We are inspired to share a submission from a student in regards to our training on the Sophianic descent.  We hope that this post shows how the teachings from the school integrate and weave in with the very real day-to-day experiences in our lives.  Students went on a descent journey with Inanna, held by the medicine of Yarrow.   Here is student Dazzalina's account of her journey on the decent.  

My descent this August was very similar to that of Inanna’s original journey. Inanna goes to see Ereshkigal in the Underworld after Ereshkigal’s husband dies to try to form a relationship with her. In the very beginning, or just before this pillar opened, I went to see my sister, whose husband had just moved out due to a tumultuous marriage. Like Inanna, I also went there in hopes of building a relationship with my sister, after not visiting with her in over four years.

I had a lot of anxiety before going to my sisters, I knew the triggers and trauma responses were on high from all parties involved. I also knew *something big* would likely occur.

I had no idea the immensity of the descent journey this visit would set me on. In the reading for this months descent called “Inanna as Sophianic Pilgrim” Eliza writes “the only thing that is predictable is our return to love (but you’re going to have to forget that for the full descent too)”.

That was my journey with Inanna this pillar. Those around me who knew I was in a deep descent journey tried letting me know that this was happening for me, not to me, and that it would bring about greater love and understanding.  That I was breaking karmic contracts for my lineage and ancestors. However, when I was in the depths of the gates of the Underworld, I could not fathom a *return to love*. I couldn’t fathom that anything useful was coming out of this experience, other than a death. A return to love and rebirth seemed so far out of reach. Not even a possibility, really! I just knew I needed to keep descending. I was guided by Inanna and it was often extremely painful and scary. I did my best to never look away.

A majority of my recent descents have been pleasurable and were simply allowed, for I knew what they were. This pillars descent came in like a strong gust of Gail force winds *Tornado style* and knocked me entirely off my feet, picked me up and flung me around and deeper and deeper down!

Wow, it felt like I was in this stage of the descent for AGES.. I was completely shed of all my belongings, stripped to the core through every gate. I knew the death was inevitable and potentially my only chance at rebirthing through this massive death portal descent I was in. It was a hopeless feeling in many moments, like it was the end of my life as I knew it.

During this time Inanna would show up for me in various ways. In moments of desperation, I kept pulling an Ishtar card from one of my goddess decks (Ishtar came in with Inanna through this oracle). One of my favorite songs about Inanna would play randomly on my Spotify, which acted like a portal key for me. My cats also brought me a large garden snake, they only bring me snakes during my descent processes and they always come at the time for me to *take my power back*. This literal snake portal key feels like a gift from Inanna signifying my imminent ascension or rebirth that is to come. It was at this time that things started to shift, in that moment of rescuing the snake my cats brought me. As I brought it back outside and lay the snake and with bits of its blood on the Earth for its freedom, it felt like the moment Inanna was *rescued* or resurrected by the Gods and brought back up to be the Queen of Heaven on Earth.

Eliza writes:
“In the greatest darkness of our life, our light dwells. We learn that darkness is actually the real light.”

It's so easy to forget this when you haven’t visited the deepest depths of the underworld realms in awhile - but the truth remains. I can confirm this truth from my most recent descent journey, guided by Inanna, embodying Inanna at many stages.  This recent voyage through all of the gates, ending in death - through the darkness and all the muck - Emerged the most beautiful and REAL light! This light turns out to actually BE the darkness. I would not have experienced or gotten to know this light without knowing its true origins.

I am now feeling really grateful for all the lived experience *REAL TIME* teachings from Inanna and the descent into darkness journey from this pillar. It’s grounded me in myself in a whole new way.