Home also of a synthesis of 'pagan' spiritual ideals with what I call 'the Tao of the MSR' (the Mulder-Scully relationship).
Tao (pronounced "Dow") can be roughly translated into English as 'path', or the 'way'. Taoism started as a combination of psychology and philosophy but evolved into a religious faith in 440 CE when it was adopted as a state religion. Along with Buddhism and Confucianism, it became one of the three great religions of China. The term 'Tao' refers to 'a power which envelops, surrounds and flows through all things, living and non-living'. The Tao regulates natural processes and nourishes Balance in the Universe through the ideal that without motion and change, life would cease its cycles; and that while change is constant, the cycles of that motion repeat. That Balance is a harmony rather than a contest, of opposites pushing-pulling each other around in an endless and complementary cycle (i.e. there would be no light without dark, no male without female, etc); and that each of these dualistic complementaries activates, encourages, and propels the other to create the movement of the cycle.
The symbol representing this idea is the well-known 'Yin-Yang'; two teardrops of complementary rather than contradictory energy that push each other even as they chase each other, in eternal Balance and harmony without stagnancy. They exist in constant motion in the cycle of existence and are unable to function without one another. Without Balance, all that exists would cease to move...and therefore cease to exist. This idea diverges from the Western conception of Dualistic religions in that the elements of the Tao do not compete, but complement; do not contest one another for any kind of superiority, but instead seek to remain in the natural cycling that comes of true harmonic Balance. In fact, according to Taoist thought, when both sides of the Dualism are equally present, all is calm; but when one is outweighed by the other, there is confusion and disarray.' In other words, there can be no superiority (or anything but perfect equality) between the two parts of the Tao, or the Balance of Existence would cease and the fabric of the Universe come apart. The Yin-Yang quite literally represents the Balance of opposites in the Universe.
The two swirling shapes inside the symbol give the impression of change -- the only constant factor in the universe. According to several Taoist websites, there is a tradition that states that 'yin' (ying) represents aspects of the feminine: being soft, cool, calm, introspective, and healing...and 'yang' the masculine: being hard, hot, energetic, moving, and sometimes aggressive. Another view has the 'yin' representing night and 'yang' day. However, since nothing in nature is purely black or purely white, the symbol includes a small black spot in the white swirl, and a corresponding white spot in the black swirl.
"Ultimately, the 'yin' and 'yang' can symbolize any two complementary but opposite forces in nature. Taosts believe that humans intervene in nature and upset the balance of Yin and Yang; that to be in Balance we must become one with our Chi (breath) and with the true nature of the Universe.
On to how this philosophy relates to the two archetypal characters that drive the X-Files universe. To me, this Balance of complementary opposites is the essence of the MSR. Without each other, they're unbalanced and cannot function; and only together do they make a whole. What is interesting is that in this particular universe, the representative of Yin is the male character, and that of Yang is the female character...stirring things up a bit and making the entire psychological impact of the archetypes that much more fascinating to explore.
