38: Channeling the Queen of the Underworld: Part 2

This week is all about Hope or thr Roman Goddess, Spes. Spes is the ancient Roman goddess of Hope, revered not as a passive wish, but as an active spiritual and civic force. Her name literally means “hope” in Latin, and she was considered one of the Virtutes, divine personifications of core Roman values, alongside goddesses such as Fides (Faith), Salus (Health), and Concordia (Harmony).   In Roman belief, Spes embodied the resilience of the human spirit, the strength to endure through uncertainty, hardship, and transformation. She was invoked in times of illness, political crisis, war, or personal despair, and was prayed to by both the poor and the powerful. Unlike her Greek counterpart Elpis, who appears in the myth of Pandora and is sometimes seen as ambiguous or even dangerous, Spes was unambiguously divine and virtuous in Roman religion. The Romans believed hope was essential, not a delusion, but a discipline that helped one survive difficulty and imagine a better future.

Folks! This session was originally recorded over a year ago as a practice session with the goddess Isis on the Intuitive Awakening Podcast- it was my introduction to her and I am happy to share this with you before I conduct a deep dive into her history, story, and myths. I hope you enjoy an introduction to Isis from her own words! 

Hi Folks! This is another upload from a previous channeling session with Hathor about a year ago on the podcast, Intuitive Awakening. There will be a separate episode all about Hathor with new channeled messages in future episodes. Thank you for listening!

This episode is a channeled episode that I posted on Intuitive Awakening Podcast a year ago as I connected to the goddess Lilith. If you've heard it already then you get the opportunity to hear it again on the podcast, if you have not, then you are in for a treat. There will be more messages from Lilith in the coming months. Enjoy!

This episode was originally posted on Intuitive Awakening a little over a year ago. I wanted to share it here in case you've not had the chance to hear it on the other podcast. Enjoy hearing Lilith Speak! 

All - this episode was originally posted on the Intuitive Awakening Podcast but I am uploading it here for you to listen to their timeless wisdom. Both Goddess Hera and Goddess Athena join us today to discuss following your dreams and believing in yourself. Goddess Hekate pops in here too at the end which is always a nice surprise. I hope you enjoy. 

This episode focuses on a common pain point in goddess spirituality: How to communicate with a goddess. In this episode I discuss ways to bridge the communication gap that include: 1. Dreams 2. Pendulums + Pendulum Boards 3. The Power of Music 4. Psychic Abilities: Clairaudience + Clairvoyance 5. Bibliomancy 6. Channeling Let me know in the comments if any of these work for you! 

This week is all about the goddess, Ereshkigal. Ereshkigal is the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of the underworld, a powerful and enigmatic deity who ruled over the land of the dead. Her name means “Queen of the Great Earth” or “Lady of the Great Place,” referring to the realm of the dead, often called Kur or Irkalla. Her Roles and Responsibilities: Queen of the Underworld: Ereshkigal governs Ganzir, the palace at the entrance to the netherworld, and oversees the souls of the dead. She enforces the boundary between life and death, once a soul enters, it cannot return. Sister of Inanna (Ishtar): In Sumerian mythology, she is the dark counterpart to her sister Inanna, the goddess of love, fertility, and war. Their relationship is explored in the myth The Descent of Inanna, where Inanna ventures into Ereshkigal’s realm and is stripped of her power and killed, only to be resurrected later. Wife of Nergal (in Akkadian myth): In the myth Nergal and Ereshkigal, she takes Nergal, the god of war and plague, as her consort, and the two rule the underworld together. This myth reflects themes of power, submission, and balance between chaos and order.  What Ereshkigal Represents Death and the Afterlife: She personifies the inevitability and finality of death, not as punishment, but as a natural passage for all souls. Order and Justice: She ensures that burial rituals are observed and that the dead are treated with respect. If not, she may allow the dead to rise as ghosts to correct the living. Sacred Boundaries: Ereshkigal maintains the divine separation between the worlds, and violations, like Inanna’s descent, must be paid for with a price. Divine Grief and Power: Though she is powerful, she also experiences deep pain and mourning, showing that even goddesses carry emotional burdens. Citations for this episode:  Joshua J. Mark, Ereshkigal (World History Encyclopedia, 11 January 2017) https://www.worldhistory.org/Ereshkigal/ Samuel Noah Kramer, The Sumerians Their History, Culture, and Character (The University of Chicago Press, 1963) page 134 Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses: Ereshkigal, accessed 13 April 2017. Bertman, S. Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Oxford University Press, 2005. Black, J. & Green, A. Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia. University of Texas Press, 1992. Kramer, S. N. The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character. University of Chicago Press, 1971. Leick, G. The A to Z of Mesopotamia. Scarecrow Press, 2010. Sanders, N. K. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Penguin Classics, 1960. The Death of Ur-Nammu, accessed 9 Jan 2025. The Marriage of Ereshkigal and Nergal, accessed 9 March 2025. Wallis Budge, E. A. Babylonian Life and History. Barnes & Noble, 2005. Wolkstein, D & Kramer, S. N. Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Harper Perennial, 1983. Morris, D. (2022, April 4). Goddess Ereshkigal: The first ruler of the underworld. TheCollector. https://www.thecollector.com/goddess-ereshkigal/ Woodfield, S. (2017). Dark goddess craft: A journey through the heart of transformation. Llewellyn Publications.

