The Descent of Ishtar

With outspread wings, Ishtar, the daughter of Sin (the Moon), sweeps downward to the gates of death. The house of darkness--the dwelling of the god Irkalla--is described as "the place of no return." It is without light; the nourishment of those who dwell therein is dust and their food is mud. Over the bolts on the door of the house of Irkalla is scattered dust, and the keepers of the house are covered with feathers like birds. Ishtar demands that the keepers open the gates, declaring that if they do not she will shatter the doorposts and strike the hinges and raise up dead devourers of the living. The guardians of the gates beg her to be patient while they go to the queen of Hades from whom they secure permission to admit Ishtar, but only in the same manner as all others came to this dreary house. Ishtar thereupon descends through the seven gates which lead downward into the depths of the underworld. At the first gate the great crown is removed from her head, at the second gate the earrings from her ears, at the third gate the necklace from her neck, at the fourth gate the ornaments from her breast, at the fifth gate the girdle from her waist, at the sixth gate the bracelets from her hands and feet, and at the seventh gate the covering cloak of her body. Ishtar remonstrates as each successive article of apparel is taken from her, bur the guardian tells her that this is the experience of all who enter the somber domain of death. Enraged upon beholding Ishtar, the Mistress of Hades inflicts upon her all manner of disease and imprisons her in the underworld.The myth of Ishtar symbolizes the descent of the human spirit through the seven worlds, or spheres of the sacred planets, until finally, deprived of its spiritual adornments, it incarnates in the physical body--Hades--where the mistress of that body heaps every form of sorrow and misery upon the imprisoned consciousness. The waters of life--the secret doctrine--cure the diseases of ignorance; and the spirit, ascending again to its divine source, regains its God-given adornments as it passes upward through the rings of the planets.

byManly P. HallSAN FRANCISCOPRINTED FOR MANLY P. HALLBY H.S. CROCKER COMPANY, INCORPORATEDMCMXXVIII

the story of ishtar's descent could be considered a microcosm, of the human condition, and the only thing i would add is the obvious connection between the 7 gates ishtar had to pass through and the seven heavenly spheres that exist in the body, or chakra's respectivley the crown (her crown), the necklace (her throat chakra relating to expresion) her heart chakra(breastplate), her sacral chakra(girdle), however the 2nd and 7th gates aren;t exactly representational of any chakra centers. I'm linking her ears (or windows of sound)to the third eye, a sensory window of sight that is beyond sight. sound, can produce image in the brain so, i think that is the significance of the earring reference as the 2nd gate toll. the 7th gate removes her bracelets and anklets, logically i would expect the chakra indicated by number and location to be the root chakra. I suspect the myth maker chose anklets and bracelets to illustrate that the root chakra, or the tribal chakra is what keeps us anchored to our percieved peers, think mob mentality, think mental and habitual slavery, think leg and arm irons.

notice also that it isn't until ishtar is stripped completely of her ornaments that she can become victim to the mistress of hell

(who i suspect is a black, or dark, or hidden version of ishtar herself)

her descent and ascent illustrates the way down, and the way back up for the individual soul, in mythic language.

the moral of the story? attend to your spiritual centers, keep your "temple" (body) pure and your "lamps" (chakra's, wheels of light) lit. it is our only defence against the darkness of human despair. ->->-> and suddenly i hear the music from santana's supernatural, "there's a monster under my bed whispering things in my ear, the angel sez you've got nothing to fear. all you little children, keep your light's on."