LINGAMS are fertility symbols used in south-east Asia. There the phallus has a more open meaning than only sex. The penis is worshiped in temples as a fertility symbol. For example in Thailand men are wearing penis talismans inside their pants as devotion to fertility.
The LINGAM is one of the oldest religious symbols of civilization. As far back as the ancient Indus Valley civilization it has represented fertility. It was not until later that it came to represent the Hindu gods. Today the lingam is most often associated with phallic worship to Western man and the Lord Shiva to Eastern man. To the learned Sages in the East or the West the lingam represents more than a physical or material form to be worshipped as an idol. To them the LINGAM represents a form of energy which is within each of us. We are all made up of part male and part female energy. Too much of one or the other is destructive, causing imbalance. The great Rishis of ancient India introduced the Tantric philosophy to bring a more harmonious balance in the dualistic world into which we are born. Male and female energies must be unified if we are to find real peace of mind. Through the union of opposites the energies of creation are released and we can realize the state of consciousness, our Creator. The energies one puts into the LINGAM will be stored and returned to them when they need it. The LINGAM is an object of power, the power which is dominant within each of us.
Ruudt Peters