#6 Goddess Connection ~ Inanna, Isis, Kalima, Kuan Yin, Lakshmi

Re-connect with the Goddess… The Spiritual Feminist

• Inanna

Her Story:

Inanna is an ancient Sumerian goddess of love and war; known as Ishtar to the Babylonians, she was worshiped as the “Queen of Heaven and Hell” in Mesopotamia. She is a lunar goddess, believed to be embodied in the morning and evening stars. Inanna influences fertility and was invoked for ancient mating rituals. As a warrior goddess, she protects city dwellers from invaders, dispenses justice, and imparts the wisdom of life and death.

From within all women, the seed will grow:

• the seeds of life
• the seeds of creativity
• the seeds of joy
• the seeds of wisdom
• the seeds of ambition
• the seeds of independence
• the seeds of success
• the seeds of love
• the seeds of life
• the seeds of continuity
• the seeds of ancestry
• the seeds of the future

Embracing the Goddess:

Women suffering the pain of infertility can turn to the goddess Inanna for renewal and inspiration. Inanna will hear your call and grant you the miracle of conception, the wisdom for this undertaking, and the strength to carry it through.

Inanna’s Correspondences:

• Herbs: frankincense, nutmeg, wormwood, sunflower, hyssop

• Animal: lion

• Color: orange, red

• Planet: Mars

• Day: Tuesday

• Element: Fire

• Feminine Face: Maiden

• Symbol: eight point star

• Isis

Her Story:

Isis is the Egyptian goddess of healing and magic. She epitomizes the ideal of wife and mother, and is the patroness of women and children, marriage and marriage vows. Her energies affect or assist transformations, ancestral bonds, and manifestation of changes. Isis is perhaps one of the best known Egyptian deities and is infamous for her loyalty to her spouse, searching the four corners of Egypt in order to retrieve, reconstruct, and resurrect her murdered and mutilated husband Osiris.

Sometimes we expect an awful lot from our spouses. Sometimes we expect them to live up to the fairy tale Knight-in-Shining-Armor. Sometimes we expect them to be all that we ever imagined. Sometimes we expect them to satisfy our every wish (without telling them what it is). Sometimes we expect them to be Bigger-Than-Life. Sometimes we expect them to be perfect.

Sometimes we expect too much.

• Why do you love your spouse?
• What drew you to this person in the first place?
• What do you have in common?
• What are all the “opposites” about the two of you?
• If you could change one thing about your spouse, what would it be?
• If your spouse could change one thing about you, what would it be?
• Is there a “Deal Breaker” in this relationship; if so, what is it?
• Do you trust your spouse?
• Does your spouse trust you?
• Does jealousy rear its ugly head?
• Do you respect each other?
• Do you always tell each other the truth?
• In life’s Worst-Case-Scenario, could you depend on your spouse?

If this person were to die tomorrow…

• What would you regret not saying to them?
• What would you regret not doing with them?
• How would their absence impact your life?

Embracing the Goddess:

Call upon Isis when matters of family are on the line, when protection is needed, when loyalties come into play, when bonds need strengthening or protecting from destructive outside influences. Carry a talisman of this goddess on your wedding day to manifest and magnify the unbreakable bonds of love, marriage vows, and life-long commitment.

Isis’s Correspondences:

• Herbs: lotus flower, cypress tree

• Animal: eagle

• Color: pink, green, turquoise

• Planet: Venus

• Day: Friday

• Element: Water

• Feminine Face: Mother

• Symbol: tyet (Knot of Isis), eagles wings

• Kalima

Her Story:

Kali Ma embraces the wild and untamed spirit of womanhood. She is the warrior goddess who can fight her battles with the vengeful lust of a soldier. She is the goddess of time, ruling both chaos and order, for out of one comes the other.

Kali Ma is most often depicted as a coal black image dressed in human remains, wearing a necklace of skulls. It is her wrath, her unabashed terrible energy, that you call upon when you need protection. Scream her name with all the fervor of a demon goddess, and she will come to your aid.

The female voice rose in a howl of anger and defiance, “Kali Ma!!!”

Before the man’s fist could touch this woman’s face a second time, there was a deep rumbling in the sky, as though a storm were brewing, ready to unleash. Something about the sound caused the man to pause in mid-swing, his fist only inches from his victim’s cheekbone. A look of utter horror crawled across his face. He glanced only for a second into the woman’s eyes and understood what he saw there. He was afraid, very afraid, and he turned and ran, the deep rumbling sound of thunder chasing him down the alley in ruthless pursuit.

