Similarly to many witches in the community, I embrace ancestral veneration. It is simple to create a connection with a person that you already know and love. My relationship with my deceased family gives me peace and guidance while boosting my overall intentions. I frequently gravitate to my grandmother, Lucille, when I need patience and kindness. I call on my grandfather, Maurice, when I'm afraid and need bravery and quick decision-making. Each member of my family presents different emotions and expertise.
As I delved deeper into my practice, I started researching graveyard dirt and its uses. Like all spiritual issues, there are conflicting opinions about everything. Some witches I have conversed with say it is allowed to take graveyard dirt from an unknown person if you ask permission, wait to see if you receive a positive response and leave payment behind. Others believe taking from a stranger is detrimental to you and your spellwork. "While some ignorant witches find this completely acceptable, the dead cannot give permission and you cannot know whether it will be appreciated or not. For example, some in the Jewish faith believe that disturbing the ground of a grave can have dire consequences on the soul of the person who’s died." Some people believe that graveyard dirt shouldn't be disturbed regardless of the relationship to the deceased. And in October of 2022, the internet witnessed Vanessa Hudgens being the target of online hatred for simply taking a photo in a graveyard. With so many conflicting ideologies, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.
This brings me to this post's topic: what do you consider worship? What is the line that defines something as disrespectful? Who gets to decide?
I had the pleasure of visiting Otranto, Italy this summer and was directed to visit their cathedral. From the outside, the Cathedral of Otranto appears small and not unlike the many other churches I have visited in Italy. But looks can be deceiving. Inside was some of the most beautiful mosaic floors I have seen. The mosaics spanned from wall to wall and depicted the tree of life. But that's not why people visit the cathedral. Oh no, my friends. We went to see the Chapel of the Martyrs.
On the right side of the cathedral lies a room housing and displaying the remains of 813 clergy members and townspeople murdered for their faith by the invading Turks in 1480. It was grim and somber but a large part of their history. I believe what made it so memorable for me was how well it was taken care of. Every inch of the chapel was clean including the glass. People came in quietly and left candles burning on the altar. The chapel was not forgotten or used for shock purposes. The people of Otranto and the church honored their sacrifice in the best way they could: never letting them be forgotten.
While the Cathedral of Otranto was a beautiful church of mourning and respect, I felt the museum of Taranto was the complete opposite. After leaving Otranto, we drove to the port of Taranto, roughly an hour away. I was excited to visit their local museum of artifacts from their Greek occupation period. While the exhibits were stunning and worth the visit, the bulk of the items were taken from burial sites and tombs. There were even toys that had been buried with children on display. I understand the knowledge gained by studying items of older civilizations and their funerary practices, but it strikes me as deeply wrong to take things that were given by grieving families to their loved ones. Imagine burying your child's favorite stuffed bear with them, only to have someone dig up and separate them to house it in a museum.
I disliked seeing tourists taking selfies with the Pompeii victims, smiling next to the face of someone in their most terrifying last moments. I disapprove of the ancient mummies dug up and displayed in museums for the same reason. Those mummies were living, breathing human beings at one point. They deserve respect and dignity in their afterlife. But does my opinion truly matter? The Indonesian Toraja people would greatly disagree with me. Each year, the tribe practices a ritual known as Ma'nene. This ritual consists of exhuming their loved ones to clean and redress them. Family members travel back home to give gifts such as money or cigarettes to help the dead be more comfortable in their afterlife. Then the tribe takes photos together with the dead as if it was a simple family reunion. Are they being disrespectful? Does the line between acceptable and demeaning fall between loving the deceased or clinically looking at a body? What do you think?
https://www.cultivatemagick.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-graveyard-dirt/
Otranto Cathedral. (2022, March 8). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otranto_Cathedral
https://www.timesnownews.com/viral/manene-in-this-ancient-ritual-people-dig-up-their-dead-relatives-every-year-for-a-good-tidying-up-article-93614000
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