We are in a time of Deep Transformation.
We are living through the death of an old era, and the dawning of a new one. At this time, we are being called to journey deeply into ourselves in order to find and reclaim lost power and wisdom, rise up and become leaders of a new way, a way of the Heart.
The call to journey deep into the self often arrives at a time of loss, confusion, dissatisfaction, crisis or chaos. The way is down, to descend, into the parts of the self that remain hidden, forgotten, overlooked; into the unconscious, into the unknown, into the Mystery.
THE JOURNEY OF THE GODDESS
In order to rise, we must first go down. We go low to get high. We descend to ascend. This is a way that has been lost to us in a global culture obsessed with ascension, intent on going up and up, unsustainably, at a great cost to us all, our relationships, our communities, and the earth itself. The cost of constant outward movement, or ascent, is the loss of a true and vital nourishment found only within the self, which is also the source of our jewels of wisdom and creativity.
The resolution of this is to descend, to go deep within the self. This is the journey of the Goddess. This is the direction in which the Goddess calls you. I have called this sacred journey Hera's Way. Unlike it's counterpart, the Hero's Journey, Hera's Way is a journey that is Feminine in its orientation - a journey inward, into the unconscious, into the deep, into the dark, into the unknown, into the Mystery. This is wisdom that has been lost to the world, but it is essential now that we reclaim it.
And to help, we have one of the oldest mythical stories in written history to guide us.
THE GODDESS JOURNEYS INTO THE UNDERWORLD.
Inanna is a Mesopotamian Goddess, the oldest in recorded history. She is Queen of Heaven and Earth. She journeys to the Underworld to meet her shadow sister, Ereshkigal, Queen of the Dead, to pay her respects, and witness the funeral rites of Ereshkigal's recently deceased husband.
The problem is, Inanna was implicated in Ereshkigal's husband's death.
“From the great heaven she set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven the goddess set her mind on the great below. From the great heaven Inanna set her mind on the great below. My mistress abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld. Inanna abandoned heaven, abandoned earth, and descended to the underworld.”
Before embarking on her Journey, Inanna gathers to herself 7 powers:
"She took the seven divine powers. She collected the divine powers and grasped them in her hand. With the good divine powers, she went on her way. She put a turban, headgear for the open country, on her head. She took a wig for her forehead. She hung small lapis-lazuli beads around her neck."
"She placed twin egg-shaped beads on her breast. She covered her body with a pala dress, the garment of ladyship. She placed mascara which is called "Let a man come, let him come" on her eyes. She pulled the pectoral which is called "Come, man, come" over her breast. She placed a golden ring on her hand. She held the lapis-lazuli measuring rod and measuring line in her hand."
Upon entering the Underworld, she stops at 7 gates, and at each gate she is asked to give up one of her powers, bowing a little lower every time, until she finally arrives naked and vulnerable, on her knees, to meet her sister, who, along with the judges of the Underworld, finds her guilty of excessive pride, turns her into a corpse, and hangs her on a meat hook.
Three days and nights pass, and her servant comes looking for her. A deal is struck and Inanna is released. She returns to the Upper World, resurrected.
Inanna's Descent into the Underworld is an ancient story of the Goddess. It is a story of facing the Shadow. It is a story of facing our mistakes. It is a story of Death and Resurrection. It is a story of Death and Rebirth. It is a story of an ancient way, a feminine way, an initiatory journey that has been lost to us, but that is now being reclaimed.
What is the Underworld?
The Underworld is the unconscious, the place of shadow, of secrets, of regrets, of mistakes, of things hidden, of things forgotten, of things unseen and unsaid. We bow low to go there. We arrive at the gates of the Underworld on our knees.
Often, life will take us to our knees so that we can take our necessary journey to the Underworld. And by courageously, willingly and consciously travelling to these darker realms in ourselves, we find nourishment, power, and radiance we thought we had lost, and rise again equipped to step forward and offer our gifts to the world.
Hera is known as the Queen of the Gods in Greek mythology. She is the wife of Zeus, and the most powerful goddess in the Greek pantheon. She is goddess and protector of the Feminine, which is why it is fitting for us to call on her for this journey. She is usually depicted with a crown on her head, and is sometimes accompanied by a lion.
As a wedding gift to her and Zeus, the goddess Gaia gives Hera a tree laden with golden apples, which Hera plants in her garden, the Garden of Hesperides, and charges a hundred-headed dragon and the daughters of Atlas with the guardianship of it.
What are the Golden Apples?
The golden apples are a potent symbol found in many mythologies that represent a deeply desired prize, divine blessings and gifts, and sacred nourishment. These prized and deeply desired apples are the fruits of your Underworld Journey, the sacred nourishment of wisdom, purpose and vitality that you bring back when you have the courage to take your Journey. They reside within you, but in order to get the fruits, you have to go to the roots.
The golden apples are a prize that will not come easy, but take courage, strength and perseverence to achieve.