00:00:01,940 --> 00:00:05,320 [Speaker 0]
Welcome back to the "Indigenous Wisdom Podcast."
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Oh, yo soy Julia Carmen, and mírale, this weekend,
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at least when I'm broadcasting this, this, this year, uh, Día de los Muertos falls, uh,
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November 1st and 2nd.
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So, much of the world turns towards its ancestors, like I said, Día de los Muertos. Mm-hmm.
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:38,380 [Speaker 0]
Mira, in my family, it was never just one weekend. My mother honored hers every day.
00:00:39,660 --> 00:00:44,920 [Speaker 0]
So today, we're talking about how we honor the ones who came before us
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in our own way,
00:00:49,100 --> 00:01:05,220 [Speaker 0]
and with respect for where this tradition comes from. I've also put together a free Día de los Muertos, uh, resource kit. Been doing this over the years, and, um, I'll tell you a little bit more about it once we get inside and, and along with this, uh, episode.
00:01:08,380 --> 00:01:17,140 [Speaker 0]
A quick reminder, and that, um, we'll be taking a few weeks off the podcast in the coming months as we begin to move
00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:28,260 [Speaker 0]
to an every other week release schedule, and, uh, allow time for rest and remembrance over the winter months. Okay, let's begin.
00:01:29,660 --> 00:01:35,720 [Speaker 0]
Oh, let me see here. Oh, what is Día de los Muertos? What is it? Yeah. Actually,
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yeah, it's, it's time to honor those who have gone beyond us, be- beyond us, you know, that have, that have died. Yeah. And sometimes people say passed, or, you know, they're passing, or they're no longer with us.
00:01:51,820 --> 00:02:02,120 [Speaker 0]
We are all gonna do this, everyone. [chuckles] Every single one of us, us humans, you know, we're bor- we're, we're born, and then, and then we die. Yeah, it's part of the, the living process.
00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:09,940 [Speaker 0]
It's actually celebrated, um, mainly in Mexico and in other places around the world. Yeah.
00:02:11,620 --> 00:02:21,700 [Speaker 0]
And, um, y- yeah, uh, uh, [sighs] I, I hesitate on this one because it's November 2nd, 1st and 2nd, actually, if you're listening to this at, at this time.
00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:38,580 [Speaker 0]
In some places in Mexico, it could, it, it, it's like a whole week or the whole month. Uh, there's just a lot of celebration going on, and then it's a cres- crescendo, you know, like, da-da-da-da, [imitates explosion] you know, that first weekend. Mm-hmm.
00:02:40,220 --> 00:02:44,840 [Speaker 0]
Where, yeah, come together, music, food, like Chihuahuas, yeah.
00:02:46,560 --> 00:03:01,580 [Speaker 0]
Yeah, I like to, and, uh, uh, you know, share with you, like, and, you know, the, the, the movie Coco puts it in a nutshell, lightly. And then if you listen to part one, Juli- uh, Juliana Guerrero mentioned, um, The Book of Life. Yeah.
00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:11,660 [Speaker 0]
And that one definitely, it's like you kind of go, "Oh my goodness, yes." Mm-hmm. And it's not a sad day.
00:03:12,980 --> 00:03:17,920 [Speaker 0]
That's the piece here. It's a day of remembering and being together.
00:03:21,300 --> 00:03:34,820 [Speaker 0]
So honoring this practice, uh, like again, it's just not a simple one event, right? The holiday or the celebration is a doorway into something we can carry through the whole year. Mm-hmm.
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,280 [Speaker 0]
Our ancestors don't stop being part of us.
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We continue to see them in our everyday lives. Yeah. So it's like, oh my goodness. I, I, I, I'm thinking of, um, the part one with Juliana Guerrero, my granddaughter, and her sharing her
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knowing of, "Oh my goodness, I have my mom's hands, and my mom has my mother's, my grandmother's, and my great-grandmother," and so on and so on. So it, it's an everyday in our lives.
00:04:14,740 --> 00:04:28,000 [Speaker 0]
The sole remembrance of the all is a remembrance, not a reinvention, right? So I think some folks kind of go, "Oh, maybe it's something I, I need to work on."
