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Overleaf: Kali on Shiva. This icon expresses the transcendent power of Tantra. Kali stands on the corpse-like Shiva, extending her tongue in an expression of sensual ecstasy. She is garlanded with heads, representing detachment from the world. Kali is the glyph of the transcendental. Her awesome outer form conceals an inner compassionate nature. Drawing from a stone sculpture of the seventeenth century, Bangla Desh.

Shiva is Pure Existence, the immortal Divine Principle. Shiva is Pure Consciousness, Unconditioned and Transcendental. Shiva is the deity of the Mind, the Lord of Yoga, Master of the Three Worlds, and the Conqueror of death. The whole universe is created by the Shakti of Shiva.

SHIVA PURANA

Kali is the Liberator. Kali gives protection to those who know her. Kali is the Terrific One, the Destroyer of Time. As the Dark Shakti of Shiva, Kali is space, air, fire, water, and earth. Kali performs all the physical needs of Shiva. She is the Possessor of the Sixty-four Arts and increases the Joy of the Lord of Creation. Kali is the Pure Transcendental Shakti. Kali is the Night of Darkness.

KALIKA PURANA

THE POWER OF SEX

THE MEANING OF TRANSCENDENCE

Shiva

Freed from all worldliness through selfless sexual communion with each other, the Cosmic couple are satiated with the transcendental peace that follows ecstasy.

Still embraced by her lover, the goddess turns to Shiva and asks:

Shiva replies:

"Dearest, I am intoxicated with love and filled by your passion. H o w could I refuse such a request? Sexual secrets are surely the most significant of all topics worthy of discussion between lovers. No other subject even approaches the sexual secrets in importance. By the power of sex humans and all other creatures enter life. Impelled by sexual energy, beings develop and flourish. Sex is the life-wave, the power of achievement, the force of evolution and transcendence. The whole universe came into existence through the power of sex. With knowledge of the sexual secrets, the primordial power of sex that brought us into existence can be used to achieve Liberation.":

The goddess asks:

"Tell me about the meaning of transcendence. What is its relationship to the creative and preserving functions of Brahma and Vishnu? What is the relevance of the Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu triad of forces to sexuality? W h y is it that the sexual secrets are divided into these three parts?"

Shiva replies:

"The whole of existence culminates in transcendence, which is the goal of all Yogas. Transcendence means to go beyond, to extend beyond phenomenal limitations and the conditioning of dualities. Transcendence is the real goal of evolution and the ultimate destiny of all

physical existence. The creative and preserving functions of Brahma and Vishnu are purely phenomenal and dualistic forces unless balanced by the Shiva-function of transcendence. The creative force of Brahma brings all beings into existence, and the preserving force of Vishnu guards their lives. The transcendental force of Shiva is like a doorway leading beyond worldliness; it extends from the mundane to the metaphysical and awakens an understanding of the real nature of existence. On the highest level, transcendence is a total participation in reality beyond both worldliness and death.

the human organism. Its qualities are fiery, expansive, aggressive, and arrogant; when concentrated in the region of the solar plexus, at the Navel Chakra, the creative force of Brahma's force is patriarchal, logical, and conventional.

"The force of Vishnu manifests through the channel on the left side of the Subtle Body. Known as Ida, this psychic channel controls the flow of lunar energy throughout the human organism. Its qualities are watery, contractive, submissive, and modest; when concentrated in the region of the brain, at the Head Chakra, the preserving force of Vishnu serves to instill deep intuitive wisdom into the fiery psyche. Vishnu's force is matriarchal, instinctive, and unconventional.

"The force of Shiva manifests through the central channel of the Subtle Body. Known as

Sushumna, this psychic channel controls spiritual evolution. It is the 'highway' that connects this world with the next. Shiva is the penetrating power of pure undifferentiated consciousness. Shiva is the ecstatic transcendental quality of evolution.

"Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva together form a triad of forces that can be simply represented by an equilateral trangle with the Shiva-force of transcendence at the apex and the creative force of Brahma and the preserving force of Vishnu at the two base points. This simple glyph symbolizes the penetrating, erect Lingam, rising from a firm foundation.

