ICONOGRAPHY OF TANTRA
AND
RITES OF MALE-SUBMISSION

BY NAGASIVA YRONWODE, © 2000-2006
Introduction
the following essay was written for a church whose interests focussed
on integrating BDSM into a neo-Tantric context. its iconography and
general protocol included male-submission to a dominant female goddess
and priestess. it was my intent, with the contribution of the research
contained below, to ground the rituals they described as those of
'expiation, sin, or atonement' in metaphysical and mystical framework
which would avoid the problems of the BDSM culture and simultaneously
yield potential for sincere neo-Tantrics.

popular pictures of Kali and Siva often depict the supine, sometimes
aroused god surmounted by the goddess in Her full power and glory.
Academics (such as Kinsley, Dimmit and Pandit) describe this
iconography as a personal expansion on the metaphysic of samkhya-yoga,
whose polar elements, prakriti and purusha, were identified as Sakti
(Kali) and Siva respectively.

both the impersonal samkhya and personal saktic descriptions hold
value in an analysis of BDSM with respect to Tantra. they range
broadly in meaning, sometimes almost turned inward upon themselves and
reversing roles, yet setting forth a clear support for the relation of
dominance and submission.

Prakriti and Purusha

the twin elements are comparable to pre-socratic (air/earth/fire/
water) or chinese (wood/water/metal/earth/fire) systems of mystic
taxonomy, or the inherited Judeochristian elements, prakriti is the
feminine often described as composed of three qualities or attributes,
(purity, energy, and lethargy), is often translated 'nature' or
'materiality', and is associated with power and the states of
delusion.

purusha is the masculine, often described as composed of a single,
sometimes indivisible, element or substance, is often translated as
'spirit' or 'essence', and is associated with consciousness and the
state of liberation.

as the inherent tendency of prakriti is to specify and particularize,
so is that of purusha to generalize and unify. as the former inspires
the gross, concrete manifestation, so the latter creates the subtle,
ephemeral potentiality. the dangers of prakriti include all that
resembles containment or diffusion by an ever-burgeoning effusion of
raw energy (Kinsley). those of purusha include all that resembles
dissolution or destruction by an entropic reductionism, driving into a
stark monism.

such descriptions are easily reconciled with the tendencies of many
Indian graphics depicting Sakti and Siva in active and passive roles,
respectively. imbued with and symbolizing their abstractions, the
personal expansions not only reflect the character of the gods, but
may also instruct the worshipper as to the role she is to assume in
rites featuring this mythopoeic pattern.

Sakti and the Priestess

the body is Sakti. the needs and joys of the body are those of Sakti.
She is action in ascendance. Hers is the power of change, death,
decay, birth and growth. By Her dance of entrancement are we enmeshed
and released in Her net of appearance, that magical spell by which we
come to know our separate and unique selves.

Sakti is the ultimate puissance. by Her will alone are things
initiated, accomplished, and completed. through Her involvement
matters change, become complex. She manifests to us as the natural
world, the roiling physical maelstrom, unceasing in Her turgid flux,
the very fact of time, process and transformation.

the Womb and Tomb of the World, Sakti plays a grand game of hide-and-
go-seek; at one moment obfuscating, at another revealing. She is the
Creatrix, Destructrix and Matrix of all known beings. Her most potent
characteristics usually appear standing atop Her mate and consort.

as Tamomayi Sakti, She is the bearer of binding chains and the flail
of expiation. Her constraint and initiation develops and rounds out
one's personality. She provides the stability within which we may grow
and the fire of our rarefaction.

