The Advent of Yin Day 12: Balance

Balance, balance, balance. As feng shui practitioners my colleagues and I are constantly espousing the benefits of balance. Balance is a yin word.

A true, pure balance is basically static. It implies that things on both sides of an equation are in some way equal and the same. There is no movement. Life, as we all know is not like that. Life is always changing and moving and without an inequality or imbalance nothing would happen.

So when we talk about achieving balance it is important to remember that we are talking about a sort of organic balance. A flow. Things tip one way a little too far and then we must draw them back toward the center. This is a much more accurate picture of the kind of balance that a feng shui practitioner is trying to achieve. Balance is difficult.

The Advent of Yin Day 2: Contraction

Day two of my Advent of Yin has me thinking about the contracting quality of yin. While yang represents all things expansive in nature, yin is a more concentrated, inward energy. At this time of year we have a natural desire to hibernate, to go indoors and to reduce our social activity. Contraction can also be seen in our families as they come together for the holidays after being apart for much of the year.

For many, gathering together to celebrate with family and friends is truly the best part of December. However, over extending ourselves socially is also pretty common and to some degree goes against the natural flow of the yin nature of the season.

For some people, the constant activity at this time of the year is positive and it helps to energize the yin of the winter months. For others, the pressure to go against the natural order of things creates serious imbalances and creates undue stress at this time of the year. Paying attention is the answer.

If you find that you become stressed out at this time of the year, see if you can allow yourself the luxury of relaxation. Scale back your social commitments, reduce your compulsion to over decorate, over shop and over eat. Take the time to be alone, to meditate perhaps, or soak in a hot bath.

If you love the constant activity that has been created around this yin time, go for it! Enjoy the parties, soak up the lights, and celebrate the season.

"Winter is the time of promise because there is so little to do - or because you can now and then permit yourself the luxury of thinking so."
-Stanely Crawford

What do you think? Does the extra social activity at this time of the year invigorate or drain you?