Perhaps the Día de Muertos ceremony is something like this:
When human beings are harvested from life—in other words, are taken back into the Creation that made us—it seems that several things happen. One is that part of our being is consumed back into our sacred Mother Earth. After all, She is our Mother. We return to her arms at death.
In honoring The Ones Who Have Moved On/Returned to Our Origins on Día de Muertos, we dance with those potent forces of Heaven and Earth that both plant us here and harvest us at the end of our days.
We do this because there is a part of the spirit of our ancestors that loves us and wants our well-being. As They enter the realms of Heaven and Earth at death, they bring with them their innate care for humanity and us, in particular, as their sons and daughters, their loved ones. What a blessing for us. As they become part of the Mother again, and send their spirits into the Heavens with Mother-Father Sky, they, in a way, die for us.
Because they let go into the arms of the afterlife to feed that part of the Cycles, we are allowed room to continue enjoying the blessings of this beneficial realm in which we live our vibrant, meaningful lives.
Similarly, because Plant and Animal Beings let go of life to provide us with nourishment in our meals, we are allowed to live another day.
When we are in loving, caring relationship with these Beings that let go and travel to become spirit with God in the realms of the Holy Spirit—in Earth and Heavens—they carry an emotion, one could say, of care, compassion and love for us as they leave Here and enter There. They become another little part of God that loves and cares for us. We humans need that care. We face a lot here, and we need all the support we can access. We reinforce this relationship at this potent time each year, to honor Them and thereby allow the charity of Their blessings to nourish our own lives.
On certain moments in the Cycles of Sacred Time, in sanctified places, we have a narrow window to access our Ancestors, who cycle back close to this realm in the unfolding patterns. This is the moment of Día de Muertos. In the old days in Europe, it was called All Saint’s Day, and before that, it had another, more ancient name.
As They brush close to this realm on this important night, we call out to them in love, saying, “Because you lived, we now live. You birthed us or supported us or our family line. And because you died and made the sacrifice for all of us, we now continue and are able to eat the bread and drink the wine of Life for another day, or decade, or half-century. In that place where you are now, which is a Real place, please pray for us, so that we may continue well. Please hear our prayers and receive our offerings. Please turn the eyes and ears of God, of which you are a part, toward us here. Gaze at us with mercy and blessing. Pray for us, as we pray to and honor You.”
Read our article about an experience of Día de Muertos in Mexico.
Erin Everett is a tradition-holder in an ancient lineage devoted to what we now call Our Lady of Guadalupe, Santa Barbara, San Miguel and other expressions of Divine nature. She and her husband founded Way of the Dove, a spiritual community on a mountain near Asheville, NC.
Want to attend the Día de Muertos ceremony? It happens on November 1 and 2. Connect with us for details.
