Citipati (Sanskrit: चितिपति), Chitipati or Shmashana Adhipati is a protector deity or dharmapala in Tibetan Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism of the Himalayas. It is formed of two skeletal deities, one male and the other female, both dancing wildly with their limbs intertwined inside a halo of flames representing change. The Citipati is said to be one of the 75 forms of Mahakala. Their symbol is meant to represent both the eternal dance of death as well as perfect awareness. They are invoked as wrathful deities, benevolent protectors of fierce appearance. The Citipati is a protector of graveyards and is known as Lord of the Cemetery or Lord of the Crematorium. Why do we care? We are not Buddhists in the same way that we are not Hindus. We simply embrace transformation and bear the skull, while sheep to the slaughter see death and decay everywhere. Buddhist Tantrism has much to teach us in this regard, as does Hindu Tantra, especially the more ancient and less intellectual Tantra. Embrace chaos, embrace transformation, become your own Lucifer, rebel against the Father God of rules and comfort zones!
