It's time for a little change!

After writing for Substack for more than a year, my inner wisdom has guided me to change things up a bit.

The Mosaic Platypus is now Inanna’s Journal.

Who is Innana?

The Mesopotamian (aka Sumerian) goddess, Inanna, represents a lot of things -love, agriculture, war, political power and more. My focus is on her journey to visit her older sister Erishkigal, the guardian of the Underworld.

On her adventure, Inanna is required to remove one of her possessions as she passes through each of the Seven Gates of Hell – shoes, crown, robe, necklace, etc. Naked as the day she was born, Inanna finally reaches the throne of Erishkigal and here’s where it gets a little brutal, as mythology is wont to do. Angry at what she perceives is her sister’s abandonment, Erishkigal kills her sister and hangs her on a meat hook.

Stay with me.

With the help of Inanna’s shady consort, a deal is eventually struck for Innana to be reborn and Erishkigal to spend part of her life above ground, which is what she wanted all along, and as Inanna ascends back to Earth, each of her seven possessions is returned. But they now hold completely different meaning.

In Inanna’s story, the descent to the darkness represents confronting our shadows and demons, the ego, and all the pieces of us that have dictated what is necessary to be happy.

The ascent is a transformation. The result? A better understanding of how to dance with those shadows and demons, how to better manage the ego, and the discovery of ways to exist in this world without being attached.

In my experience, this journey doesn’t happen just once. We all have myriad patterns and beliefs that we can undo if we choose.

Are you writing about mythology now?

Nope.

Not a whole lot will change in terms of the content. I’ve really been writing about the metaphor of Inanna’s journey all along. So many of my past essays have a foundation of “if we’re to know who we truly are, we must be willing to let go of what we’re not”.

Now, I’ll just be a little more aware of it.

I’ll continue to write about the interesting characters, amazing people, and incredible teachers I’ve met (and continue to meet) along the way. I’ll still be sharing stories and experiences that are hilarious, devastating, raw and inspiring. I’ll even record voiceovers for a lot of them so you can listen if you don’t want to read. And because I talk to myself regularly about my own lessons and changes, I’ll continue to record Conversations with Myself, super short podcast-lettes under three minutes.

Do I have to pay now?

That’s not changing either.

The capitalistic strategy of subscription levels - you can see “this” if you pay to subscribe, otherwise you only can read “that” feels icky to me. I want to share my stories in the most inclusive way, so all of what I write - along with the podcast-lette - is available to everyone regardless of whether or not you pay.

I would appreciate the support if you feel so led and there are ways. You can purchase a paid subscription to Inanna’s Journal for only $5/month, make a contribution through Buy Me A Coffee or get yourself a copy of The Ten-Minute Self-Care Journal.

Now what?

You don’t need to do anything! I hope if it feels right, you’ll stick around for this piece of the journey. And I’m always interested to hear what you have to say and what your experiences are on this journey. Leave a comment or send me an email at staci@stacib.com.

Here’s to all of us finding ways to live our destiny, not our fate!