Samhain and the Days of the Dead

The wheel of the year turns toward winter, and the veil thins between the living and the dead.

Now we honor the Mexican Days of the Dead, as we just honored Halloween, All Hallow’s Eve, Samhain, on the cusp of the season when traditionally the veil between the worlds thins and the presence of the dead can be felt. The earth’s turning toward dark winter sparks a last explosion of leaf color paving our local trails here in the Pacific Northwest. A time to wonder where the path leads.

Many people observe this turning by asking advice of departed souls. And in Mexico, the spirits are not frightening — witness the celebrations for Dia de los Muertos (actually 2 or 3 days) when the spirits of loved ones visit to impart advice or prayers. Families picnic in the cemetery, build shrines with offerings and mementos, and tend the graves of loved ones. Cultures worldwide have similar celebrations.

On a recent trip to Mexico, Thor and I enjoyed the shrine at a hotel where we stayed:

On our various trips, we have collected a few mementos of La Calavera and her cadaverous dance partner:

She is everywhere, including an airport shop:

At our former home at Samhain, Turtle cat helped me light a candle on the shrine I built to honor my mother and beloved animal companions who have moved on, and I plan to build a shrine soon at Thor’s and my new home. This one incorporated large pieces of columnar andesite from nearby Mt. Baker, where my mother loved to take us girls wild-blueberry picking.

This year is a hard one, as this week Thor, Turtle cat, and I had to say farewell to our beloved Bear dog. We made a temporary little shrine to light a candle to guide him on his way to the light.

Tonight, I hope we can all step outside to breathe and feel the earth’s turning as we listen for comforting whispers from the dead.

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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is PAUSE, a First Place winner of the Chanticleer Somerset Award. “A must-read novel about friendship, love, and killer hot flashes.” (Mindy Klasky, USA Bestselling author).  Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com