DESCENT INTO TRUTH is a 43-day ceremony that works directly with the profound portal of Venus Retrograde. It’s a transformational journey that weaves together shadow work, self-love, creativity, ancient myth, guided meditation and sacred ritual with weekly group ceremonial gatherings and daily individual ritual/practices. 

I invite you to join me on a 43-day journey of surrendering to the unknown.

Descent Into Truth takes a group of initiates through a profound guided journey through the Underworld over the course of 7 weeks. Each initiate also commits to a simple daily practice for the duration of Venus Retrograde that serves as the template for transformation while held in a safe, sacred container.

For the duration of Venus Retrograde, together we make the descent into the Underworld to let go and release outdated structures and limiting belief systems, we clear what blocks us from embodying our truth, we discover the treasures hidden within our shadows, we come into clarity for the path ahead, and we rebirth ourselves as radiant stars empowered with newfound strength and sovereignty built on a steadfast foundation of radical self-love and divine remembrance.

Descent Into Truth is designed to work in direct alignment with the Venus Retrograde cycle, a divinely timed portal that occurs only once every 18 months making it a highly significant cosmic event. Venus’ retrograde cycle is a portal of transformation of the heart, as Venus (the planet of Love) journeys through the Underworld during her retrograde. 

For us, this becomes a potent opportunity to embrace transformation by descending into the Underworld with Venus guiding the way so we may retrieve our Truth hiding in the darkness, and emerge with the remembrance of our divinity.

The Goddess Inanna’s descent to the Underworld is the myth behind Venus’ retrograde, illuminating the ultimate feminine power found in the descent. In Descent Into Truth, we will be working with the ancient myth The Descent of Inanna for greater depth of understanding of the Underworld journey and how it relates to our present reality, both individually and collectively.

To willingly descend and surrender to the unknown is a proactive, courageous response to these challenging shadow times by looking directly at our own shadows within. This is the most powerful tool for working with intense energies, rather than to resist them and have them work you. :) This is an invitation to move towards discomfort to discover truths about yourself as a vehicle for personal transformation and empowerment.

We come together remotely as a group each week to bravely Descend through the 7 gates of the Underworld. At each gate, something is stripped from us that is false. We become naked, and ultimately find strength within this vulnerability.

We come together for support, for learning, for witnessing, for accountability, for strength, for connection. We generate a powerful field of love through the joined work we do for ourselves that benefits our individual journeys and ripples out into the whole world. 

This journey offers you the foundation and structure for initiating powerful change in your life in these evolutionary times.

By embracing the shadows in your heart, you discover treasures hidden in the darkness. This is a process of honoring and integrating your sacred shadow. At the completion of your journey, you emerge with clarity and strength, shining your heart’s truth like never before, radiant with the divine wholeness of you.

This is a powerful alchemical process of death and rebirth.

I invite you to harness the power of Venus’ Retrograde by diving with me into the Great Below. This is a unique and powerful way to ritually work with this important transit, and to embrace the gifts that the Underworld brings. 

• Commit to a 43-day simple daily practice for the duration of Descent Into Truth that focus on self-love and creativity (suggested practices below).

• Descend through the 7 gates of the Underworld in potent weekly guided journeys, and culminate the journey with Ascent, a highly sacred process of death and rebirth.

• Learn about the astrology of this current Venus Retrograde cycle and how to best work with it.

• Receive guidance for how to consciously work with your sacred shadow.

• Receive protection tools to do your courageous work safely.

• Receive daily channelings directly from Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth for daily support and inspiration.

• Be part of a sacred circle of fellow initiates doing this powerful work together live each week (or in replay).

• Receive a guided meditation recording for daily use.

• Receive a living transmission of the ancient myth, Descent of Inanna, each of the 7 weeks.

• Receive solid integration tools to support your path forward after Venus goes direct.

