Parting the Mists

Sorry for running late today, but I didn’t want to miss pulling a card entirely on this day.

Last night, I finally set up the Beloved Dead altar. It’s a ritual I have come to love, even in years where I seem to barely get it done in time. Remembering family, friends, and pets that were so important to my life helps keep them with me. The altar is a bit simpler this year – there’s something about 2019 that has been stripped down for me, so it carried over.

As many of us honor and invite our Beloved Dead, it is perhaps fitting that today’s card reminds us that we are all equal in the end and to not approach everything so seriously. Take time to remember loved ones in a positive way. Consider divination tonight, as it will be a key time to do so. However you celebrate this occasion, I wish you all the blessings of Avalon.

LADY DE LOS MUERTOS – Acceptance & Equality

Pale, you step out of the night
In red lace,
Full flowers upon your crown.
You bring the beauty to death
The equality and joy
Of the underground

The iconic lady of death, with a pale skull-like face, zombie eyes and rich red funeral flowers in her hair has become one of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween and the Mexican Day of the Dead, El Dia de los Muertos.

The original model for this flamboyant lady of death can be traced back to the ancient Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl. As time went on, the figure remained balanced between beauty and horror, and morphed into the Lady of the Dead and eventually into the more modern graphic figure of “Catrina.” It is also reported that the identity of the original “Catrina” was bawsed on women who were very rich and had everything they wanted in this life. Yet, death takes everyone, equally, so it was a reminder that no matter how beautiful, rich, popular, or famous you were – in the end, death takes all.

The Mexican culture has a long-standing history of “laughing at death” and seeing it as just another aspect of life. In some ways, death is the last taboo in many Western cultures. We tend to hide away our dying and some of us may never even see the body of someone who has passed in our whole lives, but this was a much more common occurrence in the past.

Acknowledging that death is a natural process that will enter everyone’s life at some time and that perhaps, until then, choosing to be life affirming takes away much of the fear. Take a light approach to a situation initially and it may work out better. If you are holding on to something that does not serve you any longer – in particular materials things – simplify and let go.

The Halloween Oracle by Stacey Demarco, art by Jimmy Manton