Dia de los Muertos ~ How will YOU celebrate YOUR ancestors?

Dia de los Muertos ~ How will YOU celebrate YOUR ancestors?

Today, November 2, is Dia de los Muertos. 

It is a time when families gather to honor and remember deceased loved ones. It is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit the living families in homes, businesses and cemeteries. 

Anything can be placed on the altar for the visiting souls, including traditional food, fresh flowers, pan de muerto (or bread for the dead), candles,  copal incense (aromatic tree resin), fruits, cloths, photographs, favorite drinks of the deceased, sugar folk toys, religious images and clothing. 

Decorations also include tombstones, skulls and skeletons made of clay and other materials, sugar skulls, and papel picado. Calaveras are ubiquitous during Day of the Dead. A Calavera, or sugar skull, is a decorative skulls made (usually by hand) from either sugar (called Alfeñiques) or clay which are used in the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead. The skulls are often drawn with a smile as to laugh at death itself and the name of each departed is written on a sugar skull. 

The names of the living are also written on these treats to introduce children to the idea of death in an atmosphere of joyful celebration. These sugar skulls are eaten and the living come to associate pleasant sensations with the sadness of death. 

Calaveras take many forms, such as sugar candies, clay decorations, and most memorable: face painting. Sugar skulls are decorated and placed on ofrendas of loved ones. 

Most importantly, a photograph of the departed soul is placed on the altar. Pan de muerto, bread for the dead, is sweet and baked in shapes of skulls and human figures. 

Traditional loaves are round with a central raised knob of dough, representing the skull, with crossed bone-shaped decorations radiating from the central knob. 

Día de los Muertos also includes traditional dishes, such as chicken in red or black mole sprinkled with sesame seeds; tortillas, tamales made from ground corn; soft drinks or aguardiente (“white-lightning” liquor),tequila and always a glass of water. It is believed that the returning souls are thirsty after a long journey. Water is also believed to be a main support of life. 

The flower of the dead is called Cempasúchil (Náhuatl, or Aztec, name for marigold) or “Flor de Muerto” (Spanish for Flower of Dead) and symbolizes the beauty and fragility of life. Cempasúchil was the symbolic flower of death for the Aztecs, because once it is cut, it dies very quickly. 

Marigolds are believed to be the pathways that guide the spirits to their ofrendas. The flower’s vibrant colors and scent attract the departed souls, as they return to feast on their favorite foods. While orange and yellow marigolds are the main flowers, magenta terciopelo (ruby coxcombs) and nube (baby’s breath) are also traditionally displayed. 

Copal (tree resin) is used as incense and is a symbolic transformation of the physical to the supernatural, associated with the death of the soul returning to the ofrenda. 

Candles and fresh marigold flowers are placed on the altar to light and guide the way of the souls to the altar. Paths are marked with flower petals showing the departed souls the way to the altar. Day of the Dead toys are also placed on the altar. Painted clay skeleton figures portray the dead resuming their normal activities such as playing. Pull toys, coffins and crank boxes are displayed for the dead to play with. Living with death in this way means that we can learn learn to accept death as part of life. 

(Sources: Day of the Dead Festival & Day of the Dead Holiday) 

How will YOU celebrate YOUR ancestors?

Saints & What Purposes to Call on Them

Saints & What Purposes to Call on Them
There are soooo many Saints! There is one, and usually more, for just about any purpose you may need to call upon them for. When I first started working with the Saints, I was beyond confused, well, more like overwhelmed.To make it easier, as I learned of a Saint and the purposes to call upon them, I added them to a simple table for easy reference. The table is by no means complete in any sense of the word, but it's a good start - and more will be added as I find it. So I thought I would share what I have with y'all so far. I hope someone finds it as useful as I have. :)

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Saints' Correspondence Table

