by Rosalyn Grimaldi
The Goddess Ishtar was so powerful in the ancient world, Her name eventually came to simply mean "Goddess." Her Sumerian name, Inana, means "Lady of the Heaven," and her Syrian name "Astarte" translates to "star." Ishtar has many names and aspects. She is also associated with the Egyptian Goddesses Hathor, Anat, and Qudshu. She is sometimes portrayed as a nurturing mother, a protector, and a loving deity. But the Babylonian Ishtar is for the most part extremely sexual, vengeful, power-hungry, and militant. She is Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War. In icons she usually appears naked or scantily clad. She is often depicted with weapons or a crescent moon emblem. She is also sometimes portrayed with wings or riding a lion. Ishtar grants passion, free love and sexual pleasure, pregnancy, an abundant harvest, victory in battle, and power to her faithful followers.
Uruk, Her Seat of Power
The city of Uruk was originally dedicated to the sky God An. But He was quickly overshadowed by the Goddess Ishtar, who by the 4th millennium, had a "most impressive array of monumental public buildings" in the Uruk precinct of Eunna (Oates 172). One of the most important buildings centered in Uruk was the Innin temple of Kara-indash, dedicated to Ishtar.
Symbols of the Goddess
Symbols sacred to the Goddess include the morning and evening star Venus, the moon, the stars, the snake, the scorpion, the dove, the lion, a pack of hunting dogs, and a bow and quiver. A rosette, like the one pictured above, was sometimes substituted in ancient artwork as a symbol for Ishtar (Black 154). In ancient Sumer, Inana's written sign was the ring post (Black 156). In Her temples, the Omega sign sometimes also appeared (Black 146).
Ishtar's Family
Ishtar is the daughter of the moon-God Nanna (Sin). In some myths she also appears as the daughter of the sky God Anu, or the Daughter of Enki. Ishtar's sister, Ereshkigal, is Goddess of the Underworld. There existed bitter sibling rivalry between Ishtar and her elder sister, which was the topic of many Babylonian stories.
Dumuzi The Shepard God and a Myth for the Seasons
In a story that parallels the Persephone Myth, Ishtar is forced to visit her sister Ereshkigal in the underworld and ultimately experience death. There are many variations on the myth. Sometimes her motive for traveling to the underworld is a lust for power and her sister's throne. In other versions of the story, her lover Dumuzi, the Shepard God, has been whisked away to the underworld by demon Galla, and she must make an attempt to rescue him. In still other versions, Ishtar flies into a jealous rage over Dumuzi's popularity with the humans and Herself dooms her lover to life in the underworld.
As Ishtar travels through the seven gates of the underworld, she is forced to give up all earthly things, all emblems of power, and become naked and helpless in death. Ishtar is ultimately rescued from death and reborn, but Dumuzi is forced to remain in the underworld for half the year as her substitute. During the half of the year that the Shepard God is in Death, the earth above remains barren and fruitless.
The King of Ancient Babylon and The Divine Marriage
The ruling class of Mesopotamia is said to have been established by the sky God Anu. The king was called "En," which meant "Lord." Besides ruling over the people and leading the military, an En also had priestly duties. He served as an intermediary between the gods and the people. The King himself was considered partly divine. And of his many duties, he was expected to annually participate in a Divine Marriage ceremony with the Goddess of Love and Fertility, Inana (Littleton 117). It is believed that in addition to this ritual act of sex, statues of the Gods and Goddesses were placed together in a marriage bed. The Ancient Babylonians believed that deity literally existed in its image (Oates 176). By placing the image of a God and Goddess in bed together, the Babylonians were more than merely symbolizing a divine union. All of these rituals were done to ensure a prosperous and fertile year.
How Offerings Were Made to the Gods and Goddesses
In the temples of Ishtar, and perhaps even at the family hearth, statues of the deity were offered lavish meals. In the temple the priests, priestesses, and other servants to the Gods would prepare large feasts, slaughtering many livestock in anticipation of an offering. Idols of the Gods, which lived in the inner sanctum of the temple, were given privacy behind a curtain to 'wash up' before meals. The curtain was opened so that meal could be served, but then closed again so that the Gods could enjoy their food and drink in privacy. The food, once it had been ritually used, was then redistributed among the human staff in the temple. Some historians believe that the feast would also have been recycled for use at royal events (Oates).
