I am back painting and studying and contemplating the twelve Kalis, and Kali standing on Shiva, the feminine powers of the universe and the stages towards the highest consciousness that is their source. I’ve been reflecting deeply on those energies of change and transformation, as I’ve been working on a series of paintings exploring these themes.
There’s something profound about how images can cut through cultural boundaries and speak directly to universal human experiences. The Hindu depiction of the goddess Kali standing on the god Shiva is one such image. At first glance, it might seem foreign or even jarring, but when we look deeper, it reveals timeless truths about how we change while staying grounded in consciousness. It’s a dance between destruction and presence, fierce energy and steady awareness.
Here is a sneak peek of the painting process…
The Kali-Shiva imagery contains several universal meanings that transcend its specific Hindu context:
Consciousness and Energy: At the most fundamental level, this represents the relationship between dynamic awareness (Shiva as conscious activity) and transformative power (Kali as movement). In Kashmir Shaivism, consciousness is not passive but rather awareness in action – the very ground of all experience. This reflects how consciousness and creative energy are intimately interwoven, each containing and expressing the other. This mirrors concepts found across many traditions about the interplay between being and becoming.
Creative Destruction: Kali standing on Shiva symbolizes how transformation and renewal require both destructive and preserving forces working together. Universally, this speaks to how growth, healing, and positive change often require dismantling old patterns while maintaining core stability. Like you can’t create a painting without covering the white canvas, but you still need that canvas as your foundation.
Balance of Opposites: The image represents the fundamental need for complementary forces – active/passive, dynamic/stable, fierce/gentle – to work in harmony rather than opposition. This echoes universal principles found in concepts like yin-yang, where seemingly opposite forces are actually interdependent.
Grounding Transformative Power: Perhaps most universally, it illustrates how powerful transformative energy needs to be grounded and channeled constructively. In the mythological story, Kali is furious in her desire to destroy the demons but then realizes she has stepped on Shiva, her own husband (consciousness), and she is ashamed, sticking out her tongue in recognition of what she’s done. It is also a kind of merging of the two principles – Kali’s initial destructive dance represents unbounded change that could become chaotic, while her realization and recognition of Shiva show the moment when transformative power acknowledges its inseparable connection to consciousness itself.
This theme of recognition and merging is central to another series I’m working on – the twelve Kalis.