - life transforming to death, death transforming to life, neither is absolute. Crazy isn't it? A symbol so simple as this can manifest such profound thought.
 
The Chinese philosophers of the Yīn-Yáng School, which arose during the Warring States period (476-221 BCE), most especially Zou Yan, is credited with developing Yīn-Yáng theory and the theory of the Five-Elements. They were also called the Naturalist School, where the focus was to understand the laws of Nature in order to harmonize one's self to it, rather than to control it. Over two thousand years later, we are still trying to grasp these ideas, as some of us continue to misunderstand and sometimes manipulate these theories to suit our needs for domination over Nature. But as we know that midnight will transform to dawn, these too will have to transform. The Extreme Yin of midnight holds the seed of Yang that will transform darkness into light.
 




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Diagram by Elaine   

In quite a few countries of the world over the next few Sundays in June will be the celebration of Father's Day. Till now, this has not been a very well commemorated day in Switzerland, which by the way is on the first Sunday of June, except maybe by the electronic/digital gadget industry trying to get us to buy more of their products. Fathers get little acknowledgment in general; they often get the role of being the breadwinner of the family but little else in our society. It was not until September 2020 that it was officially recognized that Fathers may have 2 weeks of paid-paternal-leave after the birth of a child. It displays to us what our society used to think of Fathers; that they are simply only there for the financial stability of the child and nothing more. Hopefully, this new law will help long-held views to transform.
 
For me the roles of a Mother and a Father brings me to the concepts of the Yin-Yang, which is one of the central precepts of Chinese philosophy. One scholar of modern Chinese Medicine, Giovanni Maciocia summarizes the Yin-Yang relationship into 4 main aspects:


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1. The opposition of Yin and Yang, as displayed in night and day; night is Yin and day is Yang. "However, the opposition is relative, not absolute, in so far as nothing is totally Yin or totally Yang. Everything contains the seed of its opposite."
2. The interdependence of Yin and Yang, "one cannot exist without the other."
3. Mutual consumption of Yin and Yang, in which both Yin-Yang are "in a constant state of dynamic balance," "maintained by a continuous adjustment of the relative levels of Yin and Yang."
4. The inter-transformation of Yin and Yang, in which Yin-Yang "are not static, but they actually transform into each other: Yin can change into Yang and vice versa. This change does not happen at random, but only at a certain stage of development of something."  

 ​​(Maciocia, 1989, 5-6)

I find it also very appropriate that we are celebrating Father's Day in June, as we are heading to the highest point of the sun in the northern hemisphere around the 21st of June, the Summer Solstice. From a Yin-Yang perspective of the Earth, this is the Yang at its extreme, at its zenith; Yang within the Yang. That means from this point forth in the year, the sun will begin its descent which will culminate at its nadir around the 21st of December, Yin within Yin. Back to the extreme Yang, as we approach the Summer Solstice we can feel in ourselves the rising of our energy, the expansion and opening of the external parts of our being. If Yin is the female, deep, dark, nourishing principle, the Yang is the male, outward, bright, movement principle. These descriptions of Yang sound much like a role of a Father to me. The Yang aspect provides an individual the ability to be courageous and adventurous; to explore the world around her/himself with confidence. This means being able to try things out and find her/himself in the world.
 
"Children with a healthy maternal matrix will test their limits freely knowing that they can easily return to the mother should things get uncomfortable. Children with healthy father role models are encouraged and inspired to experience new things because they can see the confidence and enthusiasm in their father's eyes."  (Farrell, 2016: 94)
 
As Yin-Yang exists in all of us, it means the Father role can be coming from a female too, just as the Mother role model can come from a male. This is what the Yin-Yang shows us, we have both female/male, maternal/paternal aspects in us, in varying degrees. What most of us have experienced in our societies are extremes of the roles, where females manifest the maternal nourishing role in the home and were not allowed to display their outward, adventurous nature, and males only allowed their paternal providing-nature but not their gentle nourishing aspects. We are a product of our societal conditioning. What if both Mothers and Fathers can provide both nourishment, adventurousness and courage for new experiences? What if both parents are allowed to be present for their children as they are growing up? What if both parents are given equal respect for the things they do and provide for their children? It is time to change the conditioning, as it has not served us well. 
 
So many of us grow up seeing little or none of our Fathers, as they were out there working to provide for their family or were not given the space/time to be present with their children. As I read this last phrase from Yvonne Farrell referring to "father's eyes," it reminds me of Eric Clapton's song, "My Father's Eyes." It was only recently that I became aware of Mr. Clapton's story of not knowing his own father, like so many in the world. I am very touched by the song. For the Fathers of the world... 
 
 
 
 
    
Reference
Farrell Yvonne R. (2016): Psycho-Emotional Pain and the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. London: Singing Dragon.
 
Maciocia, Giovanni (1989): The Foundations of Chinese Medicine. London: Churchill Livingstone.
 


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Image baby-father's fingers by RitaE on pixabay
Image Tai Ji Symbol by clker-free-vector-images on pixabay