Inanna's Descent Ritual: The 7 Gates Shadow Work Ceremony

BY NICOLE LAU

Inanna, the Sumerian Queen of Heaven, descended to the underworld to visit her sister Ereshkigal. At each of seven gates, she was forced to remove a piece of her regalia—her crown, her jewelry, her robes—until she arrived naked and powerless before the throne of death. This myth is the ultimate shadow work template: to access your deepest power, you must first be stripped of everything you think makes you powerful. This ritual guides you through your own descent.

The Myth: Inanna's Journey to the Underworld

Inanna decided to descend to the underworld—some say to attend a funeral, others say to conquer death itself, others say she simply had to go. At each of seven gates, the gatekeeper demanded she remove one item:

Gate 1: Her crown (authority, identity, who she thinks she is)
Gate 2: Her lapis lazuli necklace (voice, expression, how she communicates)
Gate 3: Her double strand of beads (heart protection, emotional armor)
Gate 4: Her breastplate (power, strength, what protects her)
Gate 5: Her gold ring (commitments, relationships, what binds her)
Gate 6: Her lapis measuring rod (judgment, measurement, how she evaluates)
Gate 7: Her royal robe (the final covering, all pretense, everything)

Naked and bowed low, Inanna entered Ereshkigal's throne room. Her sister killed her and hung her corpse on a hook for three days. Only through this complete death was Inanna eventually resurrected and returned—transformed, powerful in a new way.

When to Perform This Ritual

Inanna's Descent is intense shadow work. Perform this ritual when:

- You're in a major life transition and need to release old identities
- You're facing a dark night of the soul and need to descend consciously
- You're ready to confront your shadow and integrate what you find
- You feel called to deep transformation and are willing to be stripped bare
- During the dark moon (Inanna's time in the underworld)

Warning: This ritual will bring up shadow material. Do not perform it if you're in crisis or without support systems in place. This is advanced work.

Preparation: Creating Sacred Space

You will need:
- Seven candles (black, deep purple, or dark blue)
- Seven pieces of paper and a pen
- A mirror
- Incense (myrrh or frankincense—underworld scents)
- A bowl of water
- Seven items representing what you're releasing (jewelry, photos, objects)
- A journal
- Optional: Pomegranate seeds (Persephone's food, underworld offering)

Space Setup: Arrange the seven candles in a descending spiral or straight line leading to a central space (the throne room). This is your path of descent. Place the mirror in the center—this is where you'll meet Ereshkigal (your shadow self).

Timing: Perform this ritual over seven days (one gate per day) or in one intensive session (allow 2-3 hours). The seven-day version is gentler and allows integration time.

The Ritual: Descending Through the Seven Gates

Opening: Light incense. Ground and center. Invoke Inanna:

"Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, guide me through the gates. I descend willingly, seeking transformation. I am ready to be stripped, to die, to be reborn. Ereshkigal, Dark Sister, I come to meet you. Show me what I must see."

Gate 1: The Crown (Identity)

Light the first candle. Stand before it and ask: "Who do I think I am? What identity am I clinging to?"

Write on the first paper: titles, roles, identities you've built (mother, professional, the strong one, the smart one, the spiritual one). These aren't bad—but they're coverings. At this gate, you must remove them.

The Release: Take off any crown-like item (hat, headband) or touch your head and say: "I release my crown. I am not my identity. I am not my roles. I descend without title."

Place the paper and the item near the first candle. Move to the second candle.

Gate 2: The Necklace (Voice/Expression)

Light the second candle. Ask: "How do I perform? What voice am I using that isn't truly mine?"

Write: the ways you perform, the voice you use to please others, the expressions that aren't authentic, the words you say but don't mean.

The Release: Remove any necklace or touch your throat: "I release my false voice. I release performance. I descend in silence."

Place the paper and item near the second candle. Move to the third.

Gate 3: The Beads (Heart Armor)

Light the third candle. Ask: "How do I protect my heart? What walls have I built?"

Write: your emotional armor, the ways you protect yourself from feeling, the walls around your heart, the "I'm fine" when you're not.

