Ecology of the Erotic in a Myth of Inanna

Myths of Mesopotamian Goddess Inanna, planet Venus in the ancient Sumerian pantheon, have been useful in psychological processes of contemporary women. A lesser-known myth, “Inanna and Shukaletuda,” includes sexual transgression against the deity and ties the deified erotic feminine with fecundity and sacredness of fields and trees. Interpretation of Inanna’s love poems and poems of nature’s justice contextualizes ecofeminist relevance to psychological issues. Deconstruction of rich imagery illustrates menstrual power as female authority, erotic as a female aesthetic bringing order, and transgender as sacred office of transformation. Meador’s (2000) interpretation of three Inanna poems by a high priestess of ancient Ur provides four new archetypes for women that situate an axis for further understanding of “Inanna and Shukaletuda.

Rituals of the Dark Goddess

This panel discssion was part of the From the Realm of the Ancestors: Language of the Goddess conference sponsored by the Women’s Spirituality Program at CIIS (June 12-14, 1998 at Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason in San Francisco) in honor of the pioneering archeologist Marija Gimbutas. The conference focused on the necessity of refocusing our collective memory, and to the cultivation of vision, creativity, insight, and the celebration of life. The conference was moderated by Joan Marler and featured presentations by scholars and artists who acknowledge the significance of Dr. Gimbutas’ research and theories. Gimbutas’ discovery of Goddess-centered, matristic societies that preceded the development of patriarchy in Europe has initiated a new perception of European prehistory that challenges traditional assumptions about the origins of western civilization