Symbols again - an alternative Taijitu (a.k.a. the yin-yang symbol)

In something I'm working on the characters encounter a symbol that carries the same basic meaning as the Taijitu but, having evolved from a different cultural background, would also be different in fundamental ways.

Now I'm looking for something that gets the same point across without actually being the Yin-Yang symbol we know, something the logic of which would be recognizable to somebody familiar with our world's version.

Any ideas?

More colors.

That is, more colors flowing into one another. Instead of the black/white the yin-yang has, maybe three colors interacting with each other, to represent body, soul, and skill?

Hmmm... same fundamental meaning, yet fundamental differences?

The points here are first duality and bipolarism. Second is that the two 'poles' are equal to each other, and neither is better than another. (This is the prime reason why Yin and Yang are never Evil and Good, though they certainly are Darkness and Light) Third is that the two poles are relative, and not absolute. This means that one side contains the other, and therefore the same object can be both Yin and Yang depending on what it's being compared with.

So I suggest two pillars standing next to each other. What I'm thinking of is the imagery in the High Priestess card in the Tarot. Maybe white and black like Taijitu and the High Priestess card. Or complementary colors, like red and green.
Or perhaps some two other symbols/glyphs that represent two things that are opposite in your universe, engraved into the pillars. Better if they're amoral, like the Taiji.

Maybe the triskele? if you don't want to lift it directly, you can easily knock one of the spirals off or just use a single spiral with a dot at each end. Making the central dots larger and blending two opposing colors into the center to make a third (blue + red make purple in the center, for example) would be very evocative of the taijitu without screaming YIN-YANG.

edited 25th Jul '14 11:22:15 AM by Sharysa

It has to be about duality, so anything based on a rule of three is right out.

One thing I considered was an AURYN-style snake knot with a black and a white snake, but well...there'd be too many Neverending Story jokes :P.

A symbol could be about duality and more.

Like the triskelion in the centre of this flag have 1 circle, 2 colors/regions (white and yellow), 3 legs and 6 spirals. The internal(white) spirals also end in a ball while the external(Yellow) end in a point, which could also symbolize something about the two different sides.

edited 25th Jul '14 12:44:09 PM by m8e

Tuning fork?

You could use the ancient version of the taijitu that has a circle in the center. Colour it gray so you reach "true unity" Here are my suggestions. You could go for a with all the primary and teriary colours on one side each and the edges of the cube being gray. Black and white wings on the downflap working toagether to lift a person in harmony? An intelinked series of tribal tatto like tron lines of the opposite colour. A black right arm and white left arm holding a gray stone or the world itself.

edited 15th Aug '14 1:15:40 PM by GrayCipher

One possibility I came up with was a coin with black and white enamel on both sides. On one side there's a black inner circle surrounded by a white outer ring. On the other, the opposite. If you spin that coin...

edited 15th Aug '14 2:13:02 PM by MattStriker

So is that what you're set for?

You could also do a hexagram much like the star of david. One triangle is white the other is black both are outlined by gray and there is a gray circle in the center.

I'm not really set on it yet. The spinning coin works well as a 3-dimensional object, but a proper symbol should also work as a flat image.

How about a d4 then? You can make it a clear 3d object, while also showing at least two sides (and no more).