Saint:	Called Upon For:	Items for Ritual:
Holy Family	Peace, Loyalty, Family	Nativity
Infant of Prague	Protects children	Image
Mary Magdalene	Perfumers, Penitent women, Hairstylists, Pharmacists, Apothecaries
Our Lady of Guadalupe the Blessed Virgin	Blessings, Love, Healing, Protection	Image
St. Ann	Mothers, Childbirth, Grandmothers
St. Anthony	Finds lost items, keys, lovers
St. Barbara	protector of death & battles
St. Benedict	Protector from witchcraft, illness, sickness, heals the sick	St. Benedict medal, Crow, Cross, Cup, Bread & salt
St. Brigit	Protects babies, children, travelers, scholars, sailors
St. Cajetan	Unemployed, Job seekers Gamblers, Good fortune
St. Christopher	Protects travelers
St. Claire/Clare	Guides one to wisdom and light
St. Death aka: Santisima Muerte, Omnipotent by Grace	Tear down roadblocks	Image, Roses (red or white), Red or White candles
St. Expedite	Expedite your wish immediately, Helps bring faster results	Pound cake, 3 nickels, Water, Image
St. Francis of Assisi	Protects animals
St. George aka: The Warrior, Uncle Bucket	Road opening, Soldiers, Horsemen, Defender, Butchers, Field workers, Armorers, Cavalry
St. Gerard	Pregnancy, motherhood
St. Helena	Widows, Divorcees, Difficult marriages
St. Joseph	Pay raise, Job getting, Home affairs, Home sales, Passage to easier death	Image
St. Jude	Hopeless cases, Works impossible cases, Cancer	Green candle, Basil, Money
St. Lucy	Writers, Poets, Journalists
St. Martha	Protection, used to keep a man faithful
St. Michael	Break down barriers
St. Michael the Archangel	An angel not a saint, but used to Defend & battle, Protector from evil, foes, demons	Image
St. Peter “The Key Holder”	Unlock barriers, Remove blockages, Opens doors, Businesses
St. Raymond	Protects against foes & gossipers
St. Rita	Protection, Impossible causes, Splitting up bad relationships	Red rose (thorns removed & set beside her – used for defense & protection), White or Pink candle
St. Simon aka: San Simon, Patron Saint of Gamblers & Drunkards	Male sexuality, Rain, Fertility, Wealth, Worldly success
St. Sophia	Wisdom, Enlightenment, Students

 

Ritual for a Safe Return

Ritual for a Safe Return
Today I had to do an emergency ritual for my granddaughter. She's 17 and ran away from the facility where she was staying (in Wyoming). She left with a friend, was seen at a truck stop, and finally a few hours later the truck she got into was stopped and she was taken back to her aunt and uncle, who will then get her back home to Georgia.

I was harrowing enough for me, I can only imagine what her mother was going through. She started a prayer warrior request on Facebook, and it was through Facebook that our girl was seen and subsequently found.

The emergency ritual was a tea lite in front of my Mother Mary bust and St. Expedite's card was under the plate the tea lite was on. I should've taken a picture of it, but I completely forgot.

The candle burned low but steady and went out at the same time she was found. Thank you Mother Mary & St. Expedite for your loving energies, keeping her safe, and having her found rapidly!

NEVER under estimate the power of a ritual, prayer warriors, and the power of the Divine!

I kept Psalm 70 on my monitor, asking for Divine intervention for this emergency.  I read and re-read it several times over the day. I also shared it on Facebook so others could also recite it in their prayers.

Psalm 70

King James Version (KJV)

70 Make haste, o God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.

² Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.
³ Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
⁴ Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.
⁵ But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.

Patron Saints

Patron Saints
A Patron Saint is one which is important to a person for a specific reason. It can be for health reasons, or protection for just about any situation, or to watch over your children or pets. But did you know that there are Patron Saints for some cities, states, and countries? I didn't, until I was looking up Saints and their abilities, as well as their histories (I find their life stories very interesting, and enlightening as to how they came to be canonized).

Anyway, in my research I found that I had a .pdf on my computer that I'd downloaded from one site that was very informative, giving the Saint and their patronages (and some have quite a few!) While it was an informative piece, it led me to further the research to see what else I could find.

What I found I just had to share!

The "Catholic Online" site's Patron Saints pages have a huge selection of Saints, with them listed alphabetically. For those who work with Saints, or would like to, this is the place to go!  I know I'll be a regular visitor! (For some reason, the other site I had listed would not open.  I could go to their site from my Favorites, but it would not open in a link like it used to. So, I've given the Catholic Online's link instead, which is just as good).

Enjoy your searching!

List of Saints

List of Saints
For those who work with the saints in their works, I found a site that has an alphabetical listing of 5,775 saints! I'd say there are enough there to more than find one for what ever purpose y'all may have that needs attention and saintly assistance.

The site is called Catholic Online and the list page is here. Check it out! I was amazed at how many there were. Each listing that I clicked on had a good amount of information about that saint.

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Another site I found has calendars that show the saint of each day. This very useful calendar can be found here on the American Catholic website. You can scroll through the months to find a particular date that you want to know what saint belongs to that day, or just see what saint is for the current date.

I hope y'all find these sites as useful as I know I will!