She looked down one day to Earth, and saw people, and said, I will go among them. She joined her essence with the foam of the SeaGod, and rose upwards on a scallopshell,and when she reached the top, she was Aphrodite, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her hair was long and shining and swirled gently about her naked body, her eyes were luminous and compassionate, her breasts and hips were full and rounded, her smile was enchanting. Noone noticed the other half of the scallop shell, sinking down into the depths of the deep sea bed.
The people made her their Queen and called her Innana. She walked among them, and at first, wherever She went, she saw only joy and happiness and worship in their eyes. But soon she noticed that some of them turned aside,their eyes were sad. "They are lonely", she said, "I will give them Lovers". and for a while, they were happy . But love changes, and dies, and they suffered. So she said" I will give them Children!" and for a while, they were happy. But children also change, and die. So, she said "it is Death that makes them unhappy. I will go down to the Underworld and demand release from all this unhappiness".
She clothed herself in all her ceremonial robes and went down to the Underworld.
She came to a great gate in a huge wall, and knocked. The Gatekeeper came out. "I wish to enter the Underworld", said Queen Inanna. "There's only one boss here", said the Gatekeeper rather unpleasantly. " You'd best take that off", he said, pointing her purple robe of Regal Authority. She looked at him for a minute, and his insolence reduced a little. Then she said calmly, " Surely", and took off the great heavy robe, and left it on the ground, and passed through the Gate.
She walked some more. The way was not difficult for a Queen. She felt free., having taken off her cloak. But then she came to the second gate. The Gatekeeper was clad in armour. "You can't come in wearing That" he said, pointing to the ceremonial bee-hive wig of Justice, studded about with the gems of Reason, Negotiation, Compromise, Diplomacy, Tact. "N-one bargains in here". He made "bargain" sound like a dirty word. So she raised her eyebrows a little, but, she was still a Queen, and she understood Tyranny, so she carefully lifted the heavy wig from her head and set it down on the ground, and was allowed to pass through the second gate.
She felt rather light-headed for a little while, it was a bit odd to feel feelings without the filters of Reason. She started to wonder who "the Boss"was. He was a bit ...draconian, she thought, even for a Tyrant. Rather....insecure, perhaps...It was very hot here, like a desert. Before her, a third gate, of brass, set in a red wall. She knocked. The Gatekeeper opened. "That stays here " he said, without even asking, pointing to the Sword of State. "We allow no weapons down here. If you haven't got the guts to come in without a weapon, you stay outside". She felt - angered - by his challenge, didn't he know Who She Was? That she had never used a weapon in her life, that she was here only for the good of her people? But then her second thoughts chimed in. It wasn't such a bad rule, no weapons in Court. So , she unbuckled the long, jewel-encrusted Sword and laid it on the ground at the Gatekeeper's feet. She didn't like that feeling much, obeying other people's rules. But it meant she could get through the gate.
It grew increasingly chilly as she continued her walk. Mists came and sent, dampness clung to her bodice and hair, she wished for her warm cloak, she thought that if she had known how long this journey would be she might not have set out on it... but she had, and she was a Queen, and she was going to carry on..The fourth gate was a shock. The Gatekeeper was surprisingly beautiful, young, tall, strong, not unlike someone she knew. He smiled deeply, warmly, into her eyes. He offered her a cup of warmed wine. "You look cold", he said, "come into the lodge with me, and let me warm you up a bit, just for a while, you can always make up the time later"....she was tempted, for a minute.. He WAS beautiful, his hand was warm, his mouth temptingly full....
"No, " she said, twinkling back at him. " please don't tempt me or I'll never get there" .
Suddenly he changed before her eyes. He grew cold, harsh, his eyes stripped her through to her core. "Well, take That off" he said, flicking his hand over her golden Corselet of Protection, flicking her nipples with his hard fingertips.. She gasped from shock and pain. "Armour will get you nowhere in here, no matter how pretty it looks" and there was contempt in his voice. With shaking fingers she unbuckled the exquisite gold corselet and let it drop to the ground. The Gatekeeper raked her again with his eyes, sneered , but let her pass. Trembling, she walked on, holding her head high. Noone had ever looked at her, spoken to her that way before.
And now it was very cold, and misty, and the sky was irongrey. Snowflakes trembled in the air, tears on her eyelashes. But as she walked on, she remembered her people, like children in the sunlight, and it gave her comfort, and she took strength from their existence and by the time she came to the next gate, she was feeling....better. More ...solid.
