INANNA: THE SEVEN GATES

A Virgo New Moon Ceremony of Descent, Release & Return

We spend a great deal of time thinking about what we want to call into our lives: more abundance, deeper love, greater visibility, meaningful work, stronger spiritual connection, or simply the feeling that we have finally stepped into the version of ourselves we know is possible. What we talk about far less is the fact that expansion often requires loss first. There are identities, beliefs, relationships, habits, loyalties and even spiritual practices that may have genuinely served us at one point, but eventually become too small for the life we are trying to enter.

Up-leveling is not always about adding something new. Sometimes the most important work is recognizing what has already reached its natural ending and being willing to release it. We can ask for a larger life while still carrying the fears of the woman who learned to survive a smaller one. We can ask for greater visibility while continuing to organize our decisions around other people's approval. At a certain point, the question changes from What else do I need? to What am I finally ready to put down?

The ancient story of Inanna gives us a powerful framework for that kind of transformation. Inanna, later known as Ishtar, was one of the great goddesses of ancient Mesopotamia and was closely associated with Venus, sovereignty, sexuality, desire and war. In the myth of her descent into the Underworld, she must pass through seven gates. At each threshold, a piece of her royal regalia is removed until the Queen of Heaven eventually stands with none of the external symbols that once announced her identity, status or power.

That descent gives us the foundation for this September New Moon ceremony. We will use the Seven Gates as a symbolic journey through the parts of ourselves that may be ready to fall away: inherited beliefs, outdated identities, attachments, expectations, old spiritual agreements and the protective structures we built during earlier chapters of our lives. The purpose is not to discard our past or reject everything that helped us get here. It is to recognize that something can have been sacred, necessary and true for one season of our lives without being meant to accompany us forever.

The timing of this ceremony makes the symbolism even more powerful. On September 10, Venus moves into Scorpio, and later that evening the New Moon becomes exact in Virgo. In astrology, Venus describes what we value, what we desire, what we are drawn toward and what we believe is worthy of our love and energy. When Venus moves through Scorpio, those questions tend to move beneath the surface. Scorpio brings the intensity, and looks at whats underneath…. And heralds the REBIRTH.

Because Inanna herself was associated with Venus, the timing creates an extraordinary symbolic parallel. Venus enters the sign traditionally associated with descent, depth and transformation on the same day that we enter the darkness of the New Moon. Meanwhile, Virgo brings the energy of discernment and refinement: the ability to separate what remains meaningful from what has become excess. Together, the symbolism is less about manifesting something from nothing and more about becoming clear enough, empty enough and honest enough to receive what comes next.

This ceremony is an invitation to create that space deliberately.

Inanna's descent ultimately asks us to actively participate in our own transformations.

This is deep, dark feminine work.

This September, we enter the gates to find out.

The ceremony is held virtually. Upon registering you will recieve a Google Meet link for the meeting. There is no participation needed. You will simply be guided in ceremony. If you feel moved to leave an offering for the Goddess after, instructions will be given.

** If you cannot attend the ceremony live, the replay will be sent to you to enjoy when it's convenient to you.