In the Vedic tradition of India, the Holy Trinity of Gods are Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva the Destroyer. Shiva, like Kali, is the deity who represents the destruction of illusion … denying anything that separates us from the truth of who we are. Whether in the Divine Game of relationship or in the personal cycles of transformation throughout our lives,
Shiva is the great destroyer who helps us transform and surrender to our true nature.
In Tantra we hear Shiva, and his consort Shakti, referred to as the Divine Couple; the maximum union of masculine and feminine. However, if we look deeper, the Shiva / Shakti sexual union is not just about the yoni and lingams encountering a pair of thrown namastes for good measure! In the Vedic tradition, Shiva Lingam and Yoni symbolize the sacred union of the inactive and dynamic aspects of consciousness. So the desire to be in Union with our partner represents the fundamental desire to be in union with the Beloved or our true nature (consciousness).
Shiva represents the unmanifest stillness from which Shakti emanates. That is why we see pictures of Kali with her foot on the prone Shiva. It is not about submitting the masculine to the feminine … it simply reminds us of the divine game. From the inactive Divine Consciousness of Shiva arises the active Divine Energy of Shakti that shapes that Consciousness. The Divine interaction between Shiva / Shakti, Yin / Yang, man / woman shows us that neither can exist without the other.
We embody Shiva in our lives when we connect with the stillness and silence that are at the heart of who we are. Shiva’s kingdom is about being and not doing. Shiva represents being in integrity with oneself and being present to others from a place of ingrained stillness. In the Divine Man / Woman game, this is what Shakti really needs … the base of Silence from which he can create. When a man embodies Shiva, he emanates inner strength, grounding and stillness. This allows Shakti, your Divine Consort, the freedom to shape this stillness.
When a man cannot incarnate Shiva, his Shakti cannot surrender to him because she has to incarnate Shiva herself. This is at the core of much of the suffering that occurs in relationships. It does not matter if we are male or female, heterosexual or homosexual, since the same Divine Game between Shiva and Shakti (inactive Divine Consciousness and active Divine Energy) exists in all forms of relationship.
In Vedic astrology, Shiva is represented by the planet Saturn, sometimes known as the Lord of Karma. Saturn, like Shiva, ultimately represents the denial of false identifications that are associated with a limited sense of self. The aspects of Saturn in the astrological chart, on the personality level, represent the primary imprint that we have experienced around the consciousness of separation. This imprint does not represent who we really are, but rather the contracted identifications that we have assumed in order to survive.
Since Saturn corresponds to the first chakra that represents basic survival needs, the fear of survival manifests itself differently for each individual depending on their first impressions and circumstances. It can manifest as fear of being seen, fear of expressing emotion, fear of telling the truth, fear of giving or receiving love, or fear of acting or affirming. For example, on the personality level, the fear of being seen could prevent a person from actually shining their light and giving their gift to the planet. However, on a soul level, this can be an opportunity to learn about true modesty or humility. The challenge, however, is to see Saturn or Shiva as our spiritual ally rather than our persecutor.
It takes approximately 28.5 years for the planet Saturn to circumnavigate the zodiac, which means that every seven years after birth, Saturn (by transit in the sky) is in an important aspect or relationship to the position of Saturn at birth. At approximately 7, 21, 35, 49, and 63, Saturn is square (90 degrees to its natal position). At approximately 14, 42 and 70, Saturn is in opposition (180 degrees to its natal position). 29, and 57-58, Saturn is in conjunction (0 degrees or in conjunction with your natal position) also known as the return of Saturn.
These seven-year cycles represent the shedding of false identifications with contracted or limited notions of the self. Although our identity seems solid (father, mother, son, daughter, lover, employee, rich / poor, etc.), in truth none of these identifications represent who we really are. As we go through the seven-year Saturn / Shiva cycles, it can sometimes seem like something we value or identify with is being taken away from us. However, in general, what is being removed are false identifications that no longer serve us. This is the true power of Saturn and Shiva … to destroy or deny what is false so that we can be in integrity with our true nature. By destroying any illusion of separation that it imprinted on us, we discover our true Shiva nature, which is stillness, power, and presence.
The power of doing this work in a sacred relationship or association is that our relationships are direct mirrors of our inner states and reflect exactly where we experience separation. The deepest intimacy (in-to-me-see) comes from sharing where we feel separate with our partner … our deepest vulnerability, secrets and fears. When that “in-for-me-see” is combined with the intimacy of Tantra as a path of Union with the Divine, the relationship is elevated to a new level of experience. When we truly acknowledge and share our humanity with our partner and embrace and experience our divinity together, the relationship becomes the highest path of transformation possible.