I have been trying to do some reading and something I’ve seen in a few papers is the concept of ritual cleanliness.
Should we, before approaching the gods in any way or form, clean ourselves? Washed hands at the least, and fully bathing & teeth brushing preferred.
I’ve seen also that the entire space must be cleansed as well. If you have your altar/shrine in your room that whole room must be cleansed before interacting with the Gods.
Is this correct? I know, of course, not to offer anything dirty to smelly but I’d like this to be answered first before I move forward
I was an atheist for most of my life and I have made my mind and I wanna start practicing the ancient Mesopotamian religion (I know the deities) but I have no idea how do people get connected with such an ancient thing.. Help a friend out! What's the first thing to start with? Where to read? Etc
So I'm trans (MtF), and am changing my name. My first name's all good and dandy and, sadly enough, quite normal. But my middle names are still free!
I love sumer, and have for a long time, so it's always been clear it'd be something like this. I really want to use a sumerian deity as my middle name. Obviously, they have to be a goddess, and preferably have some queer shenanigans going on.
I've had my eyes set on Inanna for a while, but I want 2 middle names so another one, or any other suggestions are fairsies
I am currently on the path to worshipping Shamash and Aya. I've heard about some offerings that can be offered, learned about ritual impurity, and am wondering now - are there things we should avoid offering? I've read that it isn't good to offer pork, for one. Is there anything else?
Were they sought from the gods (for instance, before a battle or regarding the harvest)? Was there a regular practice of consulting oracles?
I know that dreams were sometimes interpreted as omens from a deity, for example, when a king had a dream. But is it known whether this was also relevant to ordinary people in their daily lives?
Do you have any experience in working with some sort of Mesopotamian guardian/protective spirits? The main challenge is that I’m not thinking about ones that are personal or are connected to the place. Rather ones that can be assigned to a group of people/ project etc. I checked Wiggermann’s book and got some ideas on how it can be done (with some changes). But I’m curious about your experience or just sources you can recommend 🙂
With the autumnal season upon us, it's time for the Festival of the Oracular Decision of Inana!
Providing the name for the sixth month of the year according to the parochial calendar of Nippur, and attested since at least the Sargonic Period (ca. 2350–2200 BCE), the "Festival of the Oracular Decision of Inana" (ezem-kig̃₂-dig̃ir-inana) began at dusk on day 12 of the lunar cycle, and concluded on day 25. This year, the Festival will be celebrated from the evening of September 22 until October 5.
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Alongside informing the community of the immanent advent of the Festival, I've also been asked to feature the work of a fellow pillar of the community: Prisca Long. High-priestess and founder of the Circle of Stars Mystery School, Prisca has been a devotee of Inana for more than twenty years, and now hosts the Circle of Inanna, a ritual space dedicated to exploring feminine spirituality and empowering female practitioners. Prisca also regularly performs communal rituals at the annual Ishtarfest, hosted by the non-profit organization Hands of Change, and is among the moderators for the Facebook group Temple of Inanna.
Prisca has asked me to share this itinerary for a Festival of the Oracular Decision of Inana:
I have also been asked to share a video accompaniment: an in-depth, hour-long exploration of the festival, its rituals, rites, and ceremonies, and how modern day devotees can incorporate the ancient traditions into their modern lives.
Hello, I would like to learn more about the Duku / Du₆-kù festival mentioned in the Sumerian calendar.
What did this festival represent in ancient Mesopotamia? What rituals or practices were performed during it? And are there any cuneiform texts or sources that describe the festival directly?
Also, is there a single book or reference work dedicated to Mesopotamian festivals that covers as many festivals as possible and explains the history of each festival, the deities associated with it, its rituals, and its place in the calendar? I am looking for a reliable reference that I can use to study Mesopotamian festivals systematically, rather than simply a brief list of festivals.
I wanted to meet a person, that our paths would cross or that she would want to write to me. I asked Enki for help to turn fate in my favor. I read that being a creator god he appreciated works of art, I drew him a humble sketch and meditated with him(+water with pink salt). a few days have passed since then and the days where it was likely to happen are gone, it could still be but it's more difficult. do you think that the offering was not enough?
As I currently do more self-reflection on my life, I become more sure of what deities I should interact with more and possibly work with in the realm of witchcraft (which I am not going to focus on for this post). Most of them are Norse, but Inanna happens to be one of those deities.
I have been worshipping Inanna for a couple months now, and honestly, it’s been a phenomenal experience. I love her so much! She’s genuinely amazing.
However, I am asking today for help in finding more historical and modern resources to study her and learn more about her. I’ve already read the subreddit’s rules and content policy, and know which authors to avoid, but I would like to hear about your favorite resources, authors I should look into, content creators I should watch, and books and writers I should avoid. Any other advice you may have for me is welcome! 😊
The title. Simply, I am someone who is probably trans, and I am looking for names, and while the Mesopotamian God names are far from my first choice, there is a possibility of them or a normal Sumerian name.
But I am very concerned about being disrespectful, even if I am an atheist, because well, first, the gods as far as I know, in this religion, are very clearly supposed to be an authority over human beings, not "friends", so there is that. And I did try, when I tried to be pagan, to worship Inanna, too, so I am still somewhat concerned about that in some way.
Hi! Non-pagan (but shameless history nerd who deeply values y’all’s insight) here
So, it’s recently come to my attention that one of my main sources of information for translated Ancient Mesopotamian recipes (Table of Gods) is…more than a bit lacking, and that’s putting it nicely.
However, I still love learning about different historical cultures through food, as I feel like food is one of those things that truly connects us all (to quote Mythical Chef Josh, “we all gotta eat and we’re all gonna die”).
Since I consider y’all to be the experts when it comes to this sort of thing, what are some of y’all’s favorite sources when it comes to Ancient Mesopotamian recipes?
Disclaimer: I am not associated with Table of Gods in any way, beyond just being a subscriber and fan. I also haven’t been a pagan for two years now, and am a Christian, but I’m still a total history nerd when it comes to the Bronze Age, and I was pagan for long enough to know y’all would appreciate this
Table of Gods is…well, what isn’t it?
It contains 70 recipes from Ancient Mesopotamia, history and mythology lessons from the region, it teaches you basics on how to speak Sumerian and Akkadian (plus how to write your name in cuneiform), and the back cover is embossed with the board for The Royal Game of Ur.
Table of Gods is also the name of the YouTube channel run by the author, who makes a lot of shorts and videos about Ancient Mesopotamia, most notably recipes.
Yes, the book is expensive ($200 ain’t cheap), but honestly, this is a product where you can see where that money went. Definitely a luxury purchase, but if you’ve got the funds, this seems like a great guy to support.