Her priestesses are patient and wily, assessing their suffusion in
Sakti, carefully seeing to the binding of the sacrifice and playfully
teasing and ignoring Him as is Her wont and as Sakti inspires. Hers is
Love on the Throne, the revealing and deceptive manipulation from a
place of amusement and pleasure in the exercise of power. dealing out
reward and punishment, the priestess of Tamomayi Sakti refines her
capacity to dwell in the presence of the goddess as She guides and
shapes the subtle consciousness of the sacrifice, preparing him for
liberation. she becomes thoroughly familiar with the tensile and
flagellatory effects of Her tools of power, studying them outside
ritual with reflective and communicative assistance as both the
wielder and recipient of their delicious application. she is studied
in the esoteric disciplines or sufficiently intuitive so as to enable
her to comprehend and act upon the supplicant(s) before her.

by far, however, the most important aspect of this initial period
within the rite for the priestess is the invocation of and attention
to herself as a manifestation of power. her role, while potentially
liberative, is predominantly one of self-indulgence. if she is not
experiencing the joy of dominion, the utter ecstasy fo being infused
with Sakti, then she may patiently wait, or, eventually, call the rite
to a halt. no obstacle is so great that it should serve as a
distraction from this perfect course. if the sacrifice is displeasing,
if her own troubles interpose, if there is insufficient respect for
the work she engages in realizing Sakti amongst the company of those
assembled, then she may find it necessary to rectify these problems or
terminate the proceedings (and hers is the final authority in such
matters).

to assist herself in this process, therefore, the responsible
priestess becomes familiar with herself, the capacities and nuances of
her inspiration, the typical rhythms and stages of her empowerment.
She will develop the ability to discern with clarity the differences
between her own projections and the resident consciousness of the
sacrifice, between her own unreadiness and the insufficiency of the
temple support.

provided that the priestess is prepared and the Rite proceeds in
accordance with her puissant desire, then she is ready to invoke the
most active of Sakti's characters, such as that of Kali.

as Kali, She is the vanquisher of obstacles and the garrilous
extension of power to extremes dangerous and capable of great change.
She wields the weapons of rulership and dominion. She demonstrates the
process of liberation which She has the power to allow through
severance from personal attachment and facade. She bequeaths Her
knowledge of Truth and compassionate Grace through Her magical
gestures and spells, as well as most directly through Her feet as She
grinds the devotee into an encounter with the Real.

adorned with the skulls or heads of those She has liberated, and
wearing a skirt of forearms symbolizing Her omnipotence, Kali's fierce
or sublime gaze destroys the limitations of the ignorant and welcomes
the sincere to erotic munificence. that She is mistress of this domain
is often expressed by Her outstretched tongue, a blatant indication of
indulgent and sensual delight.

at times She is shown passing a trident into the hand of Her consort.
at others She squats to recieve his erection into the paradise of Her
Yoni. most often when both are a part of the devotional act, She has
at least one and sometimes two feet firmly planted upon the corpse or
prone body of Her partner, who is alternatively substituted for a
copulating couple being consumed by a pyre of passion rising from a
gigantic lotus blossom.

Siva and the Sacrifice

the mind is Siva. He is resolved passivity. His is the condition of
stasis, presence, timelessness, and being. with his feat of endurance
is liberation achieved in ecstatic delight, that indulgent release by
which the whole may be experienced.

Siva is the ultimate perpetuity. by His skill are all things
sustained, extended, deepened. through His mediation is resolve
inspired, are complications simplified. He becomes known to us as the
personal world, the eternal spiritual monad, dwelling forever in His
placid stability, the essential core of self, state, and
substantiation.

the Soul and Conscience of the World, Siva engages the heroic
challenge of purification, from complete delusion to perfect
consciousness. He is the Knower, the Known and the Ignored of all
manifestation; the Perfect Witness. His most diligent
characterizations usually appear supine below His mate and consort.

Tamomayi Sakti provides for the integration and discipline He may
derive from accepted limitation and circumstantial challenge.

His dedication and sincerety enable diligence and commitment such that
our spirit may be tempered. He provides the enduring stability and the
well of enthusiasm without which we would dissipate.

