Yin, Yang, and Your Creativity

It's All About Balance

I'm sure you've all seen the perfect natural balance that's depicted by the yin/yang symbol. I would guess that none of us maintain this degree of balance all the time, but the more you reach toward it, the easier it will be for your creativity to flow.

A Quick Refresher Course on Yin and Yang

• Yin, shown as black on the symbol, represents the receiving, feminine energy. The white dot within it represents the smaller amount of yang, or action-oriented male energy, that is needed to balance yin and make it whole.
• Yang (again, the action-oriented, male energy) is shown as white with a black dot, in reverse proportions to the yin side. When we say a man is "in touch with his feminine side," it's that black dot that represents it.
• Each side is shaped sort of like a fish, and they interlock to form a circle.

It's 2007. Do you know where your energy is?

Cultural influences, for better or worse, affect how we express our energy. In the 1950's, I feel that women were expected to be overly yin, and men were expected to be overly yang. So creative men were often criticized for using their talent, and creative woman were often not accessing enough yang energy to get out there and market their work.

Then the pendulum swung the other way for my generation as young adults in the 1970's, especially for women. We took on lots of yang behaviors and created the "superwoman" syndrome. At the same time, men were not only encouraged to express more yin energy, but they they were pressured to do so.

Presently I feel that we have a much better balance of energy for men and women alike. For example, our nursing shortage is being addressed by many more men going into the profession.

Women have much more cultural freedom around the way they want to spend their child-bearing years. If they choose to have children, they may elect to continue working, either from home or not. Where finances permit, many moms are choosing to take their child-bearing years off from additional types of work.

Running a home business is a creative act in itself, as is being a stay-at-home mom or dad. And women are finding their voices in the marketplace while learning to maintain a higher level of self-care. (Need coaching around this? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com for a complimentary trial tele-session on this topic or most others.)

Please comment below about how you maintain yin/yang balance in your own life. What a great time in history to be a creative soul!

To your success,

Susan