The Gatekeeper at the fifth gate was a lush. She could smell it. He leered at her . "Hello" he said, "wossa nice girl like you doing down here? Come and join the party, woman like you, been around a bit,I'll be bound," She patted his arm gently, "I'm old enough to be your mother", she said calmly but giving him a bit of a wink, "I'm going down to see the boss. Could you see your way clear to letting me through?" "MyMother?", said the Gatekeeper, wot you know about my mother. Bitch! " the sudden violence was a shock to Inanna. " That bitch never did nothingfor me. She never wanted me, she,...she - " his face contorted with grief, and then anger. "Take that off" he shouted, "get it off, don't come anywhere near me wearing that shit!" and grabbed her Apron, hard, pulling her over. She sprawled on the ground at his feet, and he ripped the ties apart. "So much for Mothers! " he spat, and threw the bunched up garment into his fire. "Get up," he said, "go through if you want, I don't care".
Never had she seen such..hatred, such...loneliness. She went on her way, feeling old, and tired, and she was weary and hungry and cold and, and lonely. And afraid, now.
The sixth gate was...creepy, there was a bad feeling. The Gatekeeper there was twisted, filthy, slow. For the first time in her life, she wished she was wearing more. He insisted that he had to take off her shimmering undergown of Pleasure himself, and she felt his hands,hot and trembling, all over her legs and buttocks, and hips, and breasts, as he eased the gown slowly over her head. He stank, and he was dribbling, he was shaking and aroused ...she suddenly felt very afraid, Very afraid, and she tore the gown over her head and threw it at him and ran, she ran on down the path, not looking back, shaking and shocked and afraid, and ...afraid.
And finally, there was the castle. Grey, but rather beautiful in a forbidding, fortified sort of way. And the door was ....Shut. What can they take from me now,she thought, dully. All I have left are my bracelets...The Gatekeeper was a woman. She smiled cynically at the trembling, dirty, naked woman before her. "Dont think you can come in here flashing your Heart on your sleeve" she said. "No fancy ornaments allowed, nothing at all. Anyway, she's busy at the moment. You'll have to wait in here", and she stripped off the bracelets, and left Inanna in the cold silent waiting room.
Inanna became aware of a faint noise. Listening hard, She heard wailing, moaning, weeping, and she thought "what is going on?" and steeling herself, she followed the sounds to the inner room. Oh, the Pain which was coming from that room, the Helplessness, Hopelessness...She had to enter that room..
And there, on the floor, bound in chains, was the ugliest woman she had ever seen. Her hair was matted, her face contorted and scarred, her body sagging and yellow and covered in blemishes, her armpits sprouted tufts of grey hair, her hairy legs were spread out in front of her, and - suddenly Innana realised, she was trying to give birth! She was hugely pregnant, her belly heaved and she moaned and screamed as she contracted. And she was bound in chains.
Innana was shocked into immobility. Disgust, Horror, Relief, Fear, rang through her mind and body. And then, Compassion . She crossed the floor, knelt down, felt the belly. "Your baby is in breech" she said, "The head is pointing inward, rather than outward. Let me move it for you" and she laid her hands on the swollen belly before her. ~With a sudden heave and a gush of fluids, there he was, a beautiful boy lying in Innana's hands. astonishingly clean and straightlimbed, his big eyes open and aware, breathing easily, looking up at her. Inanna felt a great rush of bonding fill her belly and breasts.
"You have a beautiful son " she said, and looked up as the chains dropped off, the woman before her metamorphosed, and Innana looked into - her own fac "Who are you?" she whispered. "I am Ereshkigal, your sister. As you went up into the light of day, I was born onto the other shell, and went down. I am married to the Lord of Darkness. I am the Queen of the Night. Thank you for helping me. Why have you come?"
Inanna remembered. " i came to free my people from unhappiness. It is death that makes them unhappy. But I cannot ask you to stop doing what you do, you are a mother, you are my sister, you are a Queen. What am I to do?"
Ereshkigal smiled. " You misunderstand. Death is only Change. All things die and are reborn, there is no loss, just change. You have helped me to start again. You have delivered my child. You have bonded with my child. Take him with you, up into the light. Let him grow healthy and strong in the light. Keep him for half a year, and then return him to me for half a year. Your people will be able to see that death is not the end, it is just change. You have given me the gift of life, and I can give you the gift of change."
Inanna and Ershkigal hugged. Then Inanna went back to her people and brought them the Sun, who is Equilibrium, Illumination. Enlightenment. Change. For ever.
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