Shivapurana says worshiping devotees of Shiva is as good as worshiping Shiva.
शिवस्य शिवभक्तस्य भेदो नास्ति शिवो हि सः।
Between the two-
पूजया शिवभक्तस्य शिवः प्रीततरो भवेत्।
Which one makes Shiva happier, worshiping him or worshiping his devotees?
Shiva becomes happier if you worship his devotees.
Why is Shiva's devotee so great?
It is a Vedic principle.
यावतीर्वै देवतास्ताः सर्वा वेदविदि ब्राह्मणे वसन्ति तस्माद्ब्राह्मणेभ्यो वेदविद्भ्यो दिवे दिवे नमस्कुर्यान्नाश्लीलं कीर्तयेदेता एव देवताः प्रीणाति।
All the Devatas reside in the body of those who can chant Veda mantras.
In the higher worlds, Devatas exist as mantras, shabda brahman.
It is these mantras only that manifest as Devatas with bodies.
The meter and syllables of the mantra decide their physical form.
That is why we have different mantras for the same Devata because the same Devata has got different bhavas.
Shiva has got a yoga bhava, Shiva as a family man, Shiva as a warrior when he destroyed the Tripuras, Shiva in his healing aspect, Mrityunjaya, Shiva as the Lord of knowledge, Dakshinamurthy.
Each bhava has got a different mantra.
In which form he gives you darshan will depend on the mantra you chant.
Those who have learned the Vedas, those who can chant them without the help of a book, all the Devatas reside in their bodies as mantras.
By chanting a particular mantra, they can bring about the presence of that particular Devata.
In the same way, the devotee who chants Shiva mantra, Shiva resides in his body as mantra.
The more you chant the more is the presence of Shiva in his body.
It is like charging a magnet.
The more the number of times you apply the charging pulses, the more powerful it becomes.
Chanting mantras is like these charging pulses.
What about women devotees of Shiva?
The more they chant the mantra, the presence of Devi Parvathy's presence increases in their bodies.
Eventually, they become equal to Devi Parvathy.
Shiva and Shakti are inseparable.
That is why the linga part of Shiva linga is Shiva and its peetha is Shakti.
They are always together.
Even in the body of the devotee.
When you are worshiping Shiva, you should visualize that you are Shakti.
When you are worshiping Shakti, you should think that you are Shiva.
You can worship Shiva bhaktas with the sixteen upacharas just like how you worship Shiva linga.
If a Shiva bhakta is married, make it a point to worship him and his wife together.
With this we are completing the 17th chapter of the Vidyeshwara Samhita of Shiva Purana.