Transformation of a Goddess: Lilitu, Lamashtu, and Lilith. By : Sarah Ballini

 Transformation of a Goddess: Lilitu, Lamashtu, and Lilith.

Introduction

This article stems from the desire to share the work that I have done on the deification masks relating to the demonic female such as Lamasthu, Ardat-Lilith and Lilith and the theoretical study that precedes the practical approach. In relation to Lamashtu the starting point was the grimoire "Sebitti" and "Maskim Hul" by Michael W. Ford, the original invocations in Akkadian language and the consultation of numerous academic texts.

The question that many of you might ask is ... why choose to relate to an archetype / entity like Lamashtu, deeply dark and destructive and possibly, how to do it without suffering the consequences?

I state that my interest in Lamasthu developed a few years after translating "Akhkharu: Vampire Magick", also by Michael W. Ford. In that period, I performed for about 28 days the ritual that you find in the text, "Magna Mater Daemonum" in conditions of extreme psycho-physical fatigue (I was on vacation, in the summer, and all this was compatible with my countless commitments). This work has helped to increase my interest in the practices related to vampirism and subsequently to all the figures relating to the demonic female such as those mentioned above and later also to Lamastu (Labartu). Working with Lamasthu was, in a sense, the natural continuation of a process that began in 2018. Getting to know vampirism changed my life for the better because it allowed me to accept my natural tendency to approach life and relationships and above all to learn to manage it and in this way to avoid that it could degenerate producing destructive effects on my life and above all on my interpersonal relationships and, in 2021, working with Lamashtu was the next step in discovering the feminine that is in me. The Luciferian aspects of this Goddess are innumerable (first of all, her expulsion from the Heavens, similar to that of Lucifer himself) and in some individuals she represents an atavistic force linked to the survival instinct, to the strategy to overcome obstacles and obtain results. inherent in the goals set for one's life such as power and domination. Lamashtu is a consumer of energy, with which I have not been long in identifying myself by accepting the very laws of nature of which we are part that inserts us into a continuous struggle for self-conservation, in competition with other individuals. I have constantly and consciously (and consensually) used the energy of others to achieve my goals according to my personal ethics, subjecting it to an alchemical process to purify it and make it useful for constructive purposes through astral projection, witchcraft, specific meditation techniques, etc ...

This process has led me to share, adhere and progressively develop a form of predatory spirituality in a continuous process of personal self-transformation of identifying my true self starting through a totally rational approach. My personal path has been and is characterized by necessary periods of introspection and isolation that are nothing more than the natural consequence of the development of my personality (and for this reason, probably, they were not characterized either by suffering classically understood, or by the sense of deprivation).

The vampire path therefore has all the intrinsic characteristics of the Luciferian path and allows to know in depth the power of WILL-DESIRE-BELIVE focus, understanding and application but, certainly, it is not suitable for any practitioner.

It is necessary to have an unshakable determination and an iron will that I could only recognize in me later, when I understood the reasons and dynamics that led me to develop them throughout my life. Despite the current mass trends, it is absolutely inadvisable to "play" with this type of archetype / entity because they can destroy you more or less quickly, devouring you quickly and pushing you towards self-destructive behaviors and psychological addictions.

The Jewish "Lilith" is actually the syncretization of other divinities and spirits belonging to the Akkadian culture such as: Lilitu, Ardat Lili, and Lamasthu.

We are preparing to examine the possible lineage and involution of a Goddess into an evil Demon.

Among the Sumerians and Akkadians, they commonly translate the term "demon" into "rabisu".

In its intrinsic nature in "rabisu" it is not a "good" or "bad" entity and, to determine its characteristics, it was customary to add an epithet.

I personally experienced a similar situation, evoking Lamashtu, that is, as a divinity present in the civilization of the ancient Sumerians. It was at night and the world was shrouded in darkness and I had decided to spend it in a hut. The wind shook the precarious walls, made up mostly of reeds, the hiss of the wind penetrated my ritual space, and it resembled the sound of a flute. What dangers could there be out there in the dark? What mythic figures would emerge from my consciousness and take shape? It is probable that in those primeval times, just as happened with the terrifying myths of the figures of the "Demons of the Storm", the Lilin, were born in this way.

In this way, I experienced the process by which those imaginative and luminous representations of the individual's impotence against the forces of nature, chaos and fear were born.

I lived them with the intention of winning them and in a sense, during that night I think I came close to this result. Having overcome the fear, a multitude of logical and rational thoughts and reflections but also a considerable amount of completely new emotions began to crowd my mind with vivid dream representations typical of the state of semi-sleep, despite the fact that I continued to tremble like a leaf. I had equipped myself with an infinite number of useful tools for emergencies and to measure my vital signs, perhaps more for personal curiosity than for other reasons. I measured my temperature: 34.5 degrees Celsius, a sign of mild hypothermia.

I could feel the chills of Lamashtu's touch on my skin.

When the next day the sun rose and I emerged from my shelter I observed some pylons completely torn up by the storm brought by the Lilim that had unleashed it on a night that had initially been strangely silent but which then, following the cry of an owl hunting for prey, it had unleashed a feeling of amazement mixed with terror that I had never experienced before.