"This triad of forces manifests on all levels, from the purely physical to the psychological and the spiritual. Every action evokes a reaction; Brahma creates and Vishnu preserves what has been created. Beyond the duality of Brahma and Vishnu, the transcendental force of Shiva acts, resolving all phenomenal limitations. In the physical body, Brahma is food, Vishnu is drink, and Shiva is the life energy, the pure vitality, the breath. These three kinds of nourishment, food, drink, and breath, are essential to maintaining life in the body. On a psychological level, Brahma is the creative 'psyche,' Vishnu the preserving 'Soma,' and Shiva the medium or connecting 'agent.' Spiritually, Brahma is the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Transcender. From a worldly viewpoint, the forces of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva cannot exist independent of each other. They are wholly interdependent.

"The sexual secrets are best understood in relation to the triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is introduced first, since his creative force causes the birth of all beings. The creative attitude is the first secret of Brahma; it extends outward from its source as a golden protective aura of positive energy and manifests as sixty-four creative energies or 'arts.' Familiarity with these arts harmonizes and uplifts the psyche. The force of Brahma thus creates, extends, and exalts reality, providing a fertile ground for the growth of spritiuality. From the Tantric veiwpoint, understanding the realm of Brahma is extremely important, since it leads to control over all his functions. Sexuality, the passionate fire of the psyche, needs the physicality of Brahma's realm to provide a firm foundation for the achievement of physical as well as spiritual fulfillment. Tantric sex requires both the theoretical understanding and practical application of Brahma's energy. The first part of the sexual secrets acts as an initiation into the nature of Brahma and guides the individual to a practical lifestyle in which sex can find its highest applications.

"The third and last part of the sexual secrets evokes the realm of Vishnu, the preserving force. The erotic sentiment is Vishnu's first secret, an eroticism linked to the nourishing, cooling power of Soma; to the watery element; and to the natural, intuitive wisdom of the senses. The sensuality of Vishnu's realm cuts through all conventionality and allows for the multifarious roles of woman to be understood and expressed spontaneously. The numerous sexual postures aid in the channeling of sensual energies, and the secret rites of Tantra provide a focus for consciousness to rise from. The third part of sexual secrets serves as an

THE FORCE OF BRAHMA

THE FORCE OF VISHNU

THE FORCE OF SHIVA

THE TRIAD OF FORCES

SHIVA

UNDERSTANDING THE

SEXUAL SECRETS

THE REALM OF BRAHMA

THE REALM OF VISHNU

THE REALM OF SHIVA

KALI

THE GODDESS TRIAD

AND THE GOD TRIAD

SHIVA

KALI

THE MEANING OF KALI

HER NAKEDNESS

initiation into Vishnu's Paradise on earth and provides couples with the opportunity to explore the true potential of their sexuality.

"The second and central part of the sexual secrets evokes the transcendental ecstasy of

Shiva. This is the spontaneous realm of pure Yogic delight, the timeless joy of selfless love. No words can truly describe the nature of the Shiva-experience. Linked to the central channel of Tantra, Shiva is the one who takes you through. The structure of the sexual secrets is centered on Shiva the Transcendental. This central part should ideally be approached after the first and last parts of the secrets have been absorbed. The three parts that make up the sexual secrets together serve as a glyph of spiritual evolution through the Subtle Body of Tantra."

"O Sensuous Goddess! Neither Brahma, Vishnu, nor I exist without female counterparts, which are best understood as forms of Shakti, meaning 'energy.' Without their Shaktis, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva would be powerless in the phenomenal world. Though the Shaktis of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva have numerous different names and forms, the Tantras distill them simply as Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kali, respectively. They also form a potent triad of energies, which can be simply represented by a downward-pointing equilateral triangle, with Kali at the tip and Lakshmi and Saraswati at the other two points.

"If the goddess triad, which symbolizes the Yoni of woman, is superimposed on the triad formed by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, symbolizing the forces of creation, preservation, and transcendence, a six-pointed star is the result. This Yantra or mystic diagram formed by the two interlaced triangles symbolizes the unification of the five senses with the mind and is a

glyph of male and female qualities in harmonious balance.

