There are some misconceptions regarding the Goddess Inanna and her nature. Many see her solely as a Goddess of love, sex and lust. They either choose not to remember or do forget that she is also a Goddess of wisdom, birth and rebirth, death and war. One of her greatest roles is as the Queen of the Hieros Gamos, the Sacred Marriage.
She is described by some as being the 'Sacred Whore' or the 'Holy Prostitute' and this was probably due to the created cult whereby the priestesses and followers of Inanna/Ishtar/Aphrodite would prostitute themselves in return for payment. They believed that their virginity belonged to the Goddess and that this sacrifice through 'love' making would bring fertility to the land as well as to their own lives.
Through time the energy of the Venus Goddess has been 'used' during ritual to empower the workings of magicians and priestesses. The priestess invokes the Goddess so that she takes into her the essence of the Goddess and the magician or mason etc plays the role of the king or her consort. This was a fertility rite that was performed in ancient times where the high priestess of one of the Venus Goddesses and the king replayed the role of the Hieros Gamos between Inanna or Ishtar or Aphrodite etc and her husband, the dieing and resurrected god. Yet this was not a loveless union; the high priestess became the mistress of the king and they shared a bond of true love for each other.
As well as bringing fertility to the land, the Courtship of Inanna was performed to bring heaven to Earth and create perfection; it symbolizes the true union between the male and female energies and the godhood or the creator of ALL. Through their love making they became one mind, one soul, one body and only through this become one and reconnecting the two halves of a divided soul through the flesh and spirit (Twin Flames) could they achieve this.
Yet this same sacred rite is performed by two people who have no deep love for each other at least not on the basis of a true love where two souls connect and become one. The people who use the Goddess through performing sex as means to empower their workings/spells/crafting etc are basically prostituting the Goddess and taking advantage of her energy. This is not what she stands for at all.
Women use Inanna as an excuse to unleash their wild sexual side and though there is nothing wrong with a woman expressing herself in all ways (it is a very healthy practice) it is not acceptable to use the Goddess as THE reason to do it.
The Goddess helps all women who wish to explore their sexual nature and always aids them in 'coming out of their shell' but she is not to be the reason for it is part of a woman's path to find the strength within herself to be all that she wants to be sexually. Sleeping around and proclaiming that this is the way of the Goddess taints the purity of Inanna and her true nature. Inanna is a support for any woman and man who wishes to manifest their true sexuality and encourages them to take the path of the sacred bride or groom yet not to do so with her name on their lips.
Again, I am not saying that women have to be in a committed relationship to call on the Great Goddess Inanna for support during her sexual encounters. Experimenting and experiences is what makes a good lover and is all part of our growth on this Earth. Through sex we can learn a lot about ourselves and the sacred masculine and feminine for Inanna, though she is the manifestation of the Shekinah/Shakti/Sophia in matter as the representation of the divine feminine, she is also known to hold strong masculine attributes. It was well known that as the Goddess of sex she was also the Goddess of gender and could turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man.
If you have researched the ancient tablets as I have for many years now, you will have read the story of when Inanna was raped while sleeping beneath a tree. When Inanna awoke she was full of anger, rage and distress, as any woman would be at being defiled in such a way. Though some may argue that this was Inanna's expression that she CHOOSES who she has sex with, it is in essence her proclaiming to humanity that not only does she CHOOSE who she has sex with but she does not have sex with just anyone for the sake of it; her love and lust and passion and wildness is reserved ONLY for her consort and he alone because what they share is SACRED. So regarding the story of her rape, Inanna is an icon among women who have been raped and suffered at the hands of their abusers. She also helps them to heal and guides them back to achieving healthy romantic and sexual relationships. We cannot say on one hand that Inanna is the Sacred Whore while on the other hand say that she has been a victim of rape.
Even though she is known as the mistress, she was the mistress to the gods whom she loved and empowered their workings, and not to mortal men who believe they can summon her at will when they seem fit. If there are men who believe they can take advantage of her love and energy then they must remember her war side and it would be advisable for them to study the story of her rape and what happened to the MORTAL man who raped her and took from her while she was sleeping. If the Goddess DOES choose a mortal man then it is one she has chosen herself and it is one who is also who's soul shares a connection with hers. Her priestess who becomes his consort will be a manifestation of the Goddess herself. Know that all marriage is sacred and that when two people are in love and make love, their union is blessed by the Goddess and they do in fact re-enact the divine marriage each time they make love for it IS love in motion and not only loveless lust.
Some feel that the Goddess is arrogant or full of ego in her messages but sometimes it is our own ego's that do not want to accept her laws regarding working with her energy. This is usually felt among those who do use her attributes as an excuse but to truly understand the Goddess and to have her support, we must be true followers of her and not just call upon her and try to invoke her when it comes to having sex.
There may be some who do not agree with my guidance or my explanations of her stories and to you I ask you to go within and find her and at the same time spend time looking for her in the ancient texts.
-By Helen Demetriou© 2013 - Nanaea Inanna
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