Shakti and Shiva – the Female and Male Principles
Who are Lord Shiva and his Shakti, the Deva Sati?
In Hindu mythology, the tales of Lord Shiva and the Deva Sati, Lord Shiva’s Shakti, (the source of his spiritual power), are some of the most important and quintessential Holy Stories.
Lord Shiva is the Lord of the Three Worlds.
- The First World (Bhuloka) is the material universe, the physical plane.
- The Second World (Antarloka) is the subtle, astral plane, the mental and emotional sphere, occupied by angels, spirits and Devas (divine beings).
- The Third World (Brahmaloka) is the causal plane, the spiritual universe of the Mahadevas, great radiant entities, the gods and highly evolved souls spoken of in Hinduism.
The Deva Sati is the Diety of Marital Felicity and Longevity. A Deva, meaning ''Shining one'', is an angelic being living in the higher astral plane, in a subtle, nonphysical body.
Shakti
SHAKTI (Or Prakriti) can be viewed as all the Dynamic Forces of the Universe.
Shakti has been associated with power, movement, change, energy, the elements and Nature.
Shakti is also symbolic of the principle of the Mother. Thus it can be seen as the provider of abundance, nurturing, nourishment, warmth and security. This is why there is no greater love than the love of a Mother, as well as the reason why the mother carries and nourishes its child in her body, until the moment of birth, after which it feeds her child with her milk and raises it at the sacrifice of her own self. This is the selfless role that is performed by the Shakti, by Prakriti, by Women.
As you can imagine, to be able to fulfil this female role, of being such a powerful force, a force of change, of movement, of maternal power capable of carrying and nurturing life… To carry such strenuous burdens, and remain this incredible source of power, a Shakti needs something to care for her. A Shakti needs her Shiva.
Shiva
SHIVA (or Purusha), can be viewed as Pure Consciousness. Shiva is the eternal observer. This force of Purusha has no desire, desires are only inherent in Prakriti. Purusha is the Empty, is the Void, is the Space that is filled with the dynamic energy of Prakriti.
Shiva could thus be seen as Father, as the Heavens above, as pure Consciousness.
He is sometimes even thought to be the real Creator of the Universe, as opposed to Brahma and Vishnu. Although traditionally, Brahma is seen as the Creator, Vishnu as the Maintainer, and Shiva as the Destroyer.
Shiva is thus also a Deity of the forces of Entropy and Decay, as one of the inherent characteristics of Male Energy, is an ability to discard the Old and make room for the New.
The Story of Lord Shiva and his Shakti Sati
The Deva Sati loved her husband Lord Shiva very much and was completely devoted to him. One day, she went against his will, attending a ceremony held by a member of the Court of Brahman. Lord Shiva had a dispute with this other entity, and as an offense to Lord Shiva, ended up completely ignoring Sati. This affront, an unforgivable diss, against Lord Shiva, caused the Deva Sati great humiliation, for she had brought dishonor on her husband, and so she threw herself into a Holy Fire and took her own life.
This completely distraught Lord Shiva, who, after smoldering and destroying everything that had been the cause of this recklessness, retreated to the Himalayas to commit deep penance and engage in deep ascetic meditation.
This caused a deep perturbation in balance in the Universe, and an imbalance that could only be rectified by the child of Lord Shiva and Deva Sati. Many of the other Devas gathered and asked Sati to reincarnate, to bring Lord Shiva out of his deep state of penance, and to birth their future child.
This caused the Deva Sati to reincarnate, as a most beautiful and graceful woman, the young princess Parvati.
Though Lord Shiva was still grieving from the lost of his Shakti; young Parvati, the reincarnation of the Deva Sati, would through her deep and sincere devotion to her Lord Shiva, bring him out of his asceticism and help restore order to the growing instability of the Universe.
Though this was not an easy task for the Deva Sati, she was destined through deep meditation and penance to regain her husband's heart. Though initially unsuccessful, her deep state of consciousness began to create such energy that all of Heaven was beginning to heat up and catch fire... This sincere and deep devotion to her Lord is what ended up winning Lord Shiva back to her, helping him realize that she was indeed his reborn Shakti.
A beautiful write-up of Parvati's Tale
Shakti Always Initiates the Ritual
In Sanskrit, Shakti refers to the activating force of nature (Prakriti). Shakti initiates all action. It is the Power of Pure Intent, and so Shakti can be translated as initiating spiritual power.
In Tantric Yoga, it is considered key that the initiation of the meditation be performed by the Shakti, by the woman. Then the Shiva, the male, accepts the offer of energy and in turn returns it to the Shakti, thus taking the lead from then on.
The idea behind Tantric Sex is for a complete balance and harmony of male and female sexual energy to emerge, leading to Divine Orgasm and Cosmic Ecstasy.
Quoting from this article about the Shakti Energy
Shaktipat means Shakti-giving. The transmission of Shakti can initiate spontaneous meditation, kundalini awakening, and spiritual transformation, depending upon the preparedness of the initiate.
Shaktipat Diksha means "Shakti-giving initiation." Diksha (pronounced dee'-ksha) refers specifically to initiation in the sense of showing, informing, or bestowing something upon someone. Shaktipat Diksha is often likened to lighting one candle with another candle. This allows for the bound life energy in the body (prana) to be released and set free. Once this energy released, the evolutionary force, Kundalini, can awaken naturally.
