En-hedu-Ana: The Frequency of Ease 🪁

I first discovered En-hedu-Ana, the Mesopotamian High Priestess and first named author by following my interest in Mary Magdalene to the book,  “The Sacred Prostitute Archetype,”  over 25 years ago!  (I found out later, that neither En-hedu-Ana nor Mary Magdalene were sacred prostitutes!) 

I felt an electrical bzzzzt go through me when I read her words to the Goddess Inanna :   

“Into my fate-determining Gipar temple, I entered for you
I, the High Priestess, I, En-hedu-Ana

In that moment, I felt En-hedu-Ana speak directly to me, beckoning me to learn more about her. This was the first time I had come across ‘real proof’ that priestesses were actual, historical people and that goddesses had truly been worshiped.   

[On this disk, En-hedu-Ana is overseeing a libation being poured by a nude priest in front of her.  She is wearing the flounced garment worn by priestesses and Goddesses and the rolled brim hat of the High-Priestess.]

Along the way,  I made a nerdy, research website and a decent documentary, devoted to sharing En-hedu-Ana with the world.  That’s what she wanted from me.  She was tired of being passed over by  male archeologists who didn’t acknowledge her as one of the most powerful religious figures of her time.  This was before she was discovered by the mainstream.

We did work with En-hedu-Ana in Womb Power, over a year ago, highlighting her ability to write very strategic  incantations which inspired our practice to track and describe sensations in the body.  

I would say that this is a Priestess skill which we are developing in each class.

I feel called to revisit En-hedu-Ana’s  Priestess role and take a closer look at her participation in the Sacred Marriage Rite. 
 
To learn more about her Priestess role, you can jump straight to the 3rd segment of the documentary that focuses on her many skills and tasks as High Priestess
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As Joan Westenholz says in the documentary, not much is known about the Sacred Marriage because it was a one of the most sacred,  religious secrets, that was not intended to be shared with the public.   

There are different instances of the Sacred Marriage which reveal clues about its function. First one is the installation ritual of the new En-Priestess which was considered so holy an event that it marked the name of that year. In cuneiform tablets it was recorded that this ritual involved a bed dais, on which it is speculated that the sacred marriage occurred between the  En/High Priestess and the Moon God, Nanna or his human representative!)

This ritual was considered so holy that the bed itself and all the remains of the ritual including food and supplies were burned afterward.

How did they have sex?

Marguerite… see email

Why did they have sex if they weren’t trying to create a divine child?

It seems that the Sacred Marriage was co=opted by the Akkadian rulers who married their daughters to the Moon God to legitimize their rule. In the case of En-hedu-Ana, she was the first. She was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad who conquered Sumer and was the first to create an empire joining Sumer and Akkad. He placed Enheduana as En of Nanna in Sumerian city of Ur to strengthen his rule and try to create peace.

So important was this position, that there is a list of names spanning 500 years of all the King’s daughters who were chosen to be the En priestess of Nanna in Ur. Because they were trained to embody the Goddess and were seen as semi-divine, this gave the king extra power. And this was taken literally when Naram Sin, Sargon’s son, decided to become a divine ruler (look at that article)

The Giparu temple was the double temple for Ningal and Enheduana, that contained both the temple of the Goddess Ningal, the wife of the Moon God, Nanna, complete with her statue in the holy of holies as well as the residence of En-hedu-Ana. This symbolized how En=hedu=Ana was the human form of Ningal. In certain rituals, like teh Sacred Marriage, she embodied Ningal.

A bed dais was found in a small mysterious room off of the holy of holies— called the ‘Enun’ which means ‘room where the God spends the night.’

“I have not stretched my hand to receive the word of Ningal“– either through the sacred marriage or through dream prophecy— connection between prophecy and divine birth in Oracle of Delphi. (Zgoll in Documentary)

‘He approached me with envy in his eyes’- Lugalanne wants to consummate his takeover of Ur by sleeping with En-hedu-Ana, refers to her legitimizing his kingship. Another use of the Sacred marriage is to confer kingship, as Inanna did for the Kings.

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This is your laboratory to embody your womb and cultivate the Frequency of Ease! Go at your own pace and take whatever guidance that fits and move the way your body wants to move in each moment.

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I hope you’ll join us at Womb Power, Thursday, September 1st, 5-6:30pm PT!

No previous movement experience necessary. This is an embodiment practice that deepens with time.This is a practice, where the journey is more important than the destination. First Class is FREE! (**Let me know via email – at least 2 hours before class so I can send you the Zoom + Music links

Thursdays at 5pm-6:30 PT / 8pm ET/ 10:00 am Sydney, AU—
$15 for single // $50 for 4 classes/replays– (save $10)
International: paypal US dollars to michelle@michellewhitehart.com
USA: Venmo @Michelle-White-Hart

You will receive Zoom + Music link before class
Replay will come a few days later- lasts a few weeks
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions to make sure you have the tech sorted out 😉

I’m looking forward to exploring and moving with you!!

To the evolution of your womb!

Michelle

PS If you’d like to invite friends– please do – first class is free-they just need to sign up here and let me know when they’d like to come.

Image sources & Footnotes:

* Just to reiterate, I am following the structure of the amazing Rosa Mystica Mystery School that I am currently a student of, so that I can deepen into that work more and share the journey with you!

[image #1]  Disque d’Enheduanna. Albâtre, v. 2350-2300 av. J.-C. Ur. Diamètre : 25.6 cm, épaisseur : 7.1 cm. Description du bas-relief : scène rituelle, un prêtre fait une libation devant un autel à quatre étages (à gauche), accompagné de trois personnes, dont la prêtresse Enheduanna en posture de prière (troisième personne en venant de la droite).  By Zunkir – This file was derived from: Disk of Enheduanna.JPG:Auteur : Mefman00Modifications : image rognée, modification des contrastes., CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49983699
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[Final image] : Vajravarahi: By Mandala_of_Vajravarahi.JPG: Anonymous – Tibetanderivative work: Redtigerxyz (talk) – Mandala_of_Vajravarahi.JPG, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9060586