The Release: Place your hand on your heart: "I release my armor. I release protection. I descend vulnerable."

Place the paper near the third candle. Move to the fourth.

Gate 4: The Breastplate (Power/Strength)

Light the fourth candle. Ask: "What power am I clinging to? What strength is actually rigidity?"

Write: the ways you force, control, dominate, or refuse to surrender. Your need to be strong, to never break, to always be powerful.

The Release: Cross your arms over your chest: "I release my false power. I release control. I descend powerless."

Place the paper near the fourth candle. Move to the fifth.

Gate 5: The Ring (Commitments/Attachments)

Light the fifth candle. Ask: "What am I attached to? What commitments are binding me?"

Write: relationships, commitments, attachments that no longer serve, the ways you're bound by obligation rather than love.

The Release: Remove any rings or touch your hands: "I release my attachments. I release binding. I descend free."

Place the paper and any rings near the fifth candle. Move to the sixth.

Gate 6: The Measuring Rod (Judgment)

Light the sixth candle. Ask: "How do I judge? How do I measure myself and others?"

Write: your judgments, your measurements, your standards, the ways you evaluate worth (yours and others'), your inner critic.

The Release: Hold your hands as if holding a rod, then open them: "I release judgment. I release measurement. I descend without evaluation."

Place the paper near the sixth candle. Move to the seventh.

Gate 7: The Robe (All Pretense)

Light the seventh candle. Ask: "What is my final covering? What am I still hiding?"

Write: everything else—all remaining pretense, all final coverings, everything you use to hide your true self.

The Release: If you're comfortable and in private space, you can actually remove outer layers of clothing (symbolic nakedness). Or simply say: "I release all covering. I release all pretense. I descend naked and true."

Place the paper near the seventh candle.

The Throne Room: Meeting Ereshkigal

You've passed through all seven gates. You're stripped bare. Now you enter the throne room—the center of your ritual space, where the mirror waits.

Sit before the mirror. Look at yourself—really look. This is Ereshkigal, your shadow sister, your dark self, the part of you that lives in the underworld.

Ask: "What do you have to show me? What have I been avoiding? What truth lives in the darkness?"

Sit in silence. Let whatever arises arise—emotions, memories, truths, shadows. Don't judge. Don't fix. Just witness. This is the death—the hanging on the hook, the three days in the underworld.

When you're ready (this might take minutes or much longer), say: "I see you. I acknowledge you. You are part of me."

The Return: Integration and Rebirth

Inanna didn't stay dead. She was resurrected and returned—but changed. You must return too, but you don't put the old coverings back on. You return transformed.

Journal: Write what you saw, what you learned, what you're integrating. What truth did Ereshkigal show you?

The Resurrection: Drink the water (life returning). If you have pomegranate seeds, eat them (like Persephone—you've tasted the underworld, you're changed).

The New Covering: You will re-enter the world, but not as who you were. Ask: "Who am I now? What do I choose to wear, knowing it's a choice, not a necessity?"

You might choose to reclaim some of what you released—but consciously, as tools rather than identities. Or you might leave it all behind and emerge truly new.

Closing: Thank Inanna and Ereshkigal. Extinguish the candles in reverse order (7 to 1), symbolizing the ascent. Ground and close the space.

After the Ritual: Integration

The three days: Like Inanna hung for three days, give yourself three days of integration. Rest. Journal. Don't make major decisions. Let the transformation settle.

Burn the papers: After three days, burn the seven papers (safely). What you released is released. Let it go.

Notice the changes: How are you different? What's shifted? What old patterns are you no longer running? What new power is emerging?

Honor the descent: You've done deep work. You've faced your shadow. You've died and been reborn. This is sacred. Honor it.

The Gift of the Descent

Inanna returned from the underworld with new power—not the power of the crown and the robe, but the power of someone who has died and been reborn, who has met their shadow and integrated it, who knows both the heights and the depths.

This is the gift of the descent: You discover that you are not your coverings. You are not your identities. You are not your armor. You are what remains when everything is stripped away—and that is more powerful than anything you wore.

The gates are open. The descent awaits. The shadow sister is ready to meet you.