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Yeah?
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Not really. It's that stillness within ourselves where we get quiet and then we see, and then we hear. And when I say hear, it may not be through the human five senses. It may be something else. I don't know. Everybody's so individual. Everybody's so unique in themselves as a human.
00:04:53,220 --> 00:04:57,240 [Speaker 0]
And then you see, you hear, you feel, or, yeah?
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Remembering
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where we come from.
00:05:09,180 --> 00:05:24,380 [Speaker 0]
Hmm. That I, [chuckles] I pause there because in every single moment, in this moment that you're listening to this, this is your moment, right? You're listening to this and you're having this remembrance of, yeah, right?
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Listening, I remember, uh, when my grandmother died, um, oh gosh, long time ago. I was young. And I've shared it in other podcasts, but this is other episodes, excuse me. And, um,
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I lived in Arizona that time, so that, it's been like, [sighs] 40 years since I lived in Arizona, so that's many, many, many, many, many, many, many years ago, decades, right? And my grandmother passed, and my mother, my parents would go to Mexico, and they would stop in Arizona. We lived in Phoenix.
00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:28,900 [Speaker 0]
And my grandmother came through and said, "Mija, I, I'm..." You know, that's back when, when no cell phones, no nothings, right? [chuckles] No nothings, right? But she came through, and I still remember I was scrubbing the toilet. Not the toi- yeah, toilet or the bathtub or whatever, and she came from behind me, and I had a bunch of kids and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, right?
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And she said, "Mija, you know, my daughter's gonna come through, and I, I need you to give her a message. Please, just give her a message."
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And it was so interesting because [chuckles] I didn't, at that, in that moment, I was more like, "Oh, I gotta get this, this work done. I gotta get this tub clean. I gotta get this bathroom done because the boys are gonna come in here, and they're gonna make a mess out of it. I just want five minutes of cleanliness, and it's not smelling," right? Yeah, kind of deal.
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And she said, "Okay, I see that you're busy, but give her this message." And I remember when my mom came through, and she shared with me, "Yeah, your grandmother passed," and this and that and whatever, yeah. And I gave her the message, and my mother looked at me, and she just looked at me like, "Huh."
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That was, it, there's more to that, but that, that look she gave me.
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And
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what I know and understand now,
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mm-hmm, 'cause my grandmother died close to 100, so I'm in my s- early 70s, so, mm, yeah, right.
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What I understand now more so than, than ever before is the message that my grandmother gave me for her daughter and how precious it was, and how my mother, in that moment of grieving,
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she loved her mother.
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It brought me closer to my grandmother.
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I will never forget that. So in the remembrance of her death is in the remembrance of her life of being. That's kinda how it works, yeah? [chuckles] It's kinda cool.
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So if you're looking to, you know, I'm gonna go into looking to honor your ancestors during this time.
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We can all honor our ancestors, all of us.
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No debe de s- you know, no debe ser Mexicana or Mexicano or whatever, you know, you don't have to be, yeah? The most important thing is respect.
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Do it with respect. Mm-hmm. Educate yourselves
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before you borrow. Mm-hmm.
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Learn where the practice comes from and what it means to the people who keep it, yeah?
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Learn
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where the practice comes from.
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It's so important.
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Like I said, no es Mexicana,
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no worries. Honor your ancestors in your own way,
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your people, your tradishes, t- traditions and lineage.
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Oh my gosh, if you, not if, when you do a deep dive, I mean, there's so much out there now and, and understanding one's culture, and everyone has a rich one. Go back far enough, and you'll see, or in the stillness of you as you shh, yeah, right? You will get some information. If you're listening to this podcast, it's called "Indigenous Wisdom," right? So you're attracted to that, which, right? So
00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:07,800 [Speaker 0]
I have strong feeling, [chuckles] strong knowing
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that
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you know for yourself.
00:10:14,820 --> 00:10:15,280 [Speaker 0]
Mm-hmm.
00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:26,359 [Speaker 0]
It's important to respect not only the culture that you see, you know, the Día de los Muertos, but your own, yeah?
