Lord Shiva is everything as the ultimate consciousness.

Lord Shiva is everything as the ultimate consciousness. But when He manifests in form, it is male. Here too, He is inseparable from His consort, parvati, who is female, together they are called Ardhanarishwar, the God that is indistinguishable in gender.Ardhanarishwar, the androgynous representation, of Shivji and Parvati, is an extremely beautiful Shaivic symbolism. It denotes the perfect repose of Prakasa (illumination) and vimarasa (reflection of that illumination on itself, therefore its power, to do).
This is yin yang, being and becoming, wu and wei, Shiva and Shakti, in physics, potential and kinetic energy.
The paintings that depict Ardhanarishwar, however, have their limitation, as all symbols must. Obviously thought out before the technology of 3D pics, their limitation is that it makes you think of ShivaShakti as half of Shiva and the other of Shakti, which it certainly is not.
Shiva, is Shakti, Shakti is Shiva..its like a thing, and its 'in herent" quality, like fire and heat.The Ardhanarishwar is the HIGHEST YOGA between Being and becoming!!
Perhaps This kind of a 3D representation, which shows Shakti separate from Shiva when seen from far,But as ONE as you approach the picture, would be a closer representation.This, does not, of course, in any way lessen the unique representation thought out by the earlier pictures by ancient seers.
Like the wise men of the zen say, dont miss the moon for the finger, in this case,the moon which is being pointed at is that Shakti, and its beholder, Shaktiman, are one.
This is another pointer too, that Godhead is never referred to in a particular sex, technically, consciousness is not a 'He", nor a 'She", but Everythingness. Aum Namah Shivaya!!
(shail gulhati)