HOW YOU GO OUT COULD MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE!

I have to believe that most people have no clue what is going on in the world of “science” and the ruling elite. They keep everything HIDDEN/OCCULTED. They expose us to new ideas and developments by miniscule bits and pieces while they have advanced their agenda far beyond anything we can comprehend.  

They are experts a manipulation and deception, making us not only buy into their plans but embrace them whole heartedly as if they were our own.  It is amazing.  

There may have been a time when “IGNORANCE WAS BLISS”.  When folks could just focus on their own lives and not worry about the big picture.  However, that time is not today.  If there ever was a day and time when we need to be wide awake and diligently watching and discerning what is being presented to us, today is the day and the time is NOW.  WE LIVE IN PERILOUS TIMES.  Perilous not only physically but mentally and spiritually.   

They have been studying, documenting and mapping everything and everyone since the world began.   There have always been those who practice the arts taught to humanity by the fallen.  They are mostly the progeny of the fallen and their descendants and they are inspired and directed by demonic spirits. They not only have the “wisdom” they have collected in the natural but they have the demonic spirits who know so much more and are guiding them.  

They have been corrupting and destroying everything that belongs to God.  Most especially they aim to completely destroy humanity or at least change us beyond recognition.

Today, we are going to look at the changes taking place in the funeral industry.  I have no doubt that you have not seen all of these yet.  

Since they have succeeded in turning many people away from the God of creation, it is easy now for them to change our attitudes about death and burial.  I only wish you knew how crucial this is to your eternal soul.

It is my prayer that this post will provide the information, evidence and enlightenment needed to help every reader make the best possible choices when it comes to the final disposition of not only themselves but their loved ones.

I apologize for the length of time I have committed to this study.  I know I have not been posting much during this time.  But, this topic is so important.  I love you all and you are in my prayers.  I truly desire to see you all in eternity.  I hope you will take the time to view this entire post with an open heart and mind guided by the Holy Spirit.  Put on your discerning cap.  I cannot stress enough how important your choices are in relation to the final disposition of your body.

Funeral Trends That Are Changing The Way We Handle Death and Burial

Traditional funerals are on their death bed. More people are skipping the two days of visitation, religious service and burial of an embalmed body in a casket that can cost as much as a used car, and instead opting for funerals that are easier on the planet and the budget. They’re going for more personal rituals, too, that break the rigid customs that became the norm in the 20th century. Here’s a look at what’s out there.  Source: Published November 20, 2017

Cremation

Cremation has become the new normal. In 2016, cremation surpassed traditional burial for the first time in the United States. That’s a huge milestone and marks a sea change in funeral traditions. In 1970, just 5 percent of people opted for cremation. This year, about 55 percent of those who die will be cremated, says the Cremation Association of North America, and by 2030, that number is predicted to rise to 71 percent. The main reason people are being burned instead of embalmed? Cremation is a lot cheaper, costing a third as much as a regular burial. It also saves natural resources, like land for a burial, and wood or steel for a coffin.  Source: Published November 20, 2017

 What is a “traditional” funeral?

In early America, home funerals were the practice everywhere, and each community had a group of women who came in to help with the “laying out of the dead.” Visitation was held in the front parlor followed by a procession to the church and cemetery.

At the time of the Civil War, embalming came into practice for shipping bodies over a long distance. By the turn of the century, the newly formed National Funeral Directors Association was pressing its members to consider themselves “professionals,” not tradesmen as the earlier coffin-makers had been. Regular use of embalming was encouraged, and the new “professionals” used it to suggest they were keepers of the public health.

However, according to a recent opinion from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA, there is no public health purpose served by embalming. It is not required by law except in unusual circumstances by a very few states. Refrigeration is the usual alternative to embalming when the body must be preserved for later disposition. In other countries embalming is rarely used. (See Embalming Explained)

In some parts of North America, religious and ethnic groups have maintained the practice of caring for their own dead. With the spread of the hospice movement, families are assuming more responsibility at the time of death, and home or church funerals are again returning. Those who have been involved with such funerals have found them therapeutic and meaningful, with costs being minimal.

When the term “traditional” is used it generally means:

  • A time of visitation with the family, during which the casket may be present (“viewing” is most often done by the immediate family and friends during private time),

  • A religious service in a church,

  • And/or a graveside ceremony for earth burial of the body or cremated remains.

The cost of funerals in recent years has risen to $5,000 or more, not including cemetery and monument expense. Ask the funeral home, if you use one, whether “professional services” are billed at a fixed fee, or by the hour. The more responsibility a family assumes, the more affordable a funeral can be. Schedule visitation and services at the home or church, without the use of mortuary staff, to limit costs. If there is no mention of a funeral home, your paper may not charge for the obituary. Perhaps a mortuary will be used only to transport a body or for refrigeration until the time of the funeral.

In fact, in most states, family members can file the death certificate and permits, allowing the family or a church group to handle all death arrangements without the use of a mortician. Some memorial societies arrange with cooperating funeral directors to provide a “traditional” funeral at a cost of $1,200 to $1,800. For many people, this will be the most convenient choice. If that option is not available in your area, there are books that provide useful details for family involvement.

Caskets

The caskets sold by most funeral homes are usually marked up significantly above wholesale costs. Price lists compiled by the Interfaith Funeral Information Committee, in Phoenix, AZ, indicate the average retail cost of a casket is 2.5 to 5 times the wholesale cost, with some mortuaries charging up to 13 times the wholesale cost.

Lighting and arrangement are used to influence extravagant spending, with low-cost containers often kept in the basement or garage, if stocked at all. No casket, air-tight or sealed, renders any additional preservation.

The “minimum container” often used for cremation, is equally appropriate for earth burial. It is usually a simple wood box—or cardboard and wood—that should cost less than $100. If the casket is to be present during visitation or the funeral, it can be draped with cloth of the family’s choosing.

Mortuaries which serve memorial societies usually use an attractive cloth-covered particle-board casket, the cost of which is included in the special modest price an affiliate has arranged for members.

Many families have found personal satisfaction in building and decorating a casket together. Ernest Morgan’s book, Dealing Creatively with Death contains instructions for making a plywood coffin.

If you have built a casket, or purchased one from elsewhere, a funeral home may try to charge a handling fee. The Federal Trade Commission has prohibited such “third-party handling fees,” and made such charges illegal.

Cemetery Costs

If you, or others close to you, own country property—outside the village or city limits, home body burial may be a low-cost option in many states. In fact, this is what our great-grandparents did years ago, so this is not a new idea. You can plan a traditional church or home service, or even a graveside one. All local permits must be in order first.

In some parts of the country, a plot in a church cemetery or a town-owned cemetery is not too expensive, $100 to $300. There are for-profit cemeteries with sites costing much, much more. A lot in a national cemetery is free of charge to veterans and immediate family, but there may not be one nearby with space.

When buying a lot in a commercial cemetery, care should be taken to examine the contract. You may be purchasing only the right to be buried in that cemetery, not necessarily in the lot shown to you. In a few instances, unscrupulous salespersons have sold more “lots” than land available.

Many cemetery personnel will go out of their way to help family members make their own arrangements. However, you should expect a charge of several hundred dollars to open and close the gravesite, especially on weekends or holidays. Grave diggers in many areas expect a tip, so be sure to ask about anticipated charges.

Many cemeteries require a grave liner to keep earth from settling after burial. A one-piece “coffin vault” serves the same purpose but costs about twice as much. Some establishments do not mention the cheaper “liner” or even stock it; a questionable practice.

Monuments and Perpetual Care

A permanent marker can be very expensive or not at all costly, depending on your preference and the limitations of the cemetery. Planting flowers, a bush, or a tree are long-lasting but low-cost memorials, when permitted.

Some cemeteries require monuments to be purchased only through them, or charge an excessive handling fee if purchased elsewhere. You should expect a charge of several hundred dollars for “setting” even a modest marker.

Some cemeteries bill a family annually for upkeep of a grave site, but it is now more common for cemeteries to charge an initial fee for “perpetual care.” These funds should be placed in trust and not absorbed into the cemetery’s general operating fund. When you are dealing with a for-profit cemetery, be sure to ask for an accounting.

Traditional Burial

The concept of “traditional” burial has evolved over time. Earlier in America’s history, the family cared for the body after death, wrapped it in a shroud or placed it in simple wooden coffin, and buried it at home or in a nearby cemetery. Today, for most Americans, it is considered “traditional” to use a funeral home, embalm the body, and bury it in a casket and vault in a public cemetery. But few of these traditional elements are required by law, and families do have a wide range of choices.

Must I use a funeral home?

In the majority of states, a family, community or religious group can handle a death without hiring a funeral director. You can do everything on your own or hire a home funeral guide or end-of-life doula to assist. You can prepare the body for burial, acquire the necessary paperwork, hold a vigil or service, and transport the body to the burial site. Nine states, however, require the use of a funeral director: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, and New York. For advice in those states, write fca@funerals.org.

Is embalming required?

Embalming is rarely required by law. While it can be useful in some situations (for example, a long period between death and viewing), no state requires it when burial or cremation will take place within two days, and in most states, refrigeration is a viable alternative. Though it is never a legal requirement for viewing a body, many funeral homes insist on embalming before an open casket viewing or funeral.

Must I buy a casket?

Except for green burial sites, most cemeteries require the use of a casket or other container to enclose and transport the body. However, you can specify an alternative container, a simple wood, fiberboard or cardboard box, which is much less costly than a casket. You may also build your own casket or buy one from a local retailer or online at a fraction of the price charged by some funeral homes. Funeral providers are required by law to accept a suitable homemade casket or one from an outside vendor. They cannot charge you a fee for doing so, or require you to be on site when the casket is delivered. If you choose a plain casket, you can inquire if the funeral home will rent you a fancier one for the service.

What is a vault? Is it required?

A vault, made of concrete, steel or lightweight fiberglass-type materials, completely encloses the casket in the grave, while a less expensive concrete grave liner covers only the top and sides. No state or federal law requires the use of a burial vault, but most cemeteries do. The vault prevents the grave from sinking in after decomposition of the body and casket, making it easier to mow with heavy equipment. Some religious traditions require burial directly in the earth without a vault, and some cemeteries have areas set aside for this purpose.

How much does a vault cost?

You could pay about $700 or so for a simple concrete grave liner, to over $15,000 for a fancy metal-clad vault. Before showing you any outer burial containers, the funeral provider must give you a list of prices and descriptions. You may find it less expensive to buy one from a third-party company than from a funeral home or cemetery.

What are other cemetery charges?

  • Perpetual or endowment care

Some cemeteries bill a family annually for upkeep of a grave site and cemetery grounds. But more typically, a one-time maintenance fee, usually 5% to 15% of the plot price, is added into the cost of a grave. Most states require cemeteries to deposit this into a trust fund separate from other operating expenses.

  • Opening and closing fee

In addition to the cost of the grave, the cemetery will charge an opening and closing fee at the time of burial. This covers the cost to dig the grave and fill it in once the casket is placed. The rate may vary according to the size of the grave, and time of day, week or year; it can range from about $300 to $1,500.

  • Marker

The marker or headstone for a grave can be purchased from the cemetery, monument company, or even online, depending on the cemetery’s restrictions. Because regulation of cemeteries is lax, some will insist that you buy the headstone from them, or impose a ludicrous “inspection fee” for markers purchased elsewhere. This is legally questionable, but almost never investigated, unfortunately. Any engraving will be an extra charge, and installation can cost several hundred dollars. Expect to spend about $1,000 or more for the headstone, engraving and installation.   You can get this all done for much less.

At-Home Funerals

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Can You Legally Bury Someone In Your Backyard?

Mar 22, 2021 · Can you bury someone in your backyard? Here’s how to (legally) do home burials, how deep to dig, how to lower the body, and more.

How You Can Be Buried on Your Own Property In All 50 States

Families that choose home burial often make many, if not all, the important decisions regarding the disposition of the body without the help of a funeral director. Fortunately, there are resources available that can help you carry out the home burial process legally, safely, affordably, and properly. Funeral … See more

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Rules for burial at sea differ depending on the method. Here’s what to know about cost, regulations and logistics.

 

Published · 2 min read

Written by Dalia Ramirez Lead Writer
Edited by Tina Orem Editor & Content Strategist

Burial at sea is a method for disposing human final remains in the ocean. It is an alternative to traditional burial and is legal in the U.S. within certain guidelines. Burial at sea is more common among active duty members and Navy veterans than among civilians.

Burial at sea is often less expensive than in-ground burial and can be an appealing choice to those with a special attachment (affinity, connection, fetish) to the ocean. Rules for disposal differ depending on the method.

Here’s what to know about the cost, legal regulations and logistics for a burial at sea.

How burial at sea works

To bury someone at sea, you’ll need to take a boat or aircraft out to a legal distance from shore to dispose of the remains.

  • According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), disposal must take place at least three nautical miles from shore

    Remains can be in a casket, a burial shroud, a cremation urn or loose ashes to be scattered.

  • According to the EPA, efforts should be made to ensure that remains sink quickly and permanently, and the EPA provides instructions for each method, such as adding weight to a burial shroud or drilling holes in a casket so water can enter.

  • Aircraft can only dispose of ashes.  So, no dropping heavy object from the air!

Burial at sea for veterans

Active duty members, retirees and veterans of the U.S. armed services, as well as their dependent family members, may request an official burial at sea that takes place on deployed U.S. Navy vessels. Family members are not allowed at the ceremony, which can take place, on average, from 12 to 18 months after the vessel receives a person’s remains

Burial at sea is federally legal through a general permit under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA)

. Here are some rules to keep in mind:

  • In general, noncremated remains must be buried three or more nautical miles from shore and in ocean water at least 600 feet deep. Near certain places, such as central Florida and the areas surrounding the Mississippi River delta, waters must be 1,800 feet deep.

  • Cremated remains can be buried or scattered at any depth three or more nautical miles from shore. However, states regulate the scattering of cremated remains in lakes, rivers or other inland waters (some don’t allow it).

  • A burial casket or cremation urn cannot contain plastic and must not float.

  • Flowers or wreaths must be decomposable, not plastic or synthetic.

  • Floating funeral pyres, burning a boat or transportation and release by a floating device are not permitted. Remains must be disposed of by a boat (or plane for cremated remains) that returns to shore.

  • Pet remains are not allowed to be buried at sea under the general permit. 

  • You must notify the EPA within 30 days of a burial at sea by using the EPA Burial at Sea Reporting Tool.

Some states require a certified funeral director to supervise a sea burial. Even if your state doesn’t require it, it’s best to work with a funeral professional to ensure remains are prepared properly.

How to plan a burial at sea

  1. Find a vessel to transport the remains. There are companies that offer ash-scattering services via airplane, and some boat charter services specialize in transporting casketed, shrouded or cremated remains. Make sure the service you hire can accommodate the number of guests you want to invite to the ceremony. 

  2. If using a boat, think about whether you should use or rent your own. A professional service may have helpful features such as a platform in the back for easier movement of a casket into the sea.

