The Yin Yang or Taijitsu of Taoist philosophy represents polar opposites which coexist in life. In this rubric, the opposites of yin which represents shade, softness and gentleness and yang which represents heat, restlessness and speed cannot exist without each other. They wax and wane as the other strengthens or weakens, but they always make up one complete whole -usually represented by a circle. In the image at left, the Yin Yang is represented by male (yang) and female (yin) counterparts who together comprise a complete being - similar to the fabled creatures fathered by Zeus who were both men and women before being violently separated.

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