• 7 weekly live group Zoom meetings and the recordings plus 1 BONUS Integration call (8 live group calls in total)

• 20 minute preparatory call with Angela pre-descent

• Guided meditation audio to support you daily

• Powerful live transmissions and guided journeys on every call

• Offerings to Venus, altar creation and other guided rituals

• In-depth engagement of the ancient text, The Descent of Inanna

• Rich journal prompts throughout the journey

• Teaching materials for supporting your shadow work

• Daily channelings directly from Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth

• An inspired playlist to set the mood for your journey into the Underworld

• Weekly Oracle transmissions for group support and guidance in between meetings

• Email support throughout the 43-day journey

• Integration support post-Descent including a thorough Reflection Guide

• Ongoing community support through a private non-facebook online group

• Discounted 1 hour private session with Angela for in-depth support of your process (optional)

• Affiliate opportunity: Receive $100 for every new participant who joins through your referral link!

*** Our journey commences on Friday, February 28th, 2025 just as Venus is about to turn retrograde! But you must make your commitment to join by February 27th to adequately prepare for the start date of your descent. We will connect before our start date in a 20 minute call to prepare you properly.***

Registration closes FEBRUARY 27th, 2025.

The planet needs your light now like never before. Embody your most radiant light by embracing your shadow and rising up into the truth of your greatest divine power.

I hope you will join me in this rich journey into the Great Below!

Please share this with anyone you know who is ready for transformation!

Open to all genders, all beliefs, all levels of experience with daily practice. 

This journey is open to anyone who is ready to take their life journey to the next levels through dedicated, courageous self-work. Open to all genders, all beliefs, all levels of experience with shadow work and spiritual practice.

Descent Into Truth is for you if:

• You want to work with the Venus Retrograde cycle ritually and with sacred intent.

• You are ready to transmute your fears into fuel for embodying your greatest gifts.

• You want to examine the roots of love, relationship, beauty, creativity and money in your life.

• You are fired up to make changes in your life but not sure of the next steps to take.

• You are ready to take your healing work to new levels.

• You are ready to work with and integrate your shadow.

• You want to be part of a sacred container of brave, vulnerable individuals doing the work together, strengthening the field of healing energy.

• You are complete with keeping yourself small and hidden.

• You are ready to expand into the truth of your divinity.

• You are ready to discover things about yourself that reveal your authentic path.

• You want to contribute to global healing by changing your life starting from within.

• You have an emotional support system available to you outside of this container.

• You were part of previous Descent Into Truth programs and want to work with this new cycle of transformation.
  
  

Descent Into Truth is NOT for you if:

• You want to ‘rid’ yourself of your shadow aspects.

• You are unwilling to release beliefs that shadow aspects are bad or evil.

• You are presently moving through an emotionally or mentally unstable period.

• You do not have access to emotional support outside of the container (such as a trusted friend/partner, counselor, therapist, etc). Do you have someone who can simply hold space for you if you find you need extra support?

• You are unable to commit to the 43-day experience in real time (whether on the live calls or via replays).

WEEKLY GUIDED GROUP JOURNEYS + DAILY INDIVIDUAL PRACTICES

For 7 Fridays, we meet together on Zoom for a powerful guided journey through the 7 gates of the Underworld.

In addition to our group gatherings, you will maintain your connection with this initiation through a daily practice.

You will create a simple daily practice for 43 days with two components: Creativity + Self-Love.

Your daily practice will provide a healing template for deep inner work.

This practice is your grounded sacred structure intended to provide daily inspiration and framework for transformation as you journey through the Underworld. Committing to a daily practice can be an Underworld journey in of itself! And that is the point of it.

The practices themselves are powerful vehicles for bringing healing to your life, and when we take a journey like that, no matter how good the new practice might be for us or how simple it might be, we are bound to be confronted with resistances and challenges that rise up when establishing new daily habits. This provides rich territory to explore the underlying fears that are triggered through these processes. This is the rich, juicy shadow terrain that wants to be explored in this Underworld journey!

Choose just one creative practice and one self-care practice based on the recommendations below.

CHOOSE ONE CREATIVE PRACTICE:

This daily creative practice will become an incredible, invaluable documentation of your descent with Venus. The idea is to establish a daily connection with your creative energy and to also document it in some way. You will be amazed at what you’ve created over the course of 43 days!

Here are some ideas of how to work with Venus’ creative energy everyday (just choose ONE):

• Journal daily in a dedicated notebook

• Sing a song daily and record it

• Take a photo of yourself daily

• Take a photo of something beautiful daily

• Write a poem daily

• Dance daily and film it

• Draw or paint in a dedicated sketchbook daily

Your creative daily practice might be something that you already have a relationship with, like maybe you are a writer but don’t spend much time in self-reflection, so journaling would be a good option in that case. Or, maybe there’s some creative energy in you that hasn’t had time to develop, like you want to be a better singer but don’t prioritize it in your day to day life. In that case, a daily singing practice would be an amazing way to create a foundation that helps you connect with your heart’s desires. 