The Source of Toxic Masculinity.
When the male initiates the dance, this creates *disharmony.
The natural way for energy harmonization and intimate connection is for the female energy to draw in the male energy.
Not the other way around.
We've all seen the nefarious and damaging effects of cat-calling, sexual harassment, the overly macho male-dominant energy that ends up crushing and brutalizing the female energy...
Even when the guy makes the 'first move' and gets pathetically shot down... In every one of these situations, it is the man's fault for completely misunderstanding Human Nature and Cosmic Law...
In every case, it is the woman that must initiate. The woman must perform the Shaktipat Diksha, she must show, inform, or a bestow a sign. This Sign is the key part of the initiation, is a key part of True Femininity, something that many men in our completely artificial Judaeo-Christian societies are clueless about... It is not the man who wins over the woman with flowers and displays of affection. The man must wait for the woman to show him the sign, to create the attraction. Then, with the certainty that he is already within the door, he can proceed to win her heart with his exploits and displays of True Masculinity.
But why is that? Why does the female draw in the male? Why does the male not draw in the female?
This can be understood through studying the nature of Energy Dynamics.
Male and Female Energy
Energetic Mechanics
How does energy work?
I hope this can Help Lovers out there Understand what is Happening to their Chakras when they Fall Deeply in Love with One Another. It is a Harmonious and Self-Sustaining Exchange of Energy Between the Male and Female Principles that Exist Within Every Human Being.
It is the Male and Female concept that guides Positive and Negative energy currents…
This is Why Your Authentic Erotic Relationship Feels Electric
If you can see with me, that the ''Positive'' / Giving Pole is the Male Principle, and the ''Negative'' / Receiving Pole is the Female Principle…
Then think about how our societies views the concept of the ‘Negative’ and think of the way that our society views ‘Women’...
Don't men always complain in our societies that women 'Want too much'? 'Expect too much'..?
Yet these are not Men in a State of Harmony... For the Man lives to Give to the Woman, and the Woman lives to Receive from the Man...
This is a Cosmic Principle...
Men who suffer from being out of touch with their female essence, often complain that their woman is too emotional, that she gets hung-up on things much too easily... This lack of empathy and connection caused by the energetic imbalance is felt as lack of emotional intelligence and an inability to feel the whole spectrum of emotions available to humans, an inability to read the woman's heart and respond to its desire...
Women who suffer from being out of touch with their male essence, often complain that their man is distant, self-absorbed, uncaring... But is this perception necessarily always accurate? An energetically balanced woman will think of ways to show her man that she desires him; this would draw him in as per the Cosmic Laws... The inability to communicate this desire for her man is caused by the male-female imbalance... It is felt as a lack of conscious reflection, and leads to an inability to imagine creative solutions to her problems and to reach out using ideas... It is a lack of consideration and creative thought...
This inability for us to understand each other, and act as mirrors to each other, to connect on a deep, intimate and spiritual level; is always the result of an energetic imbalance on the chakra/meridian level that exists between the man and woman...
A man is naturally aloof, self-absorbed, conscious only of his own mental state...
A woman is naturally emotional, desirous, in tune with the changing fluctuations of her emotions...
That's why we must be brought together, to exchange our energies, in order for us to Find Balance and be Complete...
Male energy is Pure Mental Thought: Awareness
Female Energy is Pure Emotional Intuition: Intelligence.
Human Consciousness is the combination of these two forces, Thought and Emotion, and the blend of these two forms of energy into a Harmonious, Stable, Noble State...
The balance that exists between the Male and Female Principle is What we call Peace... Bliss.
Energy is always seeking to reach this Noble State. We can see this on:
- The Physical (Atomic) Level
- The Chemical (Molecular) Level
- The Biological (Sex) Level.
Just think about the Neutron and the Proton of an Atom...
The Chemical Bonds between Chemicals
The way the Penis is Offered to the Vagina, which accepts to Hold it inside...
Balance of Energy
It’s important to note that I’m talking about Male and Female Energy, not Men and Women...
There is no such thing as 100%-male-energy or 100%-female-energy in humans…
That would lead to a completely unbalanced kind of human being unable to find balance and therefore unable to sustain itself and survive, reproduce, live…
Most hetero-normative men and women are composed a 2:1 gender respective male-female energetic balance
Homosexual and transsexual preferences reflect the fact that this male-female energetic balance runs on a very fluid spectrum.
Male-Female Energetic Balance Varies from Person to Person.
Though it is incredibly controversial in most society, it is completely natural.
I, like Lord Shiva, have lost my Shakti...
For now, I am committing my deep penance. I am becoming more Conscious than I have ever been. Accumulating wisdom, wealth, health and well being; that I may one day be able to supply to my Shakti all of the Heavenly things that will win her heart back and bring her devotion to her Lord Shiva. That I may one day Be the Lord of the Three Worlds, and Hold my Deva Close to Me in Holy Union...
Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy piece, and upvoting, following or resteeming if you found this article compelling and interesting.
Peace and Love
Hae-Joo
All this knowledge of Hinduism borrowed from the Himalayan Academy's fantastic lexicon search tool