Symbolism of Siva

[Uma]

My teacher has explained many (although not all) of the symbols associated with Hinduism. Because he lives in an extraordinary state of consciousness, he understands the symbolism of the scriptures as a living experience. Symbols and poetry were created to give people who had not had these experiences yet a way to imagine what seemed to them abstract concepts. In the experience of one's truth, it shifts from imagination to reality. So what I'm presenting here is not the pundit's version but the living experience that "decodes" the imagery of the scriptures - that hidden part of us that some of us touch from time to time.

The Siva of Tantra Yoga represents Pure Consciousness. That's, for want of a better word, "God". Consciousness is either inert, not moving, or moving. So we have a sitting still Siva and a moving Siva. I'll label these so they're easier to refer to later:

A)



B)


Movement of consciousness is energy. So it's the idea that the entire universe is consciousness and energy (or consciousness not moving and consciousness moving). Energy is expressed as feminine (although it's really part of the one consciousness). Therefore we have Shakti, Siva's other half:

C)


This is very simplistic, very introductory. There's all kinds of other symbolism we could talk about. In the very first image of Siva, as a yogi, the sacred picture is drawn in such a way that you could fit a six pointed star exactly on top of Siva, like this:

D)


The upright triangle represents Siva (Consciousness) and the downward pointing triangle represents Shakti (Energy). You see it in tarot images and other traditions that have this esoteric knowledge.

Sri Vasudeva teaches that God is not some big guy out there somewhere but within us and working in us and through us and all around us. We are consciousness manifesting as energy. We can act in this world or we can be sitting still, witnessing and we live in the light when we are doing both at the same time.

This is just a start to stimulate discussion.

[peteyzen]

lovely description of shiva, and the hidden meaning s, thank you, many of the points you mentioned I was not aware of Uma, thank you for posting. It goes beyond the usual description of shiva the destroyer and that destruction embodying the destruction of the ego, altho this too is an aspect of Shiva.
I really enjoyed this post thank you Uma

Please pass on my respects to your teacher
Om Namha shivaya

[Uma]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

lovely description of shiva, and the hidden meaning s, thank you, many of the points you mentioned I was not aware of Uma, thank you for posting. It goes beyond the usual description of shiva the destroyer and that destruction embodying the destruction of the ego, altho this too is an aspect of Shiva.
I really enjoyed this post thank you Uma

Please pass on my respects to your teacher
Om Namha shivaya

Thank you Peteyzen and namaskar. Yes in Tantra Yoga, Siva represents God-in-totality (ie., collective consciousness) and also one of the qualities of that consciousness which is to destroy ignorance (ignorance about the true nature of the physical and mental worlds). And there many other names for Siva (Rudra, Maheshwara...) to name a few, each focusing on a certain aspect or quality of that Divine essence.

But Siva is really you and Siva is me. We can say "Om Nama Sivaya" which means "I bow to that Supreme Consciousness" and enter into that awareness by surrendering our individual "I" so that we become nothing (no "thing"/ie., formless); or we can say "Sivoham" which means "I am Siva" and enter into that awareness by expanding our individual "I" so that we become everything (every "thing"/ie., all forms).

And why does Siva live at the top of the Himalaya mountains? Just so he gets a good view of everything in the world? Well that is transcendence. It also symbolizes that point at the top of the head which is the crown chakra, where the individual "I" connects with the collective (universal or cosmic) "I" and permanent mergence takes place. Kundalini is the power of God that takes us there in the human body, and Kundalini is Shakti, his consort. So when She reaches the crown chakra, it is like the fairytale of lover and beloved in ecstatic union in the happily-ever-after of full and permanent enlightenment. Bliss is achieved (and the sexual orgasm becomes transmuted into much finer energies like ojas, no longer attached to body-consciousness and it's a permanent state!) At that point remaining in the body becomes a choice. Those who do have a golden halo, which is called "the golden chain" because it attaches them to individual consciousness. Their only attachment is compassion for humanity, so they stay behind to serve. Otherwise they would merge into pure white light - the void of all existence. So a bit more trivia...

About my teacher, You could speak to him directly if you want. Here's his email [email protected] and his website www.blue-star.org He's very approachable and loves to hear from sincere seekers. And BTW, although he's of Hindu origins, he lives in a space that is beyond religion. He can speak the language of any noble religious tradition, as well as the language of agnostics, atheists and people of science...actually anybody.

Uma

[Uma]

Here's an image of Siva and Shakti with their son Ganesha.


The symbolism of this, according to my teacher. is that when energy and consciousness are merged (that is, when Kundalini rises to the crown chakra) wisdom is the result. Ganesha represents God's power of wisdom - that which removes obstacles but also which places obstacles in our path (for us to grow).

[Amilius777]

Shiva is basically the symbol of the sacred AUM or AMEN in Christianity that is the "destroyer" or the Holy Spirit/Divine Mother as the destroyer. Because Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three principles of AUM they work accordingly to that Vibration. They are not deities and they are not people. They are manifestations of energies. They are part of our Mother. The Holy Ghost in Catholicism also has parts such as "The Comforter" who Jesus sent before his Apostles.