CHOOSE ONE SELF-LOVE PRACTICE:

This daily self-love practice is about taking care of yourself everyday. Venus is how we love and value ourselves, so find a way to create a daily ritual that is all about self-care.

Here are some ideas of daily self-care practices (just choose ONE):

• Meditation or yoga

• Taking a walk

• Drinking a cup of Ceremonial Cacao

• Waking up early and going to bed early

• Social media detox

• Cleansing/ fasting/ plant-based eating (many approaches to this based on your circumstances)

For the self-care practice to be truly supportive for your personal transformation, work with the soft, feminine energy that is Venus. Let your daily practice be gentle and loving, and avoid intensity. Avoid stacking up a bunch of new daily practices that will likely just overwhelm you. Choose something that you know will serve you everyday and support your journey of transformation.

For this to work for you in the strongest way, you choose what resonates with you and what you know in your heart is best for you. The intention is to invite a gentle challenge and embrace fears that come along with it for you to become stronger, more resilient, and in your full power. 

I will be connecting with you to talk about your commitment and how to best prepare before we start. It’s up to you to follow your own guidance and intuition on how to navigate your journey. I am here to bring you structure and guidance for how to navigate your journey in a safe, expansive way.

For 7 weeks of powerful transformation in a safe and sacred container:

3 monthly payments of $235 or one payment of $700

ADD A PRIVATE SESSION: You have the option to add on a private session with Angela at a discounted session rate. This is ideal if you seek in-depth one-on-one support during your Descent for deeper healing and guidance. 

W/ PRIVATE SESSION:

3 monthly payments of $285 or one payment of $850 with a discounted 1 hour private session with me scheduled during your descent

May we emerge from the darkness and rise again, re-birthed as bright luminous Morning Stars, empowered with Love for ourselves to share with the world.

• Be rebirthed out of the Underworld radiant with the truth of Love anchored in your heart

• Have an amazing, personalized 43-day documentation of your creative journey to recognize and remember the transformation you experienced in the Underworld

• Have powerful integration support and tools to move forward with Venus’ direct motion in the best possible way

• Have the tools and practices established in your daily life for navigating your sacred shadow with wisdom, protection, and compassion

• Have established an intimate relationship with Venus, Inanna and Ereshkigal and have their blessings guiding you forward

• Have a deeper understanding of the significance of ancient myth and how it can bring healing to your life

• Have direct experience of the power of aligning your life with cosmic cycles and the gifts it brings you

• Know the truth of your value and worth

• Feel empowered and inspired to shine your light in the world

What is the relevance of Venus Retrograde for the descent?

Venus retrogrades like all the planets do at some point. Venus only goes retrograde every 18 months, so it’s not something we experience frequently. Venus is a planet of love, beauty, creativity, money, and what we value. When Venus retrogrades, we slow down to look within to examine these Venusian matters.

This year Venus begins her retrograde on March 1st, 2025 and turns direct on April 12th, 2025. Her retrograde cycle is always a 40ish day journey (this year’s cycle is 43 days) and her journey is mostly visible in the sky. As she approaches her retrograde, she gets lower on the Western horizon in the evenings, appearing as the Evening Star. For a portion of her retrograde, she disappears from the night sky. Mythologically, this is her descent into the Underworld. After she has journeyed through the Underworld undergoing a great process of transformation, Venus re-emerges on the Eastern horizon as the Morning Star.

We will be aligning ourselves with Venus’ own descent to come into fuller awareness and understanding of the power of the descent and the power available to us when we align ourselves with the planetary cycles.

For many years I have consistently worked with the planets for divine structure and support for my processes and can attest to the great power of looking to the rhythms of the sky and the potential it offers for healing, growth, and transformation. Aligning yourself with the cosmos helps to awaken you to the energy available to you and benefit from it in the highest possible way. We are the cosmos, and by consciously working with the planetary energy, we are better able to harness the gifts available to us. 

