Ritual

Yoni, the emblem of Sakti, the
creative genetrix of the Universe.
South India, early 19th century,
coco-de-mer.
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configuration such as a triangle representing Prakriti or female
energy, for example, is neither a reproduced image nor a confused
blur of distortion but a primal root-form representing the
governing principle of life in abstract imagery as a sign. In these
types of representation which are abstract as opposed to imitative,
universal as against individualistic, cognitive as opposed to
emotional, the tantric artist's vision of reality is deeply conditioned
by tradition and inheritance, subjugating his purely personal
subjective expression to a generic one. Tantric art embraces and
reflects the continuity of tradition: once a particular image was
revealed and accepted, it continued to retain its significance
through the centuries. Thus tantric forms have acquired a timeless
quality and a common denominator. They function as signs which
pre-exist and are conditioned by pre-established codes similar to
mathematical formulae. They are, therefore, not subject to
constant metamorphosis.