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R-F/C's PodcastThe Fabric and Crowns Collection: Part ThreePlease subscribe, like, and share! In Part Three of the Fabric and Crowns Collection, we are reflecting on parts one and two of the collection with Mugisha Ali Allan, Yoga Teacher and TAI Lead Curator, and Kristina Koutsoudas, choreographer, performer, scholar, author and storyteller. We're getting deeper into braiding, yoga, textiles, and the role of art in our healing, spiritual, and activist journeys. We’d like to remind our listeners that this podcast is funded by the two of us and your donations! Please help us keep our podcast going by making a donation through our...2025-06-1459 min
Inara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsTales of the Great An Zu
Three creation tales from the canon of An Zu legends: the love story
of creation of the First An Zu and the unfurling of the Tree of
Souls, the birth of the Second An Zu, and the Magnificent Ones.
Stories as told by Ki, the last surviving An Zu of the Great Wars.
More to come! Based on traditional character of the An Zu from
Mesopotamian mythology(with great artistic liberty). “An Zu.”
from Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the
Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford University Press, 1989.
from 205-227.
Sponsored in part through a grant from the...2023-12-1606 min
Inara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsThe Serpent & the Cosmic Egg: A Creation StoryThis story is inspired by Orphic tales of creation and the ancient Greek creation story of Eurynome who danced and created/mated with the serpent Ophion. In this re-envisioned myth, the sacred creation story or origin story of the first Serpent comes from Night and Chaos itself. The story is said to be held by the serpents of Mesopotamia, such as Sakina, the guardian of the Tree of Immortality/Life and Sabr, the great serpent rescued from the Flood (found wound around the little hupullu saved by Inara (Inanna)) . See “Sakina Speaks of Gilgamesh: A Serpent’s Perspective,” Inara & the Hu...2023-11-0701 minInara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsLulu
Lulu is short for “hupullu” the ancient Sumerian word for a date palm tree. In the original myth, “The Hupullu Tree,” the little tree was found after the Flood and rescued by the goddess of love and death, Inanna, Queen of Heaven. She planted it in her garden and nurtured it. Later, Gilgamesh cuts the tree down to make weapons and a marriage bed. In this story, the tree survives both the Flood and Gilgamesh. Told from the perspective of the little, rescued tree, this story gives voice to her memories of the different stages of her life: from a dream...2023-11-0702 minInara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsKi SpeaksThis soliloquy is told from the perspective of the last surviving An Zu bird found by Inara (Inanna) in the little hupullu tree rescued from the great Flood (see Inara & the Hupullu Tree: A Retelling). In this poem, the An Zu is a giant Phoenix-like bird who has suffered greatly at the hands of the Sky Gods and wishes to correct their version of history and the demonic portrayal of his kind as seen in traditional Mesopotamian myth. (Stay tuned for more in “ An Account of An Zu history by Ki, the last surviving An Zu of the Great Wa...2023-11-0703 minInara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsLily Speaks of LillithOne creature living in the little sacred hupullu tree that was
saved by Inara (and Inanna/Ishtar), is a female tree spirit, Lillith,
or Lily. In this tale, Lily, the second Lillith, speaks her understanding of the her ancestor, the Biblical Lillith, and her true relationship with Adam. In this version, one can see how the traditional story, “The Hupullu Tree,” may very well have been Hebraic in origin ( i.e. in comparison to other Mesopotamian mythic characterizations of the goddess. See Inara & the Hupullu Tree: A Retelling for the full re-envisioned poetic myth. Full story coming soon!)
Ba...2023-11-0701 minInara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsThe Serpentess Speaks of Gilgamesh: A Serpent's PerspectiveThe traditional Mesopotamian myth “The Epic of Gilgamesh” relates a tale of how Gilagamesh, the well known hero of Mesopotamian myth has his journey’s goal, the herb of immortality, stolen from him by a serpent. The serpent rises up out of the waters of the Tigris-Eurphrates, swallows the herb from the hand of Gilgamesh and returns to the waters before he could blink. Effectively preventing the hero from restoring the life of his beloved and becoming immortal, the serpent is then demonized for its action. In this story however, the serpent herself speaks, sharing her version of events.
...2023-11-0701 minInara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsInara's Return: A PoemIn this clip, the traditional myth of Inanna’s descent to the
underworld is portrayed as a heroine’s journey rather than one of
battle and conquest. This work describes Inanna or Inara as having her journey led by the Spider Maiden’s or Grandmother Spider or Fate who weaves or weds Inara to the Tree of Souls to lead the heavens and earth into a new era. Inara is hung on the Tree of Souls, a.k.a. the Tree of Life, to die and be reborn, fully realized and empowered with a new vision for the Heavens and Ea...2023-11-0702 min
Inara & The Tree of Souls- An Anthology of Tales & PoemsInara & The Hupullu Tree: A RetellingIn this clip, the traditional Sumerian myth of “The Hupullu Tree” is retold to address the violence against the little date palm (hupullu) and the powerful, magical creatures it houses, as well as its savior, the great goddess, Inara (trad. Inanna or Ishtar). In this poetic rendering, the goddess does not run to
Gilgamesh for help (an action contrary to her character in other myths), but rather calls on her own gifts of insight and compassion to solve the crisis involving the tree and its residents. Based on “The Hupullu Tree” from Diane and Samuel Noah Kramer, Inanna: Queen of the H...2023-11-0702 min
DanceTalksKristina KoutsoudasKristina talks about Middle Eastern dance and culture. This conversation is a follow-up to a previous episode published May 16, 2020. Learn more at http://www.divinedances.com.2020-08-1700 minDanceTalksKristina KoutsoudasKristina talks about Middle Eastern dance and culture. Learn more at www.divinedances.com.2020-05-1700 min