There is always a divine purpose to the timing of astrological events, and when Venus Retrograde comes around it is clear that it’s a time meant to focus on diving deep into the depths of our hearts, to embrace our fears and surrender to the great unknown, all so that we may be re-birthed and transformed with great gifts to share with the world.

WHY DESCEND? SHOULDN’T WE STAY IN THE LIGHT?

To access your greatest light, you must be willing to look at your deepest shadows. The shadows are where great power lies, and while our mind attempts to keep us safe by avoiding the shadow it also keeps us small. If we are brave enough to look into the dark spaces within, we make extraordinary discoveries about ourselves which expands our knowing of the self, and gives us an even greater light to shine in the world with this newfound self-awareness. If we reject or ignore our shadow, we limit the reach of our light. By embracing the descent into the darkness, we ultimately rise up into greater love for ourselves, becoming stronger in our hearts. 

The shadow and light work together. This journey is all about bringing you into balance with your shadow and your light. One cannot exist without the other. They each hold great power. By working with your shadow with intention and integrating your shadow self, you access your greatest power. When shadow aspects are judged or denied, they express themselves in unbalanced, unhealthy ways in our lives. The shadow never goes away, it is part of you and needs your love.

WHY 43 DAYS?

43 days is the exact length of Venus’ retrograde for this cycle. By committing to a daily practice for 43 days, you are setting yourself up to move through the inevitable discomforts, doubts, fears, and triggers that will arise along the way. These feelings are keys to accessing the treasures hiding in the shadows. Staying the course for 43 days takes you into expansive states and creates permanent change in your life. 

There is a divine design to the 40+ day cycle. Yogic science and divine intelligence shows that 40+ days of exposing ourselves to a repetitive experience impacts us on a cellular level. You can certainly benefit from a daily practice or cleanse for 3 days, 10 days, or 30 days. But by the time you reach 40 days, next-level transformation takes place. Old habits and patterns have fallen away, and new patterns of higher consciousness have been created.  

To commit to a 43-day practice instills within you trust, perseverance, and strength by surrendering to the great unknown.

There is a direct correlation between the transformative power of a 40+ day cycle with the 40+ day cycle of Venus Retrograde. This transit is designed for us to transform, if we choose to work with it!

WHO IS INANNA?

Inanna is the Queen of Heaven and Earth in ancient Sumer who surrenders her life of beauty and luxury to enter the Underworld where she ultimately undergoes a death/rebirth and re-emerges in greater power, wisdom, and truth of who she is. She comes back empowered with greater gifts to share with her people and her land. The Descent of Inanna is part of a hymn carved into clay tablets from around the third millennium BC that is as relevant to our modern day reality as much as it was in ancient times. She is said to be the first recorded goddess in history and hers is the oldest known myth of the descent of the Goddess.

Inanna is a goddess of fertility, love, beauty, and so much more.

Venus is the goddess Inanna in the sky. 

Venus’ Retrograde cycle of departing the sky as the Evening Star on the Western horizon and vanishing from our view is Inanna’s descent into the Underworld. When Venus appears again, she is re-birthed as the Morning Star on the Eastern horizon, shining new light after her journey of transformation. 

With Venus/Inanna guiding the way, we too will symbolically descend from the Western horizon, spending 43 days journeying through the Underworld, and then re-emerging with Venus/Inanna on the Eastern horizon initiated into our full Morning Star glory.

WHAT IS THE INTENTION OF THIS WORK?

The intention of this offering is to work with the power of the cosmos to help you access your greatest strength, clarity, and power by embracing your fears of the unknown and rising up in your most radiant light. 

The intention is to cultivate a rich inner journey that clears away the external noise, chaos, and outside energies to help you find the deep stillness within yourself so that you may discover what is true within your heart in these changing times. 

The intention is to support one another in this work in this new age, for we are not here to do the work alone. Together we learn from one another, we strengthen one another, we create a powerful field of love. By bringing our focus to the shadows within, we are doing the work to bring healing and transformation to the planet starting from within. The work we do for ourselves individually directly benefits the world. 

WHY ANGELA IS YOUR QUALIFIED GUIDE:

I’ve been offering Descent Into Truth since 2020 with every Venus Retrograde since then. The current 2025 cycle will be my 4th time guiding a group remotely through this initiation.

