Diving deeper into oneself using storytelling along with meditation, mantras, chanting, rituals, and art.

Myths, legends, and storytelling can profoundly affect us giving meaning and different perspectives as they resonate with our own experiences. They can help us look at parts within ourselves that we may have buried deeply, parts we do not wish to see, parts that are in pain, grief, sorrow, loss…

These fragments of ourselves can be deep within, far below the surface of our conscious rational mind, buried into the vast ocean depths of the unconscious mind. To wander into the unconscious, one requires to appeal to other aspects other than our rational intelligent mind. We have to appeal to something more, and this means speaking a different language using abstract thinking, forms, and images. If we want to reach this non-rational part of the human psyche we need to consider the use of poetry, of myth, of storytelling.

In a spark of curiosity my rational thinking brain gave way to my creative interest, and I immediately booked onto the retreat before I could even think about it. At the time I had no idea how this quick decision would touch me so deeply.

This is the journey I’d like to share with you, my personal journey of how this age-old story of Inanna, a fearless Goddess who dares to journey to the underworld, touched me and that of my group.

Background

Inanna by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer

The story of Inanna was found inscribed on clay tablets dating back to 2,000 BC. Loved by the ancient Sumerians, this Goddess’s journey is told from girl to woman to goddess as she learns to become a whole person, integrating the various parts of herself that of lover, wife, decision maker, ruler and more. She is a warrior, a Goddess and is fearless; she is able to go to the frightening places others won’t go. She wants to experience all of life not only in heaven and earth but also the underworld where no one goes.