Nirguna and Saguna

Nirguna and Saguna are the two aspects of experiencing God. 

Nirguna is the eternal, all pervading, omnipresent divine consciousness. Nirguna Brahman is pure energy, vibrant and conscious, that is at work in the Universe - The Supreme Parabrahman or the Supreme Self.

Saguna is the manifestation of Brahman in form, any form, which is limited. But the energy behind it is Nirguna. 
Why depend on the Saguna aspect? This is because, it is very difficult for the vast majority of people to comprehend the eternal, all pervading, omnipresent divine consciousness / energy. For them it is much easier to have a divine incarnation or figurehead to turn to. In the Saguna aspect the Brahman appears in the human form, as incarnations to lead the vast majority to the Nirguna Parabrahman. The source of this devotion to the Saguna aspect is the Nirguna aspect in the human beings. 

Our Self /Atma is Nirguna, about which we are not conscious, and our physical body is Saguna, about which we are too much conscious of. Our Atma is a tiny spark of light encased in the five *Koshas /Sheaths. 

Like the river whose ultimate goal is to reunite with the ocean, the ultimate goal of the individual selves is to reunite with the eternal, all pervading divine consciousness. But we all know only like objects /things can merge into one another seamlessly. So as
 long as our personal limitations and karmas are not overcome, we cannot reunite with the Divine. Until self realisation occurs we are bound by samsara (the cycles of birth and death). 

When each person realizes the Nirguna aspect in him, he attains liberation or Moksha. So for God-realization one has to have Self-realization - one has to become conscious of one's Nirguna aspect. 

Shiva and Shakti - The spiritual symbolism

Shiva and Shakti represents the masculine and feminine aspects on all levels of existence. The self-complementary Ardhanareeswara (half man, half woman) concept. 

In Yoga, Shakti is known as Kundalini. And in Tantra it is known as Shakti. Kundalini is the energy of the prana. It flows through the nadis ( channels ). The intersection of these channels where the energy concentrates are known as Chakras (energy centers).  Shakti or Kundalini lies dormant in every being, which can be unleashed through Yogic or Tantric practises.

Shiva represents consciousness - divine consciousness or the Self and Shakthi represents energy, vitality -feminine creative power. Or Shiva is Purusha (consciousness) and Shakti is Prakriti (nature). Or Shiva is the Unmanifest (formless) and Shakti is the Manifest (formed). Everything we see around us is Shakti, from a grain of sand to the Sun. Every sound, every thought, every feeling, every act is Shakti. She can enslave you as well as free you. She is the illusion (Maya ) and She is the reality. Shiva is latent, Shakti is active. Shiva represents the constitutive elements of the Universe and Shakti is the dynamic potency which makes these elements come to life. Shiva can experience himself only through Shakti. 

Each world, each being, in short, every aspect of the Universe has its Shiva and Shakti - a complementary duality of Being and its power of Becoming. Through Her He assumes the form of the Universe. Because Consciousness without energy is dormant and Energy without consciousness is blind or aimless. 

In this world the subtle energies condense to form the Panchabhootha; through the Panchabhootha we are able to experience the gross world. To get out of this Gross Existence, we have to awaken our Kundalini which is lying dormant in the Mooladhara chakra, at the tip of the spine. This can be done through Yogic or Tantric practises. This is the universal goal of spiritual life. Through constant practice the Kundalini/Shakti rises to the Sahasrara Chakra, the seat of the divine consciousness / Shiva. The union of Shiva and Shakti symbolises the coming together of the feminine and masculine energies within a person, as well as the creation of the world. The supreme bliss of the union of Shiva and Shakti is pregnant with the eternal truth - Love. The supreme state when Shiva merges with Shakti is known as Nirvana, Oneness, Enlightenment, Moksha etc. 

The union of Shiva and Shakti is also known as dance of Shiva and Shakthi. Both the genders have both the masculine and feminine aspects in them. The inner masculine and the inner feminine meet each other on equal terms. All the limiting belief systems and inequality of genders have to go . The dance of ecstasy cannot happen if one of these aspects is seen as better than the other.