Yin & Yang:

The Dance of Dynamism

Opposites attract. Both a proverb and a scientific truth, it points to the spiritual concepts of yin and yang that we observe continually in the natural world. These opposing poles not only pull together with mighty magnetism but also create and catalyze, stimulate and sustain, in an eternal dance of dynamism.

Limitations of the body or environment lead to the pursuit of inner liberation that manifests in metamorphosis of the self and surroundings. The empty stillness of a pregnant pause creates the space for the flow of fullness and abundance. Winter’s earthly purgatory of darkness and desolation lead us to seek the light of the beyond in the heavens above and subsoil underworld. A mountainscape’s steadfast, steely spine creates a nurturing cradle for community.

Such is the intrinsic intelligence of nature whereby form follows the function of the intuitive, internal dimension of the formless. The laws of physics ultimately serve to provide structure and support for the grand design of consciousness; guardrails of transcendence.

Disruption. Pause. Clarity. Intention.

The human world has created siloed cityscapes, shielding us from the wild will of the elements but separating us from the organic cycles of renewal, rejuvenation, and revitalization. Without the inevitable upheavals of nature’s metronome, there is little to shake up and shake off the heavy layers of artifice and uncover the effervescent essence underneath. In this laboratorial vacuum, what’s left is the proverbial hamster wheel; the monotonous mania of modern life.

To escape these robotic revolutions requires a revolutionary return to the rhythms of the universe. A massive disruption is often the only way to offset and reset the momentum that has been amassing. Or as Newton’s third law elucidates, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.

In the disorientation of this seismic shock, there is a weightless limbo as the system reorients. In this often inadvertent shift from yang to yin, there is a newfound space and stillness. No longer obscured by the trees, you can finally see the forest from a birds eye view, revealing a full panorama of your paradigm for the first time. You see the situation for what it truly is and recognize its virtues and limitations. With this clarity, you can finally make the conscious choice to embark down the causeway of change should you find the courage.

Shadow. Stillness. Intuition. Amphibian.

When we finally take the plunge into the underworld we enter a shadowy realm of murky uncertainty. Coming off the spinning circus of earthly spring, the silent stillness of the wintry beyond can initially feel like stagnation. The shroud of this subterranean sphere foils the senses and takes away our original objects of ocular orientation.

When we surrender to and sink into the depths of the darkness, we let go of our previous notions and navigation systems. In the ambiguity of the abyss, we forsake sight for foresight and begin to rely instead on intuition and the invisible, yet tangible connecting consciousness. And so our third eye opens and our inner light illuminates our path.

While we wander the unfamiliar inner world, we also find ourselves suddenly “fish out of water” in our own outer world. In our freshly amphibious state as we wade to a new earth, our previous paradigm pulls us back into the current of our past conditioning. Our old environment cannot fathom a life beyond the sea, and so it makes an amicable attempt to drag us back to the depths. Treading the tide of the social seas while we fumble through the formless is the test of transformation, determining whether we survive, thrive, and ultimately evolve to another plane of being.

Butterfly. Rebirth. Coming Out.

When the internal inversion comes around, then the manifestation moves into the material. After a seance of simmering at the boiling point, the liquid conjures its gaseous form. A spell of dormancy in its sparkly sarcophagus and the caterpillar is reborn as a brilliant, bejeweled butterfly. The magic of nature is how the hero’s journey of metamorphosis is inherently interwoven into every ecosystem and life cycle.

Just as humans have manufactured an escape from transformation, so too do they often put off their reappearance after their reemergence from the underworld. Animals don’t need an invitation to their coming out party, but people routinely postpone their renaissance debut. This is truly a shame, as anyone trapped in the closet will know. When you’ve realized your new resplendence but keep it hidden for fear the world is not yet ready, your rainbow fades to a dreary grey and withers away.

The Dance Eternal

Sharing your special sparkle is the final step of integration, where form and the formless come together and rejoice. When you release your radiance from the aether into the external, it energizes your environment, who responds in turn. The feedback from form lifts you to new heights, where you emanate an elevated energy in a virtuous cycle; a wondrous waltz. As you lean into and trust the momentum of your partner; you delight in the push and pull of physical and metaphysical, pirouetting to paradise in the eternal dance of yin and yang.

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To dive into the dance of transformation, take a look at season one of the “Vibrant Classroom” podcast (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube)!