Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance.  He has one foot on an evil dwarf sent to kill him, who personifies ignorance.

Right Hand - holds a little hour-glass shaped drum, the beating of which is symbolic of the passage of time, which shuts out the dimension of Eternity and the Infinite.  Eternity is not a long time; Eternity has nothing to do with time, with the categories of temporal succession; time thinking shuts out the realization of the Infinite.  Eternity is right here and now.  That which you are was never born and will never die.  Hand of Creation (of world of time).  Hand of bringing you into the sphere of illusion, of maya.

Left Hand - holds a flame, which is the flame of Illumination, which burns away the veil of time.  Hand of Destruction.  Hand of opening your consciousness to Infinite.

Another Right Hand - telling you, "don't be afraid."

Other Left Hand -  "elephant posture" - a teaching posture - where the elephant has gone through the jungle, all other animals can follow; where the great teacher has gone all the disciples can follow -   this left hand points to the left foot, which is lifted off the ground.

Left Foot - release, allowing us to be released from ignorance.

Right Foot - on the back of a little dwarf, whose name is "ignorance" - the right foot drives us all into the realm of ignorance.

Head - perfectly still - this is the point through which Eternity breaks - the right ear has a man's earring, the left ear has a woman's earring - this is the sphere where the pairs of opposites come forth.

Long Hair - the emblem of a yogi, is a skull meaning "death" and there is a moon meaning "re-birth" and there is a little female form which represents the Ganges River, which carries the grace of the heavenly knowledge and experience into the world of being.

Arch of Flames - representing Destruction.

key: destruction not a negative quality, for out of destruction comes the possibility of creation of new life  -  after all, creation is the flip side of destruction.

Destruction - Creation - Don't be Afraid, because, though there is incarnation into Ignorance, there is also Release  -  Shiva is the dancing radiance that is in all things, in every cell, that manifests death, out of which comes life, all at the same time, reoccurring.. 

"I am Shiva" - Eternally Returning