His sacrifices are of many characters, though always aspiring to self-
perfection and to an ideal of complete surrender to Sakti and the
moulding influence of Her priestess. His is Submission to the
Mistress, the complete abandonment to direction and guidance,
challenge and reward by she who becomes the manifestation of Sakti.

whereas the priestess perfects the sometimes ecstatic and excitatory
experience of divine power, the skilled sacrifice learns to quiet his
mind: to shift sensitively and flexibly in response to direction,
patiently waiting on the priestess, and enduring to his limitation the
tensile and flagellatory effects she may see fit to induce during
ritual. he is studied in meditation, surrender and communication so as
to assist the priestess in directing the interaction to both their
benefit.

by far, however, the most important aspect of the initial period in
ritual is his patience, since there may be some necessary transition
time for the priestess between ordinary and ritual modes. he can use
such time productively by entering into deeply suggestible trance,
meditating upon the character of Siva in both erotic and ascetic
modes, and generally calming any anxiety he may be experiencing at the
outset through breathing and attention-focussing techniques.

while the priestess engages self-indulgent activity, it is the role of
the sacrifice (or priest) to renounce or release the world, relaxing
into a state of total dependence and transformative awe. He should be
provided with some means of communicating his condition (verbally,
manually, or merely by position of his body) to the priestess, into
whose instruction he will have entered cautiously and with careful
assessment of her ritual skill. being convinced of her
trustworthiness, he will set about the surrender of his will to hers,
a necessary requirement for the chance at liberation.

to assist himself in this process, therefore, the responsible
sacrifice becomes familiar with himself, the capacities and endurance
of his inspiration, the typical rhythms and nuances of his surrender.
he will develop the ability to discern with clarity his internal
resistance to Sakti's direction and from whence it arises (out of
hesitation, rebellion, or a real need to protect some vulnerable part
of himself).

he will come to understand that he is as much a plaything, an
entertainment for the delight of the goddess and a symbol for the
congregation which may be present as an individual whose maturation
and development toward *internal* liberation are of value. he will
accept and comprehend that the proper configuration of elements must
coalesce in order for the rite to proceed -- that Sakti must be
*pleased* with these elements lest the rite be terminated as ill-timed
or of improper arrangement -- and that it is the *priestess'* role to
monitor this configuration rather than his.

provided that the rite continues past the preparatory stages, the more
intense challenge of encountering the most active of Sakti's
manifestations, such as that of Kali, may begin. it is at this time
that the communicative ability of the sacrifice may become the most
imperative, since Kali's force and destructive potential are
simultaneously promising (She makes possible the destruction of the
very chains by which She has bound him) and frightening (especially if
there is some concealment from Her or a lack of heart-felt devotion).

this unswerving loyalty and trust of the divine, this resolute self-
abandonment in the face of horror is an important facet of Siva's
character -- the basis of His identification as the Lord of both
mysticism (union) and magic (art). it is for this reason that Siva is
often shown, in classical Indian iconography, in a meditative posture
and/or adorned with cobras, skins of ferocious animals, and the bones
of the dead. His willfulness and devotion have been the ideals of
Indian mystics for centuries, and His fondness for crude, untamed or
horrific dwelling places often underscore these qualities.

the adept sacrifice, at least within rites of male-submission, becomes
accustomed to the intense and unpredictable extremes of passion with
which the Dark Goddess has come to be associated. this is balanced by
a resolve to attain liberation (with the guidance of Sakti) from the
internal constraints that provided the limitations to and directions
for growth and maturation in his earlier life. it is for this latter
reason that those who have lived full and deep lives will have the
greatest potential for successful emancipation -- a prerequisite which
forms the mystery of Sakti's instruction.

to some it may seem that the sacrifice has the enviable role in the
rite, bereft as he is of decisive responsibility. yet this can easily
be turned upon its head should the goddess inspire. the priestess may
direct the sacrifice to request or even beg for that which he desires,
feels will set him free, or fears, placing the additional
responsibility of decision-making upon his shoulders (subject, of
course, to the veto of the priestess). she may ignore him completely
or deem him unworthy of sacrifice, unsuitable for her taste. he is
completely at her disposal, and the most guileful and insightful
priestesses will come to know what their sacrifices need in order to
perfect their temperance and spontaneity.