  3. Consider your budget. Burial at sea can cost as low as $195 for an unattended ash-scattering service or as much as $10,000 for a boat charter with over 100 guests. A standard funeral, in comparison, can cost around $10,000 on average.

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Apr 29, 2022

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Considering Donating Your Body to Science? Read This First.

Turns out, you have very little say in whether you become a medical school’s cadaver or a crash-test dummy.

By 

D-Keine//Getty Images

If you’re feeling altruistic and want to give back to society even after you die, body donation is an excellent option. Giving yourself—literally all of yourself—is arguably the most generous gift you can give. But if turning your body over to poking and prodding scientists leaves you feeling uneasy, or if you’ve heard reports of bodies being used in gruesome ways, like for bomb detonation tests, you might want to know more before signing the dotted line.

🔬You love science. So do we. Let’s nerd out over it together—join Pop Mech Pro.

Donating your body to science is not as straightforward as checking a box at the DMV, like when you sign up to become an organ donor. It turns out there are a wide range of uses for cadavers, the technical term for deceased human bodies that physicians and other scientists use for research and education. That said, the options can be overwhelming. So, how exactly do scientists use donated bodies? And what should you know before deciding to donate your own body to science?

Who Can Donate Their Body to Science?

Just because you’ve signed up to become a body donor doesn’t mean you will be eligible at your time of death. If you have contracted a communicable disease—like HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, or even COVID-19—you can be excluded from programs due to the risk of spreading disease. Additionally, people that require an autopsy or suffer traumatic bodily injury at their time of death may also be disqualified, since the bodies need to be intact for medical students to study them.

Is Body Donation Different From Organ Donation?

Yes. You sign up to be an organ donor when you get your driver’s license, but it has nothing to do with whole-body donation. There are specific organizations like medical schools, research institutes, and even third-party vendors that deal in whole bodies. According to Robin Bozarth, genesis manager at Genesis Legacy Whole Body Donation Foundation, a nonprofit body donation organization based in Tennessee, there are no federal standards governing the handling of bodies.

However, Bozarth says medical schools are a safe bet and there are accreditation programs that ensure ethical standards for non-university donor organizations. The American Association of Tissue Banks is one. “We encourage everyone to do their research,” Bozarth tells Popular Mechanics. “Don’t just assume that all donation organizations are the same.”

About That Body Donation Gone Wrong …

After all, body donation has gone awry in the past. In one recent example, the body of a 98-year-old Louisiana man who donated his body for medical research was dissected on stage. In front of a morbidly curious audience that paid up to $500 per seat to watch the show, the man’s body and organs were splayed out for all to see. The man’s wife, who learned about her husband’s body through news reports, was devastated.

How Will Your Body Be Used?


Kirn Vintage Stock
//Getty Images A group of doctors in training in the late 19th century examine a dissected human body laid out on a wooden table.

The most common use of a donated body is for training at medical schools. Even with all the advances in virtual reality and imaging, bodies are still very much needed to train the next batch of doctors. “A biologist would tell you it is better to study from the organism itself and not a representation of it,” says Robert Hill, the director of the Anatomical Gift Program at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University in New York. According to Hill, human anatomy varies from individual to individual, and actual human cadavers allow medical students to see this firsthand. “It turns out we’re actually really quite different on the inside and it pays for medical students, and ultimately doctors, to know about that,” he tells Popular Mechanics.

They are also used to practice medical procedures. Emergency surgeries like chest tube placement, gallbladder removals, and appendectomies, as well as orthopedic surgeries like knee and hip replacements, are first practiced on cadavers. “A lot of our students refer to their body donor as their first patient,” Hill says.

A less well-known use of cadavers is in forensic research. It turns out there are at least a dozen different research institutions across the U.S. and internationally that study decomposition. In these facilities, bodies are simply left out in the elements to decay naturally. Locations are chosen for their diversity. Some are in forests, or deserts, or high-altitude environments to simulate different ecosystems where a crime might have occurred. Other times, bodies are propped up in cars, or exposed to potential animal scavengers.

⚰️ Dying to Know More?


According to Melissa Connor, the director of the Forensic Investigation Research Station at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado, her group has made important discoveries that will help future investigators solve crimes. Research can help decipher whether scratches in the bone are due to animals or a murderer’s knife, for example. It can also help estimate how long a body has been decaying based on the  bacteria  or fungi  composition growing there. “We are writing the text books on decomposition,” Connor tells Popular Mechanics.

And perhaps the least savory uses of a donated body include studying explosions, crashes, and other traumatic events. The automobile industry, the military, and even makers of protective sports equipment all use cadavers to develop and test their products. “Any kind of safety device that has been added to a vehicle I can assure you has come out of the work that has been done with cadavers,” Cynthia Bir, a biomedical engineer at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, tells Popular MechanicsPICTURE MYTHBUSTERS, you know the guys that love to blow things up supposedly in an effort to disprove myths.  Surely, the use of human remains in this manner is not what you would want for your loved ones.  Blown to smithereens, undistinguishable and unsearchable.  

Bir’s lab uses cadavers to create better crash test dummies. She says although dummies were originally undersigned in the 1970s, they need to be updated in order to test new safety features that are developed, like side airbags, collapsable steering wheels, and even new technologies like driverless cars that have a side or reclined seat for the driver. In addition, the military develops special dummies to assess the damage from landmines and other military threats.

What Should You Know Before Donating Your Body?

Darrin Klimek//Getty Images

The decision to donate your body to science is a big one and you should discuss your wishes with family members first. “It affects everyone, not only the person who is being donated,” Sebastian Cotofana, professor of anatomy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, tells Popular Mechanics. It is possible for the next-of-kin to cancel a body donation if they aren’t comfortable with the decision, so it is critical to get the family on board. It is also important for them to know the details of donation. For example, whether they get the remains back or not. It can take up to five years after death to get the ashes in some cases, and sometimes the family doesn’t get the remains back at all.   All burial plans really affect the survivors more than the deceased.  However, it is important for the family to honor the beliefs and desires of the deceased. 

In addition, you can’t specify what you want your body to be used for specifically. If you become a body donor for a medical school, for example, you can’t specify that you want to be studied for the effects of Alzheimer’s.

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Cremation is fast becoming the main form of burial in the U.S., with a projected cremation rate of 60.5% and a burial rate of 34.5%1The number of people choosing cremation has significantly increased over the years2This shift signals a fundamental change in how families approach end-of-life decisions4.

Four decades ago, less than 5 percent of Americans were cremated. Now that figure stands at nearly 50 percent.

This place is called the columbarium. In the movie version of life and death, a cremated person’s remains sit up on the shelf at home, or friends scatter the ashes over a sacred locale. In the real world, many cremated people stay in the cemetery, just like their buried counterparts.

Back in 1980, less than 10 percent of Americans were cremated. That figure now stands at about 53 percent, according to the National Cremation Association of North America. Changing cultural and religious standards are at play here, but no event accelerated the change more than the Great Recession.

We saw an increase in the cremation rate when there was the economic downturn in 2008 and people were losing their jobs,” Koslovski says. “Cremation is a less expensive alternative to traditional in-ground burial.”

Cremation began in the Stone Age, and it was common in ancient Greece and Rome. In certain religions such as Hinduism and Jainism, cremation was preferred.

The rise of Christianity put the brakes on the practice in the West. By 400 A.D., around the time that the Emperor Constantine Christianized the Roman Empire, Rome had outlawed cremation as a pagan practice. The theological reason for the ban was related to the resurrectionit was good to keep the body whole and in one place. Jewish law also banned the practice. By the 5th century, cremation had all but disappeared from Europe

The first modern crematory was built in the U.S. in 1876. By 1900, there were 20. The practice got another boost in 1963, when the Catholic Church reversed its opinion on cremation during the Vatican II reforms and said cremation was permitted.

Today, there are more than 3,000 crematories around the United States, and the cremation resurgence isn’t just about cost. There are fewer religious prohibitions, and consumers are seeking simpler, less ritualized funerals.

Acceptance varies by state and ethnicity, according to a report by the National Funeral Directors Association. While the practice is not as popular in the Bible Belt and among certain cultural groups, including Catholics, Jews, and African-Americans, in places like California, Oregon, and southern Florida, 60 to 80 percent of the dead are now cremated.   source

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Cremation

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The truth is, CREMATION is much more permanent than DEATH.  If you are considering it, think very hard and long to be sure that is they way you want to go. 

What Is a Cremation?

Cremation is the process of reducing a person’s physical remains to their most basic elements through the application of intense heat. This process typically takes place in a specially designed furnace called a cremation chamber or retort.

It’s a deeply personal choice that can offer closure and a tangible way to remember the person. Cremation transforms the body into ashes, also known as “cremains,” which families can then keep, scatter, or inter according to their preferences or the wishes of their loved one.

Why Do People Choose Cremation Over Burial?

The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) reports similar findings, predicting that by 2040, nearly 80% of Americans will choose cremation over traditional burial. Here are some of the primary benefits:

  • Flexibility in memorialization: Cremation allows for more diverse and personalized ways to remember a loved one. Ashes can be kept in an urn at home, scattered in a meaningful location, or even transformed into keepsake jewelry or art.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Generally, cremation tends to be less expensive than a traditional burial, which can include costs for a casket, burial plot, and other associated expenses.
  • Environmental considerations: For those concerned about their ecological footprint, cremation typically requires less land use and fewer resources compared to traditional burial.
  • Portability: Cremated remains are easily transportable, allowing families to relocate or divide ashes among family members if desired.
  • Time flexibility for services: Cremation allows families to hold memorial services at a time that’s convenient for everyone, without the immediacy often required with traditional burials.
  • Personal or religious preferences: Some individuals simply feel more comfortable with the idea of cremation, or it may align better with their spiritual beliefs.
  • Easier pre-planning: Cremation can simplify the process of pre-planning one’s own final arrangements.
  • Options for final resting place: Cremation opens up a wide array of choices for a final resting place, from traditional urns to eco-friendly options like biodegradable urns that can grow into trees.

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How Does Cremation Work: The Entire Process

1. Required documentation and authorizations

Before a cremation can take place, several legal requirements must be met. The process typically begins with obtaining a death certificate, which must be signed by a medical professional, usually the attending physician or a medical examiner.

In most states, there’s a mandatory waiting period (usually 24-48 hours) after death before cremation can occur.

cremation authorization form is crucial. This document must be signed by the deceased’s next of kin or the person with the legal right to make decisions about the deceased’s remains.

In cases where the deceased pre-arranged their cremation, they may have already signed this form.

Some states require a cremation permit from the local medical examiner or coroner, especially in cases of unexpected or suspicious deaths. This ensures that all necessary investigations have been completed before any possible evidence can can be destroyed through the cremation process.

2. Preparing the body: Removal of medical devices and prosthetics

Once all paperwork is in order, the body is prepared for cremation. This process involves removing any items that could be hazardous during cremation or that the family might want to keep.

  • Pacemakers and other battery-operated medical devices must be removed as they can explode when exposed to high temperatures. Silicone implants are typically left in place as they burn away during cremation.
  • Prosthetics made of metal, such as hip or knee replacements, are usually left in the body during cremation. They’ll be separated from the cremated remains afterward.
  • Jewelry, unless the family specifically requests to keep it, is generally removed. Some families choose to leave wedding rings or other significant pieces with the deceased.

The body is then cleaned and dressed in whatever the family has chosen — this could be regular clothes, a shroud, or left as is.

3. Choosing a cremation container

Federal law requires that a body be placed in a rigid, combustible container before cremation. This can range from a simple cardboard box to an ornate wooden casket, depending on the family’s preferences and budget.

Many crematoriums offer a selection of cremation caskets or containers. These are designed to be dignified yet fully combustible. Some families choose to rent a more elaborate casket for viewing purposes, with the body transferred to a simpler container for the actual cremation.

4. How long does the cremation process take?

The actual cremation process typically takes 2-3 hours, depending on various factors such as the size of the body, the type of container, and the efficiency of the cremation chamber.

However, the entire process from death to receiving the ashes can take several days to a week or more, depending on how quickly the necessary paperwork can be completed and any scheduling considerations at the cremation center.

5. Cooling phase and handling of remains

Once the cremation is complete, the remains are allowed to cool for several hoursThis cooling phase is crucial for safety reasons and to ensure the remains can be handled properly.After cooling, the remains are carefully removed from the cremation chamber. At this stage, they consist of bone fragments and any non-combustible materials that were left in place (such as metal joint replacements).

6. Separation and disposal of metallic remains

The cooled remains are inspected, and any visible metal objects are removed. This includes items like metal joint replacements, dental work, or any metal that was part of the cremation container.

Many crematories have begun recycling these metals through specialized companies.  Families can request to have these items returned if they wish.

7. Pulverizing bone fragments into ashes

The remaining bone fragments are then processed in a machine called a cremulator. This device grinds the fragments into a fine, sand-like consistency that we typically think of as “ashes.”

The resulting material, properly called “cremated remains” or “cremains,” is not actually ash but ground bone fragments. It’s usually light grey to white in color and has a texture similar to coarse sand.

8. Proper labeling and identification

Throughout the entire process, strict identification measures are maintained to ensure that the cremated remains are correctly associated with the deceased individual.

 I remember Barbara Kemmis, the spokesperson for the Cremation Association of North America, telling me that while operators do their best to remove recoverable remains, it’s possible that minute amounts of one person’s cremated remains could inadvertently wind up in someone else’s. Another part of the process that’s perhaps best not to think about.  source

Before the cremation, a numbered metal disc is placed with the body. This disc survives the cremation process and is used to verify the identity of the remains. The cremated remains are then placed in a plastic bag that is also labeled with the deceased’s information.

This labeled bag is then placed in either a temporary container provided by the crematorium or an urn provided by the family. The container is also labeled with the deceased’s information and the date of cremation.

Each step of this process is carried out with the utmost respect and care for the deceased and their family. Crematoriums are strictly regulated and follow rigorous procedures to ensure dignity, safety, and proper identification throughout the cremation process. 

‍Types of Cremation Services

When considering cremation, families have several options for how to structure the associated services. Each type of service offers different benefits and can be tailored to meet the specific needs, wishes, and budget of the family. Here are the main types of cremation services:

Direct cremation

Direct cremation is the simplest and most cost-effective option available. This service includes:

  • Standard of the funeral director and staff
  • Transportation of the deceased from the place of death to the crematory
  • Necessary authorizations and paperwork
  • The cremation process itself
  • Return of the cremated remains to the family in a simple container

Traditional cremation service

A traditional cremation service closely resembles a conventional funeral, with the cremation taking place after the service instead of a burial. This option typically includes:

  • Embalming and preparation of the body for viewing
  • A visitation or wake period
  • A formal funeral service with the body present in a casket
  • Transportation to the crematory after the service
  • The cremation process
  • Return of the cremated remains to the family

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Facts About Everything
18 hours ago

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CREMATION by FIRE AVAILABILITY IN THE USA 2025

STATES THAT ALLOW THE FLAME METHOD OF CREMATION.  Over half of Americans currently select this method of dealing with their dead.   Source

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What is the environmental impact of cremation?

