Goddesses and Gods.wps - Welcome to Our Temple

Ishtar and Tammuz
The Goddess Ishtar, in her youth, loved Tammuz, God of the harvest. He returned her
love, but he was killed by a boar. Ishtar was devastated by his death.
When Tammuz died, all vegetation died. The animals would no longer mate, and
humans were no longer active sexually, and the Earth, herself, was dying. Ishtar
knew that Tammuz was in the Underworld which was ruled by her sister Erishkigal.
To reach Erishkigal, Ishtar had to pass the seven gates of the Underworld and at each
gate surrender some of her jewelry or a garment until finally she stood before her
sister naked, unadorned and completely vulnerable.
Ishtar laments: "Tammuz is dead!"
Ishtar looks up at Sin, the Moon God and asks: "Sin, my father, what shall we do?
Without my love Tammuz, the Earth's womb is sterile. The fields well bear no crops
and my creatures will bear no young. Help me father!"
Sin replies: "What can I do, sister? I am the Moon who lights up the night. I can bring
rest, but not fruitfulness; visions, but not deeds; understanding, but not action. Such
things belong to Earth. What can I do?"
Ishtar turns to Shamash, and pleads: "Shamash, my brother, what shall I do?"
Shamash replies: "What can I do sister? I am the sun who lights up the day, shining
upon your Earth to bring it heat. I can call forth your crops once they are sown…and
warm your young once they are born; but I cannot sow the grain, or fertilize the
womb. Such things belong to Earth. What can I do?"
Ishtar appeals finally to Ea: "Ea, my brother, help me! You are wisdom, you are magic,
you are the air which my creatures breathe. Help me!"
Ea does not reply for a moment; then he stands up, as Sin and Shamash also do when
he commands them. "Be upstanding, my brothers. Despair and resignation will not
help our sister, nor bring Tammuz to life. What is wisdom and what is magic?
Wisdom is knowledge of the laws of the universe, which are greater than each of us
alone. And magic is the courage to call upon them. So let us call! It is a low of being,
that death follows life, and rebirth follows death. Tammuz may seem to die, but his
rebirth must follow as the great wheel turns. We call upon the laws of being – we call
upon the wheel of rebirth!"