To find definition of ourselves, our identity, sometimes like in art, it is easier to see the voids and shadows then to see ourselves holistically and clearly. But by seeing these voids and shadows we can bring together a sketch, a picture as to who we are. Do not be afraid to see your shadow, it is the spice that brings ourselves to life.
Individual identity must be addressed and conversed about for the health of all of us and our collective mind. Our evolution culturally has kicked into overdrive, and the individual is reeling out of control not being rooted to the collective. The point of this article is not to force people into a cookie cutter role of what yin/yang looks like in an individual and in relationships. The point is to give the tools to organize these energies, the cause and effect of imbalance, so we can clearly see ourselves.
Three Points of Focus to Understanding the Voids of Identity: Empowerment, Identity Realization, and Gender
First, we must acknowledge the effect of imbalance in ourselves that makes us crave empowerment. Whether it is the power over ourselves or that need rises with in us to have power over others. This need is created from a vacuum, a void of energy. Sometimes it can just be a guide to where we need to achieve balance. When we are unaware it can have a destructive effect on our lives.
Second, we must acknowledge what identity realization is. The action of “I” (I am, I believe, I can) in identity is the yang, the yin is the realization of that identity (I realize, I come to understand). When we have an imbalance in Identity it creates a void, either I without action or I without reflection. For example, curating our identity without experience. Purchasing our identity, or arranging our perceptions of ourselves, without experience and feedback of life and others. This emptiness causes us to seek to fill the void, sometimes obsessively and destructively.
Thirdly we must recognize the biological yin/yang mechanics do not always reflect what our inner subjective world is. That it is ok that they are different. We have layers to our identity, and we must find balance on each layer of ourselves, not mesh them all together nor let the layers drift too far apart. There are those who would seek to fill the void and find power by the over arrangement of their identity using the mechanics of a biological yin/yang to do so without seeking the realization to go with that arrangement.
Nesting Dolls of Identity
So now that we have dived into self-empowerment, identity, and gender; we need to look into the layers of our identity or nesting dolls of the individual. If identity realization can be defined as the action and reflection of I, we need to look at the proportions of nesting dolls to each other. So if we have the inner identity and the outer identity, a yin/yang unto itself, which is more dominant? Which takes precedence? We must know this in our journey for balance.
We must also acknowledge how much of our biological identity consists of gender. How much does the action and the reflection of gender take precedence? Realizing it is not the same for everyone. To visualize this, if you had $100 in Identity, how much would you spend of that identifying with your gender? Does it seem balanced? Does it seem well spent?
We must look at the individual parts before we look at the manifestation of a working yin/yang. Whether we are talking about a metaphorical subjective manifestation of a working yin/yang, or the objective physical working yin/yang in a sexual relationship, these are the creative expressions of our journey that we can see the feedback of who we are. We can see the internal, and the alignment of our nesting dolls of identity and beyond. The biological yin/yang is but one layer of an onion of layers of identity.
Intact layers vs Incomplete layers/Pierced Layers
The ideal and goal of layered yin/yang energies is they are intact, a full circle: energy entrapped in a sphere. Like a balloon these intact energies that are entrapped give off a sphere of influence to all the other layers. They do not interfere; they do not mix with other layers: they influence. This describes an empowered identity. This is a state that needs to be maintained by reflection and awareness. How do we achieve these intact layers? By commitment and respect to either ideal, self, or partner. Commitment and respect honor the dualism, autonomy, power of both sides of every layer.
Intact layers, the energy we get from commitment, give us the opportunity to build in our lives. It fortifies us and solidifies our identity and existence. Otherwise like a deflated balloon we have no energy or direction, and we listlessly try to find fulfillment in the material world and pleasures.
It is important to be aware of those who derive their energy from piercing the intact circles of others and breaking the rings of wholeness. All the more reason to understand the individual layers of identity and the influence our sphere of intactness can have. An example of piercing intact circles I will give is on the collective level, although I will not go into collective energies. We see how Putin has, from the top layer down, pierced the protective boundary of Ukraine and broken the circles of families, and communities throughout. He has not pierced the Ukrainian individual layer in many and we see how strong the individual is to that country. Putin and country, driven by identity empowerment but plagued with the void of reflection.
Conclusion
Empowerment depends a lot on the direction of our perspective on using the creative expression of yin/yang. Do we come from a perspective of Yang where it is more like a chess game where we manipulate the pieces? Or from a yin perspective an emergence from the whole? To understand both perspectives is ideal.
Mindless sex and/or mindless gender changes are just yang actions with no yin. Like running in place and never getting anywhere it creates a void we seek to fulfill endlessly. A broken layer where our energy escapes and we have none. The journey to intact layers is what we all journey towards, it is what traditional roles are trying to teach us. Some have abandoned tradition without taking with us the essence of understanding that we need along the way, while others hold on too tightly to tradition and are blinded to evolving changes within us.
Empowerment is the realization that by understanding the structure and voids of identity, we can have more control and clarity. Start or continue the journey of the soul by asking yourself, what void clouds my vision? Do I have ulcers in my eyes, or a clear pool? Don’t shy away from your shadow, it is the spice of your life that gives you definition.