Samedi or in the death image

Samedi: to talk about death

People do not like to talk about death. About one mention of it, they shy away, as if from a plague and quickly change the subject. As if it won’t come if we avoid speaking and thinking about it. On the one hand, such an attitude is surprising. On the other, it causes sarcastic humor. After all, the only thing you can be 100% sure of is death. It won’t quit, it won’t be late.
Unlike “normal” people, martidal aesthetics won my heart in childhood, and the word “darkly” became a synonym for beauty.
No wonder that Baron Samedi, one of the most powerful spirits in the Voodoo cult, fascinated me. Before continuing my philosophizing about death, I want to introduce you to the image of the Baron.

Baron Saturday

Samedi, also Baron Saturday – the deity of death, the owner of the cemetery and a guide to the world of the dead. It is he who meets and ferries the soul of the deceased. A tall black man, his face is hidden under the image or mask of a skull, sometimes a skull instead of a face. Hair braided in dreadlocks. He wears a black frock coat and a cylinder hat adorned with skulls, bones and feathers. He often has a cane with a knob in the shape of a skull or a coffin.
But, despite the gloomy image, he is a merry fellow. He likes to drink dark rum that contains 21 hot peppers, to dance and sometimes play with his cane depicting the phallus.

Samedi – Patron of sex

However, death is not his only specialization. He is the patron of debauchery, games, holidays and fun. After all, he knows like no one else that life is short and you should not spend it on suffering. It is interesting and surprising that he goads people into having fun. But this definitely has logic and depth. With such, at first glance, the opposite range of activities, he seems to be telling us: have fun, enjoy the present day, because tomorrow I may take you to the world of spirits.
Without life, death is impossible. Therefore, the hypersexual Baron Samedi is also the patron of sex, like a continuation of life, and children. It was he who was asked for help if the child was in trouble. Moreover, there is a very interesting parallel between death and orgasm. It is at these two points that a person is most open and vulnerable. “Good sex is the closest experience to death available to a living person without crossing the line” (c)
In addition to the above, he is in charge of healing and black magic… About healing: he may refuse to come for someone’s soul and dig a grave since it is in his power. But that is not all. The figure of the Baron is very multifaceted and these facets open up ever greater depth and wisdom, but I will stop here, since the topic cannot be covered in one post.

My experience

Now let’s move on to my experience of this image and attitude towards death. At first glance, gloomy people are mostly kind, sympathetic and wise. Especially if the decadent mood came from understanding and accepting death. Such an understanding inspires you to think about what will happen next? What will happen to me after death? Who am I? What part of me will pass into another life? Whether it exists or is that all, will I die and will it all end?
Such thoughts are like meditation. They leave imprints and affect the deepest parts of the essence. Understanding that you are here temporarily, will you be sad or eagerly absorb this world? Some go to extremes: tip over into pessimism or senseless fun. Some people calmly enjoy inconstancy and put their body and life to good use.
I have always taken this world with romantic sadness. Every minute is like a farewell because you understand that affection will have to be cut off. Whether you want it or not. I think that the very fact of awareness of the inevitable end of this life can make it deeper and more meaningful.
However, thanks to the cheerful character of the Baron Samedi, I vividly emphasized: all this is not a reason for sadness. On the contrary, get lost, have fun, enjoy yourself! After all, “tomorrow” is not promised.
Appreciating life and understanding death is one of the main messages that I received while working with this character.

More information about Samedi is here