Sandra Bart Heimann - The Biography of Goddess Inanna; Indomitable Queen of Heaven, Earth and Almost Everything: Her Story Is Womens Story

The Biography of
Goddess Inanna;
Indomitable Queen of Heaven, Earth and Almost Everything

Her Story is Womens Story

Sandra Bart Heimann

Copyright 2016 Sandra Bart Heimann.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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ISBN: 978-1-5043-5822-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-5824-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-5823-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016909121

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/26/2016

CONTENTS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Sadly, my Mother passed away unexpectedly just weeks after completing her manuscript. Her death greatly affected her community, friends and family. Everybody asks me, What about the book? It has been my honor to complete this process for my Mother, with the help of a dear friend, Michelle Dionetti. I loved my Mother more than I can express. She loved Inanna dearly. I hope you will too.

Joelle Bart Davis

Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to use the following copyrighted material.

From INANNA, LADY OF LARGEST HEART: POEMS OF THE SUMERIAN HIGH PRIESTESS ENHEDUANNA by Betty De Shong Meador, Copyright 2000. Courtesy of Betty De Shong Meador and the University of Texas Press.

From THE HARPS THAT ONCE SUMERIAN POETRY IN TRANSLATION by Thorkild Jacobsen, Copyright 1987. Reprinted by permission of Yale University Press.

From THE EXALTATION OF INANNA by William W. Hallo and J. J. A. Van Dijk, Copyright 1968. Reprinted by permission of Yale University Press.

From THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH by Andrew George (Allen Lane the Penguin Press 1999, Penguin Classics 2000, Revised 2003). Copyright Andrew George, 1999. Reprinted by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.

From INANNA QUEEN OF HEAVEN AND EARTH by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer (Harper & Row), Copyright Diane Wolkstein 1983. Reprinted by permission of Rachel Zucker and the estate of Diane Wolkstein.

For my daughter, Joelle Leah Bart Davis

and to the memory of my mother, Margaret Elizabeth Palmer Seibel

My daughter, Joelle, models Inanna; she was born on the sliver of a new moon Inannas ancient monthly festival day she is beautiful, loving and lovable, feisty, concerned with justice and fairness, creative, wise, fearless, and a natural leader. She chose a career that cares for a lost part of our population; she is a successful upholder of partnership with her beloved. Her teenaged face is the model for the cover portrait of Inanna.

My mother set the idea of this book long ago. She pointed to the evening star and taught me Starlight, Starbright, first star I see tonight ; ever after I look for and talk to evening star. Evening star is Inanna. When I was eight my mother said: Men must be very afraid of us, they try so hard to keep us down. Her words lingered. At that time, World War II was over; women successfully doing the work of men were made to go home so the men had jobs; it was the 1950s and women were limited to the home, again. My mother had no wartime job but was from a matristic lineage of strong women and kind men. She was born the year women got the vote and left school at fourteen to help support the large family during depression. Her wisdom was innate and experiential. She gave me the three foundation blocks for this book: evening star (Inanna); men fear women and hold strong women down; if you want to do something badly enough you will do it. Her words stayed in my consciousness all these decades, stuck fast as truth.

Many women had a part in the creation of this book. The exchange of stories of friends and clients over the years inspired the long effort for researching and writing this Big Story into print. Friends listened to Inannas story as I gathered the pieces. They delighted in the translated Inanna poems. They recommended books on goddess, womens studies, and related material. Thank you to the many women I have met at the well and shared work, repast and stories!

Special gratitude goes to my friend and editor Michelle Dionetti. Forty years ago she invited me to a small writers group held in her living room in Houston, Texas. Four decades later this book was delivered into her hands and wisdom for final editing. Her suggestions were impeccable, her encouragement sublime, and the trimming of my rants and too much sass exactly right!

Gratitude goes out to friend-readers who read the text in its various incarnations and made excellent suggestions: Phyl Brazee, Liza Walsh, June Fisher, and Jill Luks.

I also thank Veda Andrus who mentored my holistic nursing practicum. She inspired me to work toward a Masters degree at Goddard College where she became my faculty advisor. Veda asked many probing questions about my intended self-study course work. One of those questions was the seed for delving into the sacred feminine; it eventually grew into this book. My one semester at Goddard was so full and supportive that it was all I needed to launch this project. Thank you Veda and Goddard College.

The Rockport Public Library, in midcoast Maine, located many obscure books on related topics from libraries around the country. Thank you to the helpful and interested staff of our very special and friendly small town library!

I thank and remember my neighbor and friend Barbara Nickels. She enjoyed hearing Inanna stories before or after we solved the problems of the world over morning coffee. Barbara, I miss you.

Toward the end of Mary Dalys life I wrote her a thank-you note for her wonderfully wise books and for being the radical feminist philosopher women and the world of gender politics needs. We became phone friends. We talked about her life, ideas and our own creative endeavors. Mary thought her efforts were forgotten. I assured her that her work broke down barriers and women who may not know her name are moving forward over the barriers she tumbled. I had hoped one day to place this completed book in her hands but my research and writing process was too slow. The confrontational bits of my book took some courage she would have enjoyed those parts particularly! Thank you, Mary, for your friendship and stories.