# Peras-Apeiron Vs Yin-Yang

It always has seemed that when someone talks about the unity of
the opposites, people immediately think of Yin-Yang. But the Hermetic
concept of the duality is rather Peras-Apeiron. So I explicitly
write about it here.



Apeiron is first coined by Anaximander. To find the ultimate reality
called Arche. It literally means The Beginning. The first cause of
everything. The Prima Materia.

Thales thought that water is Arche. But his pupil Anaximander
thought that Arche can't be matter. How can everything come from
a concrete thing? Hence he argued that Apeiron is Arche. Apeiron
literally means Limitless. Indefinite.

Nietzsche argued that Anaximander was the original pessimist.
Because he essentially argued that everything comes from the chaos
and returns to the chaos.

Pythagoras was a pupil of Anaximander. He focused on Peras instead.
Peras literally means Limit. He argued that by applying Peras to
Apeiron, everything comes. In other words, by applying Limit to
Indefinite, everything comes. And this Peras-Apeiron is Arche. He
regarded Peras as good and Apeiron as bad.

The concept of Sun and Moon in Hermeticism is consistent with this.
This also applies to Sulphur and Mercury. Also Fire, Air and Water,
Earth. As above, so below. There is an alchemical symbol of the
marriage between red king and white queen. That is called Rebis.
The harmony. Returning to the One.

There are some explanations that might confuse you. Like that
sulphur is active and mercury is passive. But sulphur is active
but coagulating. Thus it is "cold fire".

Narcissus is the Sun and Goldmund is the Moon. While Goldmund is
Yang and Narcissus is Yin.



If I have to talk about eastern philosophy, this is closer to Li-Qi
in Neo-Confucianism than Yin-Yang in Taoism. Though this doesn't
mean there is no intersection.

It seems that Li-Qi came from Buddhism. I don't know much about
that. But Confucianism is too secular and humanistic. They just
did philosophy of mind or ethics with this.

By the way, I don't like Schelling that much. Because his concept
of duality is closer to Yin-Yang. In addition to that I'm not
interested in Spinoza. Though I accept his importance.

Also I don't like Wuxing that much. What they did was mixing 4
elements with 7 planets except sun and moon. I want them to be
seperated.