San Kil Tang Soo Do Logo: Um / Yang

We continue our study of the San Kil Tang Soo Do Logo with the red and blue fields in the center of the circle.

Um / Yang: Also know as Yin & Yang (Chinese) the symbol represents the duality of nature and the law of opposites.  It is used to describe how seemingly opposing forces are bound together, intertwined, and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn.  The curved line indicates that in nature there are no absolutes.  Lines separating opposing concepts or points of view are rarely sharply defined but are represented more correctly as gradual changes.  The effect is a balance of give and take that promotes harmony.

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The relationship between yin and yang is often described in terms of sunlight playing over a mountain and in the valley.  Yin (literally the 'shady place' or 'north slope') is the dark area occluded by the mountain's bulk, while yang (literally the 'sunny place' or 'south slope') is the brightly lit portion.  As the sun moves across the sky, yin and yang gradually trade places with each other, revealing what was obscured and obscuring what was revealed.  Yin is usually characterized as slow, soft, insubstantial, diffuse, cold, wet, and tranquil.  It is generally associated with the feminine, birth and generation, and with the night. Yang, by contrast, is characterized as hard, fast, solid, dry, focused, hot, and aggressive. It is associated with masculinity and daytime.

Red (Yang) represents FIRE.  In San Kil Tang Soo Do the "fire of discipline" refines our character.

Blue (Um) represents Water.  In San Kil Tang Soo Do "nurturing water" improves our fellowship with others.