This week, I wanted to speak with Ashtar—not the alien/Ascended Master of the New Age movement who is also known as Commander Ashtar—but the ancient goddess. I knew very little of her but was familiar with her name and so wanted to speak with her to get to know her better.
After my usual preparation and meditation, a beautiful and gracious presence presented itself to my mind, smiling. I could see long, wavy hair—perhaps blonde, perhaps not; the light of the form was bright, making most features indistinct.
When I asked if she had any wisdom or guidance to share with me or with you, she only smiled at me, and calm and peace ebbed and flowed over me, like the ocean coming and going from the shore.
“You are a mother goddess,” I stated, somehow recognizing the energy (I seem to attract—or be attracted to—Divine mother figures, so I’ve become very attuned to a certain energy), and she nodded.
“So you are enjoying listening to the sound [which was very loud at that moment] of my children playing in the hall?” I asked.
She inclined her head with a smile to indicate that I was correct.
On a hunch, I asked, “May I offer you anything in gratitude for my happy home?”
She showed me a picture of a decorated egg placed in a quiet location in nature.
She was still peaceful, still not really offering unsolicited information, so I asked, “How may someone call on you, and for what purpose?”
For a happy home and healthy children. No offering or special form or call is needed, only love and pure intent. … Though some honey or mead would not be amiss, she said with a bit of a grin.
Then I was given to understand that, like any loving mother, she is content with genuine affection and thanks from those who request her help.
You can call upon goddess Ashtar when you are at your wits’ end with a child or when you wish to restore harmony in your home, especially with children—and most especially with young children. She is a calming presence amidst the chaos that young children can bring, and she can bring you clarity, peace, and calm in the face of a challenging situation.
Above all, loving intent is key when you call upon her for help.
***
After this encounter, I tried to learn more of the history of Ashtar. It seems that her origins are unclear and complex. She is often equated with Innana-Ishtar, and it seems she may have been syncretized with them and others in Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Sumerian, Arabian, Phoenician, and Canaanite traditions. Various spellings and possible syncretizations include Ashtart, Ashtaroth, Ashtoreth, Astarte, Anaitis, Anat, Atar, Athtar, Esther, Ištar, Eštar, ‘Aštar, Ištar, and even Aphrodite.
Given all the varied information regarding the personality with whom I connected in my meditation, I believe her to be a standalone “personality” who was swept up in the various syncretizations and has been somewhat overshadowed. Some might prefer to think of her as a “path” of Innana-Ishtar. (For information about paths, see Judika Illes’s Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses.) Whereas Innana and Ishtar, however, were individually seen as the Queen of Heaven and were both warrior as well as fertility/sex goddesses, Ashtar did not present to me with any amount of the violence or sexuality that had rolled off of Ishtar in waves and that had been so palpable in—yet held in check by—Innana in my encounter with them.
Ultimately, I suggest that if you want to know more about Ashtar—as with any personality, human or nonhuman—rather than taking anyone else’s word (including mine) regarding their characteristics, you should reach out and connect directly with that personality—taking proper precautions, of course.
Sources
- Conway, D. J. The Ancient & Shining Ones. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1994.
- AMGG Project. “Inana/Ištar (goddess).” Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. http://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/listofdeities/inanaitar/
- “Astarte.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astarte&oldid=827188114.
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