When I calmed down, I began to use reason.

The Lilitu, or perhaps the Lillake, was on the hunt: she represented Death flying through the night with its silent wings, terrible claws and a sharp beak, ready to tear apart her victims.

She was able to give her life, but also to take it back, to heal but also to lead to death.

I was sure of it: Lilith was born this way.

I could hear the tales of the inhabitants of the great urban centers of Sumer, crossing the winding streets and narrow alleys surrounded by high walls of brick and mud where winds and sand could have torn the flesh from the bones. I could imagine our ancestors seeking refuge, sitting in a tavern, recounting ancestral legends for the umpteenth time about the terrible Lilitu and her storm demons bringing chaos.

The mythical figures called Lilītu (female) and Lilû (male); and Ardat Lilî (female) are demons, not gods. Lilītu and Lilû are associated with wild and unexplored places. First of all, they are wind and storm demons, who bring chaos. Like Lamashtu they attack pregnant women and children. The Ardat Lilî has a sexual function and attacks young men causing nocturnal ejaculations and impotence and makes young women infertile. They can be associated with other storm demons, in turn associated with the Underworld.

Lamashtu's resemblance to the Jewish Lilith, which kills infants and is capable of spreading disease, makes them virtually identical.

Lamashtu is associated with a primitive Sumerian goddess: "DIM.ME" for her titles and attributes.

Lamashtu is called "Daughter of Anu" and is a Goddess, despite her being cast out of the Heavens for her behavior.

She is often accompanied by canines and swine; and shown riding on a donkey.

The incantations involving Lamasthu remark that she is a Goddess, and not just a demon.

Indeed, in the following enchantment she is identified with Inanna.

(1) INCANTATION: (2) Lamash, daughter of Anu; (3) Whose name was pronounced by the gods; (4) Ininn, (Inanna) queen of queens; (5) Lamashtu, or great lady; (6) That heals the aching Asakku; (7) Overwhelming the Alû; (8) Do not come in the night that belongs to man; (9) For the conspiracy of Paradise; (10) For the conspiracy of the Earth; (11) For the conspiracy of Enil; (12) For the conspiracy of Ea.

(1) INCANTATION: Lamashtu, “Daughter of Anu”; (2) is her first name. The second is "Sister of the gods of the road"; (3) The third is "Sword that breaks the skull in two"; (4) the fourth p, "she who is a gentle fire"; (5) the fifth is "the Goddess who causes horror in those who observe her"; “The sixth is“ Engaged with the hands. (Bugge 117).

In the fourth verse, Lamashtu is called "Innin" which is another name of Inanna so it could represent an aspect of the other Goddess or an alternative name of the same. In this Incantation, Lamashtu syncretizes with Inanna. Asakku / Asag is a demon who kills humans causing terrible fever. The Asakku are considered to be sons of Anu. One can be sure that Lamashtu is also a deity balanced in her polarity: she kills and heals, takes away and concedes.

Alu is a demon of Utukku, the Underworld. She has no mouth, lips, or ears and it is said that when she attacks she causes nightmares and leads to a coma. Lamashtu is associated with these diseases of the psyche and the body.

According to the Encantation, she can be invoked to both cause and cure diseases and induce trastornis.

Her symbolic animals are the lion and the lioness, the donkey, the dog, the snake, the scorpion and the pig. Animals that, regardless of the context, can be both useful and protective as well as deadly and carriers of dirt. She is commonly depicted as a composite form monster: her head is that of a lion; the teeth (and sometimes the ears too, are those of a donkey); her tiny breasts are human-like; her body is covered with coarse hair; she has long fingers and bloody nails and deadly raptor's paws. In some depictions she is represented with a pig and a dog sucking her tiny breast, while she holds snakes in her hands, and she rides a donkey on a boat with which she will be taken back to the Underworld by she is her husband, Pazuzu.

If we consider the Babylonian exile of the Jews it is reasonable to think that they may have reworked various Sumerian / Akkadian deities and Demons.

In this world Lilītu, Ardat Lilî, and Lamashtu syncretized with the Hebrew "Lilith".

Interestingly, these demons are not found only among Jews. There is traces of these demons in many Near Eastern cultures, and it is even possible to find some examples in Zoroastrianism. Lilith attacks the Jews in exile, their present, their future, their families and their survival. Perhaps it was more of a danger, considering their children were growing up in a multicultural urban setting.

Of Lilith whispered in the darkness of the taverns and as the wind whistled along the streets these tales have penetrated subtly into the psyche of the Jews. The stories told at the market entered their homes and were passed down in the context of their families. Surely, these figures were perceived as a danger to their lifestyle, their religious faith and family cohesion. Lilītu became Lilith, something that was feared and desired at the same time, in the most hidden places of the mind and soul.

In the Luciferian perspective, Lamastu represents the predator that drains the life that takes the form of the spirit of the wind, showing himself with the head of a lion or leopard, chasing the winged prey in the darkness like Pazuzu or other small demons, which all possess the keys to developing our shadow body an essential element for astral projection used in Vampiric Magic: fascinating, full of power and undeniably not devoid of hidden dangers ...