As the moon wanes, a woman’s world drastically changes. Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, realized that her life is not as happy as it seems to be. Inanna, priestess and queen, mother and wife opened herself to the Great Below, the Underworld. All her life she had been told to go with the flow, to fit in, and accept societal norms. She now realized her life is made up of programming and illusion.
As the moon waned, her Blood began. Inanna wanted not to be angry and in pain, depressed and drugged; she wanted not to be a PMSing bitch. Instead Inanna decided to journey to her sister, Erishkigal, Queen of the Underworld. Erishkigal was the outcaste of the family and society, she was the witch, the crone, death herself.
The moon waned, Inanna dressed specially for her journey, in the things that made her strong powerful and wise or at least the things that made her feel that way.

  She curled and styled her hair and colored over the gray.

  She put on her make-up and perfume.

  About her neck she fastened a pendant of her religion.

  She wrapped a a fine garment of white silk about her body.

  On her finger she placed the ring her husband gave her at their wedding.

  In her pocket she placed money and mace.

  On her wrist she placed her watch.

  In her right hand she carried her cell phone.

  In her left hand she carried a stuffed animal left from her son’s childhood.

And with this she was ready and departed.

The moon was dark, the journey to the Underworld was easy, there were no obstacles. Inanna had arrived. There were gates to the Underworld, she knew, to keep those who did not belong out. Inanna was a stranger here, but was confident that she could convince the gatekeeper to let her pass.
At the first gate, Inanna was asked what her business was here. She claimed that she was here to mourn for her sister’s dead husband. The gatekeeper bade Inanna to wait, and returned underground to consult Erishkigal. Erishkigal knew that her sister had truly come for her self and not for her. So she asked the gatekeeper to allow Inanna in, but only if she came as her true self.
The gatekeeper returned to the first gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"You have twisted your hair, face, and scent, you wear a facade, you are a lie. Who is it you paint yourself for?"
"But I am beautiful, none shall question me!"
"What is beauty then? And do you have the courage to question yourself?" The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was a mirror. Inanna gazed at herself in the mirror and saw a mask. She learned. She took off her make-up and tied her hair simply. The gate opened and she walked through.

The gatekeeper awaited her at the second gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"Your religion says you may not come here."
"But I am here."
 The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was an altar. Inanna looked upon the altar and knew spirituality came from within, not without. She learned. She took off her pendant and placed it on the altar. The gate opened and she walked through.

The gatekeeper awaited her at the third gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"You hide your body in the guise of modesty, with a garment that represents innocence and purity."
"Go without clothes?!"
 "What have you to fear? It is warm here." The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was an image of people in the nude, people without constraints or doubts. Inanna saw this and understood. She learned. She took off her silk and dropped it on the ground. The gate opened and she walked through.

The gatekeeper awaited her at the fourth gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"Do you submerge yourself in your partner? Do you have a name other than Dumuzi’s wife?"
"I love him!"
 "You must love yourself before you love another. You must always walk your own path, be true to yourself; learning to share without losing yourself or losing you partner." The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was a picture of her wedding and knew she had denied herself her own identity for too long. She learned. She took off her ring, gently placing it by the picture. The gate opened and she walked through.

The gatekeeper awaited her at the fifth gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"There is no place to spend your money here, nor any to steal it."
"Better safe than sorry."
 "You can not buy anything." The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was dish. She learned. She put her money and mace in the dish. The gate opened and she walked through.

The gatekeeper awaited her at the sixth gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"This place is timeless, there are no deadlines, no desperation for speed."
"And no need to be ruled by a clock ."
The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was a clock without hands. She learned. She took off her watch and left her cell phone.The gate opened and she walked through.

The gatekeeper awaited her at the seventh gate and said, "You may not pass".
"Why?" Inanna asked.
"Do you define yourself by motherhood?"
"I love and cherish my children."
 "There is a time when you need to let go." The gatekeeper disappeared, in tay’s place was a cradle. She learned. She left the stuffed animal in the cradle. The gate opened and she walked through.
She could not see the moon, but Inanna felt its darkness in her Blood. Inanna was in the Underworld, she was naked and showed reverence. Erishkigal looked upon her naked sister and passed judgment. By the Eye of Death, the Word of Wraith, and the Cry of Guilt, Inanna was judged by Erishkigal and the Ancestors. Erishkigal struck her and she fell. Inanna thought this blow would kill her, but in truth it killed only her ability to conform blindly to society.

The moon waxed. For every death there is a birth, her conformity died and her independence was born. Inanna discovered that her sister and the Ancestors are not evil as she was told they were, but strong wise women, the witches. The Underworld is one of the last sacred places of women to survive the patriarchy, though demonized it still exists. Inanna learned the ways of the wise women from her sister. Among the many things she discovered in her three days there, Inanna learned that the Underworld represents  both death and life, the tomb and the womb, that death occurring in many forms, is a natural and valuable part of life. The enlightenment that a death can bring was the very reason that society denounced the Underworld.

The moon waxed, they of the underground felt it, the moon was in their Blood. On the third day she was reborn to the material, patriarchal world. She took with her a scale, a feather, and a twig, symbolizing the holy trinity of Maiden, Mother, Crone, to remind her of her Moontime journey. The Ancestors would not let her go without a replacement, as they wish to teach everyone eventually.

So Inanna returned home. She met her best friend and two sons first, who were awaiting her reappearance. Inanna could not bear to send them away, and went with them to her palace. At her palace she found Dumuzi, her husband, ruling her kingdom as if it were his and nothing was wrong. Inanna, truly angry, tells the agents who came with her from the Underworld to take him. Dumuzi disturbed by his wife’s new forcefulness and afraid of death calls upon Enki, God of Wisdom, to turn him into a snake, so he may slither away. In his own way he went to seek enlightenment.