Landscape & Garden

Yin and Yang in the Garden
by
Minnie Kansman

An excerpt from Minnie's new book
Spirit Gardens: Rekindling our Nature Connection

In the United States, Yin and Yang are words that have become popular; yet it is a concept that western minds sometimes have difficulty understanding. We often think so linear, everything is either black or it is white. When I first asked my own daughter her definition for Yin and Yang she said, "Mom, it's easy. One side is good and the other side is evil. It's the dark against the light." Praising her for having such a clear opinion, I also let her know there was a more complex layer to this concept of balance.
Yin, like the night, is forever changing with the arrival of the dawn. Yang, the bright expanse of daylight, is always steadily moving towards the dusk. Days are constantly becoming longer or shorter. The seasons cycle around us, as we on planet Earth cycle through our universe. There is a harmonious dance taking place every day in everything surrounding us. It is the Yin Yang dance of life - and it truly is what makes our world beautiful and ever changing.

This flow can be appreciated through exploring more deeply the concepts of Yin and Yang and how they are woven together in this soundless music. Studies have shown evidence that we as human beings desire to be in environments that consist of both Yin and Yang. In fact, these are the places in which we thrive best. For example, building a home in the Yang environment of a hot desert or the Yin of a dark wetland is not as ideal as a home in a sunny location with large shade trees and a source of water nearby. In the desert we crave shade and water. In the wetland we desire the stability of solid ground and the sun. |

Feng Shui Master Professor Thomas Lin Yun describes an ideal building location, one where humans would thrive,
with the use of this Chinese couplet.

Warm Sun
Gentle Breeze
Lush Trees
Cool Water

Having a balance of both sun and shade, dry and wet appeals most to our sense of well being. Creating a balance of Yin and Yang in the garden makes for smooth Chi flow, good feng shui, and places where we want to spend time.

Yin
Yin is that calm centered feeling of sitting in quiet meditation. It is the opalescent smooth light from a full moon in winter. It is the cool shade under pines on a summer's day. These examples are all holding the energy of Yin: slow, peaceful, night, inward reflection, and quiet shelter. A time to retreat, to assess and sleep, to gather and rebuild, to feel power in the dark thoughts of contemplation and wonder. Yin is soothing and essential, a time for regeneration and rebirth. Without the process of Yin, we would feel hurried and scattered, and eventually burn ourselves out.

Yang
Yang is the active energy of our passions. It is what propels us to move forward in life. It is the hot sun shining down on a blinding white sandy beach. It is large and solid surfaces, like skyscrapers or immense rocks. Yang is also present in vibrant hues that attract our attention, like the glowing oranges, and bright yellows of tuberous begonias, or the upward thrusting sheaths of exotic red cannas. Anything full of energy and quick moving, even animals and people are all Yang elements. Without Yang life would come to a standstill and nothing would ever be motivated to move forward.

In the garden, Yin and Yang energy are manifested in these components:

As I said before, humans thrive in an environment that consists of a balance between these two opposing forces. We enjoy being on a sunny patio that still offers areas of respite under a cool umbrella. We love spending a cold winter's night curled up by the warm glow of a fireplace. We want and need them both. The extreme of either independently causes discomfort, which in turn creates less desirable feng shui.

This desire for balance is so profound that most elements, especially those found in Nature, are comprised of a mixture of Yin and Yang. Take, for example, a Queen Elizabeth rose. It is predominately Yin energy, because it is a green plant with pastel pink blossoms that are very frilly and ornate. However, the fiery sharp thorns and vertical shape of this rose also give it a strong Yang element.

Take an overall assessment of your garden and see whether it is predominately Yin, Yang, or a nice balance of the two. Do you love the intense shades of orange and red? A garden filled with only these colors, in a hot sunny location, can begin to feel dry and unwelcoming. Add a water feature, like a birdbath or a shady gazebo, and the area becomes instantly more inviting.
Do you have a dark and shady corner under the eves of your home that is constantly wet? Add a statuary piece, like a Buddha or angel, some ferns and white flowers, and feel it transform into a shrine.

Professor Thomas Lin Yun says, "Where a green plant thrives, so does a human." Making garden spaces that fill this need for Yin and Yang create beautiful and comfortable environments for souls.


Minnie Kansman is a student of Master Thomas Lin Yun and Denise Linn, and a certified Interior Alignment Teacher and Practitioner of Instinctive Feng Shui and Sacred Space Clearing. Her consultation business, Eco-Balance Humanity in Harmony with Nature L.L.C., has been helping others in their spiritual growth since 1994. She lives lightly on the land, respecting all of Nature's balance. To contact her or order her book Spirit Gardens go to http://www.minniekansman.com