Goddess Temples in the United States:

Temple of Goddess Spirituality Devoted to Sekhmet

 Sharanya Temple Devoted to Kali

 

 

 

Interesting and useful information:

Herstar archive:  Feminist Astrology by Kalli Rose Halvorson   Kalli Rose Halvorson was my Beloved friend. She is greatly missed by many.

Suppressed Histories Archives by Max Dashu.  This is an amazing site of beautiful art and the history that was left out.

Guided Meditations:

Trance for Ereshkigal
Liona Rowan, December 2010
Take 3 deep breaths

relax your body. Feel the tension leave your feet. The relaxation begins to travel up your legs. The tension leaks out of your body into the ground, the earth can accept it. Feel the relaxation and release of tension move up you legs to your hips, bottom and pelvis the tension continues to leak out leaving a relaxed comfortable sensation in its place. Allow the pleasant relaxed feeling to move up your torso through your breast and back and down your arms. Take a few deep breaths. The beautiful relaxing sensation continues up from your neck and shoulders through the base of your skull until your entire head is free from tension. All tension has leaked from your body and returned to the earth to be composted and reused. You are left with a wonderful relaxed and rooted feeling.

In this relaxed state you find yourself in an ancient city. You look around. Buildings are made of a stucco like mud and stone. They are not primitive but very well built. The highest building is at the edge of the city. It is the Ziggurat; the sacred temple that only the priestesses and priests may enter in service to the Gods. It is a large square stepped building that connects and earth. You begin to walk through the city towards it noticing the sounds and smells of this ancient city.

Pause

You can hear people talking babies crying in the distance, dogs barking, the smells of beer brewing, food cooking, fresh cut wheat and other grasses. You realize you are comfortable in this city. As you get closer to the Zuggurat you notice the silence emanating from the temple as you continue to walk towards it.

Pause

You arrive at the temple door. You knock three times and ask for admittance to honor Ereshkigal. The priestess who answered the knock on the door looks surprised but allows entrance and leads you silently to a staircase that leads down into the darkness. She holds out a torch and says, “ This will gradually burn out as your eyes adjust to the darkness.” You accept the torch and begin your descent.

Pause

You arrive at a landing in the staircase. A priest greets you. He says, “please follow me so you can prepare yourself appropriately.” You follow him to an elaborate dressing/bathing room that has many choices of robes. You realized that washing the time off of you is suddenly exactly the right thing to do. You disrobe and then bathe in the luxuriously prepared bath.

Long Pause

When you get out of the bath you notice that your clothing is missing and that there is a large assortment of robes from quite opulent to very humble from which to choose in exactly your size.

Pause

You choose exactly the right robe for your purpose and don it quickly.

Pause

When you are done dressing you notice that your torch is slightly less brilliant as you pick it up and return to the landing to await the priest.

Pause

The priest greets you silently, he bows and gestures towards the stairs. The priest gently reminds you of the proper etiquette while visiting the underworld, “ Do not eat the meat.”
“ Do not eat the bread”
“ Do not drink the beer.”
“ Do not wash your feet.”
“ Do not have sex. “
You solemnly nod agreement and still holding the torch, you continue your descent upon the smooth carved rock stairs that are so well made they are starkly beautiful.

Pause

You arrive at the first gate. You are greeted silently by Nedu. You ask for admittance to Ereshkigals realm. Nedu silently takes stock of you and opens the gate. You continue to descend.

Pause

You arrive at the second gate. You are greeted silently by Enkistar. You ask for admittance to visit Ereshkigals realm. Enkistar silently takes stock of you and opens the gate. You continue to descend the cool beautiful steps.

Pause

You arrive at the third gate. You are greeted silently by Endashurimma. You ask for admittance to visit Ereshkigals realm. Endashurimma silently takes stock of you and opens the gate. You continue to descend. The steps are very steep but not slippery at all. You notice that torch you are holding is beginning to go out and that your eyes are adjusting to the darkness as you descend.

Pause.

You arrive at the fourth gate. You are greeted silently by Enualla. You ask for admittance to visit Ereshkigals realm. Enualla silently takes stock of you and opens the gate to allow you to continue.

Pause

Stepping down the stairs you are amazed that it is not cold or damp but is the perfect temperature of comfort for you.

