
The Halloween fear factor stopped grabbing my attention years ago. Adrenaline shows up enough in my life at irregular intervals without my courting it. The allure of tiny candy bars and packages of promising an immediate sugar lift has taken a little longer. But Iāve known for a long time that thereās something even more primal than cortisol and sugar about this time of year.
The slant of light. The rapid encroaching darkness. The allure of a good bonfire. Itās bone deep. And so for a while Iāve settled into Celtic New Year or Samhain, which better fits the feel of the season for me. Bonfires. Pumpkins. This ancient pagan tradition honors the thin veil between the living and the dead, and it also falls exactly between Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice on Oct. 31st. Itās a time when the mysterious space between the two reveals itself. The next day, All Soulās Day, in many Christian traditions, a time to pray for the dead. Iāve done all of the above.
For many years Iāve heard about The Day of the Dead in Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I loved the Coco movie. Iāve been particularly intrigued for a long time by the indigenous cultures in southern Mexico. Then a few weeks ago a friend offered us his place in Oaxaca, Mexico next week for the festivities. Itās a city full of art, life beauty. So how could I say no Muertos? Ā Iām delighted as a metaphysical tourist, but Iām intrigued at a much deeper level.
Lately my life has been reminding me of the encroachment of the ultimate Mystery, as loved ones leaving this world one by one. My brother. A beloved healer and friend. Thereās a sense of loss and grief and then a wondering. The numinous space between worlds has beckoned in recent poems Iāve been writing,. Some of my buddies have called them my āBardo poems.ā Ā (In Buddhism, Bardo refers to the transitional or liminal state between death and rebirth). Ā
And so next week Iām extending my curiosity about the season celebrating the living and the dead by traveling south to Oaxaca City to share in the joyous reunion of families. We plan to walk in cemeteries, appreciating the beautiful connection between families alive and their departed. I plan to admire the beauty of the family ofrendas and build one for my own dearly departed.
Thereās a certain soft, numinous beauty in anticipating it all. To be continuedā¦as life and death seem to just keep playing on the edges of my everyday reality.