Our Theology a Basic Description
Theology
WE believe in the fundamentally spiritual nature of life and that many gods and goddesses exist but we worhip Inanna as our Goddess,and that while being independant of one another that the divine is also present in all things, and in everything.Nature forms an important focus of our reverence but does not blind us to our devotion to the Queen of Heaven Inanna.
The Otherworld
Like the Druids we love Nature, and draw inspiration and spiritual nourishment from it, we also believe that the world we see is not the only one that exists. A cornerstone of Druid belief and thus ours is in the existence of the Otherworld – a realm or realms which exist beyond the reach of the physical senses, but which are nevertheless real.
This Otherworld is seen as the place we travel to when we die. But we can also visit it during our lifetime in dreams, in meditation, under hypnosis, or in ‘journeying’, when in a shamanic trance.
We hold this belief because it is a universally held belief for three reasons. Firstly, all religions or spiritualities hold the view that another reality exists beyond the physical world, rather than agreeing with Materialism, that holds that only matter exists and is real. Secondly, we aslso hold to Celtic mythology, which inspires so much of Druidism which we draw upon, is replete with descriptions of this Otherworld. Thirdly, the existence of the Otherworld is implicit in ‘the greatest belief’ of the ancient Druids, since classical writers stated that the Druids believed in a process that has been described as reincarnation or metempsychosis (in which a soul lives in a succession of forms, including both human and animal). In between each life in human or animal form the soul rests in the Otherworld.
Death and Rebirth
We hold the belief of their ancient forebears that the soul undergoes a process of successive reincarnations – either always in human form, or in a variety of forms that might include trees and even rocks as well as animals.We believe that to be born in this world, we have to die in the Otherworld, and conversely, that when we die here, we are born into the Otherworld.
The Three Goals
A clue as to the purpose behind the process of successive rebirths can be found if we look at the goals of the Druid. Druids seek above all the cultivation of wisdom, creativity and love. A number of lives on earth, rather than just one, gives us the opportunity to fully develop these qualities within us.We of the Gnostic Temple of Inanna have adopted these Druid Goals for the betterment of ourseleves and give you the Driduic meaning for clearer understanding.
Wisdom
The goal of wisdom is shown to us in two old teaching stories – one the story of Fionn MacCumhaill (Finn MacCool) from Ireland, the other the story of Taliesin from Wales. In both stories wisdom is sought by an older person – in Ireland in the form of the Salmon of Wisdom, in Wales in the form of three drops of inspiration. In both stories a young helper ends up tasting the wisdom so jealously sought by the adults. These tales, rather than simply teaching the virtues of innocence and helpfulness, contain instructions for achieving wisdom, encoded within their symbolism and the sequence of events they describe, and for this reason are used in the teaching of Druidry.
Creativity
The goal of creativity is also central to Druidism because the Bards have long been seen as participants in Druidry. Many believe that in the old days they transmitted the wisdom of the Druids in song and story, and that with their prodigious memories they knew the genealogies of the tribes and the stories associated with the local landscape. Celtic cultures display a love of art, music and beauty that often evokes an awareness of the Otherworld, and their old Bardic tales depict a world of sensual beauty in which craftspeople and artists are highly honoured. Today, many people are drawn to Druidry because they sense it is a spirituality that can help them develop their creativity. Rather than stressing the idea that this physical life is temporary, and that we should focus on the after-life, Druidism conveys the idea that we are meant to fully participate in life on earth, and that we are meant to express and share our creativity as much as we can.
Love
Druidry can be seen as fostering the third goal of love in many different ways to encourage us to broaden our understanding and experience of it, so that we can love widely and deeply.
Druidry’s reverence for Nature encourages us to love the land, the Earth, the stars and the wild. It also encourages a love of peace: Druids were traditionally peace-makers, and still are. Often Druid ceremonies begin with offering peace to each cardinal direction, there is a Druid’s Peace Prayer, and Druids plant Peace Groves. The Druid path also encourages the love of beauty because it cultivates the Bard, the Artist Within, and fosters creativity.
