The Seven Veils of the Soul: When Luna Descended with Inanna (Part 2)

Luna's breath came back, slow and hesitant, as if after a deep immersion in icy water. The stabbing pain eased, leaving behind a strange emptiness. She was still there, sitting in her garden, the book open on her lap, but a part of her still seemed to hang from that invisible hook, sharing Inanna's fate.

She reread the words that preceded the abyss, searching for an anchor in the reality of the story: "She was changed into a corpse hanging from a hook." A shudder persisted, but a distance was beginning to form, as if the dream were fading upon waking.

A pause. Luna felt the sun on her skin, the sweet scent of the surrounding flowers. Earlier, after the heated argument with her best friend, she had felt that same sensation of being "suspended," unable to react, as if drained of her own vitality. Her friend's anger, so sudden and virulent, had resonated within her like the "angry words" of the judges of Hell. That strange synchronicity again...

She resumed her reading, with new caution:

"After the days had passed, after the nights had passed, Inanna, the lady of the sky, did not move. Ninshubur, her faithful maid, Lamented for her mistress through the cities."

Ninshubur's loyalty, his lingering grief, struck a chord in Luna. She thought of her own times of distress, of the loneliness sometimes felt despite the presence of others. The need for a loyal ally, a voice to plead on our behalf in times of darkness…

Ninshubur went to the great gods:

To Enlil, her father, she went,

Tears on her face.

"O my father, Inanna did not go to the Great Beyond,

But to the underworld.

Please don't let her be killed in the underworld!"

Enlil did not answer.

She went to Nanna, her father,

Tears on her face.

"O my father, Inanna did not go to the Great Beyond,

But to the underworld.

Please don't let her be killed in the underworld!"

Nanna didn't answer.

The gods' silence in the face of Inanna's distress evoked for Luna the times when she had felt misunderstood, when her cries for help had gone unanswered. This helplessness in the face of adversity...

She went to Enki, the god of wisdom,

Tears on her face.

"O my father Enki, Inanna did not go to the Great Beyond,

But to the underworld.

Please don't let her be killed in the underworld!"

Enki, in his wisdom, created two beings:

Kurjara and galatur.

He gave them the food of life and the water of life.

The intervention of Enki, the god of wisdom, brought a glimmer of hope. Luna felt a tiny spark rekindle within her, the possibility of a solution, of healing, even in the depths of the shadows. Wisdom, knowledge… perhaps they were the keys.

He said to them, "Go to the underworld.

Before Ereshkigal, let your heads fall.

When she says: "Ah, my intestines! Ah, my heart!"

Make her moan with you.

When she says: "Ah, my eyes! Ah, my throat!"

Make her moan with you.

Bring the food of life and the water of life.

Spread them on the corpse hanging from the hook.

Let Inanna rise again!"

Enki's instructions, the need for compassion and connection with Ereshkigal's own suffering... This evoked for Luna the idea that even the shadow carries its own pain within it, and that healing perhaps comes through a form of empathy.

Luna read on, her breath coming lighter:

The Kurjara and the Galatur obeyed his words.

They went to the underworld.

Before Ereshkigal they dropped their heads.

When she says: "Ah, my intestines! Ah, my heart!"

They made her moan with them.

When she says: "Ah, my eyes! Ah, my throat!"

They made her moan with them.

They brought the food of life and the water of life.

They spread them on the corpse hanging from the hook.

Inanna stood up.

A sigh of relief escaped Luna's lips. Life was returning, her power not extinguished. A subtle strength seemed to invade her, a sense of resilience, of the ability to overcome the darkness. It was as if a part of Inanna, that force that had dared to descend, was awakening within her.

She continued, carefully observing the rest of the story:

She passed through the first door. She was given back the loincloth that covered her beauty.

She passed through the second gate. She was given back the scepter and the lapis lazuli ring in her hand. She passed through the third gate. She was given back the gold bracelets that bound her wrists.

She passed through the fourth gate. She was given back the pearl chains that adorned her chest.

She passed through the fifth gate. The necklaces of small lapis lazuli stones around her neck were returned to her.

She passed through the sixth gate. The locks of her hair that fell on her forehead were returned to her.

She passed through the seventh gate. The great crown on her head was returned to her.

With each door she passed through, with each badge of power she reclaimed, Luna felt a growing sense of affirmation within her. Vulnerability faded, replaced by a quiet assurance. It was as if, by following Inanna's path in reverse, she too was recovering parts of herself she had unconsciously abandoned. An image came to her: an old wound, long hidden, beginning to heal, leaving a scar that was visible, but a testament to her ability to heal.

But the story didn't end there...

"Then Inanna came forth out of the underworld.

The little demons clung to his heels.

"Who sent you?

If you let me go,

I will let you take my place wherever you like."

Inanna's freedom came at a price. The demons demanded a replacement. Luna felt a shadow hover again, a reminder that any liberation could bring new responsibilities, new challenges.

[End of Part 2]