Pause

You arrive at the fifth gate. You are greeted silently by Endukuga. You ask for admittance to Ereshkigals realm. Endukuga silently takes stock of you and opens the gate. You notice that the torch is completely out and that there is enough light so that it is not pitch black and that your eyes have adjusted to the darkness of the journey to the realm of the Queen of the Underworld; The Goddess of Birth and Death. You are awed and humbled a this act of compassion.

Pause.

You arrive at the sixth gate. You are greeted silently by Endushuba. You ask for admittance to Ereshkigal’s realm. Endushuba silently takes stock of you and opens the gate for you to continue. You continue to hold the blackened torch as you descend.

Pause

You arrive at the seventh gate. You are greeted silently by Ennugigi. You ask for admittance to Ereshkigal’s realm. Ennugigi silently takes stock of you and opens the gate and gestures for you to enter the broad courtyard.
You step through the last gate into the courtyard and hear the gate close behind you for the first time. You lean the torch against the gate not knowing if you will ever need it again and then step fully into the courtyard.

Pause

As you look around you notice an amazingly beautiful blue glowing light. As you stare at the light you realize the glowing is from a woman. It is Ereshkigal. You drop to your knees and bow down to Her. She smiles and asks you why you have come. You stand and Ereshkigal asks you to sit near Her. So you do.

Pause

She asks again, “ Why have you come to see me?”
You tell her.

Long pause

Ereshkigal says, “ I thank you for your offerings and your visit. Now it is time for you to return to your world.”
You have been dismissed and yet feel the power of her compassion and the emanation of authority and control over birth and death; beginnings and endings. That She is both the bringer of joys and sorrows and the ender of both joys and sorrows.
You turn and walk towards the first gate. You pick up the torch you left there and are met silently at the gate by Ennugigi. Ennugigi opens the gate and you begin to ascend. Year hear the gate close behind you as you begin your return from the Underworld, Ereshkigal’s realm.

Pause

You continue up the perfectly carved stairs. You arrive at gate six. You are met silently by Endoshuba. Endoshuba opens the gate and allows you to pass. As you continue to ascend you hear the gate close behind you. You notice that the torch you are carrying is beginning to glow slightly.

Pause

You arrive at the fifth gate. You are silently greeted by Endukuga. Endukuga opens the gate and you step through the torch starts emanating light from a small blue flame. As you continue to ascend you hear the gate close behind you.

Pause

You arrive at the fourth gate. You are silently greeted by Enuralla. Enuralla opens the gate as you step through the flame on the torch gets a little brighter. As you continue to ascend you hear the gate close behind you. The temperature remains perfect for your comfort.

Pause.

You arrive at the third gate. You are silently greeted by Endashurimma. Endashurimma opens the gate. As you pass through the gate you notice the flame on the torch is brighter. You continue your ascent and hear the gate close behind you.

Pause

You arrive at the second gate. You are silently greeted by Enkishar. Enkishar opens the gate. As you pass through you notice the flame on the torch is brighter and the flames become larger. As you continue your ascent you hear the gate close behind you.

Pause

You arrive at the first gate. You are silently greeted by Nedu. Nedu opens the gate. As you pass through the gate your are aware that the torch is now in full flame. Your are greeted by the same priest that took you to the dressing and bathing room. He escorts you back there now. You enter to find your clothes there neatly cleaned and folded. You change returning the robe to its original place.

Pause
As you complete your process the priest returns. He takes the torch from you while asking:

Did you eat the bread?
You answer
Did you eat the meat?
You answer
Did you drink the beer?
You answer
Did you wash your feet?
You answer
Did you have sex?
You answer

He then escorts you to the landing of the stairs. The priestess that took you to this point greets you silently and then escorts you to the door of the Ziggurat. She stop briefly and says, “ Go forward into your life knowing that She will always be lending you Her strength and courage. Begin what you must begin. End what you must end. Forever may you find peace. Those above may we find peace. Those below may we find peace. Those between may we find peace.”

And with that she opens the door and you step into the day. Your eyes perfectly adjusted to the amount of light present. Your body perfectly adjusted to the temperature.

Pause

when you are ready Open your eyes.