Inanna S Descent

Translation and retelling of the Inanna stories from the Sumerian.

Pioneer study of the need for an inner female authority in a masculine-oriented society. Interprets the journey into the underworld of Inanna-Ishtar, Goddess of Heaven and Earth, to see Ereshkigal, her dark sister. So must modern women descend into the depths of themselves. Rich in insights.

This book brings an ancient myth to modern readers. It presents the Descent of Inanna and all of the surrounding myths in easy to understand modern English without dumbing it down in the slightest. Mesopotamian literature for the rest of us. The book contains side by side annotations explaining the significance without disrupting the experience. Over forty illustrations help lend additional spice to this already great read.

A fresh retelling of the ancient texts about Ishtar, the world's first goddess. Illustrated with visual artifacts of the period. "A great masterpiece of universal literature."--Mircea Eliade

Inanna's descent to the underworld; a Sumerian myth.

"The heroine is one who has remembered, reclaimed and reconnected with her unfettered red thread. She has been initiated into the spirit of the depths by her dark sister, and walks with newfound, embodied authority into the upperworld." When our lives fall apart, we often feel broken, ashamed and deeply alone. But what if you knew, as you experienced this descent, that it was mapped out in a myth thousands of years old? What if, despite the uniqueness of your own life and experiences, each stage of the process was universal? The journey of descent and rising is the core initiation of the feminine - the heroine's journey - one travelled by billions of women before you. Descent & Rising explores real stories of women's descents into the underworld of the psyche - journeys of dissolution, grief and breakdown precipitated by trauma, fertility issues, loss of loved ones, mental health struggles, FGM, sexual abuse, birthing experiences, illness, war, burnout... This is territory that Carly Mountain, psychotherapist and women's initiatory guide, knows intimately, and guides us through with exquisite care and insight, using the ancient Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna as a blueprint. She maps not only the descent but the rising and familiarises us with a process of female psycho-spiritual growth overlooked in patriarchal culture. "The heroine's journey is an erotic, mystical initiation that revivifies our place in the shape of things...The fodder of our descents provides the compost from which the richest fruits of our lives can grow. If only we can turn towards our pain and let it work in us."

Descent: A Journey for Women provides a map to the territory of descent myths. Using this map, a woman can determine which descent pattern is present within her life and find the support she needs to spiritually awaken.From the Preface: "Throughout human history, a sacred timeless path has called to women over and over again, the path of descent. And unlike the hero's journey where at each juncture the hero attains gifts, tools, or allies, the descent journey asks us to relinquish our hard won trophies, shatter our deeply held convictions, dissolve our ego-supporting illusions, and surrender our very innocence."Katrina Messenger is an apt guide, teacher and translator of these stories. She helps the reader comprehend the intricacies of each story and how each story can affect a woman's life.

Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria, originally published in November 1916, is a beautiful book that includes explanations of Babylonian and Assyrian legends and myths as well as the myths themselves. Lewis Spence, in the Preface, describes his purpose in writing the book as providing the reader with "the treasures of romance latent in the subject, the peculiar richness of which has been recognized since the early days of archaeological effort in Chaldea." Presented here with original illustrations and bookplates of paintings, drawings, and pictures concerning the myths, this book is a classic addition to any library. LEWIS SPENCE (1874-1955) was a Scottish journalist who recorded Scottish folklore, myths and legends from around the world, histories and legends about the lost world of Atlantis, and works on the occult. Spence graduated from Edinburgh University and was the editor of three magazines, The Scotsman, The Edinburgh Magazine, and The British Weekly. He also founded the Scottish National Movement, now known as the Scottish National Party.