00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:34,000 [Speaker 0]
But your own culture and where it come, came from, the sacredness of it. Not the secretness of it, but the sacredness of it,
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which comes into the respect for self.
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Those two go together.
00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:42,780 [Speaker 0]
Mm-hmm.
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Isn't that beautiful?
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An altar can be in your heart. Maybe you're not, you don't wanna put a picture up, or you don't wanna do anything. Beautiful set of flowers. Oh my gosh, just, you know, the marigolds. Oh my gosh, bringing the orange and all that beautiful goodies, or your favorite flowers.
00:11:06,900 --> 00:11:19,380 [Speaker 0]
If autumn is your favorite time of year, oh my gosh. I know a lot of people that love this time of year. [chuckles] I'm like, I, I, I, I, I enjoy this time of year also. It's, there's this
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beautifulness around it,
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yeah? Mm-hmm.
00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:43,560 [Speaker 0]
Mírale. There's no right way or wrong way. Again, it doesn't have to be elaborate. It can just be, like we said, you know, one photo, one candle, something they loved, something to eat or drink in their honor, like I said, flowers.
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Here's the thing. When our altar is within ourselves, and let's say you're traveling right now, and you're away from home,
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bring a small version with yours, within self, yeah?
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What does that look like, yeah? So if you go somewhere, you're traveling during this time, and wherever you go, go, um, we invite you to go out in nature or mírale, [chuckles] music.
00:12:18,252 --> 00:12:19,632 [Speaker 0]
Oh my gosh, music.
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If you know one of your ancestors' favorite music, play it. Oh my goodness. Or I've-- people have shared with me, "I was thinking about so-and-so."
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And this is before a lot of people listened to their radios, right?
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Mm. And they go, "Oh, I turned the radio on," and their favorite song came on. "Julia, was that them?" I said, "Yes, yes." Mm-hmm.
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So now play their favorite song
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and think of them.
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Say their names out loud.
00:13:00,412 --> 00:13:04,012 [Speaker 0]
Let them know. They do know, but, you know, say it out loud.
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Mm.
00:13:13,112 --> 00:13:13,372 [Speaker 0]
Yeah.
00:13:16,492 --> 00:13:17,872 [Speaker 0]
I, I, I, um,
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I find this time of year and Día de los Muertos an important time for us to pause and be, and have an understanding of where we are in this moment in time and space. Yeah.
00:13:34,132 --> 00:13:35,552 [Speaker 0]
Oh my goodness.
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Make it yours.
00:13:40,732 --> 00:14:02,592 [Speaker 0]
Now, you may be wondering, "Well, I don't know how to get started." Well, we have a kit, actually. I wanted to share that with you. Um, and this is what you'll find in the free Día de los Muertos kit. Recipes, mm, mm, mm, check out those recipes. You can have a fun day with that. Music, yeah. Films, readings.
00:14:03,912 --> 00:14:21,372 [Speaker 0]
Oh, goodness. And from the School Without Walls, um, earlier podcast episodes, the Magical Papers Workshop. Well, that's not free, [chuckles] the Magical Papers Workshop, but from the School Without Walls, yeah. Yeah. We have a special, actually. Gotta check that out.
00:14:22,572 --> 00:14:28,611 [Speaker 0]
Um, it pairs with this work of remembering who you are and where you come from.
00:14:29,752 --> 00:14:36,952 [Speaker 0]
The kit itself is at the schoolwithoutwalls.net/kit. Yeah.
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I'd like to pull a card for you. Yeah, short and sweet. Short and sweet. Just wanted to remember you folks and let you know that... Uh, not let you know, but
00:14:51,392 --> 00:14:52,732 [Speaker 0]
invite you to see
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and participate in your own way, Día de los Muertos. Mm-hmm. So I pulled a card,
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and the card is
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Kissing Lover Dragonfly. It's actually Kissing/Dragonfly, but we put a slash in lover. "Yes is the answer.
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Kiss me once, kiss me twice,
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then kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time since you did that." [chuckles] And you're wondering... And the, and the card is gorgeous. The, the dragonfly card is gorgeous. Uh,
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I love it because when I pulled the card, I said, "Oh, okay." So check this out. Why do... Uh, you know, basically, our ancestors are saying, "Hey, look in the mirror
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and see me."
