The unity of opposites (Latin: unio oppositorum) relates to the concept of non-duality. Existence or identity of one thing depends on interaction with its opposite. A vital part of spiritual alchemy, resolution of opposites is a flow of harmony.
Unity, unification or resolution of opposites happens in reality, metaphysic or psychologic thought. If the opposites are perfectly balanced, there is a state of equilibrium and stasis.
Typically, one element is more dominant than the other and this condition continues to flow and change. When spiritual balance is achieved it releases a transcendent feeling of pure happiness which the practitioner must experience to understand.
It's important to savor this feeling since it doesn't last long. It's fundamentally a condition of stasis. It can however last deeply. Cultivating the correct conditions to access this energy is part of spiritual alchemy.
"After enlightenment - the laundry." - Zen proverb
One can't exist this state of bliss as the paradoxical nature of opposites is to balance and unbalance. Imbalance of opposites is not necessarily bad. It creates a vital drive, vigor and awareness. It helps shape and integrate one's perceptions of the world.
Booklet : World of Alchemy: Spiritual Alchemy
The inherent tension of opposites creates dynamic harmony, in which all activities seem to work like magic and coincidence (synchronicity) abounds. Opposites presuppose each other - up needs down to exist, and yang without yin is just another combustible.
Coincidentia oppositorum is a Latin phrase meaning coincidence of opposites. It's credited to 15th century German polymath Nicholas of Cusa in his essay, De Docta Ignorantia (1440) and often used in analytical psychology.
In alchemy, the unity of opposites is the aim of the alchemical work. To medieval alchemists the highest level of the alchemic coniunctio, or joining, consists in the union of the total self with the unus mundus (Latin: one world).
Theories of the unity of opposites appear in many cultures. They're found in Hinduism, Buddhism, mysticism, Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Zen and among others.
"The Obstacle is the Path" - Zen proverb
Booklet: World of Alchemy: A Little History
Ancient philosophers are vocal on the subject. Unification of opposites is first suggested to the West by Heraclitus (c. 535 - 475 BCE). The notion of opposites is already traveling in philosophic intellectual circles.
The Greeks are also at the crux of thought contemplating the classical elements - earth, air, water, fire. Every element has an opposite, or a connection to an opposite. Fire is hot/dry while water is cold/moist.
Early thinkers recognize the interaction of opposites as a continuum of change rather than a battle of paradox. Unity of opposites is present in the universe, containing both same-ness and difference. Heraclitus states:
"The road up and the road down are the same thing."
Energies are in constant flux. Every pair of opposites is contained in at least one object.
Heraclitus also uses the succession of opposites as a basis for change:
"Cold things grow hot, hot things grow cold, a moist thing withers, a parched thing is wetted."
Alchemists base much thinking on early Greek models. An object maintains its core essence despite contradictory attributes, promoting deeper understanding of reality and continuity amidst transformation and the nature of being.
In terms of spiritual alchemy or Jungian psychology it means the quintessence of a person exists throughout change, despite inhibitions and enforced limitations. Using the unity of opposites a practitioner can discover the richness of the self.
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