The day of the dead…
The day of the dead is a lesson in life.
Mexico’s yearly celebration Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is stunning artistically and its meaning is captivating! It is a day to celebrate ancestors and acknowledge our own fleeting time in this world. It emerged from a collision between the Catholic faith of Spanish invaders in the 16th century, and the ancient culture of the First Peoples, who were predominantly Aztec. This cross-pollination has created a rich occasion indeed!
I may have been hesitant to appreciate such a festival, were it not for my years studying evolutionary biology. My perspective on death changed during that time. I saw vividly how the diversity of life emerges from constant iteration - from changes that require the death or loss of traits or entire species. Death is an essential part of evolution. But what has all this got to do with nature connection?
One notable barrier to deeper connections with nature in our ‘westernised’ culture is that we are only exposed to death very rarely, in exceptional circumstances (unless we work in a field that deals with it). We don’t typically learn to accept it or process death, endings and change particularly well. In my workshops we don’t deal directly with death, but we are inspired to embrace change, by recognising and working with the evolving character of our relationships with nature.
I encourage people to try lots of different nature-related experiences, small and large, even things they may dismiss as not ‘not my thing’ - I encourage experimentation, exploration. In this way we collect more divers experiences to enrich our relationship with nature. It’s valuable to dig deeper into the experiences that mean the most. Hidden in these experiences are our deepest values. Now here’s what makes this way of connecting with nature so valuable for wellbeing….
In our modern life, we are inundated with responsibilities, deadlines, opinions, news, advertising. All manner of distractions drive us away from our ‘why’ - our reason for being. These distractions also get between us and a meaningful relationship with nature. That’s where death can help.
The death of each day invites us to leave behind what we tried that did not work, to leave behind the fears, annoyances and distractions that took our attention yesterday. The death of one day opens a door to try something new, to do more of what is working. A living relationship is not static, it evolves and changes. Change always requires some kind of death. The Day of the Dead continues to remind us to let some things go, and lean into a changing, evolving relationship with nature.