The yin and yang symbol is a product of ancient Chinese philosophy and represents a visual of opposing forces working together as one. In Eastern religions such as Taoism and Confucianism, duality is an illusion. What we see as opposites, in fact compliment each other. The pair of opposites working together as one are the essence of the symbol. There are countless examples of this including the most basic of good versus evil and love versus fear. It’s a cool looking symbol and the inspiration for many a tattoo.
The West has its own religious symbol that demonstrates opposing forces working together. In Christianity, the cross represents the structure that was used to crucify Jesus Christ and as a symbol it reminds us of the crucifixion. But have you ever considered that the cross is formed of perpendicular lines representing the merging of opposites?
In her book, Mary Magdalene Revealed, Meggan Watterson suggests that the cross is a representation of the “union of opposites.” She explains that while we are boundless souls living in bodies, we also have mortal egos that become attached to worldly things. In the merging of opposites, both the cross and yin-yang remind us that both our humanity and our divinity are together as one.
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
