One of the oldest extant Pagan myths is that of the Goddess Inanna’s descent into the Underworld, where She encounters Her sister, Ereshkigal. It has long been a favorite of many within the Pagan community as well as with practitioners of monotheistic Goddess religions. Powerful myths, and this is one, are more than entertaining stories, although the story of Inanna’s descent is certainly entertaining.

Myths also reach beyond themselves to illuminate timeless truths in human experience, and to teach the meaning in life. They call upon the viewer’s own spiritual and psychological capacities to app-rehend the meaning within, which is why myths have no single meaning and yet have more meaning than any straight forward account. Poetry is the modern world’s closest analogue to myth but in the final analysis modern poetry often focuses on the individual, especially the poet, whereas myth casts its net far more widely. That is why the greatest myths still can speak to us today. For discussions, see here, here and here.
Such is certainly demonstrated by the Independent Eye of Sebastopol, California. Written, directed and in part performed by Conrad Bishop and Elisabeth Fuller, with other talented people, the myth is recreated in a contemporary setting that melds easily into the timeless Sumerian story. Part of the account takes place in the travails of a New Jersey wedding photographer whose personal crisis has gotten away from her, and part occurs in the timeless realm of the Gods. Her redemption is intimately linked to that of Inanna, who also gets more that She bargained for in He5r descent.
Through their use of powerful masks and fine performers the audience is drawn into a timeless reality with multiple levels of understanding. When handled by writers and producers as gifted as Bishop and Fuller, the myth still speaks to us today.
If you have the opportunity as their performance travels about, be sure to see it!