IN Mexico, they celebrate Día de Los Muertos or the Day of the Dead on November 2. They clean the graves and create altars to offer traditional dishes for their deceased loved ones. They also sing the favorite songs and dance to honor their dearly departed. This tradition is influenced by Spanish Conquistadores on the Mexicans.
In Western culture, All Hallows’ Day is also known as All Saints’ Day or Hallowmas. Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve is the evening before the Hallowmas and is widely celebrated by having scary costumes, trick or treats and lantern parades. This event is more popular than the actual All Saints’ or All Souls’ Day.
When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, they brought Catholicism and a lot of traditions that we still observe until now. Alongside influenced tradition, mysticism is deeply rooted in our culture. The old ways of the pagans are interspersed with what the Spaniards had taught us.
With the belief that the dead visits when All Souls’ Day comes, FEAR also comes with it. Some fear the coming of Nov. 1 and 2 because they fear the visit of the dead.
They fear shadows lurking, the sudden smell of flowers, candles or perfume at night, or apparitions seemingly of those dearly departed.
It is difficult to say not to fear them because an encounter with the unknown is always scary. It is for the main reason you are kept in mystery as to what the unknown can bring. In short, it is very hard to calculate something that is not tangible at all.
When we pass on to another world or our physical bodies die, we simply go to another dimension where other spirits converge and stay. Our physical bodies are shed, we become lighter and one with the unseen God. We also become like Him…unseen but felt.
But the question is, are they really our loved ones visiting us during these days of remembrance? Are they the ones standing in dark corners, walking past our peripheral vision, knocking down picture frames, moving the rocking chair or making those footstep sounds pacing to and fro at the wee hours in the morning? The answer: maybe yes and maybe no.
YES. Our departed loved ones come around and visit us. They come not only during Dia de Los Muertos or All Souls’ Day but anytime when the family sits down and talks about them, when a birthday comes, an anniversary is remembered. At a wink of an eye, they come as a thought that comes in a second.
My grandmother died in 1994 but I still interact with her in my dreams. Each time I dream of her, it warns me of things to come. Each time she appears, even for a second in one of my dreams, it is a forewarning that I will have a challenge or a problem with crop up. A premonition of some sort, it gives me a chance to be more aware of things to come.
Consider it a coincidence but in August, September, October and November of 2018, she would frequent my dreams as if egging me to pay attention to something. True enough, someone became my ultimate concern or problem.
While I was on a trip to Bukidnon last May, she once again appeared in my dream and told me to take care of myself. In the latter part of May, I had a nosebleed that brought me to running to the emergency room three times and a quick confinement. This made me slow down for a month and had a chance to rejuvenate. Coincidence or not, I could go on and on citing dreams of her in the past and of actual challenges that came.
These visits always make me smile. Being a grandma’s pet, I love the connection even in the afterlife. What a great bond we have, my Nanay (my grandma), and I welcome the visits you always do.
Last September, I visited my college best friend and stayed with her in Melbourne. In college, there were about six of us in the barkada and we lovingly call each other “Tsong.” As usual, I would do Tsong Marisa’s reading before I return for Manila. A week after I arrived in Manila, here comes Tsong Marisa telling me that Tsong Pearl (she passed away more than six years ago) insisted that she follows my reading. Tsong Pearl was Marisa’s mother who had departed when she was young and both were supporting my advice. This clearly shows that our loved ones interact with us continuously and lovingly.
Yes, they do guide us. They do care for us. They also get hurt when we are pained. They grieve when we have misery and they rejoice for our successes. They are simply there walking in pace, observing our lives but is unseen by the eye.
Spirits are not to be feared of especially souls of people who once lived in this physical realm. We should not be afraid of them but rather we commune with them. Isn’t it great to establish and continue a loving bond with them?
But should we really be afraid of spirits? Whether they are the spirits of our dear loved one or that of another individual, we must be attentive to what they are trying to convey. There must be a message that we have to be OPEN in order to UNDERSTAND. And to be open means to dissolve FEAR and replace it with LOVE. With LOVE, we will COMMUNICATE.
In the next article, we will tackle the other answer…the NO part. When other types of spirits visit us, what do we do?
* * *
Stargazer is a life coach, aura reader, psychic/clairvoyant, and lecturer on the paranormal. She uses the aura, energies & vibrations as focal points of her psychic readings. Using several techniques involving the psychological, spiritual, paranormal and her own experience of the intricacies of life, Stargazer makes one get in touch with his inner and understand life in a positive manner. Faith in God and belief in self is what Stargazer emphasizes on. Currently, Stargazer is a radio anchor of DZMM Teleradyo, the radio arm of ABS-CBN. Her show “Pinoy Vibes” has been airing every Sunday morning since Sept. 2007. She can be reached at [email protected]. For more information, please visit http://stargazer.ph/.
