Research

Vicki Gaia's Research Page:

Oh My Goddess!

My heroine is a priestess with a secret. The hero is an angel with a secret. There wouldn't be a good story without conflict, so hence, all the secrets! Keeping the secrets straight is my job, but sometimes, my characters take a u-turn or else travel down a different path. I had a writer ask me once what I did when my characters veered from my story. I reel them in and forcibly make them tread on the path I've created for them. After all, I'm in charge of the story - at least - I like to have this illusion that I'm in control.

I still don't have a working title for my urban fantasy - so I'll refer it as UF. How can goddesses and angels be sworn enemies? They can be if they work on different political sides. Sama-el is a banished Throne saved from languishing in the Void to perform an important mission for his god, Ouranos. Mikela is a priestess, raised in the temple of Inanna, harboring a secret that she's not like her sisters. There's a murder, sacred items stolen and the Great Mother is wakening from her slumber deep in the chamber in Malta. Can Mikela trust Sama-el to help her solve these mysteries? Will Sama-el chose Mikela's safety over his mission for his god?

I had to create a Shadow World where the goddesses and her priestesses reside. I've chosen the goddess Inanna to rule the kingdom in the Middle East, her temple near the Euphrates river (Iraq), and once the great civilization of Sumer.

Inanna predates the Greek pantheon by thousands of years. She's known by several titles - Queen of the Heavens, Triple Goddess, Queen of the Sky, Ishtar, Goddess of Love, Fertility and War. One myth has her descending into the underworld - much like the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone.

I've created her temple in the shape of Ziggurat - a seven level tiered 'mountain' in which the temple is perched on the summit. My inspiration come from the ziggurats of Mesopotamia and Babylon. (see below)

In my story, Gaea-Ge mated with Ouranos and created the earth. They sat on the throne, side by side, ruling in peace, protecting all of nature. Then Ouranos became jealous of the human worship of the Great Goddess, and plotted to subjugate Gaea-Ge. Over hundreds of years, he overtook her powers, and finally, banished Gaea-Ge and her children to the Shadow World. There Gaea-Ge created five sacred houses to protect her teachings, appointing the goddess of her choice to rule each temple. My story is about a priestess from the Temple of Inanna - Mikela .

The temples are ruled by the goddesses chosen by Gaea-Ge. The head of the temple is called The Mother by her priestess-daughters and initiates. The Mother can be revoked by Gaea-Ge and a new successor chosen but since the Great Mother is asleep this hasn't occurred in thousands of years. Goddesses used to mate with gods until they began to fade and merge with Ouranos. Now goddesses are created when mated with human men. The Mother can also infuse a human female with goddess powers if she deems the acolyte worthy.

Each house has its own rituals, special powers, weakness, and is ruled by an element. There are main temples for each house, with other smaller temples scattered throughout the world. Goddesses exist within a shadow world parallel to the physical world. They exist on the same level as the angel kingdom but the two don't merge - one being of masculine energy (angels) and the other of feminine energy (Daughters). Priestesses learn to control the energy around them, the natural elements, animals of their house, can become invisible, and shield against energy work and magic.

Temple of Inanna - Queen of the Sky

Pantheon: Sumerian - temple of Eanna
Element: Air
Sphere of influence: Love and Fertility
Preferred colors: Gold, Blue
Associated symbol: Eight Point Star, Reed Bundle

Animals associated with: Lions
Best day to work with: Friday
Suitable offerings: Lapus Lazuli
Associated Planet: Venus