Cremations have a significant carbon footprint. The incineration of a body in a casket releases toxic waste gases such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide.

Around 245kg of carbon emissions are generated by one cremation, the equivalent of charging your smartphone over 29,000 times.   Source

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Sadly, the main reason that people choose cremation over burial for their loved ones is financial.  Laws, regulations and the Funeral Industry has made normal burial unobtainable for most people.  Most of the requirements and expenses are totally gratuitous and geared toward driving people to choose the alternatives. 

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GTASOUL
34 Subscribers
212 Views – 1 year ago
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An interesting journey through time to find out the origin of cremation…

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In the cremation process the body is robbed of all life.  The bones are crushed and cooked through to destroy and/or remove all minute molecules of marrow or blood.  This is not what God intended for final rest. 

In a traditional EARTH burial, without embalming, the body retains evidence of life.  It is in a sleep like state.

But, DEATH is not the end of what GOD has planned for us.  Burial is a place of rest.  We are laid in the earth as a seed.  To be raised up to ETERNAL LIFE at His coming.
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Jim Crenshaw
81.8K Subscribers
6685 Views – 9 months ago
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I thought this was interesting and decided to pass it along.

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1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

1 Corinthians 15:51

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own bloodAnd hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

 When we die, our spirit leaves our body, but our body still contains life.  That is why when they exhume a body for forensic purposes, they can still find evidence.

The process of cremation whether with fire or water, removes ALL EVIDENCE OF LIFE.  Therefore, the remains can no longer be used for forensic purposes.

Gravestones are a long lasting marker.  Some stone markers have been around for thousands of years.  The saying “written in stone” carried a lot of weight.  No pun intended.  Just as the saying “so let it be written, so let it be done” in ancient times the written word had great power.  That is why fantasy was created.  To rob the written word of its fortitude.  I also believe that is why our current system has greatly reduced and nearly obliterated the WRITTEN WORD.  No one writes letters, anymore.  Our documents and records are all digitized.  Digital documents have NO PERMNENCE.  They can be ERASED with a single click.  AND they can be edited to change their meaning and intent.

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. 29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? 30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? 31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. 33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. 40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. 47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 5Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Only in the traditional burial of the entire body in the earth do the bones remain.   The bones which in life have marrow in their center.  Marrow is a very rich composition of blood and other nutrients.  BONES do not turn to ash in the grave, they do not burn to ash in the fire, they do not dissolve to ash in chemical baths.  To DESTROY the bones completely, they have to crush them to ashes and dry them out completely.

The bones of the dead remain for thousands of years.  According to “Science” millions of years.  Archeologists dig them up all the time and can STILL learn a lot from the bones.  Because the evidence of life is in them.  

Ezekiel 37

37 The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,

And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.

Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:

And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.

And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

This is a very strong indicator that we should keep our bones intact.  They don’t have to be connected…but it seems to me they should be bones…not dust.  It seems to me to be the reason that the forces in the world want us to be cremated.  The devil and his minions don’t want us to be resurrected.  Only God’s people will be resurrected.  So, it does not matter that Pagan’s get cremated as they have for thousands of years. But, God’s people have traditionally been buried in the earth.

I found it very interesting that the building where they place the cremated bodies is called the “Columbarium”. Why? Every time I see that name in any form, something in me just KNOWS there is some powerful spiritual significance to the name.  Not a Christian spirit, an OCCULT spirit.
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columbarium(n.)

subterranean sepulchre in ancient Roman places with niches for urns holding remains,” 1540s, neuter of

The San Francisco Columbarium

Latin columbarius, “dove-cote” (the funereal place so called from resemblance), literally “pertaining to doves;” from columba “dove, pigeon,” a word of uncertain origin. Literal sense of “dove-cote” in English is attested from 1881.
Columbarium – wikipedia

columbarium (/ˌkɒləmˈbɛəri.əm/;[1] pl. columbaria), also called a cinerarium, is a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns holding cremated remains of the dead. The term comes from the Latin columba (dove) and originally solely referred to compartmentalized housing for doves and pigeons, also called dovecotes.

“of or pertaining to ashes,” 1750, from Latin cinerarius “pertaining to ashes,” from cinerat-, stem of cinis “ashes” (see incinerate). The neuter form, cinerarium, was used as a noun for “a receptacle for the ashes of the dead.”

Entries linking to cinerary

incinerate(v.)
“burn to ashes” (transitive), 1550s, from Medieval Latin incineratus, past participle of incinerare “reduce to ashes,” from in- “into” (from PIE root *en “in”) + a verb from Latin cinis (genitive cineris) “ashes,” from PIE root *keni- “dust, ashes” (source also of Greek konis “dust”). Middle English had the word, from Latin, but only as a past-participle adjective meaning “reduced to ashes” (early 15c.). Related: Incineratedincinerating.
As I was pulling this information into my post, the Holy Spirit reminded me that in Spiritual Warfare the only way to get rid of objects that have been infused with spiritual energy, or with spiritual power, or with demonic spirits; in other words a “CURSED” object such as an idol, is to BURN IT.  Placing a spiritual item in the fire destroys the spirit and its power or energy. 
So, I have to believe that placing a human body in the fire and completely destroying it down ashes is not a good idea.  We don’t really understand the entire process God has ordained for our bodies.  There is a reason that even after Jesus paid the price on the cross, we still have to die.  There is a reason our bodies must WAIT for His Return to be RAISED.INCORRUPTABLE.

Background

Roman columbaria were often built partly or completely underground.[2] The Columbarium of Pomponius Hylas is an ancient Roman example, rich in frescoes, decorations, and precious mosaics.[3]

Today’s columbaria can be free-standing units or part of a mausoleum or another building. Some manufacturers produce columbaria built entirely offsite and brought to a cemetery by large truck. Many modern crematoria have columbaria. Examples of these are the columbaria in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and Golders Green Crematorium in London.

In other cases, columbaria are built into church structures. One example is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles, California), which houses several columbarium niches in the mausoleum built into the lower levels of the Cathedral. The construction of columbaria within churches is ubiquitous in the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. An example can be seen at the Church of St Nicolas in Old Town Square, Prague. In the Catholic Church, although traditional burial is still preferred, cremation is permitted provided that the cremated remains are entombed and that the cremation is not done for reasons contrary to the Catholic faith. As a result, they are within some Catholic cemeteries.

Columbaria are often closely similar in form to pagodas, which function as in-situ columbaria pavilions at Buddhist temples, which from ancient times have housed cremated ashes. In Buddhism, ashes may be placed in a columbarium (Chinese納骨堂pinyinnágǔtángJapaneseのうこつどうKorean납골당), which can be either attached to or a part of a Buddhist temple or cemetery. This practice allows survivors to visit the temple and carry out traditional memorials and ancestor rites.

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The ROMAN Catholic Church is not CHRISTIAN, and they have always worshiped death and the dead.  It is called the ROMAN Catholic Church because it is the Church of ROME and worships ans serves the gods of Rome. They practice ancestor worship like the pagans they are and they build they churches around relics of the dead, and often using bones of the dead as building materials. 

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  • Old Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia is the oldest Catholic burial ground in the city, founded in 1849. 

    Cathedral Cemetery

    Cathedral Cemetery is the oldest Diocesan cemetery in Philadelphia, having opened in 1849. Our location provides a tranquil and respectful environment for families to honor their loved ones. We offer various services, including burial planning and pre-planning options, allowing individuals to make informed decisions about their final arrangements and reduce stress for their families.   SOURCE

    Perhaps more than any other cemetery in the city, the Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia tells the story of immigration’s impact on the city. That incredible history is literally etched in stone.

    the city’s population was exploding. In 1840, Philadelphia was the fourth largest city in America with a population of 93,665. Just 20 years later, the city was the second largest in the country with a population over 565,529 – over 500% growth in a single generation.

    And that growth came from two places: Eastern Germany/Slavic areas and Ireland. The Irish Potato Famine years of 1845-1852 drove millions out of Ireland. There were also famines and a revolution in Germany at exactly the same time, displacing an equal number. And many came to Philly. From 1847-1852, 120,000 immigrants arrived directly in Philadelphia from Europe. In 1850, 30% of the residents of Philadelphia were foreign born, and the Germans and Irish accounted for 75% of that total.

    The one challenge of the dual immigrant groups (Germans and Irish) was that the didn’t particularly like each other. Each viewed the other with distrust and competition for jobs and scarce housing. Despite shared religious values, there were turf battles in the streets between the groups.

    Mausoleum with the name “Thomas”

    Here, you find Irish and German surnames side-by-side or in close proximity. The animosity they may have felt in life does not carry over into their final resting places.

    Over time, West Philadelphia has changed. No longer bordering remote farms, this area is strictly urban. In 1854, the Consolidation Act was passed and this remote section of land became part of the city. And once home to Irish and German immigrants, this section of the city became firmly African American.

    In the lead up to the Civil War, Philadelphia had the largest population of black residents of any city outside of the slave owning states. That population only increased in the years leading up to the war and during the Great Migration after the war. Within the cemetery, you can see evidence of the neighborhoods transition through changes in the headstones. source

    Though the cemetery is owned by the Archdiocese, it is run by StoneMor Partners.

    The church you see in these photos is “Our Mother of Sorrows Church.” The structure was built in 1870. It closed on October 9th, 2017. SOURCE

  • St. Nicolas Church in Old Town Square, Prague has a columbarium within the church. 

    St. Nicholas Church, the most famous baroque church in Prague, stands together with the former Jesuit Professed House in the middle of Malostranské náměstí (Lesser Town Square).

    This Church was built by the Jesuits with all kinds of Freemason symbolism   Note the checkerboard floor above.

    Consecrated by the Prague bishop Tobiáš
    in 1283, a medieval parish church stood in its place until 1743 and in the neighborhood a Romanesque rotunda of St. Wenceslas. The present church of St. Nicholas belongs to the most valuable Baroque buildings north of the Alps.  The Jesuit college, designed by Francesco Caratti, Giovanni Domenico Orsi and Francesco Lurago and built in 1672-1687, created an ideal optical base for the two towers of the future church. Twelve houses, including the important Rotunda of St Wenceslas and an old school were demolished; the adjacent cemeteries were likewise closed. The former Jesuit college currently houses the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University in Prague. 
    A partial impression of the original planned appearance of the church at the time the Jesuits chose the initial plans by Giovanni Domenico Orsi in 1673 and laid the foundation stone is provided by the Chapel of St Barbara, which was built first so that mass could be celebrated.   Following the abolition of the Jesuit Order by Pope Clement XIV, St Nicholas became the main parish church of the Lesser Town in 1775.  SOURCE
    Prague, a city where cremations and secular funerals are the norm, customs, and perceptions of death may be a revelation to the uninitiated.  Czechs tend to favor cremation over traditional burials by a considerable margin. In Prague, that percentage is up to 97 percent, more than in most European countries and the U.S. Secular, private memorials, often held in funeral halls unaffiliated with any church, are the norm, though Pavlitová says in Prague, individualized, sometimes non-traditional memorials are gaining ground.
    The cross is still, even in this largely atheist country, seen as a symbol of death and, by extension, a cemetery. Tombstone motifs include weeping willows, palm fronds, and mourning doves. “One plant, equally beloved and despised, that’s associated with cemeteries is the aforementioned English ivy. It is a beautiful feature of many of our cemeteries, but it needs to be carefully managed,” says Pavlitová.
    It’s important to note that practices surrounding death and funeral rites are quite different between big cities and the countryside, as well as between the more atheist region of Bohemia and more religious (Catholic) Moravia, which still favors traditional rituals and burials.”  SOURCE
    Dušičky, or All Souls’ Day, on Nov. 2 traditional day of remembrance sees people visiting cemeteries to leave flowers, light candles, and honor the memory of loved ones.
  • The Cathedral’s Columbarium has been a peaceful resting space since the 1970s. 

    Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral Offers Sacred Options for Cremated Remains

    During a renovation project of the historic Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan, a columbaria was added, and the stone chosen for the project was as iconic as the 200-year-old Gothic Revival basilica.

    The cathedral, in New York City’s NoLita section, was the largest in the United States when it was completed in 1815 and remains home of the city’s only active Catholic cemetery. When the church revised its guidelines on cremation in 2016, the cathedral approached Supreme Memorials — a trusted partner for memorial engravings for the New York Archdiocese with three New York City locations — to create columbaria options to accommodate changing tastes.

    Currently, if Roman Catholics wish to be cremated, the church supports that decision provided ashes are kept in a “sacred place” and not scattered or kept in urns at home. A columbarium offers niches for the interment of cremated remains and a refuge for the faithful departed and comforting sanctuary for the bereaved.

    Columbaria are hand-built by stone artisans and contain niches for cremated remains.

The basilica opened its catacombs to add columbaria to a sacred space that is the final resting place for some of New York’s most famous (and notorious) figures. Along a 120-foot-long crypt corridor are marked, sealed vaults on either side containing remains of famous 19th and early 20th century figures

Rock of Ages in conjunction with Supreme Memorials designed columbaria containing 2,000 niches, which used Rock of Ages BETHEL WHITE® granite to match the old marble vault coverings accented by Rock of Ages Burgundy granite. “That’s just the first and second phase,” explained Joe Cassara, who owns the memorial center. “There’s also room to expand and add more niches.”

According to Cassara, Supreme Memorials was initially brought in by the basilica for a restoration project.   “They asked if we could clean a columbarium before we started engraving, and we noticed the material was made out of Chinese granite, and it wasn’t dirt but rust,” he said. “We could clean it, but it would always come back.”

Around the same time, the basilica was planning to build a second columbarium and Supreme, a family owned and operated memorial center, introduced church officials to Rock of Ages BLUE GRAY® granite from Vermont. “There’s no iron ore that could cause rust staining and comes with a warranty,” Cassara said. “The Arch Diocese was very happy with that.”

The newly-constructed columbaria located in the cemetery’s south section includes 220 niches, which have a view of the Ancient Hibernian Wall that was built around the basilica in about 1832 as protection against anti-Catholic nativists and still stands today. The columbaria is built with Rock of Ages Blue Gray granite and Deer Isle granite to match the cemetery’s historic look. Cassara said there are plans to build five more columbaria in the future.

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The Columbarium at St. John the Devine

The Cathedral has provided sacred space for burials and the committal of ashes since its founding in the late 19th Century. Columbaria, places for the both the solemn and repose of cremated remains and the remembrance and celebration and of loved ones, are an integral reminder within the church of the cycle of life and death. Since the 1970s, the Cathedral’s Columbarium has been a peaceful and inclusive resting space for loved ones, joining the luminaries who directed the Cathedral’s first phase of construction and development and who now rest within its walls.