"In this all-powerful protective Yantra, Lakshmi is linked to the sense of touch, Brahma to sight, Kali to smell, Vishnu to taste, Saraswati to sound, and Shiva to mind. Each of these six 'senses' is visualized as located in one of the six small triangles formed by the six-pointed star, with the presiding male or female function at its apex. This Yantra can be used as an object of meditation, as an aid to the ordering of rituals, or as a potent protective talisman.

Since ancient times this symbol has been used as a shield against negative influences."

The goddess says:

"O Shiva! Please reveal the inner meaning of my mystic form of Kali, she who is black as the limitless night sky, awesome, fearful, yet compassionate. Tell me how she differs from Parvati, my better known form. Tell me how any woman can become one with Kali, and as such, how she can best serve her lover. Tell me, O Shiva, before this night is through!"

Shiva replies:

"O Precious Goddess, few are those who truly understand the meaning of Kali. Few are those who can face her terrific form without fearing for their lives. Fewer still are those who serve her as I do you, knowing full well every subtle nuance, every shade of meaning.

"Kali is black because she is the doorway through the voidness of both inner and outer space. Her blackness is made up of all colors and, like the black holes of universes, she untimately absorbs everything that has ever been created. All brightness eventually recedes into blackness, just as all spirituality eventually merges into Kali-consciousness.

"Kali is absolutely naked, just as your mind was originally naked and will ultimately return to nakedness. Like Shiva's, Kali's nakedness both attracts and repels. In her primordial nakedness, all things are possible. Kali's three eyes tell of her absolute power over the three times of past, present, and future and suggest that her inner nature is deeply perceptive. Symbolizing the exalted forces of the sun, the moon, and lightning, the three eyes of Mother Kali show her control over this universe.

"Her four arms symbolize the four directions of north, south, east, and west, reminding us that the four main psychic centers at the navel, heart, throat, and head must be penetrated and harmonized before lasting Liberation can be achieved. Kali's upper left hand holds the sword by which she destroys doubts and dualistic limitations; her lower left hand swings a newly severed head by the hair, symbolizing the severance of the ego and the normally restricting forces of destiny. Her upper right hand makes a mystic gesture to protect and dispel all the fears of her devotees, and her lower right hand makes a gesture that grants wishes.

"Her long-extended tongue tells of her sensual and all-consuming nature. Her garland of severed human heads evokes the fifty letters of the Sanskrit alphabet, and it is their vibrations that hold together the phenomenal world. Kali is pure energy in its original form, the transcendental expression of womanhood. Kali is the awakened Kundalini-energy, the transcendental power of sex, the lustful embodiment of unrestrained, consuming love. Her enemies are hypocrisy, doubt, selfishness, and envy; her friends are those who serve and love her dearly. With Shiva as her support, there is nothing in this world or the next that is outside her domain. Though she is externally awesome, her innermost nature is kind and compassionate.

"Parvati is also passionate and sensual. She is the daughter of the Himalaya Mountains, white as the snowy peaks, the embodiment of femininity. Her face shines like the rising sun; she is graced with a beautiful figure, high breasts, full hips, and all the qualities of exalted womanhood. Parvati is the godly ideal of the chaste wife, whereas Kali embodies the lustful mistress. Parvati symbolizes the effulgent light of the full moon and Kali the dark lunar night. Though most humans idealize the Parvati archetype and fear the Kali archetype, both

HER FOUR ARMS

Contemporary representation of Kali. The four arms symbolize the four directions and the four main Chakras of the Subtle Body, The long tongue tells of her all-consuming sensual nature, and the eye in the middle of her forehead evokes the all-seeing consciousness of awakened spirituality.

PARVATI

Shiva and Parvati seated below the peak of Mount Meru, the center of the universe. The Yogi holds a trident, symbol of the power that he has tamed; his consort holds a skull bowl, symbol of renunciation and blissfulness. From a stone sculpture of the tenth century, central India.