Maha Shivaratri
In our society, men are often expected to be stoic, emotionless, and as immovable as rock — always in control, never vulnerable. But Shiva, the essence of the Divine Masculine, is none of these things.
Shiva embodies the full spectrum of masculine energy in its truest, rawest form. He experiences intense emotions, periods of destruction, and withdrawal into himself. Yet it is through these phases that clarity and renewal emerge. He reminds us that these phases are not only natural but necessary, that even in destruction there is grace. They are not weaknesses — they are transformations.
During these times, it is Parvati — the Divine Feminine and incarnation of Shakti herself — who embodies patience, balance, and nurturing steadiness. She creates space for Shiva’s intensity in a way no one else can — not by changing him, but by receiving and holding his energy and withdrawal with unconditional acceptance and love.
Parvati couldn’t be more different from Shiva in temperament, background, or expression. She is the royal daughter of a mountain king who is elegance and grace personified, representing of the world of relationships and attachments. He is an ascetic who wears simple clothing and lives alone in a graveyard, representing vairagya (detachment from all worldly things). She is patience and stability personified, while he is the embodiment of change and transformation. She is the embodiment of Shakti, unbridled energy and movement, while he manifests meditative stillness.
But it is their acceptance of each other as they are, combined with mutual learning and growth, that makes them whole. He inspires her to practice tapasya (penance) and learn detachment from the world, while she inspires him to become a grihasta (householder / family man) and engage with the world. Without Shiva, Shakti is ungrounded energy. And without Shakti, Shiva is lifeless matter. Together, they become Ardhanarishwara — the union of masculine and feminine, destruction and creation, chaos and balance, transformation and preservation.
On this Maha Shivaratri, the day of Shiva and Parvati’s reunion and marriage, we honor this essence of divine love. Not sameness, but complementarity. Not perfection, but acceptance. Not two halves, but two wholes as one.
