Aniconism

thumb|right|A lingam with tripundra, projected on a [[yoni base]]

4th century Christian bishop and saint

Yoni (Sanskrit: योनि, ), sometimes called pindika, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu goddess Shakti. It is usually shown with linga – its masculine counterpart. Together, they symbolize the merging of microcosmos and macrocosmos, the divine eternal process of creation and regeneration, and the union of the feminine and the masculine that recreates all of existence. The yoni is conceptualized as nature's gateway of all births, particularly in the esoteric Kaula and Tantra practices, as well as the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism.

thumb|upright=1.25|These ammonite fossils serve as a non-anthropomorphic symbol of Vishnu.

Christian ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica

Aniconism is the cultural absence of artistic representations (icons) of the natural and supernatural worlds, or it is the absence of representations of certain figures in religions. The prohibition of material representations may only extend to a specific supreme deity, or it can encompass an entire pantheon, it can also include depictions of a prophet, saints, or sages, or even depictions of living beings and anything in existence generally. It is generally codified by religious traditions and as such, it becomes a taboo. When it is enforced by the physical destruction of images, aniconism b

monuments destroyed by the Islamic State

Muhammad depicted in culture

avoidance of images of sentient beings in some forms of Islamic art

essay by Theodulf of Orléans

stupa-monastery complex built in the 4th-5th century CE

sect of Digambara Jainism

five fragments of the altar paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Etruscan deities