The Samhain sabbat is likely one of the most revered in the wheel of the year by modern Pagans. Samhain has ancient Celtic roots, chosen as the date for the new year, thusly also marking the official death of the old year. Death and dying are primary themes associated with and thoroughly examined at this time of year in seasonal celebrations. The season itself is a potent memento mori. Memento mori are objects that serve as visual and conceptual reminders of mortality. The term memento mori itself loosely translates from the Latin for “remember you must die.” The use of the term for the concept is said to date back to medieval Christianity; however, we will see that the concept and examples of it far predate the term’s origins. Fittingly, it is thought by many that the name Samhain is thought to have possibly stemmed from the name Samanna, who was the Aryan god of death. Let us take this opportunity to explore the realm of memento mori at this most-fitting sabbat.
In the Middle Ages, death was an all-too common part of everyday life. Numerous traditional memento mori symbols from that era have become staples of Western funerary art. Many of these can be observed in the art of funeral programs as well as carvings etched into headstones. The next time you are taking a stroll through your local graveyard (let’s admit it: it’s a favorite pastime of magickal folk), take a look at the stones. I find the older the cemetery, the better. Images such as books, barren trees, crowns, and skulls will likely appear on at least a few of the stones as well as in the more “communal” art displayed at the cemetery gates, in the landscaping, or in the architecture and trim of any buildings present. Skulls are a classic memento mori and, while they may not be popular in modern funerary or cemetery art, later on we’ll look at a few cases where the skull continues as a potent memento mori through modern day. While some of these images may admittedly have Christian connotations, their symbolism as it relates to death surpasses the bounds of a specific cosmology. A book, while it can be seen as a biblical reference, can be used to denote any number of religious texts depending upon one’s particular faith. The symbol can also refer to the Book of Life or the Book of the Dead, both are symbols and concepts that appear cross-culturally in many world faiths and even into more modern Pagan and New Age beliefs, as texts dealing with the journey of the soul through the cycle of birth, life, death, and the afterlife. The crown can represent triumph over and surpassing beyond physical death. Barren trees and sometimes the image of a tree stump is occasionally used to represent a loss of life, dormancy, or a life cut short (just as the stump was cut).
Barren trees and dead stumps are symbols that take their cue from nature. A vast majority of modern Pagans and magick makers strive to live with and align to the seasons of nature. With our affinity for the natural world, let us not forget that the autumnal season is in and of itself a potent memento mori. As autumn descends upon the earth, we are literally surrounded by a world that is a living memento mori. It may sound a bit of an oxymoron to say “living memento mori,” however, it is fitting as death is but one phase in the cycle of life, death, and rebirth celebrated by so many spiritual traditions. The leaves drop from trees and begin to decay, the days are noticeably shorter, and we can visually watch the death of the vibrant summer. Beautiful but decaying leaves crunch under our footsteps. A person who is quite elderly and in declining health is sometimes even said to be in the “autumn of their life.” If there ever was a need for proof of the season as a memento mori, look no further.
As mentioned, skulls are another potent and traditional memento mori. However, it need not be all doom and gloom, as sometimes the morbid is mixed with the festive as in the sugar skulls that are an iconic part of Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations. Made of hard, compacted white sugar and bedecked and trimmed with colorful icing designs, they adorn festive altars welcoming the ancestors to visit once again. Part of the festivities include removing the skulls from the altars and then delivering them as offerings to cemeteries on the date of November 2. In the case of the sugar skull, the memento mori is not only a reminder of the pervasive nature of death, but also of the continuance of spirit into the afterlife. The sugar skull tradition is a powerful example of the skull surviving as a memento mori, even if an especially festive one, into modern day.
Religious art and deity imagery from the world’s religions also provide us many memento mori. The Buddhist deity Mahakala and the Hindu goddess Kali both sport adornments made of skulls. One of the lessons Kali brings to us as a goddess of both destruction and creation is that of impermanence. She wears a garland of skulls as a necklace—reminding us of the impermanence and fleeting nature of life. Mahakala wears a crown adorned with skulls, and while the symbolism is deep and multifaceted, it too serves as a memento mori of the impermanent nature of our physical incarnations.
The Victorian era brought with it one of the more, shall we say, literal examples of memento mori. Brace yourself … or perhaps in Victorian times, the corpse of a loved one. That’s right, during this time it became fashionably popular to brace, prop up, and pose the bodies of deceased loved ones, as if living, and take photographs for a last remembrance of them. The phenomenon has been referred to as “mourning photography.” Of course they had to act quickly so as to complete their photo shoot before rigor mortis and decay set in.
It was a common practice (and decidedly less complicated than mourning photography) in the Middle Ages and Victorian era to carry a small token of a memento mori symbol. Some examples would be a small carving or piece of jewelry with an image such as a skull or hourglass on it. However, the practice has somewhat fallen by the wayside in modern mainstream culture. However, a few subcultures, including modern Pagan folks as well as those in the goth movement, have carried the practice on in the present day. I believe that if we look with a critical gaze, we can see signs that perhaps the practice of reincorporating these symbols and the concept as a whole is starting very slowly to subtly reintegrate itself even among the mainstream.
Death is but a part of life! Contemplate if and how you engage with the concept of memento mori in your own practices. Perhaps in looking at the practices of yesteryear, you will find new ways to interact with the spirit of memento mori in our modern times! I wish you a blessed Samhain and I’ll leave you with a classic memento mori reminder to make the most of life … Carpe diem! Seize the day!
Bibliography
McCoy, Edain. Sabbats: A Witch’s Approach to Living the Old Ways. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1994.
Nelson, Sara C. “Memento Mori: How Victorian Mourning Photography Immortalised Loved Ones After Death.” Huffington Post, January 30, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/30/memento-mori--victorian-mourning-photography-immortalising-loved-ones-death_n_2580559.html.
Belanger, Michelle. Walking The Twilight Path: A Gothic Book of the Dead. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.
“History of Day of the Dead & The Mexican Sugar Skull Tradition.” MexicanSugarSkull, accessed July, 18, 2014. http://www.mexicansugarskull.com/support/dodhistory.html.