Gods on Altar: Sunerian Uraš, represented by her cuneiform 𒀭𒅁 and the left candle; Hellenic Gaia, represented by her name in Greek Γαῖα and the right candle. A globe sits between them representing the physical Earth.
Individual libations of water given to each and a joint offering of strawberries and blue berries.
The "entertainment" for this ritual was reading various bits of the Smithsonian Earth book to appreciate its history and composition.
In no way am I trying to force her on you, I am a random person in the internet, I can't force you to do anything. But she's a lesser known deity as she's older, so if anyone else is searching for a deity, maybe this will help.
I've been a devotee of Inanna since I was about 18, and I turn 23 in a few days. I truly believe she's been calling to me since I was a child, and I was just misunderstanding her signs this entire time. But this is how she helps me, and how she called to me.
She LOVES cutting off toxic people in your life, no matter how they're related to you.
She reassures you when you feel guilty and conflicted about cutting off said people.
She encourages standing up for yourself and setting boundaries.
She reminds you to take care of yourself.
She enjoys just vibing together.
She helps reinforce boundaries, so if you cut someone out and they come crawling back, she is going to help you stand your ground.
Even though she is seen as vindictive in mythology, she is understanding if you mess up, because she knows you're trying.
Her vindictive side comes out in protection of you, she will help you get even.
She can also help you keep your cool when you need to.
She can and will force you to take care of yourself, and make you learn your lessons.
Working with Inanna has been such a blessing, I love her with everything I am. She's such a presence in my life and I can't imagine my life without her.
Any Sumerian/Akkadian polytheists in the house up for answering a nervous noobs questions?
Finally ready to stop being a coward with Inanna. Except. Help. Omg. Help. I know there’s better information than the first page of duckgogo. Where do I begin?
I read one of inanna myth where she got raped by a farmer and after she find out what happen she looking for that farmer, Making sure he would get paid for what he done to her
Inanna and Sul-Kale-Tuda, yes. It is one of my favorite stories of her, and when I read it the first time it clicked as to why she would call to me. The way that a civilization so long ago viewed a crime that is such a topic of controversy today is very telling about humanity. No one argued about how she was the goddess of sex and love, so she had to have wanted it. No one argued that he was young, that his life would be ruined. It was viewed as a heinous crime, for which he paid the ultimate price at the hand of his victim. And the way that Lord Enki, who had been wronged by Inanna in the past, stepped up to help her without question is a beautiful reflection of solidarity, turning her into a rainbow so that she could view the world and find her assailant. The way Sul-Kale-Tuda begged for mercy; most media forms today would have Inanna forgive him, but she didn't. She told him that he will never be worth forgiveness and that the world will remember him as he is, a rapist.
Hello, I am Red, as you may or may not know. I am 22yrs old as of writing this. Raised southern Baptist with Appalachian folk influences, I've been pagan since I was roughly 11. I've been a devotee of the goddess Inanna since I was about 17. I am by no means an expert on anything, I speak from experience, and we are bound to disagree on some things, and that is okay.
This post is meant to help beginners, people who maybe don't understand how prayer works or even what it is, form their own opinions. This is a long post, so it'll be under the cut.
Prayer is a method of communication. It is not the only method, nor is there one correct way to pray. At its core, it is you talking to your deity or spirit.
For me, when I'm in prayer, it is very stream of consciousness. "Hello Inanna, it's been a very long day. This happened and I ate this and one of the stray cats at work finally let me pet him! My coworker is quiting and we're going to be understaffed again soon. Thank you for being here for me and helping me get through my day and advising me."
Some practitioners prefer to have a more structured prayer, and believe you should only pray if you have "something" to say, and that prayer shouldn't be scheduled or a routine. I don't really know if I agree with that, I think that it really is just up to you. I say a quick good morning and goodnight to Inanna (and Lady Ereshkigal) every day and whenever I want to talk to them.
The way you pray is entirely up to you. Prayer can be spoken, written, thought, typed, carved into a marble slab, it can take any form, it doesn't actually matter, no one way is inherently correct. The most important thing to remember is that it works for you. You can write all of your prayers in a prayer journal dedicated to the deity you work with, write them on a sheet of paper and burn it in a safe environment, whisper them into a brewing storm, or say them in your head over a cup of tea.
I don't structure or script my prayers as I feel it would be inauthentic. That said, if you would prefer to script them out, that's your prerogative. I won't tell you what to do.
If you have never prayed before, and you are struggling to find a rhythm, you can think of it as a letter. Here is a small outline for a first contact prayer:
"Dear deity, this is an introductory sentence. This is a brief statement of who I am and how I found you. I've noticed these signs, and they lead me to believe it's you reaching out to me. (Or, alternatively—) through my research, I resonate deeply with these aspects of your domain, and am hoping I could begin work with you. If you could give me a sign as confirmation such as (example) that would be much appreciated. Thank you so much for listening to me, even if we do not work together, it's been an honor. Thank you."
If you have an established relationship but still struggle with prayer, here is a different outline:
"Dear/Hello deity. I am trying something new, I don't know if it is going to work out long term but I hope you enjoy it. This is how my day has gone, thank you for guiding me and for being there for me while I'm at this point in my life. These little things that have happened during the day reminded me of you, and I wanted to share them. Thank you for being present, thank you for aiding me, and thank you for listening to me."
