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| Art by Arna Baartz |
A
prayer:
O
glorious Inanna
You
who are older than the word
Lady
of the apple tree
Queen,
Bless
this woman!
A
story:
In
your holy garden
You
tended your tree,
But,
A
serpent who could not be charmed
Settled
in your roots,
The
anzu-bird nested in your branches,
And
the red maid Lilith shaped her home in your trunk.
This
could not be abided.
You
who tended to your apple tree so well,
You
sought to reap its fruit
And
wear blossoms in your hair.
Your
queenly bed was to be made from its wood.
A bed
to exalt your form;
Apple-scented
sheets to caress your thighs,
To
enwrap yourself within.
You,
who never felt helpless,
Called
for help from all quarters.
Your
Goddess’ throne was to be shaped
From
its trunk
From
the holy apple tree
From
your holy garden.
Inanna,
your cries went unanswered!
Your
sovereignty was held hostage.
Held
hostage by those creatures
In
your branches
In
your trunk
In
your roots.
Lilith
called your name
The
anzu-bird sang to her chicks
The
serpent slithered
The
red maid beckoned.
She
dried your tears.
“I
am your fears,”
She
whispered.
“I
know,” you replied.
Lilith
crowned you with blossoms.
The
birds sang your coronation song.
The
serpent twined itself around your arm,
A
fitting scepter.
You slept beneath your apple tree:
A
natural bed.
You
sat within its branches:
A
natural throne.
You,
who feared the unknown,
Who
sought the end,
And
feared the means;
You
confronted,
You
won,
You
crowned yourself!
A
prayer:
Inanna!
As
you sought your Queenhood
And
tended to your tree
I,
too, seek to reap my own gifts
You
overcame and wore your crown.
Lend
your gifts of the apple to me
As I
seek the wisdom of your star
Within
your fruit
In
the Morning and
In
the Evening.
Ancient
Goddess
You
who are older than the word
Lady
of the apple tree
Queen,
Bless
this woman!
An excerpt from Inanna's Ascent: Reclaiming Female Power.
Hayley Arrington earned her M.A. in women’s spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, where she wrote her thesis on Celtic sun goddesses. Her interests include mythology and folklore as sacred text, writing essays, fiction and poetry, and discovering women’s myriad ways of knowing. Her writings have appeared in Eternal Haunted Summer, Goddess When She Rules: Expressions by Contemporary Women, SageWoman Magazine, and elsewhere. She is a devotee of Hera and a member of Twilight Spiral Coven. Hayley was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area, where she still lives with her husband, David and their son, Stephen.
An excerpt from Inanna's Ascent: Reclaiming Female Power.
Hayley Arrington earned her M.A. in women’s spirituality from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, where she wrote her thesis on Celtic sun goddesses. Her interests include mythology and folklore as sacred text, writing essays, fiction and poetry, and discovering women’s myriad ways of knowing. Her writings have appeared in Eternal Haunted Summer, Goddess When She Rules: Expressions by Contemporary Women, SageWoman Magazine, and elsewhere. She is a devotee of Hera and a member of Twilight Spiral Coven. Hayley was born and raised in the greater Los Angeles area, where she still lives with her husband, David and their son, Stephen.
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