Descent & Rising

Women’s Stories & The Embodiment of The Inanna Myth

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Descent & Rising

When our lives fall apart we often feel broken, ashamed and deeply alone. But what if you knew, as you experienced this descent, that it was mapped out in a myth thousands of years old? What if, despite the uniqueness of your own life and experiences, each stage of the process was universal? The journey of descent and rising is the core initiation of the feminine – the heroine’s journey – one travelled by billions of women before you.
Descent & Rising explores real stories of women’s descents into the underworld of the psyche – journeys of dissolution, grief and breakdown precipitated by trauma, fertility issues, loss of loved ones, mental health struggles, FGM, sexual abuse, birthing experiences, illness, war, burnout…

This is territory that Carly Mountain, psychotherapist and women’s initiatory guide, knows intimately, and guides us through with exquisite care and insight, using the ancient Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna as a blueprint. She maps not only the descent but the rising, and familiarises us with a process of female psycho-spiritual growth overlooked in patriarchal culture.

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About the Author

Carly Mountain

Carly Mountain is a psychotherapist, a psychosexual somatic therapist, yoga teacher, breathworker and writer. For the last twenty years she has worked with sacred embodied practices. Carly stumbled across the Inanna story during her own descent to the underworld and was astonished by the symmetry it held with her own lived experience. Since then she has devoted to working with the myth and specialises in beholding others as they traverse the depths of initiation; both in therapy, breathwork and within courses that support women’s awakening and unfolding.

In 2019 Carly self-published her first poetry pamphlet Jouissance: Poetry of the Deep Feminine. Descent & Rising: Women’s Stories and the Embodiment of the Inanna Myth is Carly’s debut non-fiction book. She lives in Sheffield, England with her husband and two daughters.

More About Carly

Praise for Descent & Rising…

In this beautifully articulated offering, Carly Mountain takes her place in the lineage of writers honouring the profound significance of the journey of descent as a path of initiation for women. Skillfully and fluidly linking the ancient myth of Inanna with current social, political, ecological and health crises, she includes contemporary women’s stories that illustrate an embodied feminine path of healing and awakening to deeper truth and authentic life.

Empowerment through encounter with our deepest wounds and connection to the deep feminine within is an essential task for our troubled times, as we transition towards a re-balancing of feminine and masculine energies in the world. This book serves as an inspiring and timely reminder and a support for all those who find themselves on this path.

Linda Hartley, author of Servants of the Sacred Dream, founder of the Institute for Integrative Bodywork & Movement Therapy, and teacher of the Discipline of Authentic Movement

Carly Mountain skilfully guides us on a descent into the wild territory of a woman’s psyche and soul. Weaving together the story of the Sumerian goddess Inanna with the author’s personal story and those of other women, she maps a distinctly feminine heroic journey – one that honors our depths and brings us to wholeness.

Mary Reynolds Thompson, author of Reclaiming the Wild Soul and A Wild Soul Woman

Descent & Rising offers Inanna’s ancient mythology as a captivating foundation for healing and ascension. Carly Mountain’s compassionate shares from women around the world are brilliantly woven. Some of us need a merciful nudge to move through the despair that accompanies descent. These stories of women who have resurrected themselves will inspire many women to rise.

Trista Hendren, Creatrix of Girl God Books

In Descent and Rising, Carly Mountain offers us a powerful, in-depth exploration of one of the most important Goddess myths of all time. While more than 4,000 years old, the myth of the Goddess Inanna’s descent is startling relevant to our current times, and Mountain breathes new life into our understanding of it, seamlessly weaving together historical facts, critical analysis, and many personal stories drawn from her own life and the lives of other women who have navigated their own descent. A must-read and a sacred companion for any brave woman wishing to dive into the holy darkness of her own self.

Liz Childs Kelly, host of Home to Her podcast, and author of Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine

Together we can honour our descents and dare to RISE

Stay Connected

Carly sends out a newsletter once a month with all new info on courses and events interwoven with poetry.