given this, the mastery of the role of sacrifice involves as much the
summoning of willpower as it does surrender. Sakti can only lead one
so far along the road to freedom, and while some of Her actions may
confuse us in their apparent disconnection from the beauty of
awakening, She will not make the leap *for* him, instead assessing his
readiness and directing him to fly from internal branches and soar
with new wings when he is ready.

with the experience of countless rites behind him, the sacrifice may
anticipate the style and will of the priestess, facilitating not only
her direction of his development, but also, perhaps, her interaction
with those assembled when he is tasked to this end.

Sin and Expiation

in what has been called the 'West', the concept of moral failure (sin)
has often been associated with the transgression of religious and
cultural standards or taboos. aligned in its most condemnatory sense
with crime or depravity, sin was as often railed against to dissuade
as ridiculed on account of its repulsive character.

those who sought out the least critical and most compassionate
significance for this term discovered in its origins a correlation
with the act of firing an arrow with a bow, and this emphasis on
*motivation and intent* rather than on strict action was of revelatory
import. in this context, sin is an errancy of result, the *missing* of
a target, rather than aiming at an entirely incorrect or improper
target altogether.

what this implies is that sin has less to do with moral culpability
and the depravity of the individual ("bad, bad, bad") and is instead
associated with action taken in ignorance ("missed the target, try
again"). the individual, intending a certain result, attempts to
achieve it through means unsuited to the task, with a skill level
unqualified to succeed, or with a timing or duration of effort
improper to yield the desired result. note that this result may be
defined by the individual hirself, by hir cult or culture.

where this is of relevance to tantra and male-submission is in the
discussion of their aim (liberation or release) and the means to
achieve it (personal disciplines and expiatory rites), the latter of
which is the focus of this essay.

the expiation of sin is sometimes seen as a compensatory payment for
wrongdoing (the sinner, being culpable for transgression, deserves
punishment), and, when the individual who feels that they have sinned
believes that this compensation will have a remediary effect, this may
prove to be effective. however, in general, such dualistic and
ultimately violent attitudes have their basis in the mistrust and, in
many cases, hatred of the human condition.

a more compassionate and workable understanding of the expiation of
sin is the rectification of conceptual or perceptual error, and this
is achieved in a variety of ways both subtle and severe. this
rectification may be obtained in relationship with a divinity, social
authority, parent, partner, friend, child, acquaintance, stranger, or
even an enemy. its context and the shaping nature of its influence on
our consciousness depend greatly upon our readiness for its effect. we
must be properly prepared before the expiation of our sin, before a
'repentance' from ignorant action, before a fundamental shift in the
way we function in the world, may take place.

when the aim is liberation or release, then the first issue with which
we ought deal is: 'what is it that is restraining us, from what are we
to be liberated, from what may we be released?' traditional sources
provide a variety of fantastic cosmologies, incorporating such
features as multiple lifetimes, elsewhere-directed goals, and,
especially, the escape from the present circumstance, as an ideal.
they often prescribe a cache of peculiar activities, usually ascetic
in character, which we may be expected to presume may provide the
possibility of exalted purification, culminating in a transcendental
experience whereby, with some great effort, our fantastic escape may
be accomplished.

the methods to attain this type of release are disputed amongst the
various religious authorities and mystical specialists, rivalry
amongst the sects has ensued, and entire cultural systems have been
constructed to preserve the integrity of a supposed means to an end
that few, if any, are capable of observing, let alone reaching.

for the diligent, then, the task before us becomes more clear: to
ascertain in gradually more detailed complexity the true nature of our
circumstance -- that is, to become more aware, through best means we
have available to us, of the forces affecting us and restricting us in
the achievement of our goal.

