Memento Mori Ceremonies-Why?
In Western society we live in a primarily death-phobic culture. It is a radical, courageous deed to contemplate our mortality. To choose to bring awareness to death is choosing to engage with both the dark depths and transformative profundity. Although none of us will fully know the experience until it happens, we can immerse ourselves in the mystery and bow our heads to the reality that death, dying and grief are integral aspects of life.
What would happen if we chose to honor death? What if we held reverence for the dying process? What if we awoke each morning not merely expecting to be alive but were consciously grateful for the new day that is never a given? What if we made space for the messiness that can accompany death, for the sharp edge of grief, for the soft hum of loving connection to our dead?
Memento Mori Ceremonies foster death awareness on an individual level but also break through individualism and tap into the power of a group dynamic. When we bear witness to each other we are saying an overwhelming and unshakable “I see you. I hear you.” There is potency and magic that can come forth in the wake of such vulnerability, especially in regard to our shared mortality.