Each niche in the Chapel Columbarium sells for $500, holds the cremains of one person, and includes the cost of an urn and a memorial plaque. A portion of all sales is dedicated to the perpetual care of the area.  source

The Chapel of Saint John the Divine

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For a new century, the Cathedral has elegantly expanded the Columbarium further into the Chapel of St. Ansgar with an additional 682 vaults, which comprise up to 1,364 niches for the urns. Each vault holds one or two urns, depending on size and location. The capstone is made of Perle Blanc limestone, whose luminous hues embody the Old World atmosphere of this beautiful chapel.

The price of each niche ranges from $4,500 to $7,000 based solely on location (single payment only). One niche is for one individual, and each vault holds up to 4 niches.  source

Chapel of St. Ansgar

Columba

Introduction

The name “Columba” possesses a rich tapestry of cultural, historical, and religious significance. As you delve into its origins and historical journey, you will uncover the layers that have made this name stand out through the ages. This article explores its meaning, roots, evolution, and the notable personalities who have borne this name, providing a comprehensive understanding of “Columba.”

Origins and Meaning

The name “Columba” finds its roots in Latin, where it directly translates to “dove.” This symbolic bird often represents peace, purity, and the Holy Spirit in various religious contexts, particularly within Christianity. The name’s gentle and serene connotations have made it a beloved choice among those seeking a name with both spiritual and peaceful undertones.

History and Evolution

Historically, the name “Columba” has been significant since early Christian times. It gained prominence through Saint Columba of Iona, a 6th-century Irish monk who played a crucial role in spreading Christianity throughout Scotland. His missionary work and the monasteries he founded deeply embedded the name in religious history. 

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St. Columba was a DRUID who “became a “Christian” in the same manner as Constantine.  The “Christianity” he spread was false. He introduced the Eastern pagan practice of Monastic Religion from when came the Catholic Monks and Nuns.  His so-called miracles were demonic deceptions.
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The Ancient Mystery Religion – The MAGI(CIANS)

This topic is hugely overwhelming.  So much information to review, sort through, gather together and put into a format that is easy to view and enlightening.  I pray that I am a faithful servant and have followed God’s leading.  Only when He speaks are lives changed.  Stay with me through this series.  We will dig … Click Here to Read More

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Conclusions

In summary, the name “Columba” carries with it a profound legacy rooted in peace, spirituality, and historical significance. From its Latin origins to its widespread influence across religious and cultural landscapes, “Columba” has maintained an evocative presence. Though not widely popular in contemporary times, its association with notable historical figures and its deep symbolic meaning ensure that “Columba” remains a name of enduring interest and reverence.

Saint Columba (also known as Colum Cille) is the most famous bearer of this name.  Source

Alternative spellings of Columba  – Source

The name Colum has roots in Irish Gaelic, specifically originating from the word “Cóelma,” which translates to “dove” or “pillar.” Historically, “Colum” was a common name throughout Ireland and often associated with strong, steadfast individuals.

Meaning, Origin And History Of The Name Colum

The name Colum has deep roots in Latin, tracing back to the ancient Roman god, “Columbia.”

Columbia itself was a later adaptation of the goddess “Columna” or “Columban,” a symbolic representation of strength and support.

“Columna” is directly related to the Latin word “columna,” meaning “pillar” or “column.

This association with pillars speaks to the name’s inherent meaning:

  1. Strength and Stability:
  2. Uprightness and Integrity
  3. A Foundation for Something Greater

Over time, “Columban” evolved into various forms across different languages.

In Irish, it became “Columba,” associated with the missionary saint, Saint Columba (or Colum Cille), known for spreading (false) Christianity throughout Ireland and Scotland.

The name Colum has roots in Irish Gaelic, specifically originating from the word “Cóelma,” which translates to “dove” or “pillar.”

Historically, “Colum” was a common name throughout Ireland and often associated with strong, steadfast individuals.

In its various forms, like “Colm” or “Colam,” the name has been carried through generations, becoming particularly popular in counties like Kildare, Laois, and Meath.

Beyond Ireland, the name’s influence extended to Scotland and Wales, where it was embraced as a variant spelling of similar names with shared meanings of strength and peace.

The association with “dove” likely stemmed from the bird’s symbolism of peace and tranquility, while the “pillar” reference hinted at strength and endurance.

This blend of gentle imagery and sturdy connotations contributed to the enduring appeal of the name “Colum” across various cultures and time periods.

Colum, with its roots deeply embedded in Gaelic tradition, carries a rich history intertwined with language, mythology, and cultural significance. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Ireland where it derives from the Irish word “colm” meaning “dove.”

The dove, a symbol of peace and purity in many cultures, holds a special place in Irish mythology. In the Irish tale of the Children of Lir, a dove is central, symbolizing transformation and spiritual awakening.

Through its association with the dove, Colum embodies these qualities, signifying gentleness, grace, and a connection to the divine.

Historically, the name gained prominence during the early Christian era in Ireland when Saint Columba, a renowned missionary and abbot, rose to prominence. His influence spread Christianity throughout Scotland and Ireland, solidifying the name Colum as a powerful symbol of faith and piety.

The name Colum has a rich history and intriguing origins, primarily rooted in Irish culture. It derives from the Gaelic name “Caoimhghin,” which itself translates to “dove” or “gentle.”
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mid-15c., “a pillar, long, cylindrical architectural support,” also “vertical division of a page,” from Old French colombe (12c., Modern French colonne “column, pillar”), from Latin columna “pillar,” collateral form of columen “top, summit,” from PIE root *kel- (2) “to be prominent; hill. “In the military sense “formation of troops narrow in front and extending back” from 1670s, opposed to a line, which is extended in front and thin in depth. Sense of “matter written for a newspaper” (the contents of a column of type) dates from 1785.

Entries linking to column

columnar(adj.)
having the form of a column; of or pertaining to a column,” 1728, from Late Latin columnaris “rising in the form of a pillar,” from columna “column” (see column).
columnist(n.)
1915, “one who writes serially for publication in a newspaper or magazine,” from column in the newspaper sense + -ist.

The successful Columnist puts his own personality into his column. It is not a case of impersonal jesting and the heaping up of cold, blue-lit diamonds of wit. The reader likes the column because it reveals a daily insight into another man’s soul—and he finds this other soul likeable. [C.L. Edson, “The Gentle Art of Columning,” 1920]

*kel-(2)
Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to be prominent,” also “hill.”It might form all or part of: colonelcolonnadecolophoncolumnculminateculminationexcelexcellenceexcellentexcelsiorhillholm.It might also be the source of: Sanskrit kutam “top, skull;” Latin  collis  “hill,” columna “projecting object,” cellere “raise;” Greek  kolōnos  “hill,”  kolophōn  “summit;” Lithuanian kalnas “mountain,” kalnelis “hill,” kelti “raise;” Old English hyll “hill,” Old Norse hallr “stone,” Gothic hallus “rock.”

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dove(n.)

bird of the family Columbidae, early Middle English douve, 12c., probably from Old English dufe- (found only in compounds), from Proto-Germanic *dubon (source also of Old Saxon duba, Old Norse dufa, Swedish duva, Middle Dutch duve, Dutch duif, Old High German tuba, German Taube, Gothic -dubo), perhaps related to words for “dive,” but the application is not clear unless it be somehow in reference to its flight.  Well no duh… How does anyone arrive at Columba as the root for dove??  When ALL the languages use a root that actually sounds like dove?
Originally applied to all pigeons, now mostly restricted to the turtle dove. A symbol of gentleness, innocence, and tender affection from early Christian times, also of the Holy Spirit (as in Genesis viii.8-12), and of peace and deliverance from anxiety. A term of endearment since late 14c. Political meaning “person who advocates peace” attested by 1917, from the Christian dove of peace. Middle English also had dovesse “female dove” (early 15c.).

dove(v.)  sometime past tense of dive (v.).

Entries linking to dove

dive(v.)
c. 1200, diven, “descend or plunge headfirst into water,” from a merger of Old English dufan “to dive, duck, sink” (intransitive, class II strong verb; past tense deaf, past participle dofen) and dyfan “to dip, submerge” (weak, transitive), from Proto-Germanic verb *dubijan, from PIE *dheub- “deep, hollow” (see deep (adj.)).In the merger of verbs the weak forms predominated and the strong inflections were obsolete by 1300. The past tense remained dived into 19c., but in that century dove emerged, perhaps on analogy of drive/drove. The change began to be noted in the late 1850s by Canadian and U.S. editors: Bartlett (1859) notes it as an Americanism, “Very common among seamen and not confined to them,” and a paper read before the Canadian Institute in 1857 reports it in Canadian English. All note its use by Longfellow in “Hiawatha” (1855).From early 13c. as “to make a plunge” in any way; of submarines by 1872; of airplanes by 1908 (hence dive-bombingdive-bomber, both 1931). Figurative sense of “plunge entirely into something that engrosses the attention” is from 1580s. In Middle English also transitive, “to submerge (something), make to sink down.”
dovecote(n.)
also dove-cote, “small structure set high off the ground for the roosting and breeding of pigeons,” c. 1400 (c. 1200 in surnames), from dove (n.) + cote.
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References to dove/pigeon in the Bible

Lexicon
peristera: Dove

Original Word in Greek: περιστερά
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: peristera
Pronunciationpe-ris-te-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (per-is-ter-ah’)
KJV: dove, pigeon
NASB: doves, dove, pigeons
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. a pigeon

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance

dove, pigeon.

Of uncertain derivation; a pigeon — dove, pigeon.

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 4058: περιστερά   (περιστός“peristeri,” which means “dove”5The word peristera in Greek means “dove)

περιστεράπεριστεράς, Hebrew יונָהa doveMatthew 3:16Matthew 10:16Matthew 21:12Mark 1:10Mark 11:15Luke 2:24Luke 3:22John 1:32John 2:14, 16. (From Herodotus down.)
Mark 1:10 N-AFS
GRK: πνεῦμα ὡς περιστερὰν καταβαῖνον εἰς
NAS: like a dove descending
KJV: the Spirit like a dove descending upon
INT: Spirit as a dove descending upon

The first mention of A DOVE in the Old Testamentיוֹנָה yônâh – yo-naw’dove, pigeon from E-Sword  

Gen 8:6  And it came to passH1961 at the endH4480 H7093 of fortyH705 days,H3117 that NoahH5146 openedH6605 (H853) the windowH2474 of the arkH8392 whichH834 he had made:H6213 
Gen 8:7  And he sent forthH7971 (H853) a raven,H6158 which went forth H3318 to and fro,H3318 H7725 untilH5704 the watersH4325 were dried up H3001 from offH4480 H5921 the earth.H776 
Gen 8:8  Also he sent forthH7971 (H853) a doveH3123 fromH4480 H854 him, to seeH7200 if the watersH4325 were abatedH7043 from offH4480 H5921 the faceH6440 of the ground;H127 
Gen 8:9  But the doveH3123 foundH4672 noH3808 restH4494 for the soleH3709 of her foot,H7272 and she returnedH7725 untoH413 him intoH413 the ark,H8392 forH3588 the watersH4325 were onH5921 the faceH6440 of the wholeH3605 earth:H776 then he put forthH7971 hisH3123 hand,H3027 and tookH3947 her, and pulled her inH935 (H853) untoH413 him intoH413 the ark.H8392 
יוֹנָה  – yônâh – yo-naw’
Probably from the same as H3196; a dove (apparently from the warmth of their mating): – dove, pigeon.
Total KJV occurrences: 31
Genesis 8:1-22
NOAH LEAVES THE ARK
Traditions of the Flood are found in every country, from the tablets of Babylon to the rude carvings of the Aztecs, proving man’s common origin. “God remembered Noah.” He could not forget, because He had entered into covenant with him and his. Though the floods have been abroad on your life for long years, God has not forgotten you. Sooner might a woman forget her babe! Noah’s window only looked upward. It had no outlook on the waters, therefore he sent forth the birds. Dove and raven issued from the same window, so the child of God and the wayward, willful child may issue from the same family; but the former cannot find satisfaction with what satisfies the other, but wings its flight back to God. See Psa_116:7. Through God’s grace Noah stepped out into the new world-the world of resurrection. His first act was the burned-offering of consecration, which was followed immediately by promise. See Rom_12:1-2.

So we see that there is controversy and uncertainty about the origin of the term Columba as the origin and root of the word DOVE.   There is a consensus that the Dove is symbolic of love, peace and gentleness among many religions.  It makes sense that the word DOVE has its roots in the word for dive.  And that dive means to come down from above.  

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Now, let us look at the Symbolism and Significance of the dove.

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The Magic and Symbolism of Doves

In the world of mythology and dream interpretation, few creatures carry as much symbolism as the dove. From ancient texts to modern spiritual practices, doves have been heralded as messengers, symbols of peace, and even as animal familiars for those on the mystical path. For mythology enthusiasts, dream interpreters, and witches alike, the magic and symbolism of doves offers a rich tapestry of meaning to explore.

Understanding Dove Symbolism

The dove has long been associated with themes of love, peace, and purity. In many cultures, it acts as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds.

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Dove Spiritual Meaning, Symbolism and Totem

Have you ever wondered why doves are seen as symbols of peace and love? They have been used throughout history to represent hope, spirituality, and renewal. In many cultures worldwide, the dove symbolizes innocence and purity; its role in legends often represents divine intervention.  (in pagan religions of every kind)

In religion, it’s viewed by some as associated with gods of love, such as Aphrodite or Venus in Greek mythology or Eros for those who worshiped Roman gods. With all this said, there has to be a deeper meaning behind the sacred power held by these birds – what makes them so special?

We all know that birds can take personal meanings, but when it comes down to spiritual powers, doves stand out from the rest— this blog post dives into dove spiritual meaning by understanding their symbolism and looking at traditional beliefs connected with them around our world.

Dove Bird Symbolism and Meaning

Dove Bird Native American Symbolism

Native American tribes traditionally assigned unique symbolism and meanings to the dove bird. The Hopi believed doves were symbols of peace, hope, and love and represented many important gods in their culture.

The Navajo recognized doves as symbols of seasonal transitions and often referred to them as rain bringers to encourage sustainable growth in the crops they relied on for sustenance.

The Cherokee honored the dove as a messenger between humans and divine spiritual realms, believing that it carried prayers from the earthly world back to their gods.

EzoicThese ancient beliefs still hold true today, evoking positive connections with our natural environment and connecting us with traditional cultures in meaningful ways.

Dove Bird Eastern Symbolism

The dove is widely recognized as an important symbol in Eastern culture, representing peace, hope, and grace. The dove appears in some of the most influential religious texts from the East, including Buddhism and Confucianism.

It holds special significance for many Asian cultures, seeing it being carried by gods at important events or ceremonies. Dove birds are also seen as a symbol of reincarnation and eternal life in some Hindu stories because they can fly to the highest realms that humans can’t typically reach.

EzoicAll of this symbolism is why it is such a popular bird in Asian art; its representation transcends generations and continues to bring insight into cultural values generation after generation.

Dove Bird Celtic Symbolism

The dove is a unique bird steeped in ancient Celtic symbolism. It is commonly associated with love, peace, and hope because the sound they make with their cooing is seen as an omen of good luck and better times. In Celtic lore, doves are also believed to have an affinity for communication and carrying messages between worlds be it physical or spiritual.

