Inanna

[Guest guest]

To continue a bit on Inanna, as devi_bhakta expressed some curiousity:

 

I have a book called "Women in Praise of the Sacred" subtitled: "43

Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women."

 

In it there is a part of the Hymn to Inanna attributed to Enheduanna

a high priestess of Inanna in 2300 bce.

 

I'll put the first part here. It reminds me a great deal of what I

have been reading in this forum:

 

Lady of all powers,

In whom light appears,

Radiant one

Beloved of Heaven and Earth,

Tiara-crowned

Priestess of the Highest God,

My Lady, you are the guardian

Of all greatness.

Your hand holds the seven powers:

You lift the powers of being,

You have hung them over your fingers,

You have gathered the many powers,

You have clasped them now

Like necklaces onto your breast.

 

I especially like the imagery of the "seven powers" hung over the

fingers of the Goddess like so many fine necklaces. It is interesting

to me how in both the Hindu texts that I am reading and in some of the

Sumerian texts, that humanizing the Goddess some how makes Her more

powerful, more real. The little details given about the objects that

She is holding or wearing bring different ideas into focus, draw my

mind to different aspects of Her power and Her essence.

 

Namaste,

 

prainbow

[Guest guest]

Dear Prainbow:

 

Thank you so much for the additional information on Inanna; it seems

as though every new manifestation of Goddess I encounter deepens my

awe and appreciation for Her vast and wonderful being.

 

I liked what you said, about how "humanizing the Goddess some how

makes Her more powerful, more real. The little details given about the

objects that She is holding or wearing bring different ideas into

focus, draw my mind to different aspects of Her power and Her

essence."

 

Yes, that's the Hindu approach; imparting truths beyond our mundane

experience through the use of symbolism and mythology. It's inspiring

to see it used in other contexts as well -- what a beautiful passage

you quoted! I've got a backlog of subjects -- including this one --

that I want to tackle once I've got a little spare time. I hope that

some of it will be of help and interest to you; I hate to be on the

receiving end of so many amazing posts and not offer something

worthwhile in return.

 

Aum Maatangyai Namahe