Everyday Energy: Understanding Embodiment, Polarity, Duality, and Unity
Energy is a fundamental aspect of existence, permeating everything around us and within us. It shapes our experiences, influences our emotions, and drives the processes of life.
In traditional Chinese and Taoist philosophy, Chi or Qi (气) is believed to be the vital life force that flows through all living beings and animates the universe. Imbalances or disruptions in the flow of chi can lead to illness, discomfort, or disharmony within the body, and in our spaces.
There are two primary types of energy that are always circulating and manifesting around us, in the natural world, in our bodies and in our spaces: Yin (the Feminine) and Yang (the Masculine). These two opposing (yet also complementary) forces are fundamental within the teachings of Feng Shui, as well in the cosmos overall. They are interconnected and interdependent, and give rise to one another as they interrelate and interplay.
In this post we'll delve into the intricate world of energy, exploring concepts such as polarity, unity, embodiment, and alchemy. We'll break down how Yin and Yang can help us approach life in a more peaceful, graceful and grounded way. We'll learn about the importance of balance and moderation, having patience through the natural cycles of life. By gaining a deeper understanding of these principles, we can learn to harness the power of energy for greater well-being and fulfillment in our lives.
”All things carry Yin yet embrace Yang. They blend their life breaths in order to produce harmony.”
Lao Tzu
Polarity & Unity
For 2500 years, the Taoist principle of Yin Yang has been depicted in a familiar circular, swirling symbol known
throughout the world as Yin-Yang.
.There is a naturally dualistic quality to our existence. We live in a binary system with two polarities. Yin and Yang are the manifestations of the Dao (the Way), illustrating the continuous transformation and interconnection of all things. We see Yin and Yang every day in the observation of universal phenomena in the natural world:
Yin (Feminine)
Dark, Night, Water, Passive, Matter, Earth, Subconscious, Moon, Cold, Closed, Soft, Slow, Death, Mystery, Rest & Rejuvenation, Gut Feelings
Yang (Masculine)
Light, Day, Fire, Active, Mind, Heaven, Conscious, Sun, Hot, Open, Hard, Fast, Birth, Clarity, Growth & Transformation, Gut Reactions
Yin and Yang are often interpreted as a dynamic, complimentary energy that flows through the universe.
However, neither yin nor yang is inherently better than the other, and both are essential for balance and harmony. They act on one another, affect one another and keep one another in place.
"Only when you become pliable and soft can you be hard and strong."
Zen Proverb
Yin & Yang: Unity of Opposites
Polarity is a concept deeply rooted in many ancient philosophies and spiritual traditions, most notably represented by the Yin and Yang symbol. Looking at the symbol, we see a white dot in the black area and a black dot in the white area. This represents the idea that both yin and yang carry the seed of one another, and that there cannot be a yin without a yang and a yang without a yin.
In nature, we see examples of polarity everywhere, from the cycle of day and night to the changing seasons.
In other words, all things in the universe exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites....or, pairs of equal opposites that attract and complement each other. It is a dynamic, interactive system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts.
Understanding polarity also entails recognizing the principle of unity. While Yin and Yang may appear as opposites, they are ultimately interconnected and interdependent. Achieving harmony involves embracing both aspects of polarity, finding balance and integration within ourselves and the world around us.
It's important to remember that nothing is absolute with Yin and Yang. The designation of something as Yin or Yang is always relative to some other thing. For example, day is Yang, yet within every day is a Yang part—the early morning, and a Yin part—late day, as it begins to turn to night, which is Yin.
It should also be noted that neither Yin nor Yang are superior in any way. Neither is “right” or “wrong.”, good or bad. For example, while the Yin is associated with the "negative" polarity, this should not come with a value judgement. It is better thought of as the negative terminal of a battery, perhaps. It is more about the specific intrinsic qualities and characteristics that are inherent within all systems through which life force flows.
The Tao (Dao) is the tranquility found in the center of all events, and the path leading to the center.
Bernie Clark
The Middle Way
The philosophy of Daoism is to find the harmony in life. This is to let the self mold to the world, like the way water fills a cup. It is to adapt, compromise, and take life as it comes, not as you want to force it.
The Dao translates as “The Way” and is often compared to the flow of a river. To row against the current is hard, and Daoism is the simple call to “go with the flow” of the universe. Like a river, the Dao moves and directs all things, and we are like boats floating along its path. To be happy is to let the Dao carry us on.
Similarly, if your life is a forest, the Dao is the wide, paved, and easy path. Yin-Yang, then, is a guide to that path. It is a hint and a signpost about what the Dao looks like.