Embracing the Goddess:

There are times in life when women have to figuratively take up the club, the sword, the bow, and stand their ground to fight; fighting for their rights, their families, and sometimes even their life. Don’t hesitate to embrace the warrior goddess within you, call upon her strength and her furious power whenever you need it. Rejoice in this wild woman.

Kali Ma’s Correspondences:

• Herbs: hellebore, morning glory, skullcap

• Color: black

• Planet: Saturn

• Day: Saturday

• Element: all four

• Feminine Face: Crone

• Symbols: the skull, bones

• Kuan Yin

Her Story:

Kuan Yin is a Chinese goddess of mercy, but has become so popular she transcends cultural and religious boundaries. She is a caretaker for deceased souls, comforting them, guiding them through the etheric realm to their next destination. She is the goddess of healing, curing aliments of the body, mind, and soul. This goddess is also a protectress and can be called upon to protect especially women, children, and animals. She also protects the traveler, whether by land, or air, or sea. Kuan Yin breaks the cycle of rebirth, retribution, and punishment.

Kuan Yin, Mother Goddess, I do not know what to do.

I invoke Thee, in thy infinite wisdom and mercy, to open your arms to your daughter.

Speak to me, Mother.

Direct me towards the path I should follow, gently lead me down the road I am to travel.

And during this journey,

• May I feel your hand upon my shoulder,
• May I hear your whisper in my ear.
• May I feel your love in my heart.

Embracing the Goddess:

Kuan Yin is the Asian version of “The Virgin Mary”, showing compassion on the multitudes, on the earth, and on the creatures that dwell upon it. Invoke this goddess when you need help, when you need confirmation, when you need a divinity that will have your back and support you in times of crisis. Call upon this goddess for the purity and regeneration of her energy.

Kuan Yin’s Correspondences:

• Herbs: oleander, tulip, knotweed, primrose, honeysuckle, orange blossoms, the lotus

• Animal: horses and the peacock

• Color: white, green brown

• Planet: Earth

• Day: all seven

• Element: Earth

• Feminine Face: Mother

• Symbols: rosary, lotus blossom, sutra vase, willow branch

• Lakshmi

Her Story:

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of prosperity, her name implies “Good Luck”. She embraces the epitome of wealth and abundance, both in the material world as well as the spiritual realm, and is a household goddess favored by women. October is the month that is traditionally set aside to celebrate Lakshmi, and full moons are sacred to her, embracing the feminine face of the Mother.

This goddess is depicted as a beautiful woman with a golden complexion, usually seated on an open lotus blossom holding a lotus bud, which represents beauty, fertility, and purity. 

Lakshmi has four hands which represent four aspects of life: 

• dharma (righteousness); 
• karma (desires); 
• artha (wealth); 
• moksha (liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth).

It’s a warm rainy summer day as I write this, and I’m in the midst of revamping a downstairs room that has been left vacant with the departure of a child now grown up. I stand in the center of this space, still able to feel the personality of the individual who occupied it for so many years. This leaves me with a feeling of wistfulness and nostalgia, but also with an understanding of the progression of time and the life changes that must come to us all.

I’m going to call upon the goddess Lakshmi, to bless this space, to clear it in preparation for it’s new occupant, and to bless the activities that will ensue within its four walls.

“May peace reside within this room.

May wisdom visit with each full moon.

May the spirits of my sisters past,

Hold tight the memories,

That they might last,

For future generations of women true,

Pass this wisdom, this mystery, this glory to.”

So mote it be.

Embracing the Goddess:

Housewives, call upon Lakshmi to bless and consecrate the sacred space that is your home. Allow her energy to fill this space and to inspire you. Whether you live in the most fantastic of mansions, or the humblest abode, remember that you have the ability to turn this space into something beautiful, something peaceful, something inspiring and inviting. As you work to create a beautiful physical atmosphere in which to live, you may find that you are creating the same thing on a spiritual level as well.

Lakshmi’s Correspondences:

• Herbs: mugwort, oleander, anise

• Animal: spider

• Color: red and gold (traditional colors), purple

• Planet: Jupiter

• Day: Thursday

• Element: Earth

• Feminine Face: Mother

• Symbols: lotus blossom, gold coins