The love of Justice is developed in modern Druidry by being mentioned in ‘The Druid’s Prayer’, and many believe that the ancient Druids were judges and law-makers, who were more interested in restorative than punitive justice. Druidry also encourages the love of story and myth, and many people today are drawn to it because they recognize the power of storytelling, and sense its potential to heal and enlighten as well as entertain.
In addition to all these types of love that Druidism fosters, it also recognizes the forming power of the past, and in doing this encourages a love of history and a reverence for the ancestors. The love of trees is fundamental in Druidism too, and as well as studying treelore, Druids today plant trees and sacred groves, and support reforestation programmes. Druids love stones too and build stone circles, collect stones and work with crystals. They love the truth, and seek this in their quest for wisdom and understanding. They love animals, seeing them as sacred, and they study animal lore. They love the body and sexuality believing both to be sacred.
Druidism also encourages a love of each other by fostering the magic of relationship and community, and above all a love of life, by encouraging celebration and a full commitment to life – it is not a spirituality which tries to help us escape from a full engagement with the world.
Some Druid groups today present their teachings in three grades or streams: those of the Bard, Ovate and Druid. The three goals sought by the Druid of love, wisdom and creative expression can be related to the work of these three streams. Bardic teachings help to develop our creativity, Ovate teachings help to develop our love for the natural world and the community of all life, and Druid teachings help us in our quest for wisdom.
Living in the World
The real test of the value of a spiritual path lies in the degree to which it can help us live our lives in the world. It needs to be able to provide us with inspiration, counsel and encouragement as we negotiate the sometimes difficult and even tragic events that can occur during a lifetime.
The primary philosophical posture of Druidism and the Gnostic Temple of Inanna is one of love and respect towards all of life – towards fellow human beings and animals, and all of Nature.A word often used by Druids to describe this approach is reverence, which expands the concept of respect to include an awareness of the sacred. By being reverent towards human beings, for example, Druids would treat the body, relationships and sexuality with respect and as sacred. Reverence should not be confused with piousness or a lack of vigorous engagement – true reverence is strong and sensual as well as gentle and kind.
This attitude of reverence and respect extends to all creatures, and so many modern Druids will either be vegetarian or will eat meat, but support compassionate farming and be opposed to factory farming methods. Again, the belief that we should love all creatures is likely to be tempered with a robust realism that will not exclude the possibility that we might want to kill certain creatures, such as mosquitoes.
The Web of Life and the Illusion of Separateness
Woven into much of our thinking and all of our practice is the idea or belief that we are all connected in a universe that is essentially benign – that we do not exist as isolated beings who must fight to survive in a cruel world. Instead we are seen as part of a great web or fabric of life that includes every living creature and all of Creation. This is essentially a pantheistic view of life, which sees all of Nature as sacred and as interconnected.We might often experience this belief in our bodies and hearts rather than simply in our minds. We find ourselves feeling increasingly at home in the world – and when we walk out on to the land and look up at the moon or stars, or smell the coming rain on the wind we feel in the fabric of our beings that we are a part of the family of life, that we are ‘home’, and that we are not alone.
The consequences of this feeling and belief are profound. Apart from this trusting posture towards life bringing benefits in psychological and physical health, there are benefits to society too. Abuse and exploitation comes from the illusion of separateness. once you believe that you are part of the family of life, and that all things are connected, the values of love, and reverence for life naturally follow,And yet this does negate self defence or defence of others or your nation!
The Law of the Harvest
Related to the idea that we are all connected in one great web of life is the belief held by most Druids that whatever we do in the world creates an effect which will ultimately also affect us. A similar idea is found in many different traditions and cultures: folk wisdom in Britain says that ‘what goes around comes around’ and in ancient Egypt, the idea attributed to Jesus when he said ‘As ye sow, so shall ye reap,’ was spoken by the god Thoth several thousand years earlier in the Egyptian Book of the Dead, when he said ‘Truth is the harvest scythe. What is sown – love or anger or bitterness – that shall be your bread. The corn is no better than its seed, then let what you plant be good.’
