The Mythology
Sumerian Queen of Heaven, Inanna (pronounced eh-na'na) tricked her father, Enki, God of Wisdom, into giving her the hundred objects of culture, which she then gave to humankind. Desiring to pay a visit to her sister Ereskigal, she journeyed to the Underworld. There she was stripped and killed, and left to hang on a hook for three days and three nights. Inanna was allowed to leave the Underworld only if she found a substitute. She chose her son-lover, the shepherd Damuzi, who, in her absence, had usurped her place on the throne of Heaven.
The Lessons of this Goddess
Inanna is here to tell you that a journey to the Underworld is the way to wholeness for you now. It is time to dance with your shadow, reclaim what you've denied, embrace your own Dark Sister/Dark Self. You need all those aspects of yourself that your parents, caregivers, teachers, society have deemed unacceptable in order to achieve wholeness in your life. Whether it be your talent, your beauty, your inner vampire, your anger, your madness, you are required to surrender to the journey and embrace your dark side. If you are already in the Underworld, the appearance of Inanna may signal that the time for your return is at hand. Journeys to the Underworld to embrace your dark side are a law unto themselves. They take a much time as they need to take- you can't just fit them into your schedule. When it is time for you to journey, you will and you will not be done until you return. Take comfort in the fact that all journeys to the Underworld do end and that you will indeed return-much different from who you thought you were when you went.