Dual Characteristics: Yang and Yin, Internal Nature and External Form
Yang & Yin, Internal Nature & External Form
Learning Objective: Understand and identify dual characteristics in the world around us.
Divine Principle Reading:
Let us begin by pointing out the common elements which are found universally throughout the natural world. Every entity possesses dual characteristics of yang (masculinity) and yin(femininity) and comes into existence only when these characteristics have formed reciprocal relationships, both within the entity and between it and other entities.
For example, subatomic particles, the basic building blocks of all matter, possess either a positive charge, a negative charge or a neutral charge formed by the neutralization of positive and negative constituents. When particles join with each other through the reciprocal relationships of their dual characteristics, they form an atom.
Plants propagate by means of stamen and pistil. Animals multiply and maintain their species through the relationship between males and females. According to the Bible, after God created Adam, He saw that it was not good for the man to live alone.1(Gen. 2:18) Only after God created Eve as Adam’s female counterpart did He declare that His creations were “very good.”
Thus, we can understand that everything requires for its existence a reciprocal relationship between the dual characteristics of yang and yin.
Activity: Yang, Yin & You
1. Explain: Dual Characteristics are everywhere in the universe. God created it that way. Dual Characteristics form a whole, one cannot exist without the other.
2. The Divine Principle identifies these dual characteristics:
- Yang & Yin
- Positive & Negative Charge
- Stamen & Pistil
- Male & Female
3. Brainstorm other dual characteristics in the world around us and add to the above list.
4. Take a brief quiz together. The youth should keep a record of their answers by tallying if they chose the first or second choice of the question.
- Do you prefer the Night or Day?
- Which of the seasons do you prefer: Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter?
- If you’re at the beach do you prefer splashing in the ocean, or tanning on the sand?
- Do you like bright and dynamic colors or calm and subdued colors?
- Do you like upbeat music with fun beats or calm music with a quiet flow?
5. Explain Yang & Yin
These questions represent aspects of Yang and Yin. Yang qualities are represented by the first choices and Yin qualities are represented by the second choice in the questions.
Yang Qualities: Male, Positive, Active, Sunny Orientation, Generates Energy, Expansion, Rising, Fire
Yin: Female, Passive, Moon, Shaded Orientation, Grows, Contraction, Descending, Water
Yang & Yin form a whole, however, the separation of yang and yin within a being is not static or absolute, but constantly changing.
6. Discuss:
Share one yang-type and one yin-type characteristic of yourself.
Concluding point: All of creation consists of dual characteristics. In each of us we have yang and yin qualities. Since each of us has a distinct blend of yang and yin we are able to be unique people. The dual characteristics of yang and yin are what form our personality and what makes us interesting.
Divine Principle Reading:
However, there is another pair of dual characteristics in reciprocal relationship which are even more fundamental to existence than the dual characteristics of yang and yin. Every entity possesses both an outer form and an inner quality. The visible outer form resembles the invisible inner quality. The inner quality, though invisible, possesses a certain structure which is manifested visibly in the particular outer form. The inner quality is called internal nature, and the outer form or shape is called external form. Since internal nature and external form refer to corresponding inner and outer aspects of the same entity, the external form may also be understood as a second internal nature. Therefore, the internal nature and external form together constitute dual characteristics.
Let us take human beings as an example. A human being is composed of an outer form, the body, and an inner quality, the mind. Here, mind is the internal nature and body is the external form. Mind and body are two correlative aspects of a human being; hence, the body may be understood as a second mind.
Together, they constitute the dual characteristics of a human being. Similarly, all beings exist through the reciprocal relationships between their dual characteristics of internal nature and external form.
Activity: Palm Reading
1. Define:
- Internal Nature: The inner invisible quality of a being or entity.
- External Form: The visible outer form of a being or entity.
2. Use Palm Reading as a fun way to illustrate the idea that our external form reflects our internal nature (Keep in mind that this is not a science, just a fun activity). Choose your dominant hand to represent your present life.
The Head Line is the second horizontal line from the top of your palm. This line is generally associated with a person’s learning style, means of communication and style of intellect.
- Short line – prefers physical achievements over mental ones
- Curved, sloping line – creativity
- Separated from life line – adventure, enthusiasm for life
- Wavy line – short attention span
- Deep, long line – thinking is clear and focused
- Straight line – thinks realistically
- Donuts or cross in head line – emotional crisis
- Broken head line – inconsistencies in thought
- Multiple crosses through head line – momentous decisions
Concluding Point: We are both mind and body, internal character and its external form. Though our inward selves are invisible, our thoughts, emotion and will are reflected outwardly in our facial expressions and body. The outer person we see mirrors the inner person we don’t.
Internal nature and external form are the main characteristics, however, God made yang and ying as attributes of internal nature and external form. That means there are innumerable unique combinations of yang and yin which make up each beings’ internal nature and external form. This process is how there is so much variation in creation and how God is able to create beauty and harmony in the universe.