The two beliefs – that all is connected and that we will harvest the consequences of our actions – come naturally to the worshippers of Inanna because they represent ideas that evolve out of an observation of the natural world. Just as the feeling of our being part of the great web of life can come to us as we gaze in awe at the beauty of nature, so the awareness that we will reap the consequences of our actions also comes to us as we observe the processes of sowing and harvesting.
SUMERIAN MORALITY
Most religions have a moral code. A system that tells what things the gods do not want you to do and what the gods want you to do instead. Some religions have extremely strict codes of ethics and others have rather vague ones.
The ancient Sumerians had an advanced system of laws that blurred the difference between what the gods wanted and what was required to keep the civilization running. This shouldn't be surprising as the Sumerian gods want civilization to keep running. It does however make modern morality a little confusing.
Sumerian Concept of Sin
The Sumerians didn't have the same idea of universal sin that is common in modern Christian communities. There were no ten commandments, and there was no original sin. There was sin however. Sin in ancient sumer is an act that offends ones personal gods. One could also offend the gods in general by upsetting the established order of the universe.
In Christianity and Judaism, when one breaks the ten commandments they have transgressed against a contract. In Judaism this transgression was a bad mark against the whole community, while Christians considered sin to be a personal transgression.
Abraham of the bible was a Semite who worshiped the Akkadian and Sumerian gods. It is not surprising therefore that the ten commandments were a contract between him and his personal god El. It was written in the standard two tablet format with all content copied equally on each tablet. In their original form they are a valuable look into the moral values of the people.
The Sumerians also looked at law as something handed over to man by the sun god Utu. Civilization was highly important to the Sumerians and was a part of the personal connection that brought them closer to their gods. The rules of society were therefore an integral piece of their moral beliefs. Breaking the law was not a sin however. It was simply another way that one could upset the order of the universe, and it came with it's own punishments.
Sumerian Moral Guidelines
1) Servitude: The gods created man to do tasks for them. This means we are the slaves, or servants, of the gods. From the point of view of the gods this is the defining reason that we were created. To these ends we need to work hard in this life to better ourselves and the world around us. Part of this servitude is tribute to one's gods. The gods cherish a good servant the same way that you or I would so hard work is rewarded in this life and the after life.
The gods do not require us. If all of the civilizations of the world were to fall and nobody were left to give service to the gods, then the gods would be forced to do the work themselves. They appreciate the work that we do, but we cannot hold this over their heads. We simply do not have the reach to hold such things over the heads of the gods.
2) Hospitality: The exact specifics of hospitality are not set in stone, however the basics are clear. Anyone that is a brother or sister to you in the spiritual sense may ask help of you in a time of need. It is the mark of a morally good man to grant hospitality if possible. A host must make every attempt to make their guest comfortable for the duration of their welcome.
It is the duty of the guest not to ask too much of the host. Hospitality goes both ways. Just as one person needs to be a good host, the other person needs to be a good guest. The gods and demons themselves observe the laws of hospitality, and are punished for breaking its rules.
In ancient times if one granted hospitality it included a foot bath, and the offer of a meal in addition to a place to stay for a time, and protection from any threats from the outside. Hospitality was often granted for a limited period of time, and also commonly included the exchange of minor gifts.
3) Death: Death is inescapable it should be prepared for rather than ignored. In life a Sumerian must prepare the things that they are to have in the afterlife, they must prepare to give offerings to their gods, and they must prepare themselves mentally. This doesn't mean that fate can't be avoided for a time, simply that it will eventually come to us all. The struggle for life is a noble task, but reality of deaths eventual hold must always be remembered.
If one does not prepare for death, they will arrive in the afterlife caught short. They will not be able to pay the gate keepers to allow them access to the rest of the underworld. They will be unable to give offerings directly to the gods. They will have none to tend to their needs. In essence they will live as the poorest of the poor in the outskirts of the underworld.