The practice of balancing energies requires Presence, Patience and Persistence. It requires continuous calibration and adjustment to keep the balance in order, like weights on a scale. And when the scale is tipped in favor of one side and pain and discomfort manifest, which will inevitably happen as a natural consequence of living, it becomes paramount to move toward restoring the balance with patience and love.
Sometimes, things just feel off. It might be a relationship, a career, your home, or your body. This kind of struggle is a sure sign that you have fallen from The Way. Life ought not feel like this. It means the scale has tipped too far one way. It means we likely need to find our balance or center again.
Life is all about finding that harmony out of opposition, finding clarity out of contrast.
"If we never experience the chill of a dark winter, it is very unlikely that we will ever cherish the warmth of a bright summer’s day. Nothing stimulates our appetite for the simple joys of life more than the starvation caused by sadness or desperation. In order to complete our amazing life journey successfully, it is vital that we turn each and every dark tear into a pearl of wisdom, and find the blessing in every curse."
Anthon St. Maarten
Energy Embodiment: Energies within US
Embodiment refers to the experience of energy within the physical body. Central to this concept are the energy centers known as chakras, which play a vital role in regulating the flow of energy throughout the body. By honoring the body as a vessel for energy, we can enhance our overall well-being and tap into our innate power.
The feminine and masculine energies in us are not inherently tied to gender. Instead, everyone possesses a unique combination of both yin (feminine) and yang (masculine) energies, which can manifest in different ways. There are four personality archetypes based on the dominance of these energies:
Greater Yin: (Yin-Yin (Super/Active Feminine) = RECEIVING. nourishment incubating, stillness, intuition, creativity, and sensitivity, empathy and emotion, They often require alone time for introspection and processing feelings and may struggle with burnout or overwhelm and the need to establish boundaries to maintain energy.
Lesser Yin: Yang-Yin (Masculine/Active Feminine) = CREATION. birthing, transformation, expression, sensitive, curious, and creative, with a tendency to go with the flow. While they create safe spaces for others and advocate for those in need, they may struggle with expressing their own needs and setting boundaries, leading to self-sacrifice and resentment.
Lesser Yang: Yin-Yang (Feminine/Passive Masculine) = PROTECTION. containment, safety, security , open-minded, passionate, playful, goal-oriented, a strong desire for growth and adventure. While they excel at inspiring others, they may feel trapped or anxious if they don't use their energy wisely, leading to feelings of unfulfillment.
Greater Yang: Yang-Yang (Super/Active Masculine ) = PENETRATION. goals, achievement, direction, curiosity, adventure assertive, goal-oriented, natural leadership, problem-solving and thrive in high-energy environments but may struggle with delegating, trusting others, and acknowledging their own limits, leading to burnout and strained relationships.
Each archetype has their own unique energetic needs and should prioritize self-preservation through practices like meditation, journaling, creative expression, setting boundaries, and delegating tasks. By honoring our energies we can cultivate a sense of empowerment and authenticity in navigating our personal journey.
We all have all energies within us and life is about harmonizing the individual parts of us so that the whole is complete. We need both the Yin and Yin, masculine. and feminine, wounded and healed within us.
“Yin in its highest form is freezing while yang in its highest form is boiling. The chilliness comes from heaven while the warmnes comes from the earth.”
Zhuangzi (Chuang-tzu)
The Energetic Approach to Life
This world, capitalism, the workplace is highly Yang, requiring us to be hard, strong, and fit.
A masculine dominant lifestyle means you’re working a lot, exercising intensely, mostly use logic based thinking, spend a lot of time around men, and having a very rigid structure or routine everyday.
The result for many feminine-oriented people? Burnout, depression, anxiety, or chronic stress.
As a woman or Yin individual, you need to be living a very different kind of lifestyle to fully unleash your optimum energy.
A feminine lifestyle means embracing more
Play
Creativity
Calm
Rest
Nature
Dance
Community
Nurturing
BEING
FLOW
"Your mind can think it but if your body doesn't feel it, it's just a wish. Embody what you desire. Thoughts steer. Feelings accelerate."
Kimberly Garner
Similarly, in healthy relationship, we can have fun and adventure together (Yang), but we must also be able to cry and share secrets (Yin).
The feminine represents DEPTH, thus seeking the simplicity of the masculine.
The masculine represents STABILITY, thus seeking the dynamicism of the feminine.
When the energies of two or more people meet, there is a constant interplay and movement in the endless pursuit for balance. When we lean too far to one end of the spectrum, the pendulum swings back to the other side, causing an imbalance and dispersal of energy.
