Where is God? Humans have long pondered this concept, envisioning deities as exalted beings residing in the Heavens and the Underworld, as well as omnipotent forces present everywhere and within all of us. In Inanna’s Bargain, I made this latter idea more tangible with my protagonists. The following excerpt is from Chapter 24:
“I’ve often felt Inanna’s presence within me,” I commented. “So I know that the gods can exist inside of me. But when I summoned the water serpent, I perceived it as an outside force, though I knew that I’d created it. I didn’t sense any kind of deity within me. I only felt the powers of Enki, working through my gifts.”
“Kianu, your father is naturally within you at all times,” Usmu explained. “You do not sense him, because he is such an intrinsic part of you. When you use your gifts to call upon the waters, you are a channel for Enki’s powers. But he exists within you always, in every drop of the waters that flow through your body.”
“Then why can I sometimes sense Inanna within me, as a distinct and strong presence?” I asked.
“Inanna comes and goes as she pleases,” he replied. “She enjoys making dramatic entrances and exits. And she usually likes to make her presence known.”
“Oh, I get it,” I declared. “My father is much more subtle than my mother. I understand this now. I’ve never felt your presence within me either. I guess that you’re subtle also.”
Usmu chuckled slightly at my description of him. He knew that I was fishing for information.
“You do not notice my presence because Enki created me,” he replied. “I am also a deity of the waters. But rest assured that I do look in on you from time to time.”
CLAIRE SULOS 