In our fast-paced lives of instant gratification and same-day delivery and the perceived expectation that we answer that email the moment it hits our inbox, we can forget that spiritual work operates at a different pace. We have to prepare well for meaningful journeys. Inanna doesn’t book a direct flight to her destination, nor does she leave the house without all that is required of her.

For Inanna, the journey required her to be wrapped in garments and accoutrement. A crown, jewelry, a robe… all the things that might distinguish her as a goddess and queen. They weren’t just for show, and they didn’t guarantee special treatment. They were tools she needed to pass through the challenges along the way. Resources she had to use in order to achieve the deep connection she intended.

With all our consideration of what we might benefit from surrendering, it’s also wise for us to consider what garments we need to wrap ourselves in before we even set out for a journey of deeper connection with our inner wisdom, or the Divine, or the animate force that stirs the entire interconnected web of existence. None of these journeys can be undertaken without a little preparation. Maybe they become things we can engage in at the drop of a hat, but my sense is that this only becomes possible when we are habitually well-garbed. Habitually wrapped in all the spiritual accoutrement we need to undertake such a journey.

We are not goddess queens. (I know… speak for yourself, Randy! I receive that.) Even those of us who are goddess queens may need to consider what constitutes our spiritual crowns or robes or jewelry. Maybe it’s a meal with close friends. Or a congregational gathering. Maybe it’s a deep conversation about the capital campaign that renews our sense of belonging and hope. Or a daily practice of gratitude or prayer. Maybe it’s genuine vulnerability with a trusted covenant group. Or time spent listening to the world around us rather than a voice of doom talking at us through a speaker. Maybe it’s worship on Sunday morning. Maybe it’s authentic connection at coffee hour.

We need to wrap ourselves in the resources we need for our spiritual work. If we are to be intentional about spiritual development or growth, as individuals and as a community, we are wise to pay attention to the ways we can nourish ourselves for that work. Part of that means being mindful about how we show up. 

Are we fully present with people? Are we rooting ourselves in our values before we jump onto the Zoom meeting? Are we arriving with the intention of nourishing and being nourished? It’s a question we can ask ourselves even if it occurs to us in the middle of something… Are we taking this opportunity to wrap ourselves in the garments we need for the spiritual work before us? (That work, again, is bridging the gap between current reality and a vision of wholeness. We’ll talk more about that on Sunday.)

What about the rest of the gates Inanna has to pass through? Well, I’m concluding that you can do a little homework about what Inanna surrenders on the rest of the journey, and I think recent Bonus Tracks have given a few examples of how you might interpret those things in your own time of reflection. I trust that you can continue digging into Inanna’s tale as a resource if you like. 

As we approach the threshold of sabbatical time, though, my mind has turned to another story, or collection of stories: The Conference of the Birds by Farid al-Din Attar, a Persian poet and Sufi mystic. It’s not as ancient as Inanna’s story, but it might serve as a complementary guide for the congregation, where Inanna’s journey tends to feel a bit more personal and individual. We’ll explore The Conference of the Birds on December 28, and perhaps that too will be a garment we wrap ourselves in for the journey(s) ahead.

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