Aloha – Day of the Dead Celebration
Welcome to Health Mastery Ezine,™ the bi-weekly Ezine dedicated to helping you create and maintain exceptional health and well-being. Each issue will provide you with cutting edge alternatives in health care. Please feel free to forward this issue to friends, family and associates!
Please accept my apologies for the delay of this issue’s publication. Because of unforeseen life happenings my attention was called elsewhere. The sudden news from family about my father’s imminent death prompted me to depart suddenly and for several days from my practice in Ashland to be with him during the final hours before his passing.
Attending to the needs of my father’s Spirit before his passing was a significant rite of passage for me. All my years of training and experience as a healing arts practitioner prepared me for that moment in time.
I feel exceedingly blessed to have served my father at the time of his passing and would like to dedicate this issue of Health Mastery Ezine to his memory. This one’s for you Dad.
THIS ISSUE’S HIGHLIGHTS:
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GRAND OPENING The Healing Shop ~ Visit my online shopping mall today!
A Special 15% OFF on ALL Products and Services is being offered to the first 10 people to place orders online. The bulk discount of 10% for orders over $500. is included in this offer which means the first 10 people to order will receive 25% off on all Products and Services over $500. This offer expires November 15th.
Visit The Healing Shop Online Mall NOW and save=>
Book Review: The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, By Eckhart Tolle (available in audio).
Please GO NOW to read a review and to purchase:
DAYS OF THE DEAD: November 1, All Saints Day, and November 2, All Souls Day. In the USA we typically celebrate Halloween, but south of the border, the biggest celebrations of the year follow Halloween and are known as the Days of the Dead.
November 1 and 2 are the Days of the Dead, when the souls of the departed return to join their families and friends in the land of the living. It is a joyous time. Skeletons, skulls and red devils are depicted happily cavorting. Even the holiday foods, the sugar candies and breads, are molded to look like “La Calavera” – the skeleton of death.
Day of the Dead, or el Dia de los Muertos, is a happy celebration in Mexico. That’s when the souls of the dearly departed return home to the world of the living. All of them. From Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, they descend upon their families and for two days, November 1 and 2, they rejoice together.
Even though a family is saddened by a loved one’s departure, they do not cry on the Days of the Dead. The elders say the path back to the living world must not be made slippery by tears.
There are actually two Days of the Dead, November 1 and November 2. This tradition dates back to the Aztec civilization. Coincidentally, or not, these holy days are also celebrated by Catholics. In Mexican culture, the lines between ancient folklore and the customs of the Spanish Conquistadors are frequently blurred.
The first Day of the Dead, on November 1, is reserved for children to honor the souls of little angelitos. The next day, the departed souls of adults are remembered. You will see both young and old in the night’s rituals, holding vigils in the town cemetery. Everywhere, round loaves, dusted with colored sugar, are shared with both the living and the dead.
Preparations for the most important holidays of the year, the Days of the Dead, begin weeks in advance. Statues, candies, breads and other gifts known to please Los Muertos fill the marketplaces, and are consumed by the living with as much fervor as we do our own Christmas goods. Both the spirits and the economy get a generous boost at this time of year.
The Aztecs believed that death was but a portal to other existences – a natural, yet mystical, occurrence. Families paid homage to their dead, and on those days when the living and dead were reunited, they welcomed them back with great respect and reverence. This continues to be the basis for celebrating the Days of the Dead today.
The skull or skeleton – calavera – is the number one symbol used for the Days of the Dead. The calavera is not meant to terrorize, but rather represents the playfulness of the Dead, as they mimic the living and come to frolic amongst us.
“Give me bread and sugar to help me on my journey to the next level,” say the Dead before burial. The bumps of sugar on top of a baked ‘Pan de Muerto’ remind us of the bones of the Dead.
RECIPE: Pan de Muerto, “Bread of the Dead.” In celebration of Mexico’s Day of the Dead, this bread is often shaped into skulls or round loaves with strips of dough rolled out and attached to resemble bones.
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup MILK
* 1/2 cup BUTTER
* 1/2 cup WATER
* 5 to 5-1/2 cups FLOUR
* 2 packages DRY YEAST
* 1 teaspoon SALT
* 1 tablespoon WHOLE ANISE SEED
* 1/2 cup SUGAR
* 4 EGGS
In a saucepan over medium flame, heat the butter, milk and water until hot, not boiling. Prepare and set aside.
Mix 1-1/2 cups flour in a large mixing bowl with the yeast, salt, anise seed and sugar.
Mix in the warm liquid with the dry ingredients until well combined.
Add eggs and mix in with another 1 cup of flour. Continue adding more flour until dough is soft, but not sticky. Knead dough mixture on lightly floured board for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
Lightly grease a bowl and place dough in it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
Punch the dough down and shape into loaves resembling skulls, skeletons or round loaves with “bones” placed ornamentally around the top. Let these loaves rise for 1 hour.
Bake in a preheated oven, 350 degree Fahrenheit, for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and paint on glaze.
Glaze:
* 1/2 cup SUGAR
* 1/3 cup FRESH ORANGE
* 2 tablespoons grated ORANGE ZEST
Mix ingredients together in a small pot and bring to a simmering boil for 2 minutes, then apply to bread with a pastry brush.
If desired, sprinkle on colored sugar while glaze is still damp.
Action Exercise: A Visualization and an Affirmation for Sending Love and Blessings to Your Departed Loved Ones ~
Focus your intent upon seeing your departed loved one. You may use a cherished photo you have of them to help you with creating a clear image. Allow your feelings of love for your loved one to stir in your heart. You may focus on more than one loved one at a time if you choose.
Visualize brilliant sparks of light in your heart center. Feel warmth from the sparks of light emanating from your heart center. Now send your message of love to your loved one. See sparks of light in your heart streaming out of your heart to touch the heart of your loved one. See your loved one open their heart to the love you are sending them. See your loved one warmed by your love. See a pink halo of light surrounding your loved one. You see your loved one feeling absolutely content and at peace. There is a soft smile upon your face. You also see a soft smile upon your loved one’s face.
Now breathe deeply and allow your loved one to be content and at peace. You visualize the brilliant sparks of love at your heart, warming you. You feel content and at peace. Breathe gently and open your eyes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of Health Mastery Ezine and will share it with your friends, family and associates. Please send your comments and questions to me at kgpureplantessentials.com
