Devi Lingam?

[Fireside_Hindu]

Namaste everyone,

While I have neglected to post a full update of my trip to India due to a busy life back here in the states, my mind wondered to one experience that I had and I wanted to get some perspective on it from some of the more experienced or knowledgeable members.

While staying in Bengaluru, I was in a homestay. There was another woman staying there who had been taking Yoga classes of various kinds for over a year at various places in India. She invited me one evening to attend a special Devi Puja at her Guru's Yoga school (Her Guru is Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, if it matters). It was Navratri and I had felt lonely and a bit disappointed that my single female status had made it very difficult for me to enjoy the nighttime festivities of Navratri so I agreed to go with her.

The Puja was not a temple Puja like I am used to. It was the simple recitation of the Devi Bharavi's names over the course of about an hour. However, we did recite in front of a shrine and this was what struck me about it.

Devi Bharavi was depicted in a photo as a conical, black lingam with facial features and the typical gold nose loop. I found myself very drawn to the image. It seemed very powerful - maybe because the lingam is the only form of Shiva I have found myself able to connect with, it held a dual significance for me. I have seen Devi depicted as an amorphous lump, either of clay or wood, but never in this clearly lingam form. Is there some historical background for this form, or is this something particular to this Guru?

UPDATE: I found a similar image to what was at the Puja online.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam,

I think linga bhairavi is specific to the Isha foundation... Have not seen it anywhere else. :0
The picture you linked is defintely the linga bhairavi you can see at Isha foundation, it comes from their Sadguru in particular.

Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[Aupmanyav]

Linga: Image of a God (Aup adds: or Goddess), gender, any assumed or false badge or mark, token, order of the religious student, disguise, characteristic, sign of gender or sex, idol, anything having an origin and therefore liable to be destroyed again, concrete evidence of a crime, organ of generation, emblem, landmark, sign of guilt, inference, badge, proof, eternal procreative germ, spot, invariable mark which proves the existence of anything in an object, conclusion, male organ or phallus, reason, evidence, symptom, mark of disease, crude base or un-inflected stem of a noun, mark, sign, guise.
Sanskrit Dictionary for Spoken Sanskrit

Underlined word mean that it is a representation, so yes, why not Devi lingam?

 

[Shantanu]

If the lingam is a symbol for procreation powers, both sexes may be depicted with it as it takes both sexes to procreate; so these people have decided that it must not be restricted to Shiva. Devi will also then be tamasic.

 

[DeviChaaya]

I am fascinated by Linga Bhairavi. Much like Ardhanariswara She incorporates Shiva's image into Her own and shows that He is just as dear to Her as She is to him.