The iconography of Chhinnamasta depicts the Goddess standing over a couple
lying on a lotus and copulating. The Goddess beheads herself - as the sword in
her hand indicates - and drinks her own blood.
This suggests that Nature is both a creative as well as a destructive force. It signifies that life, death and sex are interdependent. The lotus and the copulating couple symbolize life and the urge to create life respectively. Nature (represented by the goddess) takes life force from the couple and in turn nourishes the universe by beheading herself.