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Actually, that's what they're saying. "Look in the mirror and see me. Kiss me once, kiss me twice. It's been a long, long time since you did that." Yeah.
00:15:59,452 --> 00:16:01,412 [Speaker 0]
Hmm. How fun is that?
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Blow the kisses out to your ancestors.
00:16:09,212 --> 00:16:11,912 [Speaker 0]
Mírale, thank you for sitting with me today.
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However, however you honor your ancestors this week, built it, build it in a way that feels true to you.
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It doesn't have to look like anyone else's.
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If you'd like some ide- ideas, begin with the free Día de los Muertos kit
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is waiting at the schoolwithoutwalls.netkit/kit. That's I... I mean, that's K-I-T. And you'll find recipes, songs, films, readings I've gathered over the years.
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Mírale. Yo soy Julia Carmen.
00:16:55,552 --> 00:17:06,812 [Speaker 0]
Thank you so much. Muchas gracias for, you know, listening in. Yeah. And remember, we're gonna be taking some weeks off here and there during the holidays 'cause things are gonna get... Yeah.
00:17:07,852 --> 00:17:37,092 [Speaker 0]
Uh, this'll give you some time to maybe go over some ones you haven't, uh, listened to. They're all great. They really are. I mean, if I say so myself. [chuckles] I really enjoy them because a lot of times I, I channel or I just kind of just free flow or a lot of the interviews that I did with, uh, so many beautiful, wonderful, amazing people. And, and we have things get... We're getting ready for 2027. Just a few more months for this, this year, and time goes by. Yeah.
00:17:39,532 --> 00:17:49,472 [Speaker 0]
Remember yourselves, hermanas y hermanitos. Remember yourselves. In the remembrance of you, mírale, [chuckles] your ancestors are totally remembered.
00:17:51,012 --> 00:17:51,472 [Speaker 0]
Amen.
00:17:53,352 --> 00:17:53,832 [Speaker 0]
Adiós.
Welcome back to the "Indigenous Wisdom Podcast."
00:00:06,700 --> 00:00:11,220 [Speaker 0]
Oh, yo soy Julia Carmen, and mírale, this weekend,
00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:18,540 [Speaker 0]
at least when I'm broadcasting this, this, this year, uh, Día de los Muertos falls, uh,
00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:20,980 [Speaker 0]
November 1st and 2nd.
00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:28,760 [Speaker 0]
So, much of the world turns towards its ancestors, like I said, Día de los Muertos. Mm-hmm.
00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:38,380 [Speaker 0]
Mira, in my family, it was never just one weekend. My mother honored hers every day.
00:00:39,660 --> 00:00:44,920 [Speaker 0]
So today, we're talking about how we honor the ones who came before us
00:00:46,460 --> 00:00:47,840 [Speaker 0]
in our own way,
00:00:49,100 --> 00:01:05,220 [Speaker 0]
and with respect for where this tradition comes from. I've also put together a free Día de los Muertos, uh, resource kit. Been doing this over the years, and, um, I'll tell you a little bit more about it once we get inside and, and along with this, uh, episode.
00:01:08,380 --> 00:01:17,140 [Speaker 0]
A quick reminder, and that, um, we'll be taking a few weeks off the podcast in the coming months as we begin to move
00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:28,260 [Speaker 0]
to an every other week release schedule, and, uh, allow time for rest and remembrance over the winter months. Okay, let's begin.
00:01:29,660 --> 00:01:35,720 [Speaker 0]
Oh, let me see here. Oh, what is Día de los Muertos? What is it? Yeah. Actually,
00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:50,400 [Speaker 0]
yeah, it's, it's time to honor those who have gone beyond us, be- beyond us, you know, that have, that have died. Yeah. And sometimes people say passed, or, you know, they're passing, or they're no longer with us.
00:01:51,820 --> 00:02:02,120 [Speaker 0]
We are all gonna do this, everyone. [chuckles] Every single one of us, us humans, you know, we're bor- we're, we're born, and then, and then we die. Yeah, it's part of the, the living process.