Male-Submissive Rituals of Expiation and Atonement

the historical religious roots from which modern tantric beliefs and
practices derive aim for the popular Saktist target of
"moksha" (liberation/release, defined in a variety of ways). within
this essay I have specifically focussed upon the process of
'atonement' or 'expiation of sin' which may be understood to be
reflected in the iconography of the dominant goddess and supine god
and projected from the theological paradigm of popular Christian
mythos (e.g. Eden and the notion of an 'original sin' for which men
must atone).

while it is of course our objective to work together in egalitarian
ways to construct whatever religious rites of liberation we need, a
common cultural taboo-reversal is the dominance of women and the
restraint and sacrifice of men in ritual ceremonies. these rites may
be valuable contexts within which the opportunity to *identify with
divine consciousness* (cf. the supine Siva before the dominant Kali in
many traditional graphics) may take place. this is of course merely a
possibility, though each rite makes possible the identification in
nonritual as well as in future ritual contexts.

within at least the common notions of traditional Saktist iconography,
both sacrificer and sacrificed are divine. that is, the one who
sacrifices, Sakti, is as much a divine consciousness as is Siva, the
sacrifice. thus these rites afford an opportunity for liberation for
all major participants (sacrificer, sacrificed) in the rite. too often
we identify certain qualities with a sacrificial action or character
-- that the sacrificed is somehow inferior or superior, that the
sacrificer is the divinity whereas the sacrificed is not, etc.

the roles that may be taken in ritual are likely to be, in a great
deal of BDSM-related tantric culture, rigidified along gender lines
(the preponderance of fem-dom fantasy and icons depicting Kali dancing
over the supine body of Siva is indicative of an important
psychosocial symbol), and therefore it should be considered separately
when exploring the linkage between liberative opportunity and
ceremonial station. it is especially significant, for example, that
within the confines of typical ritual dramas it is likely to be the
male, the sacrifice, who is presumed to have sinned. this tells us
right away that the sin and repentance aspect of the rite is
predominantly a facet of the *male* in ritual, contained in the
details of his sacrificial action. the liberative opportunity afforded
the woman in the rite is that of completely identifying with Sakti in
a direct manner unimpeded by her personal limitations.

ritual binding (with chains, ropes, etc.) of the sacrifice by the
goddess and/or Her agents for the ostensible purpose of rectifying the
sacrifice's sin (what I would call his conceptual or perceptual set,
ripening or adjusting his consciousness such that a full
identification with Siva may become possible), illustrates the
complete control which Sakti is presumed by Her devotees to have over
every individual, the Maya which hinders or binds us, appearing to
disempower us in the world. it is to our benefit, therefore, to take
from it the lessons of what barriers stand between us and our
empowerment with divine consciousness.

relevant questions regarding the symbolism of the rite at this point
include: 'does Sakti bind us because She enjoys our suffering and
wants to initiate this? is the fact that She binds the body meaningful
in that this places an emphasis on what remains unfettered (the mind)?
if She may be presumed to want our liberation, then how is it that She
is truly assisting us by providing these restraints?' these questions
are as valuably asked by the sacrifice as by the priestess, who is
presumably conversant with intentionally influencing mind-states
toward the maturation of consciousness.

other questions to consider in any case include: do the fetters in the
ritual symbolize our attachment to the things of the world? are they
repulsions from certain activities or appearances? are they fears
which hamper and hinder us? Are they glamorous features of roles or
excitation by which we have become ensnared? are the chains valuable
in some way in the construction of our present circumstance, without
which we would never have come to be? What would it take to have them
removed? who has the power to remove them? if this entity is not
oneself, is there some way to manipulate or propitiate this entity
such that they are removed? do we really *want* these bindings removed
at all? these issues become very complex very quickly without some
measure of introspection.

yet, given that moksha or liberation is our ultimate aim, that freeing
ourselves from some binding influence is of primary importance within
our rites, then this initial ceremonial element becomes of stupendous
relevance to achieving our goal. the ritual drama includes the very
goddess whom we acknowledge and revere as an awesome power initiating
the problem which our rite may be helping us to transcend. in the
drama, She does so in response to sin.

