NATURAL BURIAL

I would like to take the time to talk a little about natural burial.  The Natural Burial Association based in Toronto has been conducting fully natural burials in protected green spaces since the early 90′s.  The concept and process is extremely simple.  There is no embalming performed, which is the leading contamination for ground water, there is no expensive casket made out of endangered trees, and there is no cemetery with giant expensive head stones.  The deceased is simply wrapped in a biodegradable shroud or simple casket and is lowered into the ground in a very beautiful and natural spot.  The protected green space is all natural with indigenous plants and trees.  The spot where the loved one is put to rest is marked in other means instead of a head stone, such as a wooden marker or a choice of greenery like their favorite plant or a natural rock.  Decomposition helps create new life in the green space and also has low impact on the area.  Why hasn’t it always been like this?  Why has religion used death as a marketing racketeer for so long?  There seems to be a lot of confusing rules and regulations written by the government when it comes to someone dying and I totally understand some of reasons, but I wonder if a lot of them are not written due to greed or ignorance.  Just think about what the world would be like if we had been conducting natural burials for the last hundred years.  Big difference.  Keeping things simple just seems to make more sense in our hearts and it is what feels comfortable.

COEIO AND THE MUSHROOM DEATH SUIT

The Mushroom Death Suit and Jae Rhim Lee’s Infinity Project has got to be one of the most unique burial techniques that I have ever come across.  I have uploaded the video because it says it all!  If this video doesn’t work, please view on Youtube under Jae Rhim Lee’s Ted Talk.  This is the wave of the future!

MOMENTS BEFORE PASSING

Moments before passing is a very magical time. I would like to tell you a few stories about such times where I’ve been present or close by. My father battled cancer and in the last moments of his life, my mother was the only one by his side. She was resting her head on his bed when she saw the whole room light up with colors of yellow and purple and everything in between. There was even sparks of white light that seemed to be swirling above my father. My mother knew that this was it. She watched him take his last breath and then the light show faded. She still talks about that moment with awe. There was another time when I was comforting a close friend of mine who was with his mother after she had suffered a stroke. His brother was a Momma’s boy and could not come to grasps that his mother was dying. He was upset with the hospital not trying to keep her alive and kept asking his mother to fight for her life. It just happened to be that the brother was the only one present at the moment of his mother’s passing. Sometimes, what we cannot accept, we are shown. I strongly believe that in the moment of passing, the door or veil is wide open for all present to witness. I’ve heard of accounts where a person was surrounded by loved ones who had already passed on and they were coming to take them  home. This was witnessed by the living relatives who were present. If you are in the process of watching someone fade away, stay with them cause they want to show you something very magical and beautiful, and I guarantee you that you will meet again one day.

LIFE AFTER A LOVED ONE DIES

If you have ever lost a loved one that you depended on for so much, it can seem like a complete devastation and living on seems unbearable.  It is hard to see the little things that use to make you happy because they just put remembrance in your head, but you need to focus on this.  The little things are what our loved ones want us to see, because that is their way of communicating with us from the beyond.  I have trouble believing how people think in the terms of “gone”.  Not true, more like they are actually more alive then they were before.  If someone you knew was a drug addict before they died, if you see them in your dreams, they are not doped up, they are young and vibrant and want you to know that.  Listen to the little things and pay attention to what pops in your head when you think of them.  The veil is a lot thinner then we think. Physical has just turned to celestial and it is every where and it can also help in ways that are mind blowing, but you wont realize it until after reflection of what just happened.  Pay attention to the little things that make you happy and always be thankful for them.  God bless.

A PEACE OF POETRY

This is an old piece of poetry written by W.H. Auden in the early 1900′s.  I believed it was appropriate to add to my blog even if it seems a little bleak, but very much what a lot of people may feel like.



FUNERAL BLUE’S

By W.H. Auden

Stop all the clock’s, cut off the phone,

Prevent the dog from barking, with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos with muffled drum,

Bring out the coffin, let the Mourners come

Let aeroplanes circle, moaning over head,

Scribbling on the sky, the message “He is Dead”,

Put crepe bows ’round the neck of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear white cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week, and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;

           For nothing now can ever come to any good.

ROADSIDE MEMORIAL

The Roadside Memorial is something that I’m sure most people have seen.  It is usually represented by a cross or marker indicating where someone died in a car crash.  Society is very fast paced in most parts of the world and driving can be very unforgiving of mistakes.  The automobile companies try their best to invent new methods of safer vehicles but the way people drive, and the number of people driving, causes conflict. The average house hold in North America owns two to three vehicles. Most vehicles you see on the road have only one passenger (the driver), yet four or five seats. It seems like everyone wants to get to where they are going alone and as fast as possible making us numb to the event of a fatal car crash until it happens close to home. Losing someone you love in a car crash can be shocking and very stressful because it is completely unforeseen. The Roadside Memorial is something like a sign.  It is something to pay attention to so that you know that spot can be treacherous, reminding you to take extra caution while driving.  If you know of someone who recently died in a car crash and are thinking of marking the spot with a cross, try to keep it simple. Anything too elaborate is classified as distracted driving and might be dismantled by law enforcement. I personally like the idea of markers showing these spots cause it is a sign of respect for the dead, but if there gets to be too many, it will turn into a Roadside Graveyard! We must reflect on our methods of transportation and car pooling should be mandatory in certain areas.  Also, I believe that there should only be one vehicle per household, forcing people to carpool and cutting down on traffic congestion. We are smart enough to know that there are other methods of safe transportation and these methods should be exercised regularly. Drive safe and keep your eyes on the road.

EPITAPHS

I would like to add a little humor to my blog by posting some humorous epitaphs about once a month.  An epitaph is writing on a tombstone.  Sometimes the deceased write it before they die and sometimes our loved ones write it for us.  The most infamous ones were written during the late 1800′s when the wild west was being tamed. So called loved ones were not always loved and things got said after they moved on.  Here is an old English epitaph that I came across:

“Here lies my poor wife, without bed or blanket,

But dead as a door nail, God be thanket.”

Here is another one found in Silvermine Connecticut:

“Here lies the body of Mary Devoe,

Wife of Henry Devoe.

Tears cannot bring her back,

Therefore, I weep.”

I hope you have enjoyed my post today and hope that I have lightened your mood on a serious situation.  God Bless!