The Smell of Rain on Dust
by Martin Prechtel
Non-Fiction. Themes: Indigenous Culture, Ritual, Spirituality, Psychology
For those seeking an intellectual investigation into grief, the author prompts us to ask: What would it look like to live in a world that valued grief and supported grievers? If we saw our grief as “a spiritual enzyme”, would we collectively mourn and praise in the same breath? Would our world have less violence, less hate, less isolation, less suffering?
Prechtel, a New Mexican Native American by birth and shaman of the Tzutujil Mayan tribe of Guatemala by study, speaks as if we were sitting at the feet of our elders, absorbing and appreciating their hard-earned lessons. By connecting us back to the wisdom of our ancestral roots, he invites us to embrace rituals which honor grief, as well as its twin, praise.
“Grief is a form of generosity, which praises life and the people and situations which we have lost. Grief that praises life shows the depth of our appreciation for having been given enough to begin with, to experience both love and loss and that with all the mistreatment we humans give to the earth, we still have this amazing unlikely opportunity to actually speak and bathe in the Divine.”
This book is a must-read for anyone who may feel their grief is inappropriate—exceeded social norms. It’s a book that speaks to the gaping hole in our collective chests. It’s also a must read for death and grief workers, those who take part in burying and honoring our dead.