Principle of Polarity
Yin & Yang Energies
A mystical concept derived from Taoism that is extremely relevant in a study of the workings of human Consciousness is the idea of the Tao, a balance of polar energies inherent in all Nature. Taoist tradition teaches that if we are able to strike a balance between these polar forces, and harmonize these twocompeting polarities within ourselves, justice and order will result within and around us. Falling prey to a perpetual imbalance of these energies would result in the experience of suffering and chaotic conditions. This makes perfect sense when we understand the properties of these polar energies.
To do this, let’s begin by analyzing the basic symbolism of the Tao symbol. It is comprised of a circle, inside of which are two inter-locking swirls, one light and one dark. Inside each swirl is a smaller dot which is the opposite color of the swirl itself The circle represents all of Creation. A circle is never-ending. It has no beginning or end. It is a perfect shape, as it has no corners, rough edges, angle, or irregularities. Thus it represents God, or Creation itself, the All-That-Is.
The two swirls represent change, of which all Creation is comprised. All that exists is in a constant state of change. All matter passes from form to form in an endless dance of Creation. Life itself is change. Inability to change is the equivalent of death and non-existence. Therefore the two swirls inside the circle represent this ever-changing dance of matter taking place within the whole of Creation. The two dots within each swirl represents the idea that, no matter how deeply into one polarity or the other we may travel, the seed of the opposite energy is always carried within each polarity.
Let’s now examine the expressions of the polar energies that comprise the Tao. The light area is called Yang. It represents the following general qualities: Light, Solar, Day, Masculine, Active, Analytical, Dominant, Aggressive, Left-Brain, Right-Body. The dark area is Yin, which represents the expression of the following qualities: Dark, Lunar, Night, Feminine, Passive, Intuitive, Submissive,Right-Brain, Left-Body.
A human being’s Consciousness is comprised of all of these energies, as is the Cosmos. This is why it may be said that we are created in the image and likeness of God. Neither of these sets of opposing energies should be seen as being all good or all bad. Our Consciousness contains all of them. A balanced and fully-functional Consciousness will contain all of these qualities in balanced proportions. This balance is the essence of the key to mental and physical health, and the ability to think critically and make decisions that will result in prosperity for the individual and society as a whole. When these energies are thrown out of balance, and one begins to severely dominate the other, suffering and chaos are the result.
One of the oldest symbol sets in human antiquity contains many parallels to the concept of the Tao. Known as the Blade and the Chalice, these two symbols also represent the competing masculine and feminine polar energies. The Blade was depicted as a upward-pointing triangle. This served as a rudimentary phallic symbol, representing the solar, masculine, Yang energy. The Chalice was a downward-pointing triangle which represents the feminine womb, calling to mind the qualities of the lunar, feminine, Yin energy.
When these energies are combined in a balanced proportion, a third symbol was used to represent their harmonization. It is the Blade and the Chalice interlocked in the form of a six-pointed star. This symbol later became known as the Seal of Solomon in Judaic, Islamic, Christian and Alchemical mystic traditions. The seal represents the combining and harmonizing of the sacred masculine, or Solar energies with the sacred feminine, Lunar energies (hence the term “Solomon” – Sun and Moon), to create the”blazing star” of awakened Consciousness. It is only possible for us to exist in balance with our natural environment (which is made of these energies) when these two divine energies are working in unison within ourselves.
This concept of balancing the energies within our Consciousness, so that we harmonize ourselves with the divine proportions of these energies found in Nature, is called the Hermetic Principle. Named after the Greek god Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods, this idea has also been expressed by the adage “As Above, So Below; As Within, So Without.” This conveys that that which takes place within our consciousness is reflected without to our perceptual surroundings. If our consciousness exists in balance and harmony, our external conditions will reflect this internal harmony and order. consciousness thrown out of balance will create chaos and disorder in our external reality.
One can appreciate the simplicity and beauty through which our ancestors depicted these concepts through symbolism. In undertaking the study of this symbolism itself, we begin the task of uniting these opposing polarities within ourselves. Grasping the true meaning of these symbols assists us in this task – a task which is one and the same as our journey of spiritual development and Evolution in Consciousness.
The Two Basic Polarities
There are only two forces at work in all of Creation. These two Polarities have always been continuously struggling against each other. One of these forces is the force which expands Consciousness and awakens parts of the Creation to the understanding and realization of itself. This could be seen as the Light force, for it attempts to make things known, bring them into the Light, and reveal the Truth. The other force is that which attempts to shut Consciousness down and keep the parts of the Creation in ignorance of itself. This could be seen as the Dark force, which attempts to shut out the Light of knowledge and to keep us in a state resembling sleep, in which we are unconscious to Truth.
At an even simpler level, we could look at these Polarities as feelings. We really only ever experience two basic feelings. One is a good feeling and one is a bad feeling. Every other possible state of emotion is simply a different expression of these two basic feelings. If we boil it down to its essence, there are really only two possible emotions, or forces of Polarity, that we are capable of experiencing.
This inherent duality that we experience in and around ourselves is not chance or accident. It is done by the design of Creation. Creation is Oneness. Non-Duality. Think about it this way: if there is only one thing, how would that state of Oneness ever really be able to know itself unless it experienced that which it is not? There is no hot without cold, no light without dark, no good without evil, and so on. So Creation brought one of these Polarities into manifestation in order to know itself – through the process of understanding what it is not. This means that ultimately, one of the two Polarities is an illusion.
In his famous experiments with water, Dr. Masaru Emoto discovered that by placing water in the presence of the “good” Polarity for certain periods of time, then photographing the water molecules under high magnification, the molecules took on a beautiful, harmonious, and orderly arrangement. When he placed the very same water in the presence of the opposing Polarity, or “bad” emotion, the molecule structure broke down and became a chaotic, disorderly mess.
