By Diane Keating Sciacca (wolfinblack@pagan.net) for the Keepers of the Silver Flame
Shiva the Preserver, the Destroyer, is an androgynous spirit of perfect Balance: it is difficult to tell where the feminine leaves off and the masculine begins in hir athletic, vigourous body. Hir face is always wreathed in a benevolent smile and hir eyes are dark and kind; hir body gestures are always dynamic and balanced and s/he exudes a serene air of quiet ecstasy.
Shiva dances the dance of Life and Death and tramples Illusion beneath hir feet. S/He is said to possess a third eye: if this eye ever opens, Mysticks claim, the Apocalypse is at hand and the world will end.
Shiva is also the Destroyer and an avatar of the last remaining shard of the Balance Wyrm. All beings inherently fear hir and upon first contact, s/he will appear as a dark, terrible and vengeful figure; however, the truly wise and courageous can face hir and not flee in terror (Wisdom roll, Difficulty 8). S/he will happily accept as hir children those who are strong enough to withstand the Bhairava.
Followers of Shiva (called "Shaivites") typically keep to themselves and stay quietly on the outer fringes, meditating, studying and working for balance and harmony. In combat, however, they are some of the most redoubtable, violent and ruthless Garou anywhere.
Since Shiva is an avatar of the Balance Wyrm, children of Shiva will register on the Gift: Sense Wyrm.
Charms: Airt Sense, Cleanse the Blight, Healing, Reform, Blast Flame, Kindle, Appear, Cut, Break Reality, Possession.
Appearance: Shiva is an androgynous being with four arms, dark reddish-bronze skin, dark hair and kind eyes. S/he always smiles serenely and has a closed third eye in the middle of hir forehead. S/he carries a trident in one hand, a flame in another, a daruma drum in a third and gestures benevolently with the fourth hand. S/he can occasionally be glimpsed riding hir totem animal, the bull Nandi.
History: Shiva was at one time a servitor Incarna of the Balance Wyrm but was cut loose to make hir own way in the Tellurian when the Wyrm was caught in the Web and went insane with pain. Nowadays s/he mostly concentrates on dancing and keeping the world moving, but will help anyone who prays to hir.
Habitat: Shiva can be found in places that need the balance restored. Typically s/he invades Weaver Realms towards the end of destroying them.
Spiritual Correspondences: Balance, dancing, providence, the Kundalini, entropy, AUM.
Material Correspondences: Copper, tridents, daruma drums, storms, fire, bulls, the amrita (the mixture of male and female fluids during intercourse), shivalinga and yoni stones, diamonds.
Taboo: Shiva hates the Weaver. S/he exists to destroy the Weaver's work in order to free and heal hir former master, the Balance Wyrm. S/he also hates illusion: visual enigmas, puzzles and tricks will send hir into a terrible frenzy after which s/he will fall into slumber. S/he can be awakened with chanting of certain mantras such as AUM , AUM nama shivaya ("I honour the Divine Within"), AUM mani padme hum ("Behold the Jewel in the Lotus"), AUM namai Rudra, AUM Rudra Baru, and others.
Gift Lore: Any gift relating to balance, fear, recovery of lost items and entropy.
Attitude: Friendly.
Chiminage: Shiva requires a figure of the lingam in the yoni and a trident be placed in hir shrines and altars; offerings of incense, milk, soma and amrita bring the spirit's beneficence.