Truth is Resonant

Transcript

Welcome to a beautiful thought, how your life is already wonderful, that’s the catch phrase.

Let’s talk about how truth is resonant.

Many of you know this famous Pixar film that came out in 2017. It came out in 2017 in Thailand when I was there. It’s called Coco and it’s Pixar’s take on the famous holiday in Mexico Day of the Dead.

And its interesting because in this movie it does have this interesting new interpretation of the day of the dead where the people cross over into the underworld and occasionally they can somehow contact the world of the living.

There are these animal spirits, Alebrijes that guide people and assist them in the afterlife.

I think the Alebrijes did have a long history in Mexico, it was consistent in many forms. But not quite like the picture.

In the movie when they portray them, these chimeras or animals or combination of a few animals with intense neon colors, people in Mexico started making these as handicrafts.

You can go to many markets across Mexico like if you go to the day market On the andador on Chapultepec in Guadalajara.

Or find a market on the weekends and you’ll see people selling these Alebrijes.

It’s very interesting how these have entered the popular culture in Mexico.

You go back a few years, I can’t remember the exact movie but in the opening scene he portrays this very extravagant parade for the Day of the Dead.

Before that there weren’t too many parades like that. After there were many many parades like that. Especially in Mexico City where that scene is based.

People tell me before those films came out it would be in some parts of Mexico, especially the north they celebrate Halloween instead of Day of the Dead.

But these films somehow by imitating something, by creating a more extravagant Hollywood version of something that already existed affirmed to the Mexican people how important this was, as something in their hearts.

You might find this a bit strange because it is a kind of unusual corporate version of culture. In a way that is true but in a way you couldn’t invent something like this and have someone accept it.

Except if there was something resonant about it. Except if people watch those films and say “You know what? I like that. That speaks to my soul a little bit”.

There even this president of this kind of thing. Of course when we think of Day of the Dead one of the most common images that comes to mind is the Catrina.

People put up these manikins or statues around the town near the alters where the Cempasúchiles Mexican marigolds where they put paintings and pictures and photos of artists, painters, poets.

And people who are important in Mexican history and people who are important to families.

The Catrina stands there as this very thin skeleton wearing this fancy hat with brightly colored feathers and flowers such as the marigold.

Now this we might say “show me something that has existed in Mexican culture for hundreds of years” not really, only about 100 years when the artist José Guadalupe Posada a photographer and wood engraver and he would make these artworks.

They were caricatures and satirical cartoons kind of poking fun at people who thought they were a bit more than they were, trying to be a bit above their station, trying to remember everybody that eternal message Momenti mori.

That you are still mortal, portraying these people as skeletons.

And so he portrayed this woman as a skeleton, later the artist more well known Diego Rivera was very much a fan of Posada so he put the image of a Catrina in one of his murals. At that point the popularity of this image exploded and people took to it.

Again resonating, felt something in their hearts, this is an image of death that might stay with us in some form that yes we are still mortal. Reminding us that our loved ones live on after they’re dead at least in our hearts.

As Terrence McKenna referred to William Blake he said if the truth is told so is to be understood, it will be believed.

When somebody does tell us something and you can hear the conviction in our voice or the eloquence, the way they piece it together that makes so much sense.

Oh yes we definitely believe when someone says those things.

I know in my own experience how this resonance can affect us because when many years ago my friend Mr. Battle told me about the hospitality of the Mexican/Latin people.

After that whenever people would mention the Latin people to me I would stare off into the distance in a state of revery, feeling this kind of elation that there was something special about this land.

When I came here I found it was true. More than true. More true than I could have imagined and I still take the time to wonder and thank whatever forces brought me here, that I am in this magical land.

I felt the resonance and I recognize the truth in it. I hope that you also when you feel something deep inside you, when you feel something special you might say maybe this is true.

This resonates. This goes deep.