Dying is an art; a beautiful, difficult skill to learn. We must practice dying throughout our lifetimes so that when the time comes, we are ready. Dying is one of the most important (if not the most important) moments of our lives, and thus we should never jump into it unpracticed and scared, not knowing where we are going, what it's going to be like, what to do. This is why monks spend their entire lives meditating about death, envisioning the release, practicing the feeling of letting go of attachment and coming into warmth and freedom. This is why in indigenous cultures the elders know when they are going to die, and know where they are going to die, and when the time comes they set off into the hills or the cave or wherever it is that they know is the place for them to die. Because they have practiced it and meditated on it their entire lives - they envisioned these beautiful places and went through the steps of walking there, releasing from their body, and smoothly letting go and into the light.

If unpracticed, the soul will get scared and lost and possibly trapped between realms, unsure what to do. This is why we go through the battles we do in our lifetimes, experience loss and change and transformation. Because the more we must deal with it the more practiced we get at embracing it, feeling the warmth from it, walking steadily forward toward whatever is beyond even though something severely tumultulous and confusing, possibly disheartening, just occurred. We must visualize and feel beautiful surroundings in these moments, envision the place where we will go to die, so that we don't die in sudden, horrid places - knowing where we will die will allow us to go to that beautiful mountain or stream on the day that we have prepared and allow it to manifest in a beautiful way.

And today on the Dia de Los Muertos we help the souls who were scared and didn't know which way to go and maybe had gotten trapped, to feel warm and comforted and secure in taking a strong step toward the light - and embrace the unknown.

We're going to have a little ceremony and procession by the Hopi circle to honor those that were lost, and practice walking to that other realm - practice feeling warmth and purpose and no fear, only love, when we take those steps.