Inanna: Goddess of Love and Fertility

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "I" in the Pagan blog project. :)

Most of the time when I hear reference to the Goddess Inanna, it's in relation to Her descent into the underworld. Many a ritual and teaching curriculum has been built around this story, and rightfully so. It is a powerful myth rich in symbolism. However we often forget that Inanna is primarily a goddess of love, as well as fertility. "The descent" is only one of the many stories told about her.

In Sumerian, Inanna literally means "Queen of Heaven". She was the first daughter of the Moon God, Inanna, and the Moon Goddess, Ningal. As a goddess of love and the heavens, it's not surprising that she is also associated with the planet Venus--or the Morning and Evening Star. In her guise of Queen of the Earth, she was  responsible for the fertility of the crops and humankind.

Lesser known than The Descent of Inanna, the hymn The Joy of Sumer tells of Inanna's descent from heaven and onto the earth to awaken the fertility of the plants and set into motion the annual cycle of life. This hymn, and the accompanying story, is particularly pertinent at this time of the year as it speaks to renewing the fertility of the earth. It is linked to the time of the year when the seeds are ready to be sown into the earth. In eastern Canada, that would be right about now, making it an interesting myth to work with around the time Beltaine.

Like many other myths associated with the fertility of the season, sex is involved. Inanna makes love with her lover, the King. Then Inanna and Dumuzi feast and celebrate among the people. Symbolically, this completes the marriage of heaven and earth, divine and mortal. It also reinforces the prosperity that Inanna offers the earth and her people.

Here is the Hymn:

The Joy of Sumer: The Sacred Marriage Rite 
The people of Sumer assemble in the palace,
The house which guides the land.
The king builds a throne for the queen of the palace.
He sits beside her on the throne.

In order to care for the life of all the lands,
The exact first day of the month is closely examines,
And on the day of the disappearance of the moon,
On the day of the sleeping of the moon,
The me are perfectly carried out
So that the New Year’s Day, the day of rites,
May be properly determined,
And a sleeping place be set up for Inanna.

The people cleanse the rushes with sweet-smelling cedar oil,
They arrange the rushes for the bed.
They spread a bridal sheet over the bed.
A bridal sheet to rejoice the heart,
A bridal sheet to sweeten the loins,
A bridal sheet for Inanna and Dumuzi.

The queen bathes her holy loins,
Inanna bathes for the holy loins of Dumuzi,
She washes herself with soap.
She sprinkles sweet-smelling cedar oil on the ground.

The king goes with lifted head to the holy loins,
Dumuzi goes with lifted head to the holy loins of Inanna.
He lies down beside her on the bed.
Tenderly he caresses her, murmuring words of love:
"O my holy jewel! O my wondrous Inanna!"

After he enters her holy vulva, causing the queen to rejoice,
After he enters her holy vulva, causing Inanna to rejoice,
Inanna holds him to her and murmurs:
"O Dumuzi, you are truly my love."

The king bids the people enter the great hall.
The people bring food offerings and bowls.
They burn juniper resin, perform laving rites,
And pile up sweet-smelling incense.

The king embraces his beloved bride,
Dumuzi embraces Inanna.
Inanna, seated on the royal throne, shines like daylight.
The king, like the sun, shines radiantly by her side.
 He arranges abundance, lushness, and plenty before her.
 He assembles the people of Sumer.

The musicians play for the queen:
They play the loud instrument which drowns out the southern storm,
They play the sweet algar-instrument, the ornament of the palace,
 They play the stringed instrument which brings joy to all people,
They play songs for Inanna to rejoice the heart.

The people spend the day in plenty.
The king stands before the assembly in great joy.
 He hails Inanna with the praises of the gods and the assembly:
 "Holy Priestess! Created with the heavens and earth,
 Inanna, First Daughter of the Moon, Lady of the Evening!
I sing your praises."

My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.
The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.
The Lady Who Ascends into the Heavens, Inanna is radiant.
Mighty, majestic, radiant, and ever youthful --
To you Inanna, I sing!

~As translated by Diane Wolkstein and Samual Noah Kramer, (C)1983

Life is a Vibrating Vortex of Lust

I simply love this imagery from an article in Hopedance Magazine. I find it so true:

"Well I got it standing on my farm in B.C. a few weeks ago. I was out there with the deafening sound of thousands of frogs fucking in my ponds, earthworms doing it beneath my feet, mason and bumble and honey bees fighting to stuff themselves into every flower in sight and I suddenly realized that I’m not farming, I’m presiding over one big giant orgy.

"I realized that every form of life on my farm is absolutely immersed in this incredible humming, buzzing, and vibrating vortex of lust. […]

"It’s not just like the bumper sticker that says, "organic farmers are more fertile." It’s more than that. You can’t possibly live and work in the midst of all this uncontrollable lust each and every day and night of your farm life and not become a part of it, not begin to embody it, attract it."

Mmmmm. Yes. More here: http://www.hopedance.org/new/issues/57/article2.html

Actually, I think his last point extends to more than the farm and nature's lust. We really can't live or spend a lot of time in any environment without beginning to embody it or have it change us in some way. The more intimate our connection with the environment, good or bad, the more potential it has to penetrate our being.

Signs of Spring
I had a lovely weekend out in the countryside. The sap in the maple trees had started flowing the day we arrived, so at dinner time our hosts shared with us a taste of it (okay, more than a taste!). That felt really special. On Sunday we had pancakes with the first syrup of the season. It was so yummy. The sap was actually flowing so well over the weekend that we could hear the steady and fast drip-drip-drip of it into the collecting buckets.

On the drive down on Friday, we saw geese flying north. Another sure sign of spring.

Out for a walk on Saturday, we could hear rivers of running water beneath the melting snow. We could see the spontaneous spring streams created by the thaw twisting through the forest landscapes, carving out their paths. The ground was soft beneath our feet. Signs of deer were everywhere--tracks, scat, and chewed twigs--as well as evidence of foxes and other animals. There was still lots of snow in places.

Our hosts have a wonderful 200+ foot diameter labyrinth that they have been cultivating with trees and plants for almost ten years. Being quite well sheltered it was still covered with snow; deep snow in places too. As I walked it, I frequently found myself sinking almost knee-deep in snow. The usual 30- to 45-minute walk took a good hour to complete in the snow, and I felt like I had done a good workout at the end of it! A part of the labyrinth is 'pathed' with blackberry bushes. Last year was an incredible year for blackberries and our hosts don't cut the bushes back a lot in the labyrinth since they harvest the berries. Consequently, parts of the path were overgrown with blackberry thorn making the passage difficult and thorny. Between the snow, the thorns, and other obstacles, it was a very different experience from any other labyrinth meditation I have done.

Other signs of spring I've been observing closer to home. The birds in my neighbourhood have been flying around with strands of grass and other soft things to make their nests with; and my cats have been chasing spiders and ants. It's wonderful.