The dead must be buried with their burial offerings promptly after death, and whenever possible offerings must be made for them. Traditionally this would include drinkable water and the occasional votive servant or other small statue. These offerings were made at or near the grave as the grave was a spiritual gate to the land of the dead.
The dead must never be cremated or left out to rot as this bars the dead from the underworld. The Sumerians called ghosts, those whose homes are the ruins. This was probably because a ruined city has none to bury the dead and allow them access to the afterlife.
4) Law: Utu handed down law to mankind. This was one of the things that made Sumerians civilized. And to the Sumerians if you were not civilized, then you weren't human. Man has been attempting to adapt these laws ever since. Even the ten commandments was copied off of pieces of the code of Hammurabi.
The gods judge us on our actions rather than our thoughts, so correct action is more important than correct thought. To think about breaking the law is not the same as actually breaking the law.
It is important to work within the system to effect changes in the world around you. Occasionally this is imposable, but order is the ideal that must be striven for.
5) Destiny: The seven great gods decree fate. As a group they judge the outcome of every event, but even so this is not a license to do whatever you wish with the excuse that it is preordained that you are to do this. Each of the seven gods works to change your destiny one way or another, and you must work to both convince them and alter your own fate.
Your destiny is wrapped up in your potential. If you have great potential, then you must look to see where you are in the order of the universe and find the place where you can do your best. Simply because a great destiny has been decreed for you does not mean that you will not have to get up and go to it. In the same way, simply because a terrible destiny has been decreed for you does not mean that you should not work to avoid it.
Some of the gods may wish to give hints as to what the future might hold. Utu has been known to give hints in the form of prophecies for example. Other gods wish to make requests upon your behavior. Listen to their advice, and earn their favor.
6) Order: Enlil decreed that the order of the universe should be set. The clever god Enki created the divine "Me", or order of the universe. These "Me", pronounced may, are both the rules of the universe and the power over the universe. Understanding a thing gives one a measure of power over that thing.
The gods have decreed a proper place and a destiny for everyone. If you seek that place then you will maintain the decreed order of the universe, and the world around you will work smoothly.
Order is not the same as balance, but the concept is similar. One must seek to find equilibrium with the world around them rather than stagnation. When one upsets the order of the universe one invites strife into their life and must ask the forgiveness of the gods. The gods determined the order of the universe and they will punish those who disrupt it.
There is more to the order of the universe than simply not rocking the cosmic boat though. The order of the universe reflects itself in both the physical and the spiritual universe. One image reflects onto the other.
7) Loyalty: The Sumerians worshiped their own gods and not those of other nations. Occasionally the gods of other nations would be adopted, but they were not worshiped until that point. Gods of other nations may be recognized, and their spirits may do tasks for the gods of the Sumerian pantheon, but Sumerians must not worship them.
Forgiveness and Favor
Eventually everyone is going to offend the gods in some way or other. What pleases one god might be offensive to another. If nothing else, there is always the risk of misinterpreting the will of the gods. Each offense is not considered unforgivable.
If one offends one of the gods or even their own personal god, then there were several things that one could do in order to regain the favor of that god. These include asking for forgiveness, making right what was done, and making an offering to the gods.
At times one can loose favor of a god simply by being part of a community that has offended the gods. Entire cities could offend the gods with their behavior. Obviously one could always distance ones self from the community, but community was extremely important to the ancient Sumerians, so this was obviously to be avoided.
In these instances it was all the more important to be on good terms with ones personal god. If one was on good terms with their personal god, then that god might intercede between them and the other gods. The gods are not unfeeling, and they will hear the pleas of the other gods or those who serve them.
One doesn't need to have done something to offend the gods to seek their favor. Humans have sought the favor of the gods to help them in their personal goals since the beginning of recorded history. As ancient Sumer was present at the beginning of recorded history, we have many examples of humans acting to gain the favor of the gods in their endeavors.
