It is here demonstrated that, within the I Ching at least, yang needs to come before yin for a general balanced approach. We find this with the two hexagrams commonly associated with 'correct' and 'incorrect' completion, and, as we shall see, the same property exists in trigrams and line-pairs.
In hexagram 63 there is an oscillation of the lines in the form of yang-yin etc. Thus the overall context is set as yang. Once established, yin follows and yang follows yin, but the initial context is important and the resulting comments are 'positive'.
In hexagram 64 the order is reversed and as we see from the text, the tone is negative in that the sequence is 'wrong' and our little fox gets it's tail wet.
With these two simple demonstrations in mind, we turn to other instances of order, in that we now move to trigram order where we find the same overall 'vibe'. In hexagram 12 we have yin (receptive base) before yang and an overall negative tone. Here, in the context of devotion, we have developed a degree of confidence (creative top) such that any outside thrusts to change our perspective is parried - neutralized. And in the overall context of change this is considered as stagnation (our 'values' come first irrespective of any 'fact' - an often found problem in strongly fundamentalist faiths).
In hexagram 11, where yang comes before yin, the tone is distinctly positive in that the situation is considered well balanced and filled with potential. Values in the form of trust emerge from the initial yang context of perseverence.
We now move to the 'pure' hexagrams of yin and yang. In these hexagrams the extreme nature of hexagram 1 is recognized as also being leadership oriented. In the extreme nature of hexagram 2 it is strongly recommended that one follows rather than tries to lead.
If we move to pairs (yin/yin-yang/yang-yin/yin) then we find the same characteristics where the overall nature of hexagram 62, where values are exagerated for effect, is negative when compare to hexagram 61 where values are within and thus emerge from the outside yang (One has a stern outside but a yielding nature which enables a sense of 'proper' justice).
All of this emphasises the point of moving from hardness to softness - we mellow with age - rather than moving from softness to hardness; we get bitter as we get older.
This 'nature' is not only limited to the I Ching, in that through the template we find the same overall perspectives in other typologies.
This does not mean that all yin based hexagrams are negative, they are just more 'contractive' - response oriented. The benefit comes when yin is within the initial context of yang in that a degree of softness allows for thought, consideration. In the yang sequence it is when yin appears in the top trigrams that a degree of softness emerges (11,19,36,24).
In the yin sequence it is when the yang develops in the top trigrams that things become more negative. (eg 12,33,06,44)
As far as our bodies are concerned, emotion is the universal responder , it always follows an initiating event. It can lead to other events within the context of the original but when it comes to putting emotion as the initial context, 'problems' can arise in that recollections favour the emotion before the 'fact'; we respond to someone as if they were somebody else since they ellicit similar emotions. This can lead to a good deal of confusion for both parties. (In NLP terms, we have 'fired' an anchor).
It is fine to use emotion to lift people but it is as a response to a 'fact' - people are 'unmotivated', 'neutral' etc. and the 'ideal' aimed for is never 'ideally' reached. When playing with values we need at least one toe on the ground!
In 'lower' lifeforms, which are more whole oriented when processing information, this method of response is useful for survival purposes. Emotion is linked to colour/harmonics and thus a slightly poisonous coloured whole will illicit an emotional response which will prohibit the animal from eating any other whole of the same colour. (but not for too long. memory is limited).
This characteristic continues in us (showing our evolutionary path) but becomes abstracted and if not recognized, can easily lead to problems (As we find in many of the value-driven current world problems.)
A brief note re Yang before Yin and the nature of context. The gross context for hexagram 63 is 53 - Gradual Development. Where we take 53 in detail where we find pairings of yin/yin - yang/yin - yang/yang and thus the movement from a 'soft' possibly faultering start to the firm pair at the top and so a movement from soft to hard that is positive. 63 is the refinement of this where all stages are 'correct'. Note that the immediate context of 63 is hexagram 22, where we establish a degree of 'worth'. Thus not only are the stages correct but as we near the end so a degree of value emerges and finally we complete the journey.
In hexagram 64 we find the gross context of hexagram 54. Here we start with high energy (yang/yang) but it collapses as we develop and so a negative bias to a path from hard to soft. This is refined in 64 in that we are out of step all of the way.
(Note that the immediate context of 64 is 47 - Exhaustion/Enforced Waiting.)
In both of these gross context hexagrams, 53 & 54, note the overall bias to relationships but in the form of binding (dynamics) rather than bonding (static). The relational character gives an overall bias to yin and in this context the yang-based hexagram (54) is negative and the yin-based hexagram (53) is positive.
This approach of viewing the hexagrams as three pairs of lines stems from the linking of the lines of a hexagram to the Earth/Man/Heaven format.
(Noting that the format of hex 63 is traditionally supposed to be the line template for the hexagrams).
I hope this helps to 'balance-out' any possible interpreted bias .There is a strong overall emphasis for yang before yin but context plays a part in determining final outcome. Thus in 53 things firm and in 54 things get too soft. In 63 there is correct sequence all of the way but the reverse in 64. And in 02 there is too much softness, and in 01 there is too much hardness.
Throughout the I Ching, and by implication, all other dichotomously-derived systems, yang should come before yin as the root of all 'wholes'. This seems to be the case in the brain where emotion colours the whole, and 'yang' oriented emotion is neutral or happy, whereas yin oriented emotion is angry or sad; better to have the initial context as happy/neutral and a bias to 'fact' before 'value'.
What should be noted is that this has nothing to do with male/female concepts, where we find male linked to yang and female to yin. In the I Ching a male can be yin and a female yang, context determines the format.