30 Oct ¡Viva La Muerte!
Tis the season for the emergence from the grave of vampires, witches, and sexy nurses. As a person of Mexican heritage, I find it fascinating to watch the increasing cultural cross-border fusion of Halloween and the indigenous celebration of el Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.
I think this meshing was inevitable, and I particularly appreciate the levity of the Mexican version of this morphed celebration and how comfortable the culture is with even using the word “death”. Despite its inevitability in all our lives, death is something modern western society is not comfortable talking about.
It is understandable that death is equated with sadness. Death implies loss. This loss can be painful and even traumatic when a loved one leaves us. Death leaves a void that is, at times, hard to fill. And, it is not just the passing of loved ones that create a sense of loss. We form strong attachment to things and even habits in our lives – good and bad, that we mourn when they depart.
But, does it always have to be sad when something in our life dies?
I would offer that there are times when death is a cause for celebration. Because, face it, we all have things in our life that need to go.
This could be a relationship with someone who doesn’t encourage us to be at our. Maybe it is how we interact with a thing that we know is not good for us mentally, spiritually or physically– a habit that is holding us back from truly shining, but that we still we hold on to.
So, during this of Dia de los Muertos, take this time to celebrate the death of something in your life that has passed on for the better. Celebrate your post mortem life and figure out if there are other things that you can let go of.
Think about it like this: Have you ever had a dead plant that sitting in a window in your house or on your desk? You probably meant to water it, but you kept forgetting. Maybe you never really liked that plant, but someone gave it to you. Now you are feeling guilty, and yet, there is sits.
Toss that plant! Its death means that you now have space for a beautiful new bouquet of flowers.
Viva la muerte!