1) Atonement: The first thing that should be tried whenever the gods have been offended is atonement. If you know that you have done something wrong, then putting things right is the most obvious way to return to the good graces of the gods.
Not only does this simple act bring the favor of the gods, but it also corrects any disturbance to the proper order of the universe. Even if the gods still hold a grudge for past actions it is a good first step. Not to mention the fact that maintaining the proper order of the universe is simply the right thing to do.
2) Scapegoats and the substitute king: There were instances when a community has offended the gods. This might be the fault of the king, spiritual leader or the community. It might even be the fault of some outside agency.
The community might not even know what it is that they have dine, but for whatever reason they want to return to the good graces of the gods. Thankfully the Sumerian gods respect the significance of symbolism. This means that there are some symbolic means that the community can use in order to regain the favor of the gods.
If a community has a curse upon them, then this curse can be taken away from the community by means of a scape goat. A scape goat is a literal goat that has had a communities curse transfered onto it. The curse is taken away from the community when the goat is driven out into the wilderness. If the gods find this vessel acceptable, then they will allow the curse to befall the sacrificial goat rather than the community.
For the modern man a goat may not be available. This does not mean that the scape goat method can't be used. A curse can be transfered to any suitable substitute.
There are some crimes so terrible that only the death penalty can atone for. This sacrifice of a human in the name of justice was not commonly done, but it had been known to happen on extremely rare occasions. There are even instances in myth where a god has been sacrificed for the greater good of the gods.
If a king were to have done something so terrible that he thought that he needed to make the ultimate sacrifice, it was his right to do so. This suicide could take away not only his own problems, but the problems of the entire community. It was not a selfish act, and the ancient Sumerians did not look down upon it.
There were times however when the king was needed to lead his people more than his sacrifice was needed to save it. For times like this there was a special office called the substitute king. This person served as a stand in for the king on many occasions in life, he would be a friend and a companion. On rare occasions the king may decide that they have made a mistake so bad that his substitute king could take the place of the king in even in death.
In modern times, taking of a persons life for religious reasons is not only frowned upon, it's illegal. In this circumstance it is not hard to let religion conform to modern society. Law and religion are supposed to be separate in many western countries, and the Sumerian religion is not the official religion in any modern country. This means that the substitute king is not a viable option for any worshipper of Inanna or any of the Sumerian deities. On the other hand the office of substitute king usually does not involve death, and so might still have value.
3) Sacrifice: The word "sacrifice" is almost a swear word among modern pagans, as it requires that one give up something that they value. Some call it wasteful since the gods don't actually need what we could give them. Some are ashamed to admit that the gods are greater than us, or that they deserve to be given offerings. Others are frightened by the simple fact that in ancient times it was not uncommon to sacrifice something living to the gods.
The truth is that sacrifice is a part of every religion and it is most definitely a traditional part of Sumerian religion. Sacrifice requires that one give up to the gods something that is both valuable to them and valuable to the gods.
Traditionally sacrifices are burned on an altar. Gibil, god of fire and messenger to the gods, would carry the offering up to heaven and give its essence over to the gods. This offering could be fish, it could be a goat, it could be clothing, it could be anything that the gods might find valuable.
In ancient times human sacrifice did happen, but there is little evidence that humans were commonly offered up to the gods. There were also instances of blood sacrifice to some gods such as Nergal, but again it is unclear how many of the gods wanted a sacrifice of ones own blood.
4) Offering: There is an important difference between an offering and a sacrifice in the Sumerian religion. An offering is a gift of ones best that is shared with the gods. Offerings are given over to the gods in spirit and actually holds even more value to the worshiper who holds them.
Traditional offerings include beer, fish, bread, clothing, and jewelry. Anything that the ancient Sumerians cherished could be given over as a traditional offering. Modern Sumerian Reconstructionists aren't limited to the traditional offerings, but giving something relatively close is always preferred as it is reminiscent of the ancient people that the gods once loved, and the modern worshiper respects.
