Shiva: The Wild God of Power and Ecstasy

Description

To his devotees, Shiva is the entire universe and the core of all beings. Hindu myth shows him appearing at the beginning of creation as a giant pillar of fire from which this world sprang forth. Yet he is also the most approachable of gods, for he is the lover of lovers and the devotee of his devotees.

Ethnologist Wolf-Dieter Storl was first captivated by shiva when he was in India as a visiting scholar at Benares Hindu Unviersity. In Shiva: The wild god of power and ecstasy he reveals the mythical world of shiva as a study in contrasts: As the lord of dance Shiva loses himself in ecstatic abandon; with his consort Parvati ha can make love for 10,000 years. Both men and women worship him for his ability to unite and balance masculine and feminine energies. But as the ascetic Shankar he sits in deep meditation, shunning women, and none dare disturb him lest he opens his third eyes and immolate the entire universe. Lord of intoxicants and poisons, Shiva is the keeper of secret occult knowledge and powers, for which he is worshipped by yogis and demons alike. Shiva dances both the joy of being and the dance of demon- but in every aspect, he breaks through the false ego to reveal the true self within. This, Storl demonstrates through numerous stories and myths, is Shiva’s true power. In addition Storl explores the relationship of this multi-dimensional god to contemporary culture, Tantra, and the dualistic religion of the west.