The Yin-Yang symbol has long been used to describe the balance of the Universe in which I find myself in (pun intended). For many years my understanding of this symbol has played hide and seek with my consciousness, until recently, my perception was altered and clarity moved in…again.

A friend was discussing how he had once been living in, and functioning from, a big ball of negative energy when he discovered a path that changed is thoughts and perception. As a result, he began taking responsibility for how he was feeling and living. He could see this negative ball more clearly and therefore began reducing it.

As he was speaking about this BIG ball of negative energy, I realized he was, at that time, feeling smaller than IT was. As he spoke of it reducing in size, I saw his greatness grow. He lit up; he smiled, was happy, and shared how he was focused on the successes in his life.

It suddenly became crystal clear and an ah-ha moment was had.

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Journey with me for a minute through some of the thoughts I have been exposed to over the years and my so-called enlightened responses to them…though I am sure you are much smarter than me, with more eloquent perceptions.

“Light cannot exist without the dark.”

Ok. I get it. The world is just ‘energy’ and it will forever be used in ways that are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, right along with the idea that we always have a ‘CHOICE’.

This concept takes me right down to the sediment at the bottom of my religious upbringing. “God put us here for us to have a choice, to either choose Him or the devil”. So, Eve was given a choice and we all know what happened to her…yup, she talked her husband into it! Oh ya, and you remember, as the story went, that a great SHAME came over Adam and Eve and they realized they were NAKED. (The all caps are for some profound emphasis being boomed in my head as I write this, accompanied by…thunder of some sort). OK, so they sinned and now had to put clothes on to cover their nakedness, no longer able to be in the garden or their heaven, right? Well, have you ever noticed that in religious art, the people in ‘heaven’ always have clothes on, and those in ‘hell’ are naked? Hmmm Michelangelo might have been on to something here, and we are gently reminded, that this is the way the church wanted it painted.

“What you focus on…grows.”

This concept has often led my head straight into the sand or clouds; refusing to see what was in front of me because it didn’t look like what I wanted to grow. This lack of awareness, however, did not leave any room for redirecting my sights towards what I really wanted instead. It is much like a kicked soccer ball heading straight for your head, and oh, by the way, it won’t stop itself from hitting your face, just because you have closed your eyes…trust me, I’ve tried this one already.

“Love the negativity to transform it into positivity.”

Oh, OK now I will look long and hard at negativity and send love to it. In part, this can be helpful to ‘see the soccer ball coming’ right? Now I can see it and love it, and it will still slap me in the face. I believe a re-direction is called for here. Supposing I see it, love it, and MOVE out-of-the-way of it! An interesting shift of focus from what I don’t want (ball in face) to what I do want (ocean breezes gently rocking me in a hammock…aaahhh), and I proceed to move in that clearly more positive direction. Hmmm, perhaps loving the positivity is a way of getting me to what I do want.

“The Yin and Yang represent duality: Good, bad, right, wrong, light, dark, ugly, beautiful”

True. I really have had a lot of fun with this one over the years. My personal favorite is to split the genders, male and female, into this ‘right ~ wrong’ category, so that I can blame the men in my life for my flaws…clearly they are out of balance with my Yin. Which, by the way, ladies, the Yin is ‘negative’ and Yang is ‘positive’, so darn it for that white spot that keeps ‘my side’ from being a fully, beautiful, boldly, black.

I know, I know, you are thinking, but, Michelle, we both have feminine and masculine inside us. Ok, I get it, and I happen to believe it, just go tell a macho sports fanatic guy that he has a ‘feminine’ side…see how well that one works out for ya. Get back to me on it.

“Infinity symbol (sideways 8) represents the oneness of life, no longer held by duality.”

Yeah!! I no longer have to choose! There is after all…No Choice! Right?!? (Insert cocker spaniel head tilt here). It has always been purposed to me that the infinity was an elevated consciousness, or something to strive for, as being removed from duality, or the perception of it. Though my linear perception wanted to make a hierarchy out of it, which in turn made it separate from duality…which was not oneness at all! So, now instead of seeing a single story ranch house with two rooms, I get to have a high rise…but it’s all the same building right?

OK…well wasn’t that fun?!

Simply put, the ah-ha was the superimposed symbol of Yin/Yang. Say, for example that you take a black and white photo, then, just look at its negative. It is now reversed right? It is still the same picture, but the positive shows the white as white and the black as black, while the negative shows it in reverse. The only difference is in the development process. (Insert another ah-ha here)

You can choose to see your greatness being bigger than your problems or visa versa. It boils down to how you want to perceive it.

Just like my friend who began to notice his successes and greatness, which in turn made him BIG and that ball of negative energy very, very small.

Viola!

Oh, one last thing…dark doesn’t mean bad, nor light good. It is simply the opposite of your ideal form for feeling great, in that moment. If you are in the mood for the expansion felt in the darkness of the night sky, then the brightness of a full moon may be too much of a focused distraction. Or in the light of day, you may have to resist the desire to take an afternoon siesta in a dark cave, because the actions you set out to accomplish that day feel better to you.

Another example of this is the good guys always wear the white cowboy hat and the bad guys the black, right? Seriously, I think they both were having fun playing those roles, and by the way they both got paid for making the film.

So it is simply a matter of preference. You do have a choice, but the picture will always be the same. Your greatness will always be bigger than the obstacles unless you choose otherwise. (Funny how our car mirror to look behind us says “things may appear larger than they are”..ya when you look back)!

Here is lookin’ at YOU!…YOU ARE GREAT!!! Now go create your play!

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Life…for entertainment purposes only. Not intended for serious uses.