Welcome back to Everyday Tarot! Season 16 is devoted to queer deities, and today, we turn to Ishtar—Babylonian goddess of love, war, and desire, the Queen of Heaven, the Holy Whore.
What we explore in this episode:
The myth of Ishtar
Ishtar as a queer deity
Tarot cards resonant with Ishtar: The High Priestess, The Star
The Myth of IshtarIshtar—also known as Inanna or Astarte—was worshiped as the Queen of Heaven, ruler of fertility, desire, and the cycles of life and death. She appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh as a radiant goddess of both love and warfare, capable of granting abundance or unleashing chaos.
In one of her most famous myths, Ishtar descends into the Underworld to rescue her lover Tammuz. Her absence halts all fertility on earth until her return—symbolizing death, renewal, and the turning of seasons. She is at once celestial and chthonic, embodying the paradox that creation and destruction are twin flames of the same divine force.
Ishtar as a Queer Deity
Ishtar collapses every boundary: between male and female, sacred and profane, mortal and divine. Her temples honored gala and kurgarru—queer, trans, and intersex priests who embodied her power to blur and transcend gender. Ancient hymns describe her as one who “turns a man into a woman and a woman into a man,” sanctifying transition itself as holy. Depicted with wings, a lion, and sometimes even a beard, Ishtar personifies sovereignty through multiplicity. She blesses sex workers, warriors, and mystics alike—those who live beyond societal constraints.
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💭 Today's Tarot Pull:
From Norse Goddess Rune Oracle by Rebecca Joy Stark and illustrated by Sharon McLeod, I pulled the Seed of Life Fertility, Creation, New Beginnings
This rune speaks of growth born in darkness. Like Ishtar’s descent, it reminds us that the void is not emptiness but potential—the womb of transformation. Tend your seeds with patience; what you plant in shadow will soon seek the light.
Reflective prompts on this card:
What creative seed is quietly germinating within me?
Where can I surrender control and allow transformation to unfold?
How do I honor both destruction and creation as sacred parts of my path?
Ways to Connect & Support