00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:09,940 [Speaker 0]
It's actually celebrated, um, mainly in Mexico and in other places around the world. Yeah.
00:02:11,620 --> 00:02:21,700 [Speaker 0]
And, um, y- yeah, uh, uh, [sighs] I, I hesitate on this one because it's November 2nd, 1st and 2nd, actually, if you're listening to this at, at this time.
00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:38,580 [Speaker 0]
In some places in Mexico, it could, it, it, it's like a whole week or the whole month. Uh, there's just a lot of celebration going on, and then it's a cres- crescendo, you know, like, da-da-da-da, [imitates explosion] you know, that first weekend. Mm-hmm.
00:02:40,220 --> 00:02:44,840 [Speaker 0]
Where, yeah, come together, music, food, like Chihuahuas, yeah.
00:02:46,560 --> 00:03:01,580 [Speaker 0]
Yeah, I like to, and, uh, uh, you know, share with you, like, and, you know, the, the, the movie Coco puts it in a nutshell, lightly. And then if you listen to part one, Juli- uh, Juliana Guerrero mentioned, um, The Book of Life. Yeah.
00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:11,660 [Speaker 0]
And that one definitely, it's like you kind of go, "Oh my goodness, yes." Mm-hmm. And it's not a sad day.
00:03:12,980 --> 00:03:17,920 [Speaker 0]
That's the piece here. It's a day of remembering and being together.
00:03:21,300 --> 00:03:34,820 [Speaker 0]
So honoring this practice, uh, like again, it's just not a simple one event, right? The holiday or the celebration is a doorway into something we can carry through the whole year. Mm-hmm.
00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:39,280 [Speaker 0]
Our ancestors don't stop being part of us.
00:03:40,580 --> 00:03:57,900 [Speaker 0]
We continue to see them in our everyday lives. Yeah. So it's like, oh my goodness. I, I, I, I'm thinking of, um, the part one with Juliana Guerrero, my granddaughter, and her sharing her
00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:12,580 [Speaker 0]
knowing of, "Oh my goodness, I have my mom's hands, and my mom has my mother's, my grandmother's, and my great-grandmother," and so on and so on. So it, it's an everyday in our lives.
00:04:14,740 --> 00:04:28,000 [Speaker 0]
The sole remembrance of the all is a remembrance, not a reinvention, right? So I think some folks kind of go, "Oh, maybe it's something I, I need to work on."
00:04:31,020 --> 00:04:31,200 [Speaker 0]
Yeah?
00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:51,880 [Speaker 0]
Not really. It's that stillness within ourselves where we get quiet and then we see, and then we hear. And when I say hear, it may not be through the human five senses. It may be something else. I don't know. Everybody's so individual. Everybody's so unique in themselves as a human.
00:04:53,220 --> 00:04:57,240 [Speaker 0]
And then you see, you hear, you feel, or, yeah?
00:04:59,180 --> 00:04:59,960 [Speaker 0]
Remembering
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where we come from.
00:05:09,180 --> 00:05:24,380 [Speaker 0]
Hmm. That I, [chuckles] I pause there because in every single moment, in this moment that you're listening to this, this is your moment, right? You're listening to this and you're having this remembrance of, yeah, right?
00:05:29,140 --> 00:05:44,380 [Speaker 0]
Listening, I remember, uh, when my grandmother died, um, oh gosh, long time ago. I was young. And I've shared it in other podcasts, but this is other episodes, excuse me. And, um,
00:05:47,700 --> 00:06:08,720 [Speaker 0]
I lived in Arizona that time, so that, it's been like, [sighs] 40 years since I lived in Arizona, so that's many, many, many, many, many, many, many years ago, decades, right? And my grandmother passed, and my mother, my parents would go to Mexico, and they would stop in Arizona. We lived in Phoenix.
00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:28,900 [Speaker 0]
And my grandmother came through and said, "Mija, I, I'm..." You know, that's back when, when no cell phones, no nothings, right? [chuckles] No nothings, right? But she came through, and I still remember I was scrubbing the toilet. Not the toi- yeah, toilet or the bathtub or whatever, and she came from behind me, and I had a bunch of kids and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, right?
