The Price of Rebirth: How Life Makes Us Whole Again

A few days ago, I came across a story that struck me deeply—one of loss, transformation, and the painful process of letting go. It reminded me of a myth, one written thousands of years ago but still hauntingly relevant today.

Figure 1 This terracotta cuneiform tablet is about the myth of "Inanna prefers the farmer." In this myth, Enkimdu (the god of farming) and Dumuzi (the god of food and vegetation) tried to win the hand of the goddess Inanna. (CC by SA)

The Descent of Inanna (c. 1900-1600 BCE) tells the tale of Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, who abandoned everything she knew to descend into the Underworld, where her grieving sister, Ereshkigal, awaited her.

This myth holds profound significance, particularly during Venus Retrograde (March 1st to April 12th, 2025), a celestial period mirroring Inanna’s journey—a time of reflection, endings, and rebirth.

They say silver is tested seven times for purification. The trials of life, much like Inanna’s, strip us down, break us apart, and force us to face truths we would rather ignore. And yet, just as Inanna did, we rise again—changed, but stronger.

The Journey Begins

The poem opens with a powerful invocation:

From the Great Above she opened her ear to the Great Below.

From the Great Above the goddess opened her ear to the Great Below.

From the Great Above Inanna opened her ear to the Great Below.

My Lady abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld.

Inanna abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld.

Figure 2 Ishtar/Inanna as a warrior presenting captives to the king (public domain)

As we see, the poem repeatedly emphasizes Inanna’s calling from the Underworld, compelling her to abandon everything she knows and venture into a place fraught with danger.

In Uruk she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

In Badtibira she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

In Zabalam she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

In Adab she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

In Nippur she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

In Kish she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

In Akkad she abandoned her temple to descend to the underworld.

She gathered together the seven me. She took them into her hands.

The epic recounts how Inanna entrusted her faithful servant Ninshubur with instructions before embarking on her descent. She then passed through seven gates of the Underworld, each demanding a sacrifice.

At the first gate, she surrendered her crown, a symbol of her power. At every subsequent gate, she was stripped further—her necklace, beads, breastplate—until, at the final gate, she was left utterly vulnerable, stripped of everything, including her royal cloak. She gave up not only her status and strength but every material sign of her identity, all to reach her grieving sister.

She was commanded not to question these sacrifices:

Hush, Inanna. Do not question the ways of the Underworld.

Figure 3 Ancient Akkadian cylindrical seal depicting the goddess Inanna/Ishtar and Ninshubur. The seal originates from the Akkad Period and was created sometime circa 2334-2154 B.C

As she descended further, the walls constricted, forcing her to crawl. Her once-royal cloak dragged in the dirt, her palms and knees bloodied from the journey. At last, she arrived before her sister, Ereshkigal, who, consumed by grief and rage over the death of her husband—a death in which Inanna had played a major role—struck her down.

The annuna, the judges of the underworld, surrounded her.

They passed judgment against her.

Then Ereshkigal fastened on Inanna the eye of death.

She spoke against her the word of wrath.

She uttered against her the cry of guilt.

She struck her.

Inanna was turned into a corpse.

A piece of rotting meat.

And was hung from a hook on the wall.

For three days, Inanna remained lifeless. Meanwhile, Ninshubur followed her instructions, seeking help from the gods. Her father, Enki, sent two galla, androgynous beings, who sympathized with Ereshkigal’s pain. Moved by their empathy, Ereshkigal finally released Inanna’s corpse. She was revived with the food and water of life and rose from the dead.

Yet, her release came with a price. The Underworld demanded a soul in exchange for her freedom. Looking around, she saw her faithful Ninshubur and the elders who had fought for her return. But one absence stood out—her husband, Dumuzi.

“Ninshubur, my faithful friend, I do not see Dumuzi here with the elders. Where is he? How did he react when he heard of my trials?”

And Ninshubur whispered, “My lady, Inanna, he remains dressed in his finery, and remains sitting on his magnificent throne.”

Enraged and heartbroken, Inanna chose Dumuzi to take her place in the Underworld.

A Journey of Transformation

With this retelling of Inanna’s descent and ascent, we see a powerful metaphor for personal transformation. The unraveling and reweaving of the self mirrors the cycles of change we experience in life.

• The Descent – Stripping away old patterns, beliefs, and identities.

• The Liminal Space – The uncertainty and darkness before rebirth.

• The Helpers – The unexpected allies who guide us.

• The Ascent – The process of reclaiming ourselves and rewriting our narrative.

  
  

Change can be daunting, but it is rarely as terrifying as we imagine. Sometimes, we heed the call willingly; other times, we are thrust into transformation unknowingly. Either way, we emerge on the other side—reborn.

Figure 4 A modern illustration depicting Inanna-Ishtar’s descent into the Underworld taken from Lewis Spence’s Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria (1916)

The Timeless Relevance of Inanna’s Tale

In ancient Mesopotamia, gods were not distant beings; they lived among the people. Inanna’s story resonated because it reflected human struggles—the cycles of loss, resilience, and justice.

Even Ereshkigal, the feared Queen of the Underworld, is ultimately seen as a figure seeking justice for the death of her husband. Yet, through this shared suffering, the bond between the sisters was mended. Inanna came to understand Ereshkigal’s pain, and Ereshkigal, in turn, released her.

Ninshubur’s unwavering loyalty reminds us of the silent warriors in our lives—friends, mentors, or even the versions of ourselves who fight for us when we are too weak to do so. And Dumuzi’s indifference is a stark reminder that not everyone grieves our absence, no matter what we may have expected.

The tale of The Descent of Inanna is not just a myth—it is a map of the human experience. In every loss, there is rebirth. In every descent, there is an ascent. And just like Inanna, we too must descend before we rise.

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Citations

• Shinjinim. The Descent of Inanna: A Template for the Heroine’s Journey. December 20, 2021. https://shinjinim.com/2021/12/20/the-descent-of-inanna-a-template-for-the-heroines-journey/

• World History Encyclopedia. Inanna’s Descent: A Sumerian Tale of Injustice. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/215/inannas-descent-a-sumerian-tale-of-injustice/

• University of North Carolina Wilmington. The Descent of Inanna. https://people.uncw.edu/deagona/myth/descent%20of%20inanna.pdf

• Toll, Maia. The Practice of Letting Go. https://maiatoll.substack.com/p/the-practice-of-letting-go