There’s also a wistful quality attributed to doves, symbolizing that something deep within us aches for joy, beauty, and companionship. Evidence of this can be seen within various Celtic rituals like weddings or handfastings where white doves were released to carry good wishes on the wind.

Dove Bird African Symbolism

As a symbol, the dove has been embraced by various cultures throughout history and worldwide. In some African cultures, the bird is seen as a positive symbol of peace and hope because of its ability to return home no matter where it ventures.

The dove can also represent new beginnings, renewal, and fertility. It is believed that when a baby is born, their parents should present them with a gift from a dove in celebration of their new life.

The significance of doves extends beyond birth: young warriors and hunters also enter adulthood with a traditional dove offering. This beautiful yet graceful bird remains an important African cultural symbol today.

Folklore from Africa also speaks of birds as deities that were messengers from the gods and goddesses. Even African tribes use symbols of doves for the magical protection of tribal chief and their family. 

Dove Spiritual Meaning

The dove is a beautiful symbol of joy and peace, often used in the spiritual realm to represent divine messages. The dove represents the Holy Spirit in Christian beliefs, always descending upon Earth to provide divinity and illumination.

In Greek mythologies, the dove was used to symbolize love since it was seen as being loyal to its partner. In Greek mythology, doves were sacred to the goddess Aphrodite and associated with beauty and love.  Its well-known ability to find its way home can also be interpreted as special guidance from the gods regarding finding one’s own path in life.

In many cultures worldwide, doves come to represent hope and comfort, whether it’s giving support or reassurance during hard times or sending uplifting messages. All in all, due to its spiritual significance and beauty, the dove has held an important meaning for many worldwide for centuries.  With its peaceful cooing sound and calming way of life, it’s clear why so many civilizations held a special place in their hearts for doves.

Dove Bird Totem Animal

The dove has long been thought to be a powerful totem animal symbolizing peace, freedom, and innocence. From the Greek word for “dove” (peristera), this bird is often revered for its calming influence and the protective nature of the mother bird.

Peristera is a name of Greek origin, meaning “dove.” It carries a sense of peace, purity, and gentleness, reflecting the symbolic significance of doves in various cultures2In Greek and Roman mythology, Peristera is a nymph who was transformed into a dove, one of Aphrodite’s sacred birds and symbols1The word is derived from the Greek word “περιστός” (peristos), meaning “surrounded” or “encompassed,” possibly referring to the bird’s circular flight patterns   The formal etymology of the noun “peristera” is not clear, but it may have had to do with the phrase “perah Ishtar,” meaning “birds of Ishtar”5.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Peristera (Ancient Greek: Περιστερά, romanized: Peristerá) is a nymph who was transformed into a dove, one of Aphrodite’s sacred birds and symbols, explaining the bird’s connection to the goddess1The word for dove was later changed to Columba2.

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Conclusion

Ultimately, dove symbolism and spiritual meaning are associated with freedom, knowledge, faith, and peace. The dove totem reminds us to open our hearts up to love and remain true to ourselves. Doves represent an inner strength of character that can help us navigate through emotional storms and bring us back to hope.

They provide us with reassurance that we can survive any difficult situation and encourage us to trust our inner guidance. Doves ask that we keep faith in ourselves, no matter what life throws at us.

So embrace the dove spirit animal when it appears as a reminder to be kind to yourself and others. There is nothing more powerful than having faith in yourself! Thanks for reading our post about the dove spiritual meaning.

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It seems  that all religions see the dove as a connection to the Devine, and as a messenger.
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Columba constellation is located in the southern sky. Its name means “the dove” in Latin. The constellation’s original name was Columba Noachi, meaning “Noah’s dove.” It was named after the biblical dove that informed Noah that the Great Flood was receding. Columba was introduced by the Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius in the late 16th century and later appeared in German astronomer Johann Bayer’s star atlas Uranometria of 1603.

Columba constellation is regarded as a fairly small and faint constellation in the Southern Celestial sky.

  • Early 3rd century BC: Aratus‘s astronomical poem Phainomena (lines 367–370 and 384–385) mentions faint stars where Columba is now but does not fit any name or figure to them.
  • 2nd century AD: Ptolemy lists 48 constellations in the Almagest. While Columba is not yet among them, several stars south of Canis Major listed in this work will eventually become part of Columba.[2]
  • c. 150–215 AD: Clement of Alexandria wrote in his Logos Paidogogos[3]“Αἱ δὲ σφραγῖδες ἡμῖν ἔστων πελειὰς ἢ ἰχθὺς ἢ ναῦς οὐριοδρομοῦσα ἢ λύρα μουσική, ᾗ κέχρηται Πολυκράτης, ἢ ἄγκυρα ναυτική,” (= “[when recommending symbols for Christians to use], let our seals be a dove or a fish or a ship running in a good wind or a musical lyre … or a ship’s anchor …”), with no mention of stars or astronomy.
  • 1592 AD: [4] Petrus Plancius first depicted Columba on the small celestial planispheres of his large wall map to differentiate the ‘unformed stars’ of the large constellation Canis Major.[5] Columba is also shown on his smaller world map of 1594 and on early Dutch celestial globes. Plancius named the constellation Columba Noachi (“Noah‘s Dove”), referring to the dove that gave Noah the information that the Great Flood was receding. This name is found on early 17th-century celestial globes and star atlases.
The constellation seen as “Columba Noachi” in Urania’s Mirror (1825).

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DOVE – IN THE WORD OF GOD

In the Old Testament, the cheapest offering for sacrifices was a pair of turtle doves or young pigeons1. These birds were chosen because they were affordable for the poorest of Israel12. The inclusion of these birds emphasizes God’s concern for every individual, regardless of their economic status2.    Source
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The Dove Offering.

Leviticus 1:14-17
14 And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
15 And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:
16 And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:
17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.”
The poorest of Israel brought a pair of turtle doves or young pigeons because that’s all they could afford.  Unlike those who brought sheep, goats, or bullocks, the bird was not cut into pieces nor it’s entrails washed with water.  They are simply too small.  The Priest simply twisted off its head poured its blood out at one side of the altar.
Doves represent innocence.  If you’ve ever heard one, they have a mournful cry.  In fact, they are often called, “Mourning doves.”  As such, they depict believers who are essentially “Mourning innocents.”  
In the case of the Dove Offering, it is The priest who took the dove from the worshiper.  The priest twisted off its head.  The priest poured its blood out “at the side of the altar.”  He didn’t pour the blood around it on all sides because they are just too small and don’t have very much blood in their tiny bodies.  Then, the priest burned it on the altar and The priest plucked out it’s crop and feathers.

Are you sensing a pattern here?  Of all three offerings, this one is completely handled without the worshiper’s participation, except for it being brought to him by the person for whom it was offered…  The Priest (a foreshadow of Christ) acts as their intermediary, their intercessor, and he absolves them of the sins.  Like the dove, they are “mourning innocents.”    Source

not really new, but not generally practiced in the USA.  Still possible options in this changing world.

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We have looked at the most common, current options for the handling of human remains upon death.  Now, we will look at less common methods.
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Mummification

Mummification was central to ancient Egyptian funerary customs. They believed preserving the body ensured the soul’s journey to the afterlife. The process involved removing internal organs, drying the body with natron, and wrapping it in linen. Tombs were filled with items needed for the afterlife, like food, amulets, and personal possessions. Elaborate tombs like pyramids were built for pharaohs, symbolizing their divine status.

You typically hear of mummification with the historical burials of ancient Egypt. However, although it is not as popular as some other burials today, this type of burial has been modernised and is still used in some cultures. This happens by submerging the body in a tank of liquid in-order-to preserve the body, also be known as Plastination, where the body is mummified.

Tree Burial

Tree burial practices are often unheard of, but are common in places such as the Philippines, to protect the bodies from wild animals. This strange burial practice takes place by putting bodies in a tree or embedding them in a tree-trunk. Bodies can also be concealed in a coffin or blanket that will be tied into the branches of a tree. Tree burial is a creative method of protecting the dead and giving loved ones a special way of remembering them.

Cryonics

Cryonics is still being researched to this day and is often used for people who are brain dead. It is the process of being frozen. By freezing the body, it is believed that the person could one day be revived through advances in technology. Cryogenic freezing is the method of being frozen without damaging tissue. 

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CG Sci tech
276.1K views
Jun 16, 2022

This next section relates to burial options that exist, may be in practice now or are in the process of becoming lawful options.

Method

Description

Sustain-ability

Advantages

Disad-vantages

Cost

Natural Burial

Burial in a natural area without a coffin or gravestone.

High

Natural, peaceful, promotes biodiversity.

Limited locations available, not always allowed.

Low – Average

Resomation

Body accelerated composted in alkaline solution.

High

More sustainable than cremation, less CO2 emissions, resulting mineral ash can be scattered.

New technology, not yet available everywhere,legal rules still unclear.

Average – High

Promerion

Body converted to powder with liquid.

High

Sustainable, no waste products, choice between scattering or monument.

New technology, not yet available everywhere.

High

Aquamation

Body converted to liquid with water and alkalis.

High

Sustainable, no combustion, liquid can be scattered in the sea or lake.

New technology, not yet available everywhere.

High

Home Composting

Body composted in a special compost bin (storage place with organic material).

Average – High

Sustainable, circular, resulting compost can feed trees or be scattered.

New technology, requires special compost bin, legal rules still unclear.

Low – Average

Traditional Burial is not about CHANGING the natural body.  It is about giving the body a resting place in the earth while waiting FOR GOD TO CHANGE our mortal bodies into immortal bodies. 

All these new technologies, including Cremation and the so called natural or green burial, are not just about changing the manner of burial to reduce costs and ecological damage.  They are about completely changing and/or DESTROYING the humanity of the deceased.

It is about man, inspired by demons, robing God of what is His.  They are TRANSFORMING humans into something that is NO LONGER HUMAN.  Changing the human body through a counterfeit Transformation/Metamorphosis.

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Death is an inevitable part of life. But while we prefer not to reflect on it for too long, there comes a time when we have to say goodbye to a loved one. In addition to the grief this brings, we also have to make a choice about the final transformation and resting place.

Metamorphosis – Copilot Answer

Metamorphosis is a word that means change of form or structure, especially by witchcraft or in organisms with a larval stage. The word comes from Latin metamorphosis, which is derived from Ancient Greek metamorphōsis, meaning “transformation, transforming”. The Greek word is composed of meta, meaning “change”, and morphē, meaning “form”. The verb form of the word is metamorphose, which was first used in the 16th century. 

Wikipedia

metamorphosis(n.) –  etymologyonline 

1530s,change of form or structure, action or process of changing in form,”originally especially by witchcraft,from Latin metamorphosis, from Greek metamorphōsis“a transforming, a transformation,”from  metamorphoun“to transform, to be transfigured,” from meta, here indicating “change” (see meta-) + morphē “shape, form,” a word of uncertain etymology.
early 13c., transfiguren, “gloriously alter the appearance of,” especially in reference to Christ (see transformation),from Old French transfigurer“change, transform” (12c.), and directly from Latin transfigurare“change the shape of,” from trans “across, beyond” (see trans-) + figurare “to form, fashion,”from figura “to form, shape,” from figura “a shape, form, figure”(from PIE root *dheigh- “to form, build”). Related: Transfiguredtransfiguring.Also, “be spiritually transformed in conformity to Christ” (late 14c.). General (non-Christian) senses of “change the outward form or appearance of, alter the shape”are by late 14c., including “adopt a role” (of an actor), “be metamorphosed” (by magic).The intransitive meaning “change in appearance or character” (1840) is rare. Also compare transfigurate (v.) “transform, change” (early 15c.), from the past-participle stem of the Latin verb.

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PAY ATTENTION FOLKS!
The words they use are carefully chosen.  Remember, they are required to reveal to us what they are doing before they do it.  They don’t do that openly and above board, they use word games, symbols and predictive programming as in advertisements, television shows and movies.  You are responsible for discerning the spirits and being awake and aware of what is before you.  

You can surely see that they are creating their counterfeit version of the RESEURRECTION OF THE DEAD.  Providing those without the hope afforded those who are in CHRIST a “PROMISE” of eternity.  A promise of life after death, in a pe1rverted way.  I guess, for Pagans who have no hope…that is better than nothing.  BUT CHRISTIANS, TRUE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST, BEWARE.  YOU COULD FORFEIT YOUR ETERNITY.

Multiple options are possible. Because the sustainable options of promerium, aqua creation and home composthave not yet been approved by law, the seaman’s grave is very specificand there is usually a waiting list for making a body available to science, we will address the remaining and most common ones.

Because every country and location is differentupcoming information was kept as general as possible for you.

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Natural burial - fields and mountains

Natural Burial: What Is It and Why Have One?

By: Tom Harries

Mar 05, 2022 | Green Funeral Practice

Natural burials are an alternative to traditional funerals and cremation services. They involve a greater connection with nature and require far fewer resources than traditional alternatives. With a growing number of green and natural burial sites across the US, natural burials are becoming a more appealing choice for many people making their end of life plans.

This article describes what a natural burial is, explores why it should be considered as an alternative to other burial practices, and explains how to plan one for yourself or a loved one.

What Is A Natural Burial?

Natural burial is the practice of burying the dead in a natural setting without a lot of the equipment and resources used in conventional burial. The practice dates back to early human history.

Natural burial - grave marker

There are two main types of natural burial. One involves burying the body in a biodegradable casket.The other does not use a vessel at all. For this method, bodies may be buried in biodegradable shrouds, or without shrouds in earth or sand.

The fundamental theme of natural burial is the removal of barriers between the body and nature. Therefore bodies are not embalmedbefore burial and typically there are no outer burial containers, such as vaults or grave liners.

Natural burials limit or eliminate the use of toxic chemicals such as those found in embalming fluids. They also avoid or reduce the use of fossil fuels in the processing of human remains. With burial vessels that are biodegradable or even completely absent from the process, natural burials use significantly fewer resources than traditional burials.

Given these aspects, concern for the environment is often central to a person’s choice to opt for natural burial. Carbon offsetting measures are therefore commonly included in the process.This usually takes the form of a payment to plant trees or aid conservation efforts.

Natural Burial As An Alternative To Traditional Funerals And Cremation

Natural burials are increasingly popular today as more people recognize the environmental harm caused by cremation and embalming, and become more aware of natural burial benefits.

Conventional burial services can cause environmental harm. Caskets and outer burial containers are made from a variety of materials, including concrete and various woods, metals and plastics. These materials cause soil pollution when they are buried and so do the chemicals used to embalm bodies. The manufacture and transportation of these resources are also pollutive processes, which produce pre-burial emissions.

Cremation also presents problems because it is a fossil fuel driven process. The carbon emissions of one cremation are equivalent to a 609 mile journey in an average car.

Natural burial is therefore a more environmentally friendly option than traditional alternatives, avoiding various pollutants above and below ground. The simpler process also generally makes for a more cost effective choice than burial or cremation.