00:06:30,180 --> 00:06:37,180 [Speaker 0]
And she said, "Mija, you know, my daughter's gonna come through, and I, I need you to give her a message. Please, just give her a message."
00:06:38,260 --> 00:06:58,800 [Speaker 0]
And it was so interesting because [chuckles] I didn't, at that, in that moment, I was more like, "Oh, I gotta get this, this work done. I gotta get this tub clean. I gotta get this bathroom done because the boys are gonna come in here, and they're gonna make a mess out of it. I just want five minutes of cleanliness, and it's not smelling," right? Yeah, kind of deal.
00:07:01,700 --> 00:07:19,420 [Speaker 0]
And she said, "Okay, I see that you're busy, but give her this message." And I remember when my mom came through, and she shared with me, "Yeah, your grandmother passed," and this and that and whatever, yeah. And I gave her the message, and my mother looked at me, and she just looked at me like, "Huh."
00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,120 [Speaker 0]
That was, it, there's more to that, but that, that look she gave me.
00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:26,920 [Speaker 0]
And
00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,220 [Speaker 0]
what I know and understand now,
00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:39,540 [Speaker 0]
mm-hmm, 'cause my grandmother died close to 100, so I'm in my s- early 70s, so, mm, yeah, right.
00:07:41,220 --> 00:07:55,660 [Speaker 0]
What I understand now more so than, than ever before is the message that my grandmother gave me for her daughter and how precious it was, and how my mother, in that moment of grieving,
00:07:57,220 --> 00:07:58,920 [Speaker 0]
she loved her mother.
00:08:03,460 --> 00:08:05,720 [Speaker 0]
It brought me closer to my grandmother.
00:08:07,500 --> 00:08:19,060 [Speaker 0]
I will never forget that. So in the remembrance of her death is in the remembrance of her life of being. That's kinda how it works, yeah? [chuckles] It's kinda cool.
00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:27,860 [Speaker 0]
So if you're looking to, you know, I'm gonna go into looking to honor your ancestors during this time.
00:08:29,540 --> 00:08:33,000 [Speaker 0]
We can all honor our ancestors, all of us.
00:08:34,620 --> 00:08:44,020 [Speaker 0]
No debe de s- you know, no debe ser Mexicana or Mexicano or whatever, you know, you don't have to be, yeah? The most important thing is respect.
00:08:46,260 --> 00:08:50,880 [Speaker 0]
Do it with respect. Mm-hmm. Educate yourselves
00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:55,820 [Speaker 0]
before you borrow. Mm-hmm.
00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:05,300 [Speaker 0]
Learn where the practice comes from and what it means to the people who keep it, yeah?
00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:08,900 [Speaker 0]
Learn
00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:11,760 [Speaker 0]
where the practice comes from.
00:09:14,700 --> 00:09:15,600 [Speaker 0]
It's so important.
00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:21,360 [Speaker 0]
Like I said, no es Mexicana,
00:09:22,780 --> 00:09:26,560 [Speaker 0]
no worries. Honor your ancestors in your own way,
00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:32,340 [Speaker 0]
your people, your tradishes, t- traditions and lineage.
00:09:33,380 --> 00:10:03,420 [Speaker 0]
Oh my gosh, if you, not if, when you do a deep dive, I mean, there's so much out there now and, and understanding one's culture, and everyone has a rich one. Go back far enough, and you'll see, or in the stillness of you as you shh, yeah, right? You will get some information. If you're listening to this podcast, it's called "Indigenous Wisdom," right? So you're attracted to that, which, right? So
00:10:04,560 --> 00:10:07,800 [Speaker 0]
I have strong feeling, [chuckles] strong knowing
00:10:09,140 --> 00:10:09,480 [Speaker 0]
that
00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:13,020 [Speaker 0]
you know for yourself.
00:10:14,820 --> 00:10:15,280 [Speaker 0]
Mm-hmm.
00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:26,359 [Speaker 0]
It's important to respect not only the culture that you see, you know, the Día de los Muertos, but your own, yeah?
