What if you’re a 240v POWERHOUSE who’s only been given a 120v story?

What story? You know, the one about how only the YANG half of the creative cycle is valuable – the growing, productive, expanding, summery, positive, ‘up’ part of the process.

The story where the YIN half of the cycle gets a really bad rap. You know, the letting go, surrendering, wintery, unproductive, ‘negative’, ‘down’ side of things. (AKA, compost, decay and death!)

The thing is, all natural processes cycle constantly through YIN and YANG, in a great and constant round.

We inhale. We exhale.
The tide comes in. The tide goes out.
We ovulate. We menstruate.
The garden blooms. The garden dies off.
We are born. We grow. We age. We die.

It’s a pretty simple and unequivocal map! I call it the ‘Cycle of Transformation.’

And for whatever reason, as a society, we’ve come to label some of this transformation as ‘positive’ and some as ‘negative,’ even though – clearly! – all parts of the cycle are necessary!

But what if our power comes from being rooted and grounded in this present moment – regardless of which side of the creative cycle it is?

What if the YIN half of the story holds the key to our WHOLENESS?

Yang Life

What are some YANG experiences, generally speaking? We get some clues from what’s culturally acceptable:
• Having a party, or going for drinks with friends
• Being young and beautiful
• Ovulating
• Feeling happy and excited
• Having physical capacity or strength
• Getting a promotion or pay raise
• Burning the candle at both ends in order to achieve something

Yin Life

What are some YIN experiences, generally speaking? We get some clues from what’s culturally unacceptable/taboo:

• Choosing to be, or finding yourself, alone
• Becoming older, bodies changing, illness, death
• Menstruating
• Feeling sad or depressed
• Lacking physical capacity or strength
• Losing your job or retiring
• Sleeping and resting, “doing nothing”

I’m sure you can see yourself and various moments of your life in both of these lists.

Yang Imbalance

When only the YANG side of the story is validated, we spend huge amounts of time, energy and money trying to evacuate ourselves from our YIN experiences.

We take drugs, go shopping, take pain-killers and anti-depressants, binge-watch Netflix, dose ourselves with that compulsory glass of wine, in order to numb out or avoid particular feelings.

We don’t tell our friends how crap we are actually feeling. In fact, we don’t even call our friends; instead we scroll our Instagram feed late into the night, in order to feel ‘connected.’

We dye our hair, buy anti-aging creams that cost a fortune, flog ourselves at the gym, to keep up some appearance of youth.

We plug ourselves up with tampons and keep going with life, even if our body is yelling at us to lie down.

We rush through our grief, our anger, our soulful discontent, using work or other tasks as a distraction.

Anything to get back to a socially acceptable positive, productive space.

Powered by Presence

But what if we are POWERED by PRESENCE?

What if our power comes from being rooted and grounded in this present moment? Responding to this present moment – regardless of which side of the creative cycle it is?

What if we need the YIN as much as the YANG – and maybe even more so, given we live in a culture which is addicted to constant growth, doing and achievement?

What if, as we embrace all of who we are – the YIN and the YANG, in different quantities, in different moments – we increase our CAPACITY to channel LOVE, to flow acceptance and love to ourselves and others?

240v Powerhouse

These questions make me feel tearful and excited, both.

I’m on a lifelong journey of filling in the gaps in the story.  I want a 240v life.  I want to live my full wattage, especially as a WOMAN here on Planet Earth at this crucial time.

Because, if you happened to be born with a womb, you just happen to represent the YIN principle in the collective consciousness, and therefore you are subject to undermining daily messaging that you that you and your body should be different (more YANG, of course)!

We internalise these messages, and can end up feeling extremely confused, unconfident, ungrounded and alone.

I’m slowly shedding the shame that colours my YIN embodiment. Learning how to stay present to all of my experiences. Re-writing my story to include the YIN as necessary and valuable.

And I’m pretty sure that’s why we’re hanging out (through the magic of words on a screen), because you feel these things too…

The song of your WHOLENESS is singing to you, just as mine is singing to me… and for that I am so grateful.

Today, under this watery Scorpionic Full Moon, may we honour that which has been hidden and vilified, especially in our experience in these female bodies.

May we value both sides of the Cycle of Transformation and embrace the opportunities of each phase.

May we live the full wattage of our WHOLENESS in each moment.

xxx Grace