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Benefits Of A Natural Burial

There are many reasons to consider natural burial. Benefits include:

  • Eco-friendly – The sustainable burial process is significantly less pollutive than traditional alternatives
  • Cost effective – Natural burial costs can be significantly lower than traditional alternatives
  • Easy to plan – Because the green burial process is simpler, natural burials require less in the way of funeral arrangements
  • Simple – The greater connection to nature and the simpler process is appealing for many conceptually

Plan For A Natural Burial

Natural burials can be adapted for a wide range of people, geographies and cultures. They can be simple, low-cost and dignified, but they can also be as elaborate as your family desires and your budget allows.

The planning process for a natural burial can be simple compared to more traditional processes. Even so, it is important to understand the process if an organic burial is your preferred option.

Natural burial - sunlit park

One of the first steps is to find a local burial site that allows for natural burials. There are a number of burial grounds in the US that are wholly or partly dedicated to natural burial. Another option is to look for an appropriate site on private land, however some states prohibit all forms of human burial anywhere other than a dedicated cemetery.

Thought should be given to the burial vessel or garment, which might take the form of a biodegradable container or shroud. It is also common to perform the burial without a vessel or shroud.

Much of the planning for a sustainable burial will be focused on the memorial service. If you are using a funeral service provider, you will need to be sure that they are comfortable and familiar with the process. An alternative is to hold a separate memorial service at a later date. This is common given natural burial is undertaken closer to the time of passing.

Memorialization at the burial plot is also different. Some natural burial sites do not allow tombstones, in line with the natural and resource-light essence of the practice. Grave marking is usually simple and in some cases there is no physical marker at all. As a result, dedicated GPS systems have been developed to help locate and memorialize graves.

Much of the planning for a natural burial can be arranged or at least decided upon in advance. If plans are not in place, a good funeral director will be able to help plan an at-need natural burial quickly and efficiently.

Natural Funeral Options

Natural burials are an increasingly popular green alternative to traditional funeral and cremation services. They use less energy and natural resources, and they are less expensive than traditional options. Natural burials are also normally easier to plan, with a growing number of providers and burial sites offering natural services.

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WATER CREMAION OPTIONS

Water cremation uses hot water with the addition of a chemical called potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide (also known as lye or caustic soda). These chemicals dissolve fats and tissues into liquid. Water cremation is an alternative method for treating human remains, with a reduced carbon footprint. 

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This is how Satanists “bury” their dead.
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Aquamation

Aquamation is the procedure of being ‘bathed’ in water, which speeds up the deterioration process. This obviously isn’t the nicest way to dispose of, or bury, a body,however some see it as a better alternative to being burnt in a furnace.

Aquamation and resomation are both methods of final disposition that reduce a body to bones. The main difference is that resomation takes 4 hours, whereas aquamation takes around 14. Aquamation uses alkaline hydrolysis and has NO air emissions1

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Resomation

 Resomation, also known as water cremation or aquamation.

“We use water to bring the body back to its skeletal remains,” she explains.

“So basically [an] alkaline solution and the water and the heat [takes] the flesh back to its chemical components, which is amino acids, peptides, sugars and salts.”


Elizabeth Oakes is the founder of Pure Reflections, set to open later this year in Ireland.
Pure Reflections

The bones are removed and ground down to a fine white powder which is put into an urn and given back to the family.

Pure Reflections charge €1200 (1,383.36 US Dollars) for the resomation process,which takes three or four hours to complete.   SOURCE

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Resomation is also known as flameless cremation and uses just 10% of the energy used during a cremation process.

Resomation, also known as natural water cremation, is an environmentally sustainable end-of-life option123It uses water instead of flame to gently return the body to ashes at the end of life13Resomation is an alternative to traditional burial and cremation4

Resomation is a kind of cremation, but with water instead of fire. A reassuring option for many people. It is the dissolution of a body in a heated liquid after death.During resomation, the body is composted at an accelerated rate in an alkaline solution of water and minerals. It results in a mineral-rich substance that can be scattered in nature or used to grow trees.
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Ancient civilizations that practiced water burial include123:

  • Ancient Greece and Rome: Cremation was common.
  • Ancient Celtic culture: Some individuals were buried in bogs, where their bodies were naturally preserved.
  • Native Hawaiians
  • Nordic countries
  • Various cultures that used water as a link to immortality in their burial traditions.

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AVAILABILITY OF WATER CREMATION IN THE USA 2025

STATES THAT ALLOW THE LIQUID METHOD OF CREMATION.  This method is newer and not approved in as many states.   Source
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Dissolving human remains into a liquid form

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Boil in the bag funerals could be given go-ahead

Story by Joe Pinkstone
June 8, 2025

Alkaline hydrolysis involves a wrapping a body in a woollen shroud before placing it in the chamber – Brian C Smith

People could soon be able to choose to be boiled andflushed down the drain instead of cremated or buried.

A consultation on funerary methods by the Law Commission is proposing legal approval of alkaline hydrolysis and human composting as new ways of disposing of people’s bodies.

Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals (lye, you know, the stuff that murders use to dissolve their victims), heat and pressure to break down a body into liquid and pieces of bone, which can take between two and 18 hours.
Lyeis a hydroxide, either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.The word lye most accurately refers to sodium hydroxide (NaOH),[citation needed]but historically has been conflated to include other alkali materials, most notably potassium hydroxide (KOH).In order to distinguish between the two, sodium hydroxide may be referred to as soda lye while potassium hydroxide may be referred to as potash lye.

Traditionally, it was obtained by usingrainwater to leach wood ashes (which are highly soluble in water and strongly alkaline) of their potassium hydroxide (KOH).causticbasic solution is produced, called lye water. Then, the lye water would either be used as such, as for curing olives before brining them, or be evaporated of water to produce crystalline lye.[1][2]

Today, lye is commercially manufactured using a membrane cellchloralkali process. It is supplied in various forms such as flakes, pellets, microbeads, coarse powder or a solution. Lye has traditionally been used as a major ingredient in soapmaking.   I suggest you visit the links to learn more about how the lye is made and how it uses energy and how the process pollutes the environment, and the caustic nature of the lye itself.

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Bones and teeth survive the process and are ground into a powder to be returned to the family, while the rest of the body is broken down into liquid, which can be sent to the sewers.

These funerals have been known as a water burial or resomation, but have colloquially been dubbed “flushed away” and “flush and bone” rituals.

Bones and teeth are ground up into ashes and given back to the family – Brian C Smith

The Law Commission states the process is People can choose a water burial in parts of Australia and Canada. A site in Navan, Ireland, is the first of its kind in Europe, which costs around €1,500 (£1,260).

The Co-operative announced in 2023 it was hoping to bring water burials to British customers in what it called the “biggest change to funerals in over 120 years”.

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Lamont At Large
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HUMAN COMPOSTING

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Human composting and the process. I’ll take cremation, thank you – [03/22/2022] Source: https://twitter.com/backtolife_2022/status/15062612905154068

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From death comes life‘: The human composting campaigners lighting the way to a greener afterworld

DO NOT Be deceived my dear friends. GOD created life and its entire process.  DEATH came into the world through sin.  THE ONLY ONE who can destroy DEATH and out of it bring us back in the the LIGHT and LIFE of GOD is JESUS CHRIST. 

1 Corinthians 15 – What Our Bodies Will Be Like

35 Some of you have asked, “How will the dead be raised to life? What kind of bodies will they have?” 36 Don’t be foolish.A seed must die before it can sprout from the ground.37 Wheat seeds and all other seeds look different from the sprouts that come up38 This is because God gives everything the kind of body he wants it to have39 People, animals, birds, and fish are each made of flesh, but none of them are alike.40 Everything in the heavens has a body, and so does everything on earth.But each one is very different from all the others.41 The sun isn’t like the moon, the moon isn’t like the stars, and each star is different.

42 That’s how it will be when our bodies are raised to life. These bodies will die, but the bodies that are raised will live forever.43 These ugly and weak bodies will become beautiful and strong. 44 As surely as there are physical bodies, there are spiritual bodies.And our physical bodies will be changed into spiritual bodies.  (not into soil, or trees, or grass, or animals, or anything other than OUR BODIES made new)

45  The first man was named Adam, and the Scriptures tell us that he was a living person. But Jesus, who may be called the last Adam, is a life-giving spirit. 46 We see that the one with a spiritual body did not come first. He came after the one who had a physical body. 47 The first man was made from the dust of the earth, but the second man came from heaven.48 Everyone on earth has a body like the body of the one who was made from the dust of the earth.And everyone in heaven has a body like the body of the one who came from heaven. 49Just as we are like the one who was made out of earth, we will be like the one who came from heaven.

50 My friends, I want you to know that our bodies of flesh and blood will decay. This means they cannot share in God’s kingdom, which lasts forever.51  I will explain a mystery to you. Not every one of us will die, but we will all be changed.52 It will happen suddenly, quicker than the blink of an eye.

(it won’t take hours, or days, or months or years.  God will do it INSTANTLY)
At the sound of the last trumpetthe dead will be raised.We will all be changed, so we will never die again.
53 Our dead and decaying bodies will be changed into bodies that won’t die or decay.54 The bodies we now have are weak and can die.But they will be changed into bodies that are eternal.

God gave us the body, that we will have forever… though it will be changed from physical to spiritual, it will be this body.  The one we have right now, which having been PLANTED IN THE EARTH, will come forth again in LIFE. 

All of this is TRUE, but ONLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE FOUND TO BE IN CHRIST.  If you have not accepted the Redemption of Jesus Christ and come under the POWER OF HIS BLOOD… these promises are not for you.  You than are without HOPE.  

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What exactly is human composting?

The body-composting processthat has been legalised in Washington, New York, California, Colorado, Oregon and Vermontis called natural organic reduction or terramation.

Corpses are placed in airtight vessels and surrounded by a bulking mixture of the alfalfa plant and sawdust. These organics quickly gather and retain heat naturally,avoiding the costly fossil fuel expenditure of conventional crematoriums.

The heat speeds up the microbial activityand after about 30-50 days,the body is transformed intoorganic matter. Bones and teeth do not break down in this processand are ground down separately using specialised equipment and then mixed in with the rest of the soil.

Bones and teeth do not breakdown in any of these processes.  That is by the design of GOD.  If GOD had wanted our bodies to fully dissolve back into the soil…HE WOULD HAVE CREATED THEM TO DO SO.  Our bones are designed to preserve our body for RESURRECTION.

The new soil is then left for around another 30 days to allow it to stabilise and drybefore it is given to the family of the loved one.

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So going green means being green even after death, which is why human composting is a new and growing business. Instead of burying a body using natural resources and chemicals, or cremating a body using a lot of energy, burying a body to compost it into soil is a fast growing business.

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What is Terramation or Human Composting?

Terramation - Photo - 1610 (1200x750).jpg?sw=592&cx=0&cy=0&cw=1200&ch=675&q=60

Terramation, also known as human composting or natural organic reduction,is a gentle and more natural way to celebrate the life of a loved one.With this process, human remains are transformed into life-giving soil,offering meaningful family alternative burial or cremation of the remains.

Terramation is an extension that allows decomposition to occur naturally but in a controlled environment, speeding up this process.The resulting soil can be used in gardens, forests, or areas needing revitalization.

Terramation prevents the chemicals from embalming and decreases carbon emissions typically produced during the cremation process.Fewer resources are expended than traditional burial. It is a compassionate choice for loved ones and the earth.

How Does the Terramation Process Work?

1. A Meaningful Farewell

The process can begin with an optional laying-in ceremony,where families can gather and say goodbye to their loved ones in a way that is most meaningful for them. During this time, the body is placed in a terramation vessel containing straw, alfalfa, and sawdust.Families are encouraged to personalize the ceremony by adding flowers, letters, or other mementos to celebrate their loved one’s life.

2. A Gentle Transformation

For 30 to 40 days, the terramation vessel creates the ideal environment for the transformation into soil. With immense care and attention, the body is gently transformed into nutrient-rich soil. This phase is closely monitored to ensure the environment remains balanced, allowing the transformation to occur smoothly and gently.   Ya, I believe that.  These people to whom the person being transformed is nothing but dirt is really going to care that they are processed “gently, with great care”.  LOL  Tell me another story.

3. Resting and Stabilizing

Once the transformation into soil is complete, it is screened to remove non-organic materials (like medical implants and bones and teeth) and rests for 30 days. This ensures the soil is stable and ready to be returned to the family.  Explain that one to me, please.  What would be “unstable” and if it were, how would that be remedied?

4. Returning the Soil

At the end of the process,families get back approximately one cubic yard of soil (more specifically, compost).This soil can be used in almost any way cremated remains can be, and so much more—creating a memorial garden, planting a tree, or helping land in need of revitalization. Families can choose to take any amount of the soil they wish and can donate a portion or all of the soil as they see fit.

Where has human composting/Terramation been legalised?

Is terramation available everywhere?

Terramation is currently legal in a growing number of states and is accessible to families across the U.S.Licensed facilities can receive and care for the body, transporting it from anywhere in the country to a state where the process is legally conducted.

Is Terramation Right for You?

Terramation is a thoughtful choice for families who value sustainability, renewal, and creating a meaningful legacy.It offers a way to honor loved ones while avoiding the unsustainable aspects of burial and cremation.   SOURCE

Terramationis not available in any European country currently.

 Certain attitudes hold Europe back when it comes to offering more options at death.

There is a very conservative spirit in Europe. That’s not the case in the Anglo-Saxon countries, notably the United States, Canada, etc. They are much more open to new processes…

But in Europe, we are very suspicious, we like to do what has been done in the past, even if it is no longer appropriate.”

But it is not the only form of human composting that people are campaigning to bring to the continent.

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A group in Belgium and France wants to introduce a different way called ‘humusation’.

“The process as we would like to have it legally adopted in France is the most natural process possible,” Florence Valdes, president of Humusation France, tells Euronews Green.

The body would not undergo the embalming process and would be placed on a secure, fenced-off plot of earth on a bed of organic material. It would then be covered by straw, dead leaves and lawn cuttings and left for four months.

After this time a trained person would be sent to remove any fillings or pacemakers and grind down the bones.

Another eight months in the correct conditions will fully decompose the body and turn it into ‘humus’,a highly fertile part of soil made up of decomposed organic matter.



An infographic by the Humusation organisation showing how it works.
Humusation

In 2020, a study published by the Catholic University of Louvain examined how the process of humusation affects the bodies of pigs.

It found that the carcasses take much longer than expected to decompose, and produce compounds such as ammonia. It concluded that “natural humusation is not currently a viable alternative to cremation and traditional burial.”

In response, the Humusation organisation said there were serious methodological problems with the study and that the method of humusation used was not the same one it is advocating for.

What is the appeal of human composting/humusation?

For Valdes the appeal of humusation is having the end of her life match the environmentally conscious way that she has lived.

“From death comes life. Life is reborn from a dead body. And this is exactly the process of life in the forest. Because when you see all the animals that die in the forest, there is no one to go and bury them or cremate them. They die and the forest absorbs all these deaths that take place every day and there is no problem. So, nature is managing death. And it’s us, as humans, who complicate things.”

