Yin And Yang

Yin And Yang

Yin and Yang is a legend from Asia that explains the origin of the earth and life itself. It also explains how life on earth is a balance of opposing forces.

Once, a long time ago, there was nothing but chaos. It was like a mist full of emptiness. Suddenly, a colorful light burst through the mist and all things that exist in the world came to be.

The mist shook and everything that was light rose up to form heaven and all that which was heavy sank down to become the earth.

Now the forces of heaven and earth came out to produce yin and yang. Yin was like a soft cloud – cool, moist, female, drifting gently. Yang was like a dragon – hot, fiery, male, and bursting with energy. Each force had incredible power. On their own they would blast the world back to chaos. They are opposing forces in nature, but when they are together they are in balance and the world is in harmony.

From this harmony of Yin and Yang everything is born. The moon is of Yin, the sun is of Yang.

They worked together to create seasons, elements and living creatures.

On the plain ball of the earth they created the giant P’an Ku, the Ancient One. P’an Ku dug the river valleys and piled up the mountains. For thousands of years he toiled to shape the earth.

When he died at the end of his labors, his body became the five sacred mountains. His hair grew to be the plants and his blood flowed as the rivers. Now his sweat was the rain and it washed away his flakes of skin and they became human beings.

People first lived in caves but soon they learnt to build houses. They made tools and boats, learnt to fish, to plough and plant, and they made enough food and lived together in peace.

And all their life is balance. All is thanks to Yin and Yang. This means that everything that happens does so because of the balance between Yin and Yang.