Tantrics viewed that power as the source of all creative action. Tantrics did not describe female sexuality as "passive" as in the Western manner, Tantric Hindus regarded female orgasm as the energizing principle of the universe."

Carved representation of a naked woman squatting with her knees apart, displaying her vulva.  Sheila-na-gig figures appeared all over old Irish churches before the 16th century. Many were still in place during the 19th century, but Victorian prudery defaced or destroyed large numbers of them. Some have been found buried near the churches they once embellished.

Sheila-na-gig figures closely resembled the yonic statues of Kali which still appear at the doorways of Hindu temples, where visitors lick a finger and touch the yoni "for luck." Some of the older figures have deep holes worn in their yonis from much touching.

The protruding ribcage on many examples of the sheila-na-gig imitates the figures of Kali as the death-goddess, Kalika, evidently remembered in Ireland as the Caillech or "Old Woman," who was also the Creatress and gave birth to all the races of men. Celts generally protected doorways with some female-genital fetish, which is why they settled on the horseshoe, classic Omega-sign of the Kalika. In India it stood for the feminine cosmos within which Shiva ever performed his creative sexual dance, although he was assimilated to the Kalika and given her title of Destroyer.

Derivation of the term sheila-na-gig is obscure. It meant something like "vulva-woman." Gig or giggie meant female genitals and may have been related to the Irish "jig," from French gigue, in pre-Christian times an orgiastic dance. In ancient Erech a gig seems to have been a holy yoni; the sacred harlots of the temple were known as nu-gig.

Oil on canvas

Cynthia Kennedy 2001

Coco-de-mer

(sea coconut)

Yoni yantra with Bindu

cut cowrei shells

Yoni Puja is worship par excellence and by omitting it every other puja is rendered useless. For this present Yuga the part of Sakthi's body worshiped is the Yoni. Thus, Devi is worshiped only with regards to her Yoni.   This path was hidden and lost for over 6000 years. This is the oldest known path in Tantra, older then the knowledge of the Shiva Lingam, which is the main icon, is Shaivism

.The yoni is as a temple in which the divine essence of a woman, in other words her soul, can be worshipped.  The yoni is the gateway by which we may join with our sexual partner to experience oneness with the God essence or Goddess essence. 

The following is an explicit section with many photos of Goddesses yonis.-- a  collection of  beautiful yonis in various states of arousal. It is amazing how different and lovely each one is-  like flowers in a garden! You will find yonis with hair as well as ones that have been manicured and adorned. Active yonis, and yonis in a state of repose.

TEMPLE OF THE YONI               MORE YONI