ANIMALS are not like HUMANS.  Our bodies are made in the IMAGE and LIKENESS of GOD.  We made be created from some of the same material, but we have the LIFE of GOD within us. We are not meant to decompose in the forest. We were created to bring GLORY to GOD.  

We spoke to some Euronews Green readers who are also keen to have more sustainable end of life options.

“We are living in a time where so many are reconnecting to nature,” Rachael Close from the UK says.

“Terramation is the perfect natural way to dispose of our remains. Watching new things grow from the soil would comfort me.”

Life is all about transformation,” Sara Machado from Portugal tells Euronews Green. “Having the chance to give back to the earth when I’ve taken so much from it seems the perfect closure to this circle.”

Our relationship with death has to be talked about more,” she adds.

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A New Era in Eco-Friendly Funerals: The Rise of Mushroom Coffins, Burial Suits, & Urns

In the evolving landscape of funeral practices, a groundbreaking eco-friendly option has emerged: the mushroom coffin. This innovative approach utilizes mycelium, the root structure of fungi, to create biodegradable coffinsthat significantly accelerate the decomposition process.

The introduction of mushroom coffins aligns with a growing global trend toward sustainable and personalized end-of-life choices. As individuals become more environmentally conscious, options like these offer a meaningful way to minimize ecological impact even in death.What Is a Mushroom Coffin?

mushroom coffin, also known as a mycelium coffin, is an eco-friendly, biodegradable burial casket made from mycelium—the root-like structure of fungi.

This innovative coffin is designed to accelerate the decomposition process of both the coffin and the body inside, allowing for a more natural return to the earth while enriching the soil.

How Does a Mushroom Coffin Work?

  1. Made from Mycelium
    • Mycelium is a fungal filament network that acts like nature’s recycler, breaking organic material into nutrients.
    • The coffin is grown, rather than manufactured,using a blend of mycelium and organic materials like hemp or sawdust.
    • In about 7 days, the coffin is fully formed into its final shape and then dried to halt fungal growth until burial.
  2. Decomposes Quickly
    • Once buried, the mycelium reactivates in the presence of moisture and microorganisms in the soil.
    • The coffin decomposes within 30 to 45 days, much faster than traditional wooden caskets, which can take decades to break down.
    • The body also decomposes more quickly inside a mycelium coffin, typically in two to three years, compared to 10+ years in a traditional burial.
  3. Enriches the Soil
    • Unlike traditional burial methods, which can introduce harmful chemicals (such as embalming fluids) into the ground, a mushroom coffin purifies the soil by breaking down toxins in the body.
    • The fungi release enzymes that aid in decomposition,creating nutrient-rich soil that promotes new plant growth.

Where Are Mushroom Coffins Available?

Mushroom coffins are currently available in select markets, including the Netherlands, the UK, and parts of the U.S. Dutch Inventor Bob Hendrikx from Loop Biotech is pioneering this technology, offering a sustainable burial alternative for those looking to minimize their final environmental footprint.

What really frustrates me is that when I die, I’m polluting the Earth. I’m waste.The body is a walking trash bin of 219 chemicals even before factoring in the metals, wood and glue typically used in coffins.”

Bob Hendrikx – Loop

Fungi are not fussy about what they consume. Be it cardboard, plastic, jet fuel, or asbestosfungi will devour them all. Scientists studying Chernobyl’s blighted landscape even discovered a fungus capable of “eating” radiation. So, it is no surprise that fungi have little trouble decomposing us.

Bob Hendrikx has harnessed the power of fungi by using mycelium – vast webs of fungal threads that generally live underground – as an alternative to traditional wooden coffins.

How Much Does a Mushroom Coffin Cost?

The Living Cocoon Mushroom Coffin from Loop Biotech costs $ 1700.

As the demand for eco-friendly funerals grows, mushroom coffins represent a significant step forward in green burial solutions. They provide a natural, sustainable, and regenerative way to return to the earth.

This development of a ‘living’ casket reflects a broader shift in the funeral industry, where traditional practices are being reimagined to accommodate modern values and environmental considerations.

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Mushroom Burial Suit

Actor Luke Perry, probably best known for his role as Dylan McKay on the Beverly Hills, 90210 TV series, was buried in a specially made biodegradable mushroom suit after his organs were donated. While this may sound like a quirky celebrity antic, the creator of the mushroom burial suit says the mushroom spores that line this special suit are trained to consume dead human tissue.Human remains contain toxins that are released into the atmosphere during cremation or through other methods of burial. Mushrooms can absorb and purify these toxins,resulting in a cleaner earth. After breaking down human tissue, the mushrooms conduct the nutrients from the body to fungi in the soil that then pass these nutrients on to trees. source

What is a Mushroom Burial Suit?

You may have already heard of the mushroom burial suit, also known as the Infinity Burial Suit, designed by Jae Rhim Lee of company Coeio. It gained significant attention when actor Luke Perry chose it for his burial in 2019.

Perry, renowned for his Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale roles, had expressed his desire for an eco-friendly burial. His daughter, Sophie Perry, revealed that he was laid to rest in this biodegradable suit, highlighting his commitment to environmental sustainability.

This choice brought widespread recognition to the mushroom burial suit, emphasizing its role in promoting green burial practices. The suit is designed to facilitate natural decomposition, neutralize toxins, and enrich the surrounding soil, aligning with a growing interest in environmentally conscious end-of-life options.

How Much Does a Mushroom Burial Suit Cost?

The Infinity Burial Suit from Coeio costs $1,500.

Jae Rhim Lee: My Mushroom burial suit –  TED TALKS

Mushroom Burial Suit vs. Mushroom Coffin: What’s the Difference?

Both the mushroom burial suit and the mushroom coffin are eco-friendly alternativesdesigned to facilitate natural decomposition and reduce environmental impact. However, they differ in materials, function, and how they are used in the burial process.


Key Differences Between the Mushroom Burial Suit and Mushroom Coffin

Feature Mushroom Burial Suit Mushroom Coffin
Material Fabric infused with mycelium Compressed mycelium and organic matter
Decomposition Time 2-3 years (body) 30-45 days (coffin), 2-3 years (body)
Function Aids natural body decomposition Provides a biodegradable burial container
Environmental Benefit Absorbs toxins, enriches soil Purifies soil, enriches ecosystem
Best For Green burials without a coffin Green burials with a coffin
Availability Limited, offered by Coeio (Infinity Suit) Available in select markets from Loop Biotech

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Which Mushroom Burial Option Is Right for You?

  • Choose a mushroom burial suit if you want a completely natural burial without a casket.
  • Choose a mushroom coffin if you prefer a biodegradable coffin option for a more traditional burial experience.

Loop Earthrise, a mycelium cremation/Mushroom Cremation Urn – The Ultimate ‘Living’ Biodegradable Urn

Loop Biotech (based in the Netherlands) specializes in meeting the demand for sustainable death care products. It also offers Loop Earthrise, a mycelium cremation urn that is the ultimate living urn.

The urn can be kept as an ornament at home, with the option of having a lid with a cavity to add a seedling or plant, or it can be buried for a return-to-nature burial of a loved one’s cremation ashes. If buried, it degrades in just 45 days.

These biodegradable mushroom options represent a new era in eco-funerals, allowing individuals to leave a minimal ecological footprint while returning naturally to the earth.

Dissolution

Dissolution is the quick and easy process of a body being placed into a tank of strong chemicals, causing it to dissolve, rapidly breaking down the body’s cells. Often, the body is separated from limb to limb to save space and speed up the dissolution process. Like something from your worst nightmares or a disturbing serial killer documentary. Have you seen Breaking Bad?

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Even the most environmentally friendly burials have drawbacks. Ground burial takes up precious real estate. Cremation endangers crematoria workers who can breathe in poisonous fumes. But a new burial method, called “promession,” solves the problems of both space and pollution. This technique, Wired reportsinvolves dipping a body into liquid nitrogen, vibrating it into thousands of tiny pieces and freeze-drying the resulting powder.Buried in the ground, in a few short months, the powder will turn into human fertilizer, helping flowers or trees to grow.

Promessahas received queries from interested parties in around sixty countries and was voted the most promising innovation company in Sweden. If such interest continues, in the future, wills could include specifications for the type of flower or bush we’d like to fertilize rather than the make of coffin or urn.  Source: Smithsonian.com:

Promession is a concept for disposing of human remains by freeze-drying, developed by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak in the late 1990s. Instead of using flames or high-pressure, promession reduces carbon content in the body using freeze-drying technology12

Promession (Promerium?)  Freeze Drying the human remains

Promession   Possibly re-emerging with a new name “Promerium”?  I could be wrong.  I have not been able to find anything on the “Promerium” option.  It may be too controversial and so they are keeping it OCCULTED.

Promession – Wikipedia

Promessionis an idea of how to dispose  human remains  by way of freeze drying. The concept of promession was developed by Swedishbiologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, who derived the name from the Italian  word for “promise” (promessa).[1] She founded Promessa Organic AB in 1997 to commercially pursue her idea.[2]The company went bankrupt in 2015 without being able to produce a functioning facility.[3]The idea of promession is questioned and not a functional method according to critics.[4]

Process

The idea of promession involves five steps:

  1. Coffin separation: the body is placed into the chamber
  2. Cryogenic freezing:liquid nitrogen at −196 °Ccrystallizes the body
  3. Vibration: the body is disintegrated into particles within minutes
  4. Freeze drying: particles are freeze dried in a drying chamber, leaving approximately 30% of the original weight
  5. Metal separation:any metals (e.g., toothamalgamartificial hips, etc.) are removed,either by magnetism or by sieving.The dry powder is placed in a biodegradablecasketwhich is interred in the top layers of soil,where aerobic bacteria decompose the remains into humusin as little as 6–12 months.

Criticism

Promession as a functional method is questioned. No facility for promession has been built or put into service. Critics argue that there is a physical[5] impossibility to atomize a freeze dried human body in this way.[4][6]

Current status

Promessa Organic AB was liquidated in 2015

UPDATE ON PROMESSION:  They may have bankruped her original company, but they did not break her spirit or quench her resolve.  She continues to fight for her beliefs and her alternative plan for handling the disposal of human remains.  Check it out.    

I am still searching for information on Promerium.  They did not pull that name out of ahat.  It might be a new name for her revived organization, or it may be the name of a competitor trying to wrench in and take the idea for themselves.  

Sarah Biren

February 10, 2024

This Clean Alternative To Cremation Involves Freeze-Drying And Then Shattering Your Corpse

Unfortunately, we are all going to die. We don’t like thinking about it, especially about what would happen to our bodies. Typically, the choices are burial or cremation. However, they come with potentially negative effects, such as overcrowding cemeteries and the release of carbon monoxide into the air.But now there may be a more environmentally-friendly albeit controversial option: promession.The only thing is this: it’s not legal. However, that might change in the future.

An Alternative to Cremation and Burial

Promession is a theoretical process developed by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsa.It involves freeze-drying the body to prepare it for natural decomposition. Essentially, the body in the casket goes into a large tub of liquid nitrogen set to -196 degrees Celsius.Then the casket is removed; it’s so brittle, that it breaks from minor vibration.The leftover water gets evaporated, and what remains resembles a powder.Magnets remove any metals, like teeth fillings.Then the remains go into a biodegradable container and are buried just one foot under the earth. [1]

This might sound like a strange ritual out of a science fiction novel, but it has worked effectively on deceased pigs.Because the process is still illegal for humans, Wiigh-Mäsa and her team practiced promession on already-dead pigs, whose flesh’s texture is similar to humans.

Meanwhile, cremation is the most popular method of burial in the United States. However, it’s not good for the environment.It takes about two and half hours to completely burn a body.Bodies naturally contain sodium chloride, which releases toxins while burning, in addition to the toxins released by the mercury in teeth fillings and metal limbs.Plus, the fire cannot burn bones and any added metal. These pieces are destroyed separately in a machine called a cremulator.

Additionally, many coffins are bad for the soil. The wood finish can be toxic and gives no nutrients back to the earth.It also encloses the body, preventing it from properly decomposing. However, the biodegradable container used after promession breaks down over a few months and becomes a fertilizer.Also, people who opt for promession could be buried at a traditional gravesite with flowers or a tree growing overhead.The fertilizer can help the plants flourish. Hence the cycle of life continues.

Read: Family Finds Dead Grandfather Being Dissected at an ‘Oddities’ Event

Let’s Talk About Death

But promession is not available yet.In 1997, Wiigh-Mäsak began to experiment, wanting to find a better option than cremation and traditional burials. So she began to work on her method of “ecological burial” but received no legal approval to make this an available option. In the meantime, she’s backed by many supporters and investors.Some people believe so strongly in her work that their corpses are frozen in storage until promession’s legalization. 

In Sweden, the cremation industry pushes back against promession.It has reached the point that Wiigh-Mäsak has claimed the Swedish Federation of Cemeteries and Crematoria (SKKF) are out to discredit her.It’s impossible to know the extent of promession’s benefits and pitfalls until they test it on human bodies. But the Federation of Crematoria maintains that Wiigh-Mäsak’s technology does not work and refuses to entertain questions on the process. [2

Meanwhile, Wiigh-Mäsak holds that promession may help remove some of the taboos around death. It’s an important topic but a very uncomfortable one. She believes the industry around cremation is using this to their advantage. As she told Wired, “I think it’s very convenient for the cremation industry to sustain the taboo because then they can work on their own without any questions.”She thinks it’s time for a change in the postmortem landscape, especially since continuing the cycle of life can feel comforting to grieving loved ones.

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Keep Reading: The First U.S. Funeral Home That Turns Bodies Into Compost Is Now Open

Sources

  1. “Freeze-drying dead bodies could be the future of cremation.” New York Post. Saquib Shah. April 16, 2018
  2. “This New Clean Alternative To Cremation Involves Freeze-Drying And Then Shattering Your Corpse.” Ranker. September 23, 2021
  3. “Freeze-drying the dead could help save the planet.” Wired UK. Nicholas Tufnell. October 14, 2013
  4. “Green burials: Everything you need to know about the growing trend.” CBC. Chloe Rose Stuart-Ulin. October 29, 2019

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Plastination

Plastination of the body is a process of removing all liquids from the body, sucking it dry, whilst allowing only tissue mass to remain, preserving it and preventing the body from decaying. Incredibly the body is then turned into a plastic like a mannequin and used for educational purposes. A little like a real world, and very creepy, Madam Tussauds.
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Plastination Technique  Step by step

Plastination is a process designed to preserve the body for educational and instructional purposes – in a more detailed way than ever before. Plastinates are dry, odorless, durable and are particularly valuable educational tools not only for medical professionals but also for a broader public. The process itself is relatively simple:

1. Fixation & Anatomical Dissection

The first step of Plastination is fixation.

Formaldehyde or other preservation solutions are pumped through the arteries to kill all bacteria and to prevent the decomposition of the tissues. This process takes about 3-4 hours.