In my own prayer, I use "thank you" as a period, a way to signal the end of the prayer. The same way Christians use "Amen".
The original worshippers of the deity(s) you worship probably prayed a bit differently. Using grandeur and epithets, song and dance, and offerings. Prayer has evolved since then, but it is also good to go back to the roots.
This is an outline for that type of prayer:
"Oh, great and powerful deity, bringer of (thing), queen/king/ruler of (thing), please accept this humble offering as thanks for all that you do. It is my pleasure to offer this to you, and I would be most honored if you would accept it."
If that's a bit difficult to understand, here is an example of what I would say if I were doing this type of prayer/offering to Inanna.
"Oh my beautiful and powerful Lady Inanna, Ruling Star of Heaven, Great Lioness, hear my praise. I come to you with a humble offering of dates and wine, it is not much, but it is all that I offer as thanks for all that you do. You have been with me during my darkest times and helped me to rise beyond my wildest capabilities. It is my deepest pleasure to offer this to you, and if you would accept it would bring me great honor."
Again, I don't usually use those types of prayers, as my practice and relationship with Inanna are fairly casual, but certain things inspire grandeur, such as a holiday or a special ritual.
I'm not going to tell you how you should pray. The following is a very badly recalled from memory version of Moses and the Shepherd, and I'm gonna say I'm not Christian, I don't follow the Bible. I was talking to my Muslim friend about prayer, and she brought this story up, and I think my readers could benefit from it.
Moses sees a shepherd praying in a field and he stops the shepherd, telling him he is praying wrong. He shows him the proper way to pray and goes on about his day. The next morning, the shepherd prays the way Moses told him. God stops Moses and asks what he did. Moses says "he was praying incorrectly, so I showed him how to do it right." And God is like "Moses... before, when the shepherd would pray, he prayed with emotion and passion. Now he is only focuses on doing it correctly. No passion. No emotion. All prayers are valuable in their own way." Etc etc, you get the picture.
Moral is, as long as it feels correct to you, it'll get the point across.
Mine seems to be trying to break through the wall of already formed dreams, they’re getting fuzzier and more jumbled when I sleep, almost like glitching between clips.
How do you pronounce your Ladies names? I think I may be saying them wrong.
Have they nudged or tried to nudge you to go somewhere or do something specific?
Sorry if it’s a lot of questions 😅
Never apologize I love talking about them!
I pronounce Inanna as Ee-Nah-Nah and Ereshkigal as Er-Ehsh-Kih-Gahl. I'm not 100% sure that pronunciation is correct, but it's how I say their names.
Inanna communicates with vibes, mostly. I can feel her presence, I can feel if she is pleased or displeased. When she is pleased, she feels pleasantly warm. When she is sad, she feels cold, and when she is mad, she feels hot. She's never been mad at me, but she's been mad at my situation and how people treat me. She also enjoys sending signs, like when I drive too fast, she will put me behind a slow driver, because my life is more important than being on time.
Lady Ereshkigal communicates with me through my tarot cards. If she has something to tell me, it's almost like she buzzes? If that makes sense. I can sense her presence and it feels like she's vibrating, almost, and I know she has something to say.
Dreams are not for me, my dreams are consistently weird beyond my own imagination, and I rarely ever remember them unless I write them down immediately. Maybe you can try reaching out to them in another form of divination?
As for if they've ever tried to steer me in a certain direction, yea, I think. I can't really tell if you mean this as "They want me to get up and take shower" or "they want me to sacrifice this lamb for them" (if your deities are asking you to do things you're uncomfortable with, that is not okay and you should reinstate your boundaries) but the former? Absolutely, all the time.
I am physically disabled, so I struggle to do a lot of basic tasks; showering, eating, getting dressed, and brushing my teeth, to name a few. Sometimes, I can feel Inanna taking my hand and helping me do those things. Other times, I can feel here staring at me until I take a break; as I have a habit of pushing myself to hard. Lady Ereshkigal pushed me to go and visit my grandmother's grave, to talk about her and learn about her and my ancestors in general. She's also pushing me to keep applying and interviewing for jobs.
I also think it's important to distinguish that I am devoted to Inanna, but I work with Lady Ereshkigal. I've been with Inanna for a little over four years, but I've only been working with Lady Ereshkigal about six months. Inanna is like my best friend, Lady Ereshkigal is more like my mentor. I have a different type of relationship with them, so the things we do together differ.
I will talk about them all day every day, I love talking about them and answering questions! I hope this answers your questions!
Hey i got question for you burney relief statue do you personally believe that's depiction of Inanna or Ereskhigal
I believe it's both of them at the same time. It's difficult to say, honestly, I see the argument for both and it's hard to use evidence against them. The lions and the symbols the goddess is depicted holding point towards Inanna, but the nudity and the mountains the goddess is standing atop point towards Lady Ereshkigal.
I truly believe it was meant to honor both of them and their similarities, they are sisters, they are the same and different. Love and death. Two sides of the same coin.