Once again all religions are connected/the same in some weird way.

first let me say I am new to the forum and my first husband and father of Harley (not the one who sadly recently passed) was a rajisthani hindu and I lived in india for many years and am a yoga follower of swami satyananda... and have taught and explained yoga to many.. SO...
many times I am asked about india, and the stories and I always paraphrase and if you indulge me I will here:
the story of shiva and his wife parvarti is the story of a husband leaving his wife alone and hanging out in the mountains meditating and doing yoga asanas and smoking his ganja chillum, he then decides after many years maybe I will go home now and decides to surprise his wife and arrives unannounced and when he arrives he hears and then sees his wife in her private quarters with an unknown to him male and shiva jumps to conclusions and rushes in an chops off the head of this unknown male... his wife as you would expect is very upset because he did not let her know he was coming home and by the way that was your son you have been away for so long he is now a grown youth... so you had better do something to make this right... so shiva says to his wife okay the head of the first living being that passes his head will be restored to our son and voila the first living being passes and it is an elephant...
some of the lessons are=
husbands always let your wife know you are coming home we do not like surprises
be very precise and concise in your speech (he should have said the first human passing) etc
don't jump to conclusions you know what they say about assuming...!
oh and btw forum my dog is shiva because dog is god backwards and what people forget that as well as being the destroyer/creator shiva is also the COSMIC DANCER...WITH ALL THAT THAT ENTAILS..
well forum that's my paraphrasing for those that know nothing about one ness and conciousness etc etc the essence boiled down... and regarding the "symbolisms" I noticed there had been no mention of the typically shiva image of him sitting in front of the lingum/yoni/milk... the lingum of course being the male sexual organ and the yoni it sits in of course is the female sexual organ and the milk they pour on is the sweet nectar of both the male and female juices of bliss! ... this is of course one of the true representations of tantric yoga and yoga meaning union in action only in India...!!

[Uma]

Originally Posted by Amilius777

Once again all religions are connected/the same in some weird way.

Yes and that "weird way" is the way of our energetic biology which is universal - just as we all have skeletons, brain and nervous system - so too we have the same basic energetic structure. Those who have experienced it have passed on the knowledge of it in all cultures and all times. And like the game of "broken telephone," it has been handed down for eons, getting more distorted and confusing as this information passed from hand to hand.

Thank you for posting.

[Uma]

Namaskar Harley's Mum,

Thank you for your post. I thought I'd comment on how the meaning of the Lingam has been explained to me by my teacher (in a very basic way) and also my own thoughts on it, as a non-Hindu.



Here is a woman performing a ritual offering as is done on the Great Night of Siva, pouring milk, curd, clarified butter or honey onto the Lingam. On a very physical level to western eyes this would seem to have the sexual connotations you mentioned, but it is a highly symbolic act (in the same way that the Holy Eucharist or Communion with Christ might seem an act of canabalism to non-Christian eyes - which would be as absurd to devout Christians as seeing the Lingam as a sex object would be to devout Hindus).

Why is Siva ("God") represented by the lingam, a phallus? On the Tantra Yoga level of explanation, divine/subtle energy is Shakti. In the universe She is called prana (chi/qi) and in the human embodied soul, She is called Kundalini. Kundalini is sexual energy. When transmuted to higher vibrations we are not talking about the physical act but a merging of consciousness and energy, which is a transcendental experience. Sexual energy becomes ojas and fills the head with a feeling of intoxication with the Divine. And there are other symbolic meanings related to this. But of course, look up Tantra Yoga on the internet and you see all kinds of perversions related to it - and as a consequence huge misunderstandings.

What is, in my opinion, more useful to the spiritual aspirant, is to understand that the Lingum really represents/symbolizes God Consciousness. Its elliptical shape, like the movement of the planets and stars (or the microcosmic movement of the electrons in the atom), is without beginning or end - so it represents the Infinite Oneness from which everything is born and into which everything merges.

Contemplating this symbol of the Lingam through ritual is meant to help the mind cleanse itself of impure thoughts. The honouring of the Lingam is really the honouring of that beginngless and endless Spirit that is inside of us. On the Great Night of Siva, when these rituals are performed, the idea is that those who are performing the rituals, if they do so with the right awareness, will experience a lift in their consciousness.

And really, it is the same idea as Holy Communion.

When you take away all the external "stuff" what you are left with is the same concept, the same rituals, with the same purpose and a means to attain the same experience.

Thanks Harley's Mum for giving me the opportunity to share this information.

Sri Vasudeva teaches that God is not some big guy out there somewhere but within us and working in us and through us and all around us. We are consciousness manifesting as energy. We can act in this world or we can be sitting still, witnessing and we live in the light when we are doing both at the same time.

this i understand and experience myself. consciousness manifesting as energy,,,,,YES!

hello back to Uma... your description is exactly right...
I was giving a simplistic interpretation of the "visual" symbols for those that are not familiar with the lingam/yoni/milk etc etc !!!
ciao for now