Yoni

Myths, Symbols & Folklore
yoni: Sanskrit term for the womb, associated with the vulva in Indian symbology. Portrayals of the yoni in isolation (a triangle pointing downward, representing the pubic triangle) are relatively rare. In the cult of Shiva it usually appears in stone sculptures as a ring or series of rings at the base of the linga (the traditional phallic symbol, usually in the form of a truncated pillar). The yoni and linga constitute a fundamental duality, the feminine and masculine principles without whose combination of creation of the world would have been unthinkable. The combination of the kundalini snake (the symbol of vital energy) with a representation of the yoni stands for the awareness of greater interconnectedness that arises out of matter. (Biedermann)