Reversals or Inversions
Whenever we feel drained, depleted or "off", it's likely due to a REVERSAL of masculine and feminine energies. In these instances, you might experience inner resistance or opposition, negative emotions resembling an energetic attack. Examples:
Hatred, Disgust or Distrust of the opposite sex
Sacrificing energy
Siding with the opposite sex rather than one's own
Sexual or emotional manipulation
Shaming or controlling the opposite sex
The fix? Awareness, Love and Unity. These are the regenerative forces needed. It's crucial to transcend these reversals to avoid getting caught in arguments, defensiveness, or anger, and to instead align with sovereign and regenerative energies for personal and planetary evolution towards unified consciousness.
"The more you can move toward inclusion of all frequencies, not making them good, bad, right or wrong, knowing that they are valid to exist, then your own process of manifestation and well being is going to improve."
Wendy Kennedy
Embodiment as a Tool for Manifestation
Energy embodiment is about integrating energy authentically and intentionally. This doesnt have to be about polarity, masculine or feminine. It can also be useful in manifestation - creating the lives we want.
Embodiment typically involves moving beyond our limitations, stepping out of a comfort zone into a different space, a different energy.
This could look like
Trying new things
Accessing new feelings
Seeing new perspectives
What qualities would you like to embody as a parent, teacher, coach, partner? What thoughts, feelings and actions can you take today to make this possible?
Ask yourself...
What does my life look like when I have achieved this goal or manifestation? How do I dress? How do I behave? What do I eat for breakfast? How do I communicate? How do I walk? What do I believe about myself and the world?
It's actually all these little micro-moments, these tiny choices and decisions where you choose the future version of yourself and step into that higher self with these small choices.
The trick to manifestation is that you actually have to EMBODY that now so that your entire self-concept shifts.
All of the little moments where you choose a different future add up, until you're so confident and sure, and trust yourself so deeply, that the manifestation actualizes and you barely recognize it. This is growth! This is transformation!
Eventually you've created a new normal where that level of abundance, success, and opportunity feels completely ordinary to you.
Yes, the universe is fully supporting you and meeting you halfway in the perfect time and the perfect way, but the inspired action and the embodiment part come down to YOU and the choices you make every day. You have to create the change for the outcome of your life to change. Once you choose to hold a different frequency, everything will shift.
"I no longer match energy , I maintain mine so I can attract what aligns."
Balanced Self-Energies
Feels like/appears as... magnetic, authentic, present, grounded, humble, boundaries, peaceful, playful, gentle, empathic, engaged, encouraging/validating, trusting, honest, accountable, vulnerable, confident, sovereign, independent, self-reliant, seeking connection & understanding
Healthy, Mature, Empowered Divine Masculine
giving, supportive, stable, committed
focused, direct, decisive, disciplined, logical, mental, driven, action-oriented
open, nonjudgmental, curious
motivated by leadership, integrity and service
Healthy, Mature, Empowered Divine Feminine
nurturing, loving
emotional, compassionate, intuitive, reflective
receptive, accepting, allowing, free-flowing
motivated by collaboration and creativity, expression
The 4 S's of Feminine Energy: Slow, Soften, Simplify, Surrender
The 6 A's of Masculine Energy: Assertiveness, Action, Autonomy, Accountable, Analytical, Ambitious
Imbalanced Self-Energies
It can be harder to differentiate the masculine from the eminine when there are wounds, traumas or triggers present. These wounds result in karmic chaos - tumultuous relationships, pain and more.
Unhealthy, Immature, Wounded, Disempowered Energy
Feels like/appears as...
anxious/insecure - jealous, fear of failure or being wrong
unstable - reactive, impulsive
unsupportive, judgemental, critical
inauthentic - overattached, needy
competitive, aggressive
dominating, resistant, confrontational,
withdrawn/avoidant - unaware, aloof, cold, distant
abusive, controlling, demanding, manipulative
ego-led - motivated by success, status, material, superficial,
hyperindependent, overfunctioning, overworking,
overthinking, overanlaytical
victimhood, defensive
desperation
attention-seeking, approval-seeking/people-pleasing,
self-serving
overgiving, oversharing
overemotional
submissive
self-deprecating
desperate for external validation or attention
self-sacrificing/self-abandonment/betrayal
gossip
"Transformation isnt fully real until it takes root in the body."
Bethany Webster
Healing for Harmony
In a world that over-values the masculine energy of doing, achieving, and hustling, we must remember to embrace the power of the feminine energy of being, receiving and nurturing.
