Performance: Friday July 17, 2026 

Inanna’s Descent to the Underworld by Raelene Bruinsma 

5000 years ago in Ancient Sumer, Inanna is Queen of Heaven and Earth, goddess of love and war, and keeper of the laws of nature and culture. Life flourishes sweetly and abundantly. So why does she decide to descend to the Underworld, that place of death and despair from which no one ever returns? 

Why do any of us descend? How do we leave? What do we bring back? Using oral storytelling techniques and original music, Raelene explores some of the deeper mysteries and questions the stories evoke for inner work, sharing some of her own experiences and resonances with the stories.

Raelene Bruinsma is a former music therapist, a university tutor, a singer, songwriter, and storyteller whose practice-led PhD research explored the contemporary relevance of these ancient stories, especially for women looking for female-led myths to inform our life journeys. 

Venue: Cottesloe Civic Centre Lesser Hall Corner of Napier Street and Broome Street, Cottesloe 

Cost: $10 (members), $15 Concession $20 (general)