We are in a time of 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 lead 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 direction in which the Journey of the Goddess calls you. I have called this sacred journey Her Way. It is a way 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 as arranged, 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, and a way 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 arrive at the gates of the Underworld on our knees.
We bow low to go there. Often, life will take us to our knees so that we can arrive there. 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.
THE CALL
THE SHADOW
THE CALL
There will come a time in your life when a call arrives unexpectedly, in a way you would not have predicted. It could come through an illness, the loss of someone or something dear to you, the breakdown of a marriage, a sense of urgency, or a deep feeling of dissatisfaction, even boredom, with your life as it is. The call, when it arriv
There will come a time in your life when a call arrives unexpectedly, in a way you would not have predicted. It could come through an illness, the loss of someone or something dear to you, the breakdown of a marriage, a sense of urgency, or a deep feeling of dissatisfaction, even boredom, with your life as it is. The call, when it arrives, is to Journey Her Way, to make the Journey of the Goddess, a treacherous way into the Underworld, through dark shadows, and find a way to our own personal victory.
This is a call to reclaim, become, and boldly step into the totality of who we truly are, and arrive whole and integrated, as the One, risen, reborn, resurrected. We take this journey to return to the Heart, in order to help build a new world from our Heart's Desires, as our Heart's Desires are the fertile ground from which the New Earth arrives.
THE ONE
THE SHADOW
THE CALL
The Journey ultimately leads us towards our true purpose, our soul's purpose, our highest purpose, if we have the courage to follow it through. And when we arrive there, we understand finally the meaning of the words, "we are the ones that we've been waiting for". Being the One means is that everything in your world awakens within and e
The Journey ultimately leads us towards our true purpose, our soul's purpose, our highest purpose, if we have the courage to follow it through. And when we arrive there, we understand finally the meaning of the words, "we are the ones that we've been waiting for". Being the One means is that everything in your world awakens within and emerges from you. Journeying Her Way will awaken you to your essential nature as the One, as you discover and reclaim vital parts of yourself. It returns to us what was lost along the way, if we have the courage to really seek to find.
These times are calling all of us to step into our true power and boldly bring our gifts to the world, to arrive as One, whole and complete, to serve.
THE SHADOW
THE SHADOW
THE RUBY JEWELS
The Underworld can also be known as the Shadow. The Shadow is made up of the parts of us that are unconscious. Shadow exists because it has been hidden or denied. At some point in our lives, certain parts of us were deemed unacceptable, and so we hid them from view. A little-known secret is that your Shadow contains vital nourishment
The Underworld can also be known as the Shadow. The Shadow is made up of the parts of us that are unconscious. Shadow exists because it has been hidden or denied. At some point in our lives, certain parts of us were deemed unacceptable, and so we hid them from view. A little-known secret is that your Shadow contains vital nourishment for your soul. Your shadow contains vast amounts of unrealised power, inspiration, wisdom, and creativity. Journeying Her Way demands a descent into the Shadow, a movement downward into the unknown, in order to reclaim the hidden treasure there.
Reclaiming our shadows reunites us with these lost parts of our self, and enables us to piece together again and welcome back to us aspects of our Self that got lost along the way. This is alchemical work, the transformation of pain into power, wounds into wisdom, scars into stars, base lead into gold.
THE RUBY JEWELS
THE RUBY JEWELS
THE RUBY JEWELS
When we have the courage to face our own Shadow and to do the alchemical work of transmutation there, we discover that what is hidden in the Shadow is not only vital, essential to our wellbeing but is precious, sacred aspects of the truth of our being, our essential Beloved nature. I call these precious lost and found pieces of us the Ru
When we have the courage to face our own Shadow and to do the alchemical work of transmutation there, we discover that what is hidden in the Shadow is not only vital, essential to our wellbeing but is precious, sacred aspects of the truth of our being, our essential Beloved nature. I call these precious lost and found pieces of us the Ruby Jewels. They are the parts of us that went into hiding because they didn't feel were acceptable or loved. They are vital parts of our Beloved nature.
When we find them, it is our job to welcome them back to ourselves, to welcome them home, to return them to our crown, where they can shine in their own true glory, in the Oneness of the Self, the truth of all Being.
THE HEART
THE RUBY JEWELS
THE HEART
It is to the Heart that we return to when we have the courage to take the journey Her Way, through the Underworld. It is the Heart that welcomes the Jewels Home. And as the lost pieces of ourselves begin to gather again as One in the Heart, we begin to remember our passions, dreams and desires, for these are the Heart's domain. It is b
It is to the Heart that we return to when we have the courage to take the journey Her Way, through the Underworld. It is the Heart that welcomes the Jewels Home. And as the lost pieces of ourselves begin to gather again as One in the Heart, we begin to remember our passions, dreams and desires, for these are the Heart's domain. It is by way of the passions, dreams and desires of the Heart that we will build the world again, after the death of the old.
Desire is an action of the Heart. It is a force, a magnetic force, a creative force, a Feminine force, that draws towards itself that which is longed for.
What are the desires of your Heart? Did you bury them, or forget them, in favour of making ends meet, or following a career path that has no soul? Now is the time to start remembering again your Heart's desires, and reclaiming desire as a Feminine force by which we create.
THE STAR
THE RUBY JEWELS
THE HEART
To Shine the Star means to boldly and courageously be yourself, to bring the nourishment of your soul's offerings to the field, to bring the nourishment of the One to the Field.
Having taken your journey Her Way, and reclaimed your Ruby Jewels, the parts of yourself that were hidden, forgotten, cast aside, welcomed them home; in becoming
To Shine the Star means to boldly and courageously be yourself, to bring the nourishment of your soul's offerings to the field, to bring the nourishment of the One to the Field.
Having taken your journey Her Way, and reclaimed your Ruby Jewels, the parts of yourself that were hidden, forgotten, cast aside, welcomed them home; in becoming whole again, your radiance grows. To Shine The Star is to be a presence of truth in the field, having gathered up all parts of yourself together into the Oneness of the Self, you can rest in the truth of your Being, being One in yourself.
Shining the Star requires first a deep movement inward. Challenging times act as catalysing moments to lead us down and into the shadows, to take the journey in to find the essential nourishment, the lost Jewels shining there, to return to the field to shine again.