Praise to Ishtar

Friday Worship

Welcome to Friday Worship.

The Nature of Ishtar remains the same wherever she may be, but her name changes according to culture. Here for Friday Worship is a modern and very beautiful Thelemite hymn by the little-known and underrated poet, "Simon Moon".

A Few of the Things I Know About Her

I know that She forever grows more lovable as I understand Her better; and that She forever grows more understandable as I love Her better.

I know that She is incarnate, a living presence, Anna Livia Plurabella, in every living creature of us, including the people I can't stand - which shows Her incredible humility and Her fantastic sense of humor.

I know that She has time and time again ravished me entirely with Her beauty, so She is the supreme artist; and I know that She forever transcends my understanding, so She is the supreme intelligence; but She is more than beauty and intelligence.

I know that She inspires the Bard who sings to me, and that he is Her priest; and that I am only the local transmitter through which he broadcasts his eternal adoration for Her.

And I know that I adore Her, my Babalon! I adore Her, my dark-eyed Nu!

And I know that it is the supreme glory of my life that She has manifested Herself to me, sometimes for hours on end, once even for two weeks; but She has manifested Herself most truly in those brief moments when I have been annihilated entirely in Her.

I know that I can love Her best through one woman; but this is my nature, as a Capricorn, and there are other paths for other lovers of Her.

I know that, although She seems fickle and arbitrary at times, She is only so in my narrow egotistic view of things at the moment; and that I have understood Her, and love Her, best in those moments when I accepted Her total perfection without question.

I know that She is my complement, my other Self; and that She is all the fiery intoxication that draws me out of my narrow self into eternal striving toward Her perfection.

And I know that I adore Her, my Babalon! I adore Her, my lion-loined Nu!

I know that I only know a few things about Her now, but I am lucky beyond belief, for once I knew nothing about Her.

I know that She loves me with as fierce a passion as I love Her; but She is promiscuous and loves all Her lovers that way.

I know that She is in the stars and between them; and in every sentient mind.

I know that all Her lovers go mad, by the judgement of this world; but this is false, for it is the world that is mad, and deranged, and besotted in grief - because it does not know Her.

And I know that I adore Her, my Babalon! I adore Her, my mother Nu!

I know that She is beyond metaphor, beyond speech, beyond thought; but She is radiantly sane and simple in Her heart.

I know that She is happiest of all, because She loves All; and She is wisest, because She is drunken in Her ecstasy of creation.

I know that She is in the dance, because She is dance; but She is in the movements of the stars and in the astronomer's equations, for She is the Mother, not the Daughter of Order.

I know that She is feared and comes as the nightmare into the minds of those who are without love; but She is forever gracious to those who sing to Her, and cry out to Her, and moan to Her, and repeat endlessly in their hearts:

I know that I adore Her, my Babalon! I adore Her, my soft-fleshed Nu!

I know that even though my heart may sing with the ecstasy of Her, and my brain whirl with the mystery of Her, one part of me will live in misery forever, until I am entirely lost in Her.

I know that even though my heart may sink with despair, and my brain stop with confusion, one part of me will be joyfully understanding forever, because I am not truly separate from Her.

I know that She is beyond intelligence, beyond emotion, beyond intuition; I know that She is drawing me beyond intelligence, beyond emotion, beyond intuition.

I know that I am enslaved and entraptured and destroyed by Her again and again and again until my words die in my throat and I can only moan as I try to repeat:

I adore Her my Babalon! I adore Her, my hot-tongued Nu!

The pictures for today's Friday Worship were suggested by our friend, Seán. Should you wish to suggest a prayer or a particular sexual theme for the pictorial element of Friday worship, please ask.

We exist to serve love as we exist to serve Ishtar.

Praise to Ishtar

Praise to Ishtar

Friday Worship

Welcome to our Friday Worship

Since Ishtar takes Her greatest joy in the sexual pleasures of her worshippers, and since there are so many varieties of consensual sexual pleasure, we are considering posting future pictures of worshippers according to a varying theme. This theme might be cunnilingus, male masturbation or vanilla sex, for instance.
If you would like a particular prayer or theme for the pictorial element of Friday Worship, please ask. As Ishtar serves love and we serve Ishtar, we serve love.

Meanwhile please enjoy Friday Worship.

The people of Sumer parade before you.
They play in the street ala-drums before you.
The people of Sumer parade before you.

I say, " Hail !" to Inanna, Great Lady of Heaven!

They beat the holy drum and timpani before you.

The people of Sumer parade before you.

I say, " Hail !" to Inanna, Great Lady of Heaven!

They play the holy harp and timpani before you.

The people of Sumer parade before you.

I say, " Hail !" to Inanna, Great Lady of Heaven!

The male prostitutes comb their hair before you.

They decorate the napes of their necks with colored scarves,

They drape the cloak of the gods about their shoulders.

The righteous man and woman walk before you.

They hold the soothing harp by their sides.

Those who follow wear the sword belt.

They grasp the spear in their hands.

The people of Sumer parade before you.

The women adorn their right side with men's clothing.

The people of Sumer parade before you.

I say, " Hail !" to Inanna, Great Lady of Heaven!

The men adorn their left side with women's clothing.

The people of Sumer parade before you.

I say, " Hail !" to Inanna, First Daughter of the Moon!

The young men, who carry hoops, sing to you.

The maidens and coiffured priestesses walk before you,

They carry the sword and double-edged ax.

The ascending kurgarra priests raise their swords before you.

The priest, who covers his sword with blood, sprinkles blood,

He sprinkles blood over the throne of the court chamber.

The tigi-drum, the sem-drum, and the ala-tambourine resound !

In the heavens the Holy One appears alone.

My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.

She looks in sweet wonder on all the lands

And on the people of Sumer as numerous as sheep.

Praise to Ishtar

Praise to Ishtar

Friday Worship

Friday is the day sacred to Ishtar and thus to her we offer worship in the form of a traditional prayer and pictures loving people indulging in her rites.

Praise to Ishtar!

The Lady of the Evening

At the end of the day, the Radiant Star, the Great Light that fills the sky,

The Lady of the Evening appears in the heavens.

The people in all the lands lift their eyes to her.

The men purify themselves; the women cleanse themselves.

The ox in his yoke lows to her.

The sheep stir up the dust in their fold.

All the living creatures of the steppe,

The four-footed creatures of the high steppe,

The lush gardens and orchards, the green reeds and trees,

The fish of the deep and the birds in the heavens -

My Lady makes them all hurry to their sleeping places.

The living creatures and the numerous people of Sumer kneel before her,

Those chosen by the old women prepare great platters of food and drink for her.

The Lady refreshes herself in the land.

There is great joy in Sumer.

The young man makes love with his beloved.

My Lady looks in sweet wonder from heaven.

The people of Sumer parade before the holy Inanna.

Inanna, the Lady of the Evening, is radiant.

I sing your praises, holy Inanna.

The Lady of the Evening is radiant on the horizon.

With love from:
The Temple of Ishtar

Praise to Ishtar

Praise to Ishtar