Day of the Dead

An intriguing festival.  Day of the Dead.  Countries around the world celebrating memories of their deceased family and friends today. National holiday for some.  Creating altars with offerings of food and symbolic tokens for departed spirits.  Visiting relatives' graves, candles and flowers in hand.  Reciting funny stories, dancing, and eating sugar skulls.   Slight variations on the same theme depending on where it is being celebrated.   However, the overriding sentiment the same. Predominantly festive atmosphere full of colour and life.  In stark contrast to the prevailing attitude to death here in this part of the world. Primarily one of fear and separation.  Imagining immersion in a culture joyfully celebrating this day.  With such a healthy perspective. Receiving such pleasure just thinking about it.

Seeing the Similarities

I ran into a business acquaintance yesterday and she shared her condolences.  She then exclaimed, "I know exactly how you feel!"  My first thought was, "No you do not".  Middle aged, never been married and no children.  She knew exactly how I felt?   She proceeded to tell me that after her mum died, she had cried every day for eight months.  My mind quickly proceeded to judgement - grieving an eighty year old mother versus a twenty five year old son.  After a few minutes of small talk we said our goodbyes.  As I left, I reflected on her comment and my reaction to it.  I then remembered something that I had momentarily forgotten .  Grief is an emotional reaction to the loss of any relationship that had great meaning in ones life.  She obviously experienced very deep pain with that loss and imagined the same for me.  My desire to measure and compare our situations focused on our differences and created separation in my mind.  Seeing the similarities brought me back to a place of connection.  Much better.

No Separation

One of my first experiences of Oneness occurred when I was sitting beside a creek in my neighbourhood gazing out into the trees.  I soon noticed that the edges of a small branch in front of me had become fuzzy and that the branch had seamlessly integrated itself into the space around it.  There was no longer a beginning nor an end to it.  I knew then that all the energy around me was connected. The physical objects we perceive as separate such as water, trees, stones, and each other is just an illusion, there is no separation.  It is only our perception that makes them all appear distinct from one another. 

Alone or Oneness?

As I was jogging through the forest this weekend, I was struck by two opposing concepts of human existence - being Alone versus Oneness. A common expression I've heard many times and used myself is, "We come into this world alone and we die alone." The other concept which I have experienced many times is that of Oneness, and the understanding that there is no separation between any of us. How could both of these ideas be true? Then I realized that up until that moment, I had unconsciously accepted both to be true without questioning how that could be so. Upon further reflection I understood that the first one, that of each of us being alone in the world, is how we see ourselves if we are Ego based. The second concept, that of understanding that we are all One, is how we understand it to be if we are Spiritually based. Having experienced that aha moment, I now recognize that I am firmly in the Oneness camp and can release the notion that I am Alone as it no longer fits my understanding of life.