This week is all about the Greek Goddess, Astraea. Astraea is a Greek goddess associated with justice, innocence, purity, and the stars. Her name means "star-maiden" or "starry night." She is often considered a daughter of Zeus and Themis, though some myths link her to Eos (dawn) and Astraeus (the dusk god), connecting her more symbolically to the celestial. Key Aspects of Astraea: Personification of Justice: Astraea represents the idea of divine justice (similar to her mother Themis or Roman equivalent Justitia). She is typically depicted holding scales, symbolizing impartial judgment. Golden Age Figure: According to mythology, Astraea lived among humans during the Golden Age, a time of peace and harmony. As humanity grew more corrupt during the Iron Age, she was the last immortal to leave Earth, ascending to the sky. Becomes the Constellation Virgo: After leaving Earth, Astraea was placed among the stars as the constellation Virgo. The scales she held became the nearby constellation Libra, symbolizing justice. Symbolism: Hope and Return: In later myths and Renaissance thought, Astraea came to symbolize hope for a return to a golden age of justice and virtue. Popular in Literature and Art: She appears in works by Ovid, Hesiod, and later Renaissance poets like Edmund Spenser and John Milton, often as a symbol of lost virtue or ideal governance. Citations for this episode:  Theoi Project. (n.d.). Astraia: Titan goddess of justice. Theoi Greek Mythology. https://www.theoi.com/Titan/Astraia.html Greek Gods and Goddesses. (n.d.). Astraea: The goddess of justice. Greek Gods and Goddesses. https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/astraea/ Greek Mythology. (n.d.). Astraea: The goddess of justice. Greek Mythology. https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Astraea/astraea.html History Cooperative. (n.d.). Astraea, the goddess of justice: The last immortal on earth. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/astraea-goddess/ Ovid. (2004). Metamorphoses (A. D. Melville, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 8 CE) Hesiod. (2006). Works and days (D. W. Verdrecht, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 700 BCE) Pseudo-Hyginus. (1960). Astronomica (G. P. Goold, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 1st century CE) Valerius Flaccus. (2004). Argonautica (P. J. O'Neill, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 1st century CE) Astraea leaving the Earth.” n.d. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. www.khm.at/en/object/1596/. Virgil. n.d. Eclogues IV. https://www.loebclassics.com/view/virgil-eclogues/1916/pb_LCL063.49.xml?readMode=recto. “Astraea | SuperFriends Wiki | Fandom.” n.d. SuperFriends Wiki. https://superfriends.fandom.com/wiki/Astraea#Appearances. Nonnus. (1940–1942). Dionysiaca (W. H. D. Rouse, Trans.). Harvard University Press. (Original work published ca. 5th century CE) Venari, V. (2024, May 1). Astraea: The Virgo goddess. The Water Giver. https://thewatergiver.substack.com/p/astraea-the-virgo-goddess?utm_medium=web Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Dike | ancient Greek law. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/dike-ancient-Greek-law Hatzitsinidou, E. (2023, August 29). Dike: The goddess of justice and moral order. Olympioi. https://olympioi.com/demigods/dike

Join me as I channel the goddess Persephone. In this episode, my friend and I sat down to ask Persephone a series of questions to garner further insight into her thoughts/teaching/guidance. Thank you for listening to the 2nd round of channeling sessions with this underworld goddess.