Samhain: A Season of Release
Inanna came to visit me, not once but twice. You best pay attention when the Queen of Heaven, the ancient goddess of war, love, and fertility, shows up!
I heard the Myth of the Descent of Inanna into the Underworld in the past but it didn’t resonate with me. A few days ago, I heard a new retelling of the myth by Stacy Vajta, the Feisty Crone, and I understood the myth as a story of release and transformation. Then yesterday, in an art retreat, Inanna showed up again as I was urged to descend from my head down into my soul to find creative inspiration, and so I’m feeling called to share the message I received. It ties beautifully to the seasonal shift happening now.
The light half of the year is drawing to a close with the celebration of Samhain on Halloween. Have you noticed that the daylight doesn’t last as long? Are you ready for the dark half of the year?
Most of us don’t worry about whether this year’s harvest will see us through to the next growing season. But as the wheel of the year turns again, we are invited to turn our attention inward.
The energy of the season invites you to release and let go, to listen to the whispers to slow down so that you can hear the wisdom of your body which is part of the natural world and subject to her seasonal shifts, too.
There are many beautiful retellings of the Myth of the Descent of Inanna. This is my brief summary. Inanna embarked on a journey of transformation. She felt the call to descend into the Underworld, a realm ruled by her older sister Ereshkigal, though the reasons vary according to different sources of the myth. Before she begins her descent, Inanna arranges for her assistant to send help if she fails to return in three days’ time.
When Ereshkigal learns of her sister’s visit, she orders the seven gates to the Underworld to be locked against her. At each gate, Inanna must relinquish a treasured item to pass through, beginning with her crown, the sign of her power.
After giving up her jewelry and fine clothing at each of the following gates, Inanna arrives at Ereshkigal’s throne, naked and humbled. Ereshkigal, who is the Queen of the dead, immediately declares Inanna dead and leaves her body to rot.
When she doesn’t return as expected, Inanna’s loyal assistant secures help. Inanna is soon rescued and brought back to life, returning to the upper world. Inanna has been transformed by her descent; she is now free of the pretenses and protections that she relinquished in the Underworld.
What does this story have to teach us now?
This myth can help us to see what we need to relinquish, release, and let go of, to be more fully and truly who we are created to be. When you have let go all that no longer serves you, you are free to expand into your true calling. When you stop allowing your energy to be drained by the small stuff, you have more energy to pursue your important authentic goals.
At Samhain, during this season of release, what do you need to relinquish?
Come along to see what’s been coming up for me. You may see some similarities but, of course, your results may vary.
Starting from the headspace where we often get wrapped up in the importance of our self image, or give outsized credence to cultural expectations and academic achievements, we’ll continue down through the throat where the truth and our unique voice emanates (or gets stuck), through the heart space, the center for love and compassion, into the gut which knows all, and finally into the womb space, the source of creativity energy. Along the way, we’ll be looking at obstacles that need to be released because they get in the way of our full flourishing.
First Gate: Headspace: The first item Inanna relinquished was her crown, a symbol of her power. Our self image may be a source of our perceived power. I find that my self image is tied to a mastery and recognition of academic achievements. Someone else’s self image may be tied to the accumulation of material possessions. These things give us a sense of false security because they do not last. Can I step back from my over-reliance on my self-image and my identity to allow room for my intuition to come forward?
Who are you without your identity or your self-image?
Second Gate: Still up in my headspace: I notice that I like hanging out in my comfort zone because it’s, well, comfortable. My brain prefers to stay here because it means less decisions need to be made by doing the same thing in the same way day in and day out. It makes me feel like I’m in control when I know what is going to happen next. Of course, control is an illusion and there is little opportunity for growth when you live your life on auto-pilot. Am I brave enough to try something new? To take creative risks? To step out of the comfort zone for maybe just once in each day, and step into the mystery of the unknown?
How well do you trust yourself to handle whatever life offers you?
Third Gate: One more thing to release from my headspace. This is one that I’ve been wrestling with for a while. I’ve even written about it here. I’m leaving behind my need to be right, and my claim to certainty. Insisting on being right keeps me locked in a very small box. It shuts off all other ways of seeing the world and eliminates options I haven’t even dreamed up yet.
What if there is more than one way to understand? Are you open to new possibilities?
Fourth Gate: The throat chakra is an energy system located at the throat that helps us communicate and express ourselves. This one is especially important for creative expression. When our energy gets stuck here, we struggle to speak our truth, worrying about how others will respond to our expression. Being more concerned with pleasing those around us than we are with expressing our needs or our desires is deeply problematic and leads to silencing and restricting ourselves. Now is a good time to say ‘no’ to all of that.
What truth do you need to speak to someone close to you?
Fifth Gate: Dropping into the heart space, notice where your love is focused. Is there any compassion directed at you? When we engage in self-compassion, we feel good about ourselves. The more robust our self love is, the less inclined we are to judge others in order to make ourselves feel better. I’m actively working on relinquishing the need to judge others. Choose to love yourself unconditionally. And remember, it’s not selfish! It’s self-care.
How can you love yourself a little bit more?
Sixth Gate: Your gut knows the story. Do you trust it? The gut and the brain are in constant bi-directional communication. Besides its role in digestion, your gut serves as an early warning system, sending out alarms before our conscious awareness perceives danger. The gut acts as an inner compass pointing to the truth. We have been raised to seek answers from external authorities instead of relying on our own innate sense. I sometimes ignore my gut’s signal because I don’t want to hurt somebody’s feelings, or I try to rationalize my way out of what my gut is telling me. But your gut knows what is truest for you.
Where can you trust your gut a little bit more?
Seventh Gate: And finally we arrive at the womb space, the source of all creativity energy. It is here that new ideas and dreams are born. What new vision wants to emerge from this nourishing space? But there is resistance. There is always resistance. Take that as a sign that you are going in the right direction. According to Steven Pressfield in his book “The War of Art,” resistance is a compass, pointing to the thing that you must do! “The more important a call or action is to our soul’s evolution, the more resistance we will feel toward pursuing it.”
How can you tend your creative energy, keeping it vibrant and flowing? What resistance is showing up and how can you release it?
Arriving at her sister’s throne, Inanna is naked and humbled. All of her protective pretenses and decorative coverings have been torn away from her. After she is rescued, Inanna returns to the upper world transformed by her descent. She is free. Letting go of all I have outgrown and anything that does not contribute to the person I am meant to be is the path that beckons now in this season of release and transformation.
What have you outgrown? What no longer aligns with your truest self? What are you ready to relinquish to make space to become who your were created to be?
Sending you many Samhain Blessings!