If a lamb, for example, were to be given over to the temple, then its life might be sacrificed to the gods, but then the meat and wool could be used by the temple and worshipers.
Not every worshipper of the Gods has the luxury of being part of a temple. One of the beautiful things about the Sumerian religion though is that it is perfectly suited to the solitary worshiper. Even the common practitioner can have an idol of their personal god to give an offering to.
It is not hard to dedicate a mouth watering meal to the gods in prayer before eating it. In a ritual a favored beer could be dedicated to a persons personal god, and then after the ritual is over the beer would then be enjoyed.
5) Plea and bribe: From time to time an unfavorable destiny will be decreed for a worshiper. The worshiper may not have done anything wrong. Bad things happen to even the best worshiper simply because that is the way that the proper order of the universe. It is also not too late to change it.
Sometimes it only takes a heart felt request for assistance to sway the will of the gods. This is true even if one's personal god isn't directly involved in determining fate. Even if a person's personal god is merely the god of tin, that god can act as an intermediary between the worshiper and the seven who decree fate bringing the pleas of the worshiper to the gods.
However there is a difference between a plea for help and a constant request for favors. The gods want the best for their servants, but at the same time the order of the universe places the gods above man kind. The gods greatly resent being treated as our servants.
If you know that your request is somewhat frivolous, it might be a good idea to make an offer to the gods. This practice was one of those that was retained by the ancient Israelites, biblical descendants of the Sumerians.
The Order of the Universe
What is this Order? The Order of the Universe is a set of laws that govern aspects of civilization. Each of these laws governs the nature of one thing within civilization. Some of the laws govern things like fishing, brewing, and textiles. Other laws govern how gods organize themselves, and what demons are and are not allowed to do. Yet other laws govern man such as our own legal system and the hospitality laws.
What makes the Order unique is that it is a set of laws that even the gods must obey. Because of this Order the gods do not come into direct conflict with one another. This also allows some dangerous wild demons to serve a purpose even if sometimes that purpose is destructive.
In the Sumerian language the word for god is Dingir. This can be defined as one who has power within the order of the universe. In other words a powerful being who does not have authority within the Order is not a god. The reverse is also true, even a ghost, if given power within the Order, can be a powerful Dingir god.
In other pantheons gods are defined differently. This definition only applies to Sumerian gods. By this definition no gods from other pantheons fit the definition of a god. As such it does not serve the order to worship them.
If you think about it the Order, if taken to it's logical conclusion would cover the earth. There would be cities dotting the entire planet. Complex roads would interconnect these cities. Information would be everywhere for each person to grab with little effort.
Agriculture would develop to a point where farms could banish starvation across the globe. The types of food would be wide and varied for more than just the select few. Unsustainable forms of agriculture such as slash and burn farming would be replaced with more efficient forms of farming through education and technology.
Labor would be divided up wisely so that those with skill would be free to do the most good. This would spread luxuries like perfumes and fine garments across the population. There would still be inequity, but even the poor would have more than the basics of food and shelter.
The wilderness would even come under the rule of the order. Parks would be protected for the enjoyment of those who choose to visit them. Preserves would sustain the delicate ecologies of the world. Hunters and fishermen would be active in the protection and maintenance of the wild so that it could be there for future generations. Lumberjacks would replenish what they draw from the forests.
Technology would slowly advance.
Civilization would develop to new heights.
The order would go on growing steadily.
As you might be able to tell the gods have been busy. We are not there yet, and we may never quite get there, we are much further along than we ever were in the past and we show no signs of slipping. Even in times of disarray the order advances.
The gods do not simply strike a blow against chaos. They dismiss it as an unworthy adversary. This isn't a struggle where order battles chaos and chaos battles order. In the Sumerian Order of the Universe chaos is simply steadily displaced and order takes its place.
The laws of the Order change over time. This is not because the gods were short sighted, but because of the nature of the Order itself. The Order of the Universe governs civilization, and civilization changes over time. The order comes to encompass more and more things because civilization becomes more complex and more vast over time.