it is here that the diverse means of interpreting the word 'sin' come
into play. if Sakti wants to punish as compensation for wrongdoing,
then we must ask what type of goddess She really is. If it is not
really a punishment, but a rectification which begins with surrender
to Her and Her possible wrath, then the sacrifice may valuably begin a
careful reflection on what it is that needs correction. is it possible
that this dominating goddess is merely an inversion of the oppressive
in a struggle *between* sex-based dominators, and therefore worthy of
being cast off?

perhaps torture needn't be all that is included in the rite. Surely
the two previous parts of this essay leave room for a variety of
interactions amongst the participants (inclusive of indifference,
teasing, sex, or whatever activity and level of interaction pleases
Sakti). should She become indifferent, then the sacrifice may begin to
understand that he is far less important in the grand scheme of things
than he may initially presume, and he may make progress in determining
and dissolving the real restraints that keep him from an
identification with Siva.

the identification with divinity (in the case of the sacrifice and
sinner, with Siva) is a transcendental event. it is the entire
difference between the sacrificed human being and the sacrificed god.
In the former, a male takes on the role of a god and is subjected to
the whim of a woman who is a priestess of a goddess. in the latter,
Siva rests either in wrapt fascination or calmly sleeping as Sakti
plays, toys with Him, in Her various moods. in the former, the
sacrifice might beg forgiveness (so as to be released from the wrath
of Sakti), while in the latter He may snooze, laugh with delight,
incite Her to a greater intensity of fury, take action or in the power
who is Sakti.

an expiation or atonement is included in this ritual drama, but it
seems very important not to lose the goal of the religious rite in the
imagery and fictional scenario which comprises that rite. if the drama
concerns expiation of sin, then the instruction provided by Sakti
shapes the atonement. it is She who decides (through Her priestess)
when the lesson is complete. if the religious rite is intended to
facilitate release (in whatever sense we choose to interpret this
word), then its actualization is of greater importance than whether
the drama is entertaining, believable, or enjoyable for the other
participants. it is possible that a certain quality of performance in
the ritual drama will serve as an indicator of having achieved
liberation, yet this seems to be a somewhat hazardous presumption
(thespians might then be mistaken for those who have experienced the
supreme result of the practice).

the main hazard in the consideration of sin and expiation as a
scenario for male-submissive religious rites is that it will become
just another 'BDSM scene' playing out the fantasies of its
participants in the presence of an audience. it can quickly lose its
religious character in the shadow of prurient fetishes, and completely
dissolve the potentiality of moksha, liberation in the identification
of the divine. for this reason it is preferrable only to include
participants who are sincere devotees during the initial phase of a
temple or the training of new priestesses, so that they will be
aligned with the work of the whole.

within a 'Western' culture this is doubly true when integrating the
concept of 'sin and expiation', lest the predominant theme become the
punishment and forgiveness of an angry goddess (putting in a goddess
for the role of the Old Testament's wrathful Jehovah) rather than
surrendering to the tests, challenges and pleasures of Devi's
instruction.

once the religious rites 'work', and liberated individuals are somehow
confirmed, what should be their place in the cult of the goddess? if
they stay in the main roles of the rituals, then this may displace the
potential of others to taste the fruits of true freedom. if they
become missionaries to other geographical regions, then their
inspirational influence will surely be missed. perhaps it should
become their role to do the most difficult work of the temple --
menial administrative duties which no one else wants outside their
personal disciplines.

in summary, however we approach the subject of sin and expiation or
atonement, it is important that we avoid reproducing the problems and
oppression of the past in our attempts to shape the future. moral
condemnation and an institution of guilt and redress are manipulation
schemes that serve the dominant interests of an elite. given the over-
arching egalitarian and utopian nature of tantra as I would see its
culture develop, it would seem to be served by holistic, just ideals
that empower and enhance our lives.

god i love being me...