When we heal our divine feminine, we...
tap into the source of creativity, intuition, and emotional intelligence that resides within us.
learn to listen to our bodies, honor our feelings, and trust our inner wisdom.
cultivate a deep sense of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-compassion, which enables us to love and care for others from a place of wholeness and abundance.
The process of balancing your energies is a sacred journey involving looking at your past and current wounds, traumas, triggers and programming and transforming them into your gifts, your power for the future.
Overcoming
Deconditioning
Unlearning
Unlocking
Reparenting
Releasing
Reconnecting
Once we start doing this work the world around us will change
Chemistry stops looking like Compatability
Attachment stops looking like Connection
Emotions stops looking like Vulnerability
Hyperviligence stops looking like Intuition
Toxicity stops looking like Excitement
Peace stops looking like Boredom
For many, energy can carry perceptions and associations from social or gender stereotypes or negative experiences in the past. Masculine energy can be wrongly associated with oppression and violence, while the feminine could be mistakingly associated with sacrifice and suffering.
That's why it's best to view energy on both a binary terms, but nuanced within a spectrum. This way we can better understand ourselves and work on healing both masculine and feminine energies within ourselves for personal growth and empowerment. Just like yin and yang, the divine masculine and divine feminine work in tandem, in constant flux, and when they're balanced, both within us and within the world, we're all much better off.
Healing energy practices are anywhere inner calm, peace and joy are found. This can be anything that helps us cultivate a deeper connection to our embodied energy.
There is a duality in our self-care. The different approaches are either
YIN: Internalized focus, movement or compassion: comforting/soothing ourselves and offering validation to our thoughts. how we show ourselves kindness in times of need
Examples: breathwork, journaling, meditation, visualization, mindfulness, reflection, relaxation, mirror work
YANG: Externalized focus, movement or compassion: protecting ourselves, providing for ourselves, and motivating ourselves.
Examples: togetherness, ritual, adornment, creation, play & laughter, stillness, setting boundaries for one's time and energy, altarspace, dancing, exercise, charity work
Through a commitment to doing the inner work you can develop a deeper sense of self-love, self-worth, self-trust. This work is less about balancing the masculine and feminine energies, and more integrating them in the most healthy and authentic and aligned way for you. Correct living comes not from being either one thing or another, but in finding the correct balance and harmony for us on our own unique path.
Energy Alchemy: Energies within Our Spaces
When Yin and Yang are in balance, it is seen as a state of harmony, health, and well-being. When they are imbalanced, it can lead to disharmony and disease.
In nature, this balance is reflected in the changing seasons, the cycles of growth and rest, and the ebb and flow of all natural processes. This is also true in our bodies and in our homes.
Yin and Yang are fundamental concepts in Feng Shui, which aims to achieve a harmonious balance of energies within a space.
Feng Shui categorizes spaces as either predominantly Yin or predominantly Yang, depending on their dominant elemental qualities.
Yin Elements: Water, Metal --> Yin Spaces: Calm, Dark, Passive, Curving
Yang Elements: Wood, Fire --> Yang Spaces: Active, Bright, Dynamic, Angular
Yin-Yang: Earth --> Balanced, Healthy & Harmonious Spaces
Thus to create overall cohesion and harmony of a space, we use the selection and placement of furniture and decor to create greater balance among the elements to encourage the flow of Qi.
Feng Shui practitioners also consider the personal Yin and Yang characteristics of the people living or working in a space to create an environment that supports the inhabitants' overall well-being.
Energy alchemy involves the transmutation of energy, turning negative vibrations into positive ones. Setting intentions for our sacred spaces can be powerful and transformative, leading to greater happiness, fulfillment, and spiritual growth.
Wrapping It Up
Embracing the unity of opposites, we can find a deeper connection to the world around us and a more profound understanding of our place within it.
When Yin and Yang come into balance, the masculine is married to the feminine… then equilibrium, equanimity, peace, and harmony is attained. Thus, the ultimate goal in our spaces, our selves, our relationships is to neutralize the two opposing forces of Yin and Yang.
Exploring energy embodiment and alchemy is complex and infinitely fascinating. By embracing the principles of polarity, unity, and movement we can unlock the transformative potential of energy in our lives and our selves.
Understanding energy can also empower us to navigate the complexities of life with grace and wisdom. It's a reminder that day follows night, joy emerges from sorrow, and love finds its complement in fear.
Want to uncover the boundless potential of energy within yourself, and your space? I provide feng shui consulting, human design chart readings, and reiki energy clearings. I look forward to working with you and finding mutual alignment.
“Wholeness is the goal, but wholeness does not mean perfection. It means embracing brokenness as an integral part of life."
Parker J. Palmer
Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach, and holistic growth strategist.
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