dreams on film
The Ascent
A Visual Story
Conceived & Performed by Karina Pinzón
Photographed by Philip Weller
“From the Great Above the goddess opened her ear to the Great Below…
My Lady abandoned heaven and earth to descend to the underworld…”
On our journey to psychospiritual wholeness, our descent into the underworld is a necessary rite of passage — and one that we repeat throughout our lives. Cyclically, we face the parts of ourselves that have been rejected and abandoned, acknowledging our pain and nursing ourselves through the sorrows of shame and rejection. When we strip ourselves naked, relinquishing our adornments and amulets of protection, we awaken to the deep reservoirs of our power, which often lie dormant within our long-suppressed dreams and desires. We recall our instinctive knowing of death and rebirth. We remember that we are destruction and creation all at once. Yet as important as it is for us to descend and to honor the rituals of death, we must also beware not to remain stuck, our corpse left to rot in the underworld. When we integrate our shadow, do we not emerge from darkness? When we empathize with our suffering, do we not remember we are worthy of the crown?
The ancient myth of Ishtar (Inanna in Sumerian sources, associated with the planet Venus) teaches us that YES, the miracle of The Ascent is what follows the integration of our discarded selves. When we can honor every aspect of ourselves as holy, we too arise as both the Queen of the Great Above, and the Queen of the Great Below.
“I am holy when I am naked, and I am holy when I am clothed.
I am holy when I am intoxicated, and I am holy when I am sober.
I am holy when I indulge, and I am holy when I abstain.
I am holy when I am fierce, and I am holy when I am calm.
I am holy when I am desired, and I am holy when I am rejected.
I am holy when others see me, and I am holy when they do not.”
~ Karina Pinzón
~ fin ~
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