Dia de los Muertos
Honor to those who got us here
“Praise to this”
Don’t mind me crying my eyes out.
“Alabanza
alabanza
[insert ancestor name/ la nombre del muerto] Señor
alabanza”
Feliz día de los muertos/ los todos santos/ los difuntos.
I ask us to not stop at dressing up for Halloween. The holiday derived from the ancient belief that the veil between the living and the dead is thinner for this 24 hours1.
So, as the veil allows us to feel our muertos/dead people (difuntos/deceased) in a more intense way than normal, to consider our ancestors.
I’m aware that this could be difficult for several of us. Our people weren’t around or they were harmful to us. And sometimes we are still struggling with their loss from the earth realm.
If the absence of our muertos created problems for us, I encourage us to think about the things we run away from. My father ran from pain and overworking, and he ran toward a particular vice. I also run from pain and overworking; I simply chose more acceptable vices. I am able to shed all of my anger at his running. Flight is a trauma response.
If our deceased created harm for us in any way - mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, cultural - I encourage us to think about ways we have harmed, no matter the reason. I said very harsh words to a student once. I didn’t mean for them to be as harsh as they were. I said something that his friend would have said, not considering that it meant something much different when I said it, simply because of my age and position. I apologized and we talked it out, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he still remembers the moment clearly, 10 years later. We make mistakes, and fighting is also sometimes a trauma response.
If we are struggling with our people being on the spiritual plane, no longer the physical, I encourage us to listen to the song in the video up top. It’s about the loss of a community elder, everyone’s abuela. This scene is them mourning her, lifting her spirit to the gods, saying “praise to this,” to her, our elder who is now an ancestor.
I hope you consider your ancestors this evening and over the weekend, the way they touched your life, protected you or made you stronger.
Perhaps hear them ask you to “Remember me…” (in my Coco voice). Maybe even help them clear the epigenetic imprints/karma…but that’s another post for another day.