Queen Astaroth has been known by many names – ‘Astarte’ in Greece, ‘Ishtar’ in Babylon, and ‘Inanna’ in Sumeria.
She is the nurturing mother archetype of the Divine Feminine, who gives birth to sacred art, and inspires creativity.
She was my motivation behind starting this blog and writing about magick, so it’s fitting that the first post is about her.
The morning on which I went shopping to get a new pillar candle and some copper wire as offerings to Astaroth, I found a white feather on my front garden path. This also sits on my altar to her.
Working with Queen Astaroth
Astaroth can help you find direction and establish goals to work towards. If there’s something that you’re interested in, she’ll take that ball and run with it.
You will find yourself intently focused and engaged on that pursuit. You will wonder where all of this new energy came from
Be prepared to work hard. If you’re in a rut, she will light a fire under your ass to get out of it.
The correct name
Because Astaroth has been demonised, renamed, and even regendered by churchies since at least Solomon, I assumed at first that it was more respectful to address her as Inanna or Ishtar. She eventually told me, however, that there was no need for such political correctness.
People called her those names in the past when they had different cultural reasons for doing so. In this current epoch, humanity’s condition and needs have changed. Astaroth is the more readily-accessible egregore for modern times, and it’s more appropriate to use that name.
That said, she still loves the sound of ancient Sumerian hymns and, of course, her association with divine feminity. She also appreciates it when people make an effort to understand the story of her descent into the underworld as Ishtar.
Ritual to Queen Astaroth
Entities show up in different ways to different magicians, and so the symbolism, preferred offerings, and best times for contact vary also. Here are the correspondences for Astaroth that I use:
- Mantra: Tasa Alora Foren Astaroth
- Tarot card: The Empress
- Candle: Organic beeswax or black, annointed with either teatree or eucalyptus oil
- Incense: Red sandalwood
- Day: Tuesday or Friday
- Stone: Lapis lazuli
- Metal: Silver or copper
- Offerings: Chocolate, strawberries, cinnamon