00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:34,000 [Speaker 0]
But your own culture and where it come, came from, the sacredness of it. Not the secretness of it, but the sacredness of it,
00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,140 [Speaker 0]
which comes into the respect for self.
00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:40,540 [Speaker 0]
Those two go together.
00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:42,780 [Speaker 0]
Mm-hmm.
00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:45,920 [Speaker 0]
Isn't that beautiful?
00:10:47,940 --> 00:11:05,200 [Speaker 0]
An altar can be in your heart. Maybe you're not, you don't wanna put a picture up, or you don't wanna do anything. Beautiful set of flowers. Oh my gosh, just, you know, the marigolds. Oh my gosh, bringing the orange and all that beautiful goodies, or your favorite flowers.
00:11:06,900 --> 00:11:19,380 [Speaker 0]
If autumn is your favorite time of year, oh my gosh. I know a lot of people that love this time of year. [chuckles] I'm like, I, I, I, I, I enjoy this time of year also. It's, there's this
00:11:20,700 --> 00:11:22,040 [Speaker 0]
beautifulness around it,
00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:24,320 [Speaker 0]
yeah? Mm-hmm.
00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:43,560 [Speaker 0]
Mírale. There's no right way or wrong way. Again, it doesn't have to be elaborate. It can just be, like we said, you know, one photo, one candle, something they loved, something to eat or drink in their honor, like I said, flowers.
00:11:47,620 --> 00:11:55,120 [Speaker 0]
Here's the thing. When our altar is within ourselves, and let's say you're traveling right now, and you're away from home,
00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:59,640 [Speaker 0]
bring a small version with yours, within self, yeah?
00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:18,252 [Speaker 0]
What does that look like, yeah? So if you go somewhere, you're traveling during this time, and wherever you go, go, um, we invite you to go out in nature or mírale, [chuckles] music.
00:12:18,252 --> 00:12:19,632 [Speaker 0]
Oh my gosh, music.
00:12:21,312 --> 00:12:32,572 [Speaker 0]
If you know one of your ancestors' favorite music, play it. Oh my goodness. Or I've-- people have shared with me, "I was thinking about so-and-so."
00:12:34,291 --> 00:12:37,132 [Speaker 0]
And this is before a lot of people listened to their radios, right?
00:12:38,152 --> 00:12:45,992 [Speaker 0]
Mm. And they go, "Oh, I turned the radio on," and their favorite song came on. "Julia, was that them?" I said, "Yes, yes." Mm-hmm.
00:12:48,352 --> 00:12:50,652 [Speaker 0]
So now play their favorite song
00:12:53,532 --> 00:12:54,332 [Speaker 0]
and think of them.
00:12:57,532 --> 00:12:58,932 [Speaker 0]
Say their names out loud.
00:13:00,412 --> 00:13:04,012 [Speaker 0]
Let them know. They do know, but, you know, say it out loud.
00:13:08,832 --> 00:13:09,072 [Speaker 0]
Mm.
00:13:13,112 --> 00:13:13,372 [Speaker 0]
Yeah.
00:13:16,492 --> 00:13:17,872 [Speaker 0]
I, I, I, um,
00:13:20,252 --> 00:13:32,392 [Speaker 0]
I find this time of year and Día de los Muertos an important time for us to pause and be, and have an understanding of where we are in this moment in time and space. Yeah.
00:13:34,132 --> 00:13:35,552 [Speaker 0]
Oh my goodness.
00:13:38,252 --> 00:13:38,992 [Speaker 0]
Make it yours.
00:13:40,732 --> 00:14:02,592 [Speaker 0]
Now, you may be wondering, "Well, I don't know how to get started." Well, we have a kit, actually. I wanted to share that with you. Um, and this is what you'll find in the free Día de los Muertos kit. Recipes, mm, mm, mm, check out those recipes. You can have a fun day with that. Music, yeah. Films, readings.
00:14:03,912 --> 00:14:21,372 [Speaker 0]
Oh, goodness. And from the School Without Walls, um, earlier podcast episodes, the Magical Papers Workshop. Well, that's not free, [chuckles] the Magical Papers Workshop, but from the School Without Walls, yeah. Yeah. We have a special, actually. Gotta check that out.