The first Polarity is the force that creates harmony and order, brings Light to the darkness, and expands Consciousness and awareness of Self. It is the Polarity of Love. Love is the good Polarity or emotion, which uplifts humanity in its evolution toward knowledge, wisdom, and Truth. The expansion of Consciousness through Love leads to all the positive states, or “good” feelings, which we are capable of experiencing, including harmony, peace, health, safety, and order.
The second force is the Polarity which creates chaos and destruction in its wake. This Polarity is the force of Fear. Fear is the essence of negative emotion which leads to all other expressions of negativity, or “bad” feelings, which we experience, including hatred, intolerance, insecurity, depression, and a host of others. Fear shuts down Consciousness and perpetually strives to stop the Light of Truth from reaching us and having an effect in our lives.
These two basic Polarities of the essence of all other feelings and experiences. In every moment, we are choosing the experience of either Love or Fear, through our own Free Will.
Each of these Polarities have an internal manifestation and an external manifestation. This means that each Polarity expresses itself within an individual’s Consciousness in a certain way. Upon having reached this internal manifestation, each Polarity then reaches a stage of fulfillment in the external world of the individual.
Let’s look at the internal manifestations first.
The internal manifestation of Love occurs when the essence of this Polarity has reached its full expression within an individual. This state of Consciousness could be referred to as Self-Love, or Balance. This individual has united his or her Self through Will and self-control. I refer to this expression of Love as Dominion, for the individual has obtained the state of rulership of his or her own base instincts and is operating out of a healed and balanced mode of Consciousness. A being in a state of Dominion rules the Kingdom of the self. This type of rulership is real, it is not an Illusion, for it has been created by an act of Will. Dominion is, therefore, true Self-Love.
The internal manifestation of the Polarity of Fear occurs when Fear has invaded the Consciousness of an individual. It then immediately begins to destroy that being’s capacity to recognize patterns and formulate effective responses. This state of unconsciousness is known as Confusion. Confusion is the highest manifestation of Fear that occurs within an individual being. Confusion is the exact opposite state as Dominion, for when people become confused, they are owned by their own emotional turbulence and imbalance. They are not in Dominion, for they can never rule the Kingdom of self while in a state of Confusion. As such, Confusion is the beginning of the destruction of the Self.
Now let’s examine the external manifestations of Love and Fear.
When Love, or in other words, expanded states of awareness resulting in Dominion, has achieved its fullest expression within a group of individuals, a condition results in the external world around them. This condition is the highest expression that Love attains in the external realm of the individual. This condition is Freedom. Freedom is the highest attainment of the spiritual quest. The quest for Freedom and the quest for the Divine are one and the same. Any so-called spiritual ideology that does not speak of Freedom in this manner is a false spiritual teaching. Love, Freedom, and the Divine the same thing. Anyone that claims to be a spiritual teacher and doesn’t speak to the Truth of that statement is either a charlatan or a liar, or both.
Since the Divine is the embodiment of perfect Love, it must also allow perfect Freedom. This is why there is no direct intercession on the behalf of the Divine in our world. The Will of the Divine for us is no different than our own Will for us. Whatever we wish to create is allowed by the Divine. That is perfect Freedom, and therefore, perfect Love.
The external manifestation of Fear comes into existences once Fear has created Confusion within the Consciousness of the individuals of a society. Individuals who exist in a vibration of Fear and Confusion can not recognize patterns of information around them, for they are not operating from the higher thought functions of the Neocortex of the brain. This part of the brain is shut down, and these type of individuals operate in severely imbalanced states of Consciousness dictated largely by the R-Complex of the brain. Since they are deeply in Fear and greatly confused, they revert to attempting to control event and people around themselves. And thus the descent into Chaos begins. For Control is the highest expression of Fear manifested into external reality. Control is an illusion. It is not actually real, for no one is in fact in control of anything or anyone. Anyone who believes that they are are in external control of anyone else are actually in very deep states of illusion. Since Control is based on Confusion and Fear, it leads to nothing but dark and negative emotions and experiences for all individuals who partake in this illusion.
This is simply how Natural Law works. Love (higher Consciousness) leads to Dominion (self-control), which in turn leads to Freedom, which produces more Love and more Consciousness. Fear (the shutdown of Consciousness) leads to Confusion (no pattern-recognition), which in turn leads to the desire to Control, which breeds more Fear and Confusion. Both Polarities build cycles upon themselves. One of the Polarities, Love, is clearly very good for us. The other, Fear, creates nothing but destruction in its wake.
It is impossible to create the results of one of these Polarities by adding to it the essence of the opposite Polarity. For example, it is impossible to create Freedom, which is a result of the Polarity of Love, by adding Fear and Control to any situation or set of circumstances. Conversely, a society with Control as its foundation could never result in Freedom and Love. That is just how it works, and the people of this planet will either choose to understand this simple set of principles, or they will destroy themselves through their lack of understanding and ignorance of these principles. It is really that simple.
Our present situation is that our planet is currently trapped in repeating cycles of Fear, resulting in tremendous amounts of suffering, because the people of this world have been raging against Creation by refusing to learn the core lesson that Fear is an illusion. Fear was created so that the Creation could come to know itself for what it really is – pure Love.
Though most of us may still exist within this trap of Fear, our world is in the process of waking up from this illusion. And when the Consciousness of this world does fully awaken – and it Will – that will be the day Fear dies, and with it Confusion and Control will leave this world forever.
credit Mark Passio…and Mike Gleebson