I have willingly invited great transformation into my life by means of Underworld journeys for the last 14 years of desert-dwelling. Under the bright light of the desert sun is where I unwittingly came to face my darkest shadows. I have lived Inanna’s descent many times and have greatly valued this myth as a guiding light in the darkest times. (Interestingly, an ancient word for the Underworld in Inanna’s myth can be translated to mean desert!) 

I have personally undergone 40+ day spiritual/meditation practices countless times over the years, and usually they reach far beyond 40 days once I’ve come to that threshold.

I have extensive personal experience in all of the ways I’ve presented for choosing your 43-day journey, and can expertly guide your way with my wealth of knowledge on daily practices with a personal emphasis on fasting, cleansing, yoga, meditation, cold water immersion, early morning awakening, and plant-based eating, as well as creative daily practice with photography in particular.

Over the years I have ritually planted myself in the middle of the desert in solitude far from home with no food, no water, no phone for five days at a time. I have fasted on liquids for up to four months at a time. I have a committed daily practice that has maintained solidly for many years. I have practiced yoga for over 25 years. I have been vegetarian/vegan for over 25 years and experienced eating fully raw vegan for over 2 years. I know the power of discipline and the rewards that come from consistent choices made every day- and the challenges and struggles that it can also trigger.

I lived in solitude in a remote desert abode for 12 years, where silence and no distractions have demanded that I awaken to continuous subtle and not so subtle opportunities to dive into my shadow.

Some of you may know me from my early newsletter days of Cycle of the Moon Cleanse twelve years ago. That first heart-based offering I shared with the world was a practice of juice cleansing in accordance with the Moon cycles. I have anchored spiritual practice and healing with planetary cycles for years, and have guided hundreds of people to do the work with me. 

My extensive knowledge of spiritual practice, astrology, Inanna’s myth, daily ritual and divine surrender have set the foundation for me to be your loving, knowing guide in your own descent.

ABOUT DESCENT INTO TRUTH:

Descent Into Truth is a unique, authentic offering birthed from my heart, a true expression of my path and a journey I used to undergo privately on my own with Venus Retrograde cycles in years past. This cycle marks the third program since its inception!

Descent Into Truth was birthed in Venus’ retrograde of May 2020, when the world was going through the preliminary stages of great upheaval and darkness, as a guiding light for navigating complex and challenging times. I received the clear vision for this program like a flash of light- it came through quickly and powerfully. Many brave souls joined me for that first journey through the Underworld and have returned for the next cycles of Descent.

My guidance strongly showed me the great opportunity available to many people with this transit, and that it was my service to create the container to help others make the most of this extraordinary, important cosmic cycle to support our individual transformation that is greatly needed on the planet now.

DO I NEED TO BE ON THE LIVE WEEKLY CALLS?

You are encouraged to join the 7 weekly live calls, but if you need to miss any of them, you can watch the replays in between the live calls. As long as you keep up with the replays week by week, you’ll still reap the benefits of this transformative program. The weekly calls are where the journey through the Underworld takes place through powerful live transmissions. Also, being connected with the group of Initiates is a powerful aspect of this journey and you will receive much from the live participation. There is also a private online community space to maintain connection with the other Initiates. What’s most important is being able to stay on track with the journey in real-time even if you miss the live calls, as we are actively working with Venus’ retrograde timing.

WHAT IF I FAIL TO MAINTAIN 43 DAYS?

There is no failing in this journey. Every step of the way is learning. If you’ve missed a day of your 43 day commitment, the next day is new to start fresh again. There is no judgment, no criticism in this container. There is only loving support and encouragement to do your best. Missing a day or skipping it provides rich material for you to sit with in your inner work and can help you strengthen in your journey.

WHEN WILL YOU OFFER THIS AGAIN?

This opportunity to work with Venus Retrograde will not come around again for another 18 months. If you are feeling the call, now is the time to join the journey into the great unknown in a safe, supported sacred container. 

I Have Questions About This Journey

Please connect with me and let me know your questions. I’m happy to help you determine if this journey is aligned for you.

Join me in exploring this rich journey where we come together to Descend into Truth, so that we may powerfully Ascend with Divine Light.

B+W Portrait: Rachael Pony Cassells, Middle Portrait: Elena Ray, Crescent Moon Self-Portrait: Angela de la Agua