The Festival of Ishtar, Past and Present
During the Festival of Ishtar, which was celebrated from the New to the Full Moon phase nearest Spring Equinox, the people of Sumer and Babylon celebrated life and fertility. As part of the festivities, the En partook in the Divine Union, the general populace was encouraged to be "fruitful," the Babylonians feasted and gave offerings of food and drink to the Goddess of Love and Fertility, and there was a huge procession leading to the temple at Uruk:
"One of the surviving ritual songs describes the
procession (perhaps at dusk when the New Moon and
the evening star shine together in the sky).
Everyone in Sumer is there to honor her, making a
joyful noise with harp and drum and tympani:
soldiers and priestesses, respectable couples,
youths with hoops, maidens, and male prostitutes
fluttering colored scarves. The people compete with
jump ropes and colored cords, men and women wear
each other's clothing. Then the light of heaven
appears: 'My Lady look in sweet wonder from heaven.
She Looks in sweet wonder on all the lands. And on
the people of Sumer as numerous as sheep (Budapest 74-75 ).'"
In modern times, a thinly veiled celebration of the Festival of Ishtar takes place every year in the Jewish community. The holiday, called 'Purim' commemorates the triumph of the Hebrews over Haman and the Agagites. The heroine of the story, Esther, uses her sexuality to influence the king and save the Jews from certain death. It is interesting to note that Esther is a Hebrew version of the name
Ishtar (Budapest 73). There is historical evidence to support that the Jews of Elam worshiped the Akkadian god Marduk instead of Yahweh. Marduk, whose Hebrew name is Mordecai, happens to be none other than one of Ishtar's many consorts. Scholar Barbara Walker believes that "the biblical book of Esther is a secularized Elamite myth of Ishtar (Walker 144)."
During Purim festivities, revelers hold parades, costume parties, and consume Hamentaschen cookies. The triangular Hamentaschen is traditionally filled with poppy seeds, apricots, or prunes. The tri-cornered shape is supposed to represent the evil Hamen's tri-cornered hat. But as Zsusana Budapest notes in Grandmother Moon, the "edges are pinched together so that the cake resembles a yoni (Budapest 74)." The Jewish delicacy may originally have been created in honor of Ishtar and her aspect as Fertility Goddess.
Rachel's Hamentaschen Recipe
Filing:
2 cups minced dried apricots
1 1/3 cups orange juice
2/3 cup honey
1/2 orange, zest grated
Mix all the ingredients into a large saucepan and
bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the
ingredients are soft and the liquid is absorbed,
(about 10-20 minutes). If it's too thick and
sticky, you may thin the mixture out with a little
bit of water. Cool.
Dough:
1 cup all purpose white flour
1 cup all purpose wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup orange juice
Combine dry ingredients in a food processor or
mixer. Add the butter little by little, gently
mixing it in with a fork or using the pulse function
on your processor. Mix the sugar, egg, and orange
juice in a separate bowl. Gradually fold in or
pulse mix the orange juice mixture with your other
ingredients. Divide the dough into two balls and
chill for half an hour.
Flour your work space. Roll out your dough into 1/4
inch thick slabs. Cut out 3 inch diameter rounds.
Place a small amount of filling (about 1 teaspoon)
in the center of each round. Pinch the round in
three places to create a tri-cornered hat shape.
The filling should be peaking out from the center.
Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on a silicone
pat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake
cookies in an oven that has been preheated to 350 F
for 12-14 minutes, until the the hamentaschen are a
light golden color.
A Ritual for Connecting with Ishtar
One of the best ways to connect with this Goddess and her fertile energy is to have sex. But if you
are lacking a partner, you could use the suggested ritual below, from Patricia Telesco's 365 Goddess:
"Place a knife (or athame, a ritual dagger often representing the masculine divine of the two-edged
sword of magic) in a cup filled with water.
