Heaven is hers! Earth is hers! She is a warrior. She is a falcon. She is a great white cow. She fought the dragon and slew it. She seduced the scorpion and tamed it. The golden lion slept at her side. She is the singer. She is desire. She is the mountain of silver, gold and lapis. On her hips tall trees grow and grasses. From Her waters spout and savory grains. Her lap is holy. Her lips are honey. Her hand is law. Her breasts pour heavenly rain. She is the healer. She is life-giver. She is the terror, the anger, the hunger. Fierce winds blow from her heart. Hers is the thunder, the lightning, the glory. She is the morning. She is the evening. She is the star. She wears the gown of mystery. Heaven is hers! Earth is hers! Who can argue?
Inanna’s Chant by Janine Canan
Inanna is an ancient Sumerian Goddess of fertility, love and beauty. The people of Mesopotamia worshipped Inanna as far back as 4000 BCE (perhaps even earlier) as the undisputed Queen of Heaven. No other Goddess in any culture has come close to matching Inanna’s stature and power. The Akkadians also knew her, calling her Ishtar. And many anthropologists assert that Inanna later morphed into the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, and then the Roman Venus.
The story of Inanna’s journey into the Underworld has been told and re-told since ancient times. Inanna enters the darkness of the Underworld and must strip away her adornments and clothing piece by piece. Inanna is tested and must let go of who she once was. She is laid bare. Eventually Inanna embraces her naked and vulnerable true Self. And ultimately, she emerges from the dark and rises again as the Queen of Heaven.
Inanna’s myth is an ancient story. Yet it still holds deep wisdom about the transformation many of us go through. Hers is the story of a woman embracing her true self and recovering her Soul.
Moon Meets Morning Star photo by Kwon, O Chul (TWAN)
Every 584 days, the planet Venus traces Inanna’s mythic journey in the skies over our Earth. Venus appears in our sky as a bright morning “star.” Over many weeks, Venus descends toward Earth and then disappears from view. Weeks later, Venus emerges from the dark Underworld. She has been transformed and is now a mature evening “star.”
Venus, Inanna, Aphrodite, Ishtar… there are many names for this sacred Goddess, the Queen of Heaven. Her roots are ancient and deep. And her wild wisdom flows through the Souls of all women. By any name she is one original #BadassWoman!