00:14:22,572 --> 00:14:28,611 [Speaker 0]
Um, it pairs with this work of remembering who you are and where you come from.
00:14:29,752 --> 00:14:36,952 [Speaker 0]
The kit itself is at the schoolwithoutwalls.net/kit. Yeah.
00:14:39,132 --> 00:14:49,512 [Speaker 0]
I'd like to pull a card for you. Yeah, short and sweet. Short and sweet. Just wanted to remember you folks and let you know that... Uh, not let you know, but
00:14:51,392 --> 00:14:52,732 [Speaker 0]
invite you to see
00:14:53,852 --> 00:15:00,192 [Speaker 0]
and participate in your own way, Día de los Muertos. Mm-hmm. So I pulled a card,
00:15:01,452 --> 00:15:02,472 [Speaker 0]
and the card is
00:15:03,872 --> 00:15:16,412 [Speaker 0]
Kissing Lover Dragonfly. It's actually Kissing/Dragonfly, but we put a slash in lover. "Yes is the answer.
00:15:17,812 --> 00:15:20,112 [Speaker 0]
Kiss me once, kiss me twice,
00:15:21,132 --> 00:15:33,332 [Speaker 0]
then kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time since you did that." [chuckles] And you're wondering... And the, and the card is gorgeous. The, the dragonfly card is gorgeous. Uh,
00:15:34,752 --> 00:15:45,692 [Speaker 0]
I love it because when I pulled the card, I said, "Oh, okay." So check this out. Why do... Uh, you know, basically, our ancestors are saying, "Hey, look in the mirror
00:15:46,752 --> 00:15:47,472 [Speaker 0]
and see me."
00:15:49,532 --> 00:15:57,812 [Speaker 0]
Actually, that's what they're saying. "Look in the mirror and see me. Kiss me once, kiss me twice. It's been a long, long time since you did that." Yeah.
00:15:59,452 --> 00:16:01,412 [Speaker 0]
Hmm. How fun is that?
00:16:02,852 --> 00:16:04,792 [Speaker 0]
Blow the kisses out to your ancestors.
00:16:09,212 --> 00:16:11,912 [Speaker 0]
Mírale, thank you for sitting with me today.
00:16:13,292 --> 00:16:21,692 [Speaker 0]
However, however you honor your ancestors this week, built it, build it in a way that feels true to you.
00:16:22,752 --> 00:16:26,532 [Speaker 0]
It doesn't have to look like anyone else's.
00:16:28,592 --> 00:16:34,091 [Speaker 0]
If you'd like some ide- ideas, begin with the free Día de los Muertos kit
00:16:35,411 --> 00:16:49,872 [Speaker 0]
is waiting at the schoolwithoutwalls.netkit/kit. That's I... I mean, that's K-I-T. And you'll find recipes, songs, films, readings I've gathered over the years.
00:16:51,972 --> 00:16:54,512 [Speaker 0]
Mírale. Yo soy Julia Carmen.
00:16:55,552 --> 00:17:06,812 [Speaker 0]
Thank you so much. Muchas gracias for, you know, listening in. Yeah. And remember, we're gonna be taking some weeks off here and there during the holidays 'cause things are gonna get... Yeah.
00:17:07,852 --> 00:17:37,092 [Speaker 0]
Uh, this'll give you some time to maybe go over some ones you haven't, uh, listened to. They're all great. They really are. I mean, if I say so myself. [chuckles] I really enjoy them because a lot of times I, I channel or I just kind of just free flow or a lot of the interviews that I did with, uh, so many beautiful, wonderful, amazing people. And, and we have things get... We're getting ready for 2027. Just a few more months for this, this year, and time goes by. Yeah.
00:17:39,532 --> 00:17:49,472 [Speaker 0]
Remember yourselves, hermanas y hermanitos. Remember yourselves. In the remembrance of you, mírale, [chuckles] your ancestors are totally remembered.
00:17:51,012 --> 00:17:51,472 [Speaker 0]
Amen.
00:17:53,352 --> 00:17:53,832 [Speaker 0]
Adiós.