This represents the union of yin and yang.
Leave this in a spot where it will remain undisturbed all day to draw Ishtar's loving warmth to your home and heart.
If you have any clothes, jewelry, or towels that have a star or moon on them, take them out and use
them today.
Ishtar abides in that symbolism.
As you don the item, likewise accept Ishtar's mantle of
passion for whatever tasks you have to undertake all day (Telesco April 22)."
A Spell for Career Advancement
Women in our society are afraid to ask for promotions, to ask for the money that they may need,
deserve, and desire. It is not greedy to ask the Goddess for increased income and prosperity. Although money in itself will not necessarily make a person happier in life, financial security CAN help
a sister to realize her full spiritual potential. The reason being? If you not having to constantly
worry about how the bills are going to be paid, you free up a lot of energy to be utilized in other
ways.
This spell is designed for someone who is in a career that they enjoy but who are in need of a
raise or promotion. It is all about asking the Goddess Ishtar, (who is noted for granting
political victory and abundant harvests to her people), to help you navigate office politics and
curry favor with the boss. If need be, the Goddess may also help you find employment elsewhere. Be
open to new opportunities. The Goddess provides, but you must be willing to accept Her gifts when
they are offered.
You Will Need:
Sage smudge
White candles for the four directions.
Red Candle(s)
Ylang Ylang incense or oil
An Athame, Knife, Wand, or other "male" symbol
A cup, bowl, or other "female" vessel
A protective amulet (A hamsa hand/hand of Istar is
nice, but you can endow any object with power and
meaning. In fact, you do not even need a physical
object. You can create a mental amulet, and carry a
protective image around in your head!)
Paper Currency or Coinage
The Ritual:
Smudge yourself and the space.
Cast the circle.
"Ishtar, Queen of the Heavens, Mother Goddess of
Love, Fertility, and War, I ask that you help me to
become ever more passionate and energetic in my
worldly work. Give me the strength and vitality,
the fertile mind and body, to sow the seeds to
success. Bless our crops. Bless me, bless my
family, bless our friends with an abundant harvest."
Unite your male and female symbols (place the
athame, knife, or wand in a cup filled to the brim
with wine or water.)
Place money on the altar. Imagine it multiplying,
filling the alter, filling the room, filling your
bank account. Money enough for food and shelter and
clothing. Money for the bills.
"O Mighty Goddess, teach me to engage in just
combat. Teach me bravery, teach me to never retreat
in battle. Lend me the armor to deflect all evil
intent and worldly blows. Lend me a sword to parry
violent foes. Lend me your eyes so I may see
through false friends. Lend me the strength of your
hand, your bow, your arrow, to fortify myself
against human folly, including my own follies."
Place your protective amulet on the altar. Imagine energy from the Earth,
from yourself, from the great
Mother Goddess pouring into it. If you don't have a
physical amulet, meditate on a special image that
you can conjure up in times of hardship.
"Should you bless me with a position of leadership,
teach me how to be ever more like you, wise and
just, compassionate but strong in conviction."
Anoint yourself with Ylang Ylang oil, or another
perfume of your choice. Olive oil also works.
Light the red candle and let it burn for a while.
Take the time to meditate on your current job.
Think about how you would like your career or money
situation to improve. Imagine getting the raise or
promotion, or being gifted with a new job.
"Oh Blessed Mother, please look after your daughter.
Teach me how to grow in your way. Bless my crops.
So mote it be."
Close the circle. Thank the Goddess and the
watchtowers. When you get a promotion, consider
making a donation to a charity.
Bibliography:
Black, Green, Tessa Rikards.Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Austin: Texas Press, 1997
Budapest, Zsusanna. Grandmother Moon. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.
Leick, Gwendolyn. The Babylonians An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2003.
Moore, Christopher. Ishtar and Tammuz: A Babylonian Myth of the Seasons. New York: Kingfisher, 1996.
Oates, Joan. Babylon Revised Edition. London: Thomas and Hudson Ltd, 1986
Telesco, Patricia. 365 Goddess. New York: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998.
Walker, Barbara. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc, 1983.