|
|
|
Podcast
Yoga
Tantra
Yantras
Meditation Music
Guru
No part of this Site may be reproduced in any form, without explicit written permission.
|
S H I V A , S H A K T I A N D J I V A 
"The love game of Shiva transforms the entire Universe. The love between Shiva and Shakti make the world grow and go down. Shiva can see how his lover becomes a yogi when he is practicing Hatha-yoga, and a fascinating and seductive lover, when he feels the ardent desire of making love with her."
Shiva Purana In our article Bhakti and Shakti - Two important aspects for tantric lovers we have talked about the relationship between faith, devotion and the Creative Energy. We have introduced the concept of "androgyn", meaning the masculine and the feminine co-exist together in each of us.But every discussion about Shakti, the feminine principle in Tantrism, leads us to its counter part, Shiva, the masculine principle in Creation. We will talk about Shiva, from a transcendent perspective. But for now we'll analyse briefly the relationship between Shiva and Shakti, so that the reader will be able to easily recognize the masculine principle within him or herself. The Hindu terminology might seem extremely hard to understand at first, but with patience it will prove to be very useful. Shiva, signifying the Universal masculine principle, may be found as well inside a man as inside a woman. The ancient texts named him "The Great God" or "The Divine Immortal Principle", Shiva's symbol is the phallus. The lingam represents the Great Spirit, the Universal Spirits in effervescence. The stimulus is the Shakti-The Creative Energy that rotates round the cosmic errection of Shiva as an ocean of infinite variety, a true sea of sensations. Egyptians, Greeks and Romans in Antiquity, as well as other people from the era b.Ch. worshiped the phallus as the symbol of the masculine principle. Shiva represents the yogic archetype, the Absolute Master of any being on the path of the spiritual evolution. 
The Shiva Principle is directly linked to the Eternal Spirit. In the antique mythology, Shiva was presented as "the one who Defeats Death"The whole universe is created from the union of the two immutable principles that represent the masculine and the feminine principles. In the Oriental iconography, Shiva is represented either as a lingam (a phallus), or as a lingam with a certain face, or as a column, or as a yogi sitting or standing with his lingam in erection, or as an anthropomorphic representation with many arms. The Tantric works say that there is a lingam in each yoni. Anatomically speaking, this thing makes refference to the clitoris. When it is excited it is erect and reminds us of the inherent bisexuality in every woman. The understanding of Shiva's transcendence allows one to perceive the subtle worlds. During the Tantric erotic game try to identify with Shiva's extraordinary mental energy. This will give you the transcending experience, which is a lot further than the limited world we live in. Shiva is experimented as an understanding of the space depths, as a penetration in the infinite Universe, beyond any thing or any event, known or unknown. A Hindu Tantric text, Shiva Samhita, says that "those who can experiment Shiva's principles are the heroes, enterprising, free from the sorrow and blind emotions, capable, perseverant, talented, happy and with a determined and disciplined mind." Transcendence can't be known or perceived from a worldly point of view because, by definition, it goes beyond any limits of the known Universe. Now, let me introduce you another important concept: Jiva. It means the individual soul. It is compared to a solitary ray of the great sun Brahma, the Creator. 
Shiva Samhita presents briefly the nature and the function of Jiva.It says: "Jiva lives in the man's body and in the woman's body as well. It is covered in all kinds of desires. There is a strong and tight relationship between him and the body throughout karma that was accumulated in the past lives. Every being enjoys and suffers according to his/her own past actions. The Jiva who's done many good and virtuous deeds will enjoy a happy life and wonderful conditions in this world. But the Jiva, who, on the contrary, has done many bad deeds, will never find his peace. No matter what is the nature of his desire, positive or negative, it will always cling to the Jiva and follow him all the time, during his countless reincarnations." The concepts of Shiva and Jiva, meaning the supreme masculine principle and the individual soul, are very important in understanding the Universe, especially while on the path of Tantric love. If you can identify yourself with Shiva-The Transcendent, you will have a profound inner vision over the wonderful play between man and woman. 
And, if you are able to transfigure your lover as the embodiment of the transcendent, beyond all known limits of this world, then you will be able to fully enjoy the experience of transcendence.If you worship your lover with love and devotion, the Shakti's creative energy will awaken the Shiva inside you. Thus, having Shakti as counterpart, Shiva's force (or in other words the Pure Conscience) will rise strongly inside you. By an intimate union between Shiva and Shakti, in a complete ecstatic pleasure, Jiva or the individual soul gets free from the slavery of his past existence. Then the couple will be able to reach soon the final freedom. "There is a bridge between Time and Eternity; this bridge is Jiva, the individual soul itself." Chandagya Upanishad |