Ishtar: Goddess of Love & War Rituals for Desire, Protection, Prophecy & Victory (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9789801897880)

A historically grounded guide to Ishtar that turns the goddess of love and war into a disciplined practice of desire, protection, prophecy, and victory.

Beginning with the historical Ishtar, Victor Althar traces her development from the Sumerian Inanna through Akkadian, Babylonian, and Assyrian traditions. The book explores her many faces in Uruk, Nineveh, Arbela, and Babylon, alongside her associations with Venus, the eight-pointed star, the lion, royal authority, passion, warfare, and prophecy. Throughout, it carefully distinguishes historical evidence, symbolic interpretation, and modern practice.

The historical foundation becomes an operational system for personal sovereignty. Readers work with the Venusian Diary, Morning and Evening Venus practices, the Tablet of Desire, ritual adornment, the Battle Map, protective boundaries, the Victory Cup, disciplined speech, offerings, and a personal covenant. These practices confront a central question running through the book: what are you prepared to desire, protect, confront, maintain, and govern?

Rather than presenting ritual as escape or passive wish-making, ISHTAR connects spiritual practice with clarity, responsibility, discernment, boundaries, and deliberate action. It is written for readers interested in ancient Mesopotamian religion, goddess spirituality, ritual practice, Venus symbolism, and the disciplined cultivation of personal authority.