After that dissection starts. Skin, fatty and connective tissues are removed in order to prepare the individual anatomical structures and elements. According to the complexity of specimens, dissection can take between 500 to 1,000 hours of labor.

2. Removal of Body Fat and Water

When the necessary dissection is completed, the actual process of Plastination begins. In the first step, the water and soluble fats are dissolved from the body in a bath of acetone. Under freezing conditions, the acetone draws out all the water and replaces it inside the cells.

3. Forced Impregnation

The third step is the central phase of the Plastination process, forced impregnation. Here specimen is placed in a bath of liquid polymer, such as silicone rubber, polyester or epoxy resin. By creating a vacuum, the acetone boils at a low temperature. As the acetone vaporizes and leaves the cells, it draws the liquid polymer in so that the polymer can penetrate every last cell. This process lasts 2-5 weeks.

4. POSITIONING

After vacuum impregnation, the body is still flexible and can be positioned as desired. Every single anatomical structure is properly aligned and fixed with the help of wires, needles, clamps, and foam blocks. Positioning requires a lot of anatomical knowledge and a defined sense of aesthetics. This step can take weeks or even months.

5. Curing (Hardening)

In the final step, the specimen is hardened. Depending on the polymer used, this is done with gas, light, or heat. Curing protects the plastinate against decomposition and decay. Dissection and Plastination of an entire body requires about 1,500 working hours and normally takes about one year to complete.

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Now we have visited all or most of the burial options.  Well, we can’t really call them that.  But, all the ways that you can “return the bodies of the deceased to the earth?  Well, we can’t really say that either, in the case of plastication or complete dissolution.  We have addressed all the ways of disposing of human remains.

What follows now is all the options available for the ashes/cremains of the deceased.  They are getting pretty wild folks.
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Memorial Diamonds

One for the Mrs, if she loves Diamonds so much, just tell her she will be one sooner rather than later if she isn’t careful. Memorial diamonds are made by pressurising hair or ashes of the deceased, in the same way real diamonds are made, but quicker. This can then be made into jewellery or as a keepsake of your loved ones.

SPACER

Cremation Diamonds are a unique way to rember the life of a special loved one. We would like to assure you that these cremation diamonds are in fact created from the ashes of your loved ones. Below is an outline of the process that is used to create genuine cremation diamonds made from ashes.

Process

Step 1:
Place several ounces of the ashes in a crucible that can withstand massive heat.

Step 2:
Bring the temperature to just over 5,000 degrees fahrenheit, and allow all of the elements except the carbon to oxidize.

Step 3:
Continue to heat until the carbon has turned to graphite. The entire heating process will take a few weeks.

Step 4:
Place the graphite in a core with a metal catalyst and a diamond seed crystal.

Step 5:
Place the core in a diamond press.

Step 6:
Bring the temperature to about 2,500 degrees fahrenheit and the pressure to
about 800,000 pounds per square inch. Allow several weeks for the graphite
to turn into a rough crystal.

Step 7:
Remove the crystal and use faceting tools to cut it to your specifications.

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CANIBALELITES / blooddiamonds / redshoes
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California attorney Dilara Esengil explains how cannibal elites turn sacrificed children into gems to dispose of the body after adrenochrome harvesting and cannibalism takes place. HERE IS A COMERCIAL VIDEO ABOUT A COMPNY WHO IS MAKING THESE GEMS AND DIAMONDS https://old.bitchute.com/video/md7qlh0m3zFF/

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Ornament

The new 3D printer technology has opened a whole range of new opportunities for graphic designers who want to become a throw away piece of plastic. Weiki Somers has invented a process of turning human ashes into an ornament via 3D printer. Pretty cool to be fair, 3D printed burial anyone?

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Become a Coral Reef

Being laid to rest at sea is a time-honored tradition that has probably been in practice as long as people have traveled the oceans. Until recently, a disposition at sea usually involved one of two traditional methodseither committing a person’s body to the ocean, or scattering their ashes.Underwater inurnment in “memorial reefs” is now a third alternative.

Ironic really that as humans destroy Coral around the world, they could one day contribute to saving it through their own death. There are many ways to become ‘one with the earth’ when you die as we have discussed and now becoming a Coral Reef is one of them. The company Eternal Reef place your ashes into a natural reef mould, which is then deposited into the sea as a Coral Reef burial. This will attract colourful sea life and create a wonderful spot for a bit of scuba diving. A little more fun than a wet Sunday morning trip to the Croydon crematorium.

Eternal Reefs create permanent living legacies, memorializing the passing of a loved one

For families and individuals that choose cremation, Eternal Reefs offers a unique memorial choice that replaces cremation urns and ash scatterings with a permanent environmental living legacy. It is both a gift to the environment and to future generations.

Families and friends are invited and encouraged to participate in the creation of their loved one’s memorial reef as much as they wish. From placing hand prints and memorabilia in the damp concrete during the casting, making a rubbing of the bronze plaque during the viewing ceremony, placing a flag on your loved one’s memorial reef during military honors, or boating to the placement site to watch the Eternal Reef be deployed to its final ocean rest, all activities at an Eternal Reefs project are designed to be a positive experience and provide peace of mind for everyone involved.


Ashes to Paintings

Mixing ashes with paint doesn’t sound ideal, however, this can create a beautiful piece of art in the hands of the right artist. Maybe not 3 year old Daisy. But this can have a priceless and sentimental value to someone who has lost their loved one. Not one for antiques roadshow, unless it’s Elvis’s ashes, then go for it.

Ashes Portrait

Holy Smoke

An Alabama company will put them into the ammo of your choice so you can blast them to the afterlife in a one-gun salute. 

Our Services

The process of of having cremated remains (cremains) placed in live ammunition begins when you contact us. You tell us what type of hunting or shooting that the decedent practiced and we can help you decide what will best suit your needs.  Once the caliber or gauge and other ammunition parameters have been selected, we will ask you or your service provider to ship approximately one pound of the decedents cremains to us.  Upon receiving the cremains our professional and reverent staff will place a measured portion of cremains into each shot shell or cartridge.

Our services are available to anyone with fully cremated remains.

Holy Smoke LLC does not perform funeral services or cremations.

(Please note that our process uses only a portion of the cremains from a typical cremation.)

Example: 1 pound of cremains is enough to produce 250 shotgun shells (one case).

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Get turned into a Firework

Ahhh Ohhhh Ahhhh…As we have seen, there are many imaginative, expressive and experimental ways to spread someone’s ashes or bury them but this is the most explosive. The cremains of your dead loved one can simply be added to a firework and BANGa colourful and quick goodbye

Vinyl Compression

A British company will press them into a vinyl record with a custom song.

DJ’s rejoice. This is a great idea for a late music lover. This service allows your ashes to be compressed into a vinyl record of your favourite tune, or the most irritating tune ever if you have a sadistic side. You can even leave a voice message for loved ones to play so you can speak from the grave. Messed up if you ask me, but each to their own. Stick me on a Dire Straits record and I’ll be happy. Just make sure you get this in your wishes or will with Lexikin, that last thing you want is Mum putting your ashes in a Cliff Richard record, an eternity of Summer Holiday…

Ashes to ashes, dust to, um, shotgun shells? Your local tattoo artist can mix them into tattoo ink and give you a custom tat in their honor.

Cremation ashes tattoos, or ashes tattoos, are a unique way to memorialize a loved one. This type of tattoo uses ash from the cremated remains of a person to infuse into the ink used for a regular tattoo. Once the ash has been turned into an ink with the help of Cremation Ink ®, it is then used just like any other kind of regular tattoo ink to create a tattoo of your choosing to memorialize your loved one.

Cremation ash tattoos are becoming increasingly popular, now that they have the inherent safety and expertise of using a professional service to get their ashes tattoo ink formulated. As more and more people seek out ways to honor their loved ones, ashes tattoos are becoming more and more popular. Really, if you think about it, its such a meaningful and beautiful way to remember someone, it’s no wonder why getting a cremation ashes tattoo is now so sought after.

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MEMORIAL SPACEFLIGHTS

Established 1994

Sending Ashes and DNA to Space since 1994

Summarizing all (almost) possibilities for a final resting place.

Which choice suits you?
The choice burial option is a personal choice. Every choice you make is a good one. Think carefully about what is important to you and your loved ones. Do you want to have a tangible place where you can go to grieve? Are you concerned about the environment? You can talk to family, friends or a funeral director about your wishes. It is best to record your choice in a will or in a codicil, so that your surviving relatives know what you want. How you want to go and choosing a final resting place is an important decision. Take the time to explore the different options and choose what feels best for you and your loved ones.

Let it sink in and, above all, listen to your heart. You will feel what you would like most and what makes you feel best. Good luck with your choice and therefore a reassuring choice.

Cremains Creativity

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https://www.quora.com/How-much-energy-is-required-for-a-human-cremation Anusha Prasad · Follower of scientific principles of Hinduism Updated 5y Why are dead bodies burnt? I had the same question in my mind when I was a kid. Apparently only the Hindus follow the idea of cremation by burning. Muslims chose to bury their dead in the ground, thus signifying the idea that the ‘body returns to dust’; Christians also prefer to cremate the dead bodies by burying them in a coffin in the ground. Back then, when I was a kid, I did not have any concept of religion. And I had seen some American movies in which the dead bodies were buried in the ground in a coffin. But witnessing the funeral of a distant relative, who was a Hindu, I asked my grandfather why did we burn the body instead of burying it in the ground like those in American movies. My grandfather then explained me the concept of Hinduism: Hindus believe in the soul being indestructible; and that death symbolises end of the existence of a person’s physical being, and the start of a new journey for the soul. Cremation of a person’s dead body is therefore, supposed to rid the departed soul of any attachments to the body it previously resided in. Moreover, (for Hindus) Fire(agni) is considered pure and sacred. Thus, the dead body is burnt in fire to purify it. Now, the scientific logic to this theory is: A Human Being does not always die from old-age, he may die due to diseases. If he is burnt, the micro-organisms in his body will die (no pathogen survives at the temperature of fire). Thus, burning of a body after a person is dead ensures that you are preventing it from being a source of spread of any diseases. In addition, burial sites utilize large areas of arable land. Earlier, digging a grave was laborious and required special implements compared to cremation which was easier, quicker and cheaper because everyone who came would bring along some wood for the fire. Exceptions to cremation The exceptions to cremation are saints, holy men, pregnant women and children. Since saints are supposed to have attained a high degree of detachment from the body, they do not need to be cremated – they are buried in the lotus position. For children too, the attachment to the body is much less, so they are already considered pure and might not require any purification.  Funny, he does not say why women are not cremated.  Hmm…do they believe all women are pure?

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The reason Hindus and other pagans believe in cremation by fire to “purify” the body and soul of the dead is because they believe in REINCARNATION.  Christians do not.  God’s Word tells us that we have only one life and after that the judgement.  Those who believe in REINCARNATION believe that the process repeats over and over until they learn what they need to learn to obtain SALVATION.  FOR CHRISTIANS, there is ONLY WAY TO SALVATION and that is through JESUS CHRIST. Once we accept the Salvation purchased for us through Jesus Christ we become a NEW CREATURE in HIM.  REBORN as a CHILD OF GOD. We are made RIGHTEOUS in HIM.  

Reincarnation (Rebirth)

Rebirth

Reincarnation or rebirth can be defined as being born again in a living form after death. The word reincarnation literally means “entering the flesh again.”  Punarjanma is the Sanskrit word for reincarnation. Punarjanma literally means rebirth.

What is reincarnation?

According to Hindu scriptures, a soul, which is a part of the Supreme Soul, dwells in every living organism. The term death applies to our body only and not to the soul because the soul is immortal. The soul changes the body after death, as we change our clothes daily. Depending upon our Karma, we get a new body. That is, if you have done good Karma in this birth, you would get the rewards for those in this and/or the next life. If you have done evil Karma, you would get punished for that in this or the next life. The present conditions in our lives are the results of our Karma in this and/or past lives. This cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation continues until we get salvation, i.e., becoming one with the Supreme Soul.

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Cremating the body releases the Soul from the etheric and physical bodies straight away whereas burial can imprison the Soul in the bodies for many days after death. Cremation also stops the soil being polluted with diseased elements.
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John Piper: Why Christians Should Bury, Not Cremate Their Dead

John Piper, founder of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary, speaks from the book of Revelation at the Passion 2016 conference Sunday morning, January 3, 2016, in Duluth, Georgia.

John Piper, founder of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary, speaks from the book of Revelation at the Passion 2016 conference Sunday morning, January 3, 2016, in Duluth, Georgia. | (Photo: Passion Conference)

Christians should prefer burial rather than cremation based on what the Bible says about the human body in relation to God and resurrection, John Piper advises.

Piper, who serves as the chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minnesota and founder/teacher of DesiringGod.org, wrote in a recent blog post that he hopes Christian readers will lean toward burial instead of cremation, not as a command but rather as a preference.

I say preferable, not commanded, in the hope that the culture created would not condemn or ostracize a person who chose differently. I encourage those who choose cremation not to equate our disapproval with ostracism. Otherwise, real disagreements are not possible among friends,” Piper writes.

The pastor points to several Bible verses that discuss the glorification of the human body, and how we should treat our bodies as God’s dwelling, God’s purchase, God’s possession, and God’s glory, both in life and death.

Glorifying God is what the body is for — in life and in death,” Piper writes, pointing to Philipians 1:20.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit […] Christ died to purchase us, including the purchase of our bodies, for himself […] Therefore our bodies do not belong to us to use as we please, but rather as he pleases […] Therefore, we should use our bodies to put the glory of God on display,” Piper writes.

Piper then references 1 Corinthians 15:37, 42-44 as evidence that the body is destined for “resurrection glory,” just as Jesus was resurrected after being in a human body here on earth.

Burial — sowing the seed of the body — is the biblical picture of belief in the resurrection of the body,” Piper writes.

Along with the importance of resurrection, the Bible also leads Christians away from cremation due to its repeated condemnation of fire as evil and damaging.

The use of fire to consume the human body on earth was seen as a sign of contempt. It was not a glorious treatment of the body but a contemptuous one,” Piper writes.

Additionally, fire is associated with hell, torture and injury, and therefore ending our lives here on earth with fire does not fall in line with biblical teaching, Piper adds.

The Minnesota pastor concludes his message with a “modest proposal,” calling on Christians to “cultivate a Christian counter-culture where people expect simple, less expensive funerals and burials,” as well as embrace a “God-centered, gospel-rooted burial” instead of cremation, adding that this suggestion is “rich with Christian truth that will become a clearer and clearer witness as our society becomes less and less Christian.”

Late evangelical leader Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship and BreakPoint radio who passed away in 2012, previously said that traditionally Christians have regarded cremation with “some suspicion” because in the early Church the burning of the dead was a practice used by pagans.

As published in The Christian Post, Colson said, as summarized by Eric Metaxas, “‘In contrast …. Christians buried their dead. Christian teachings about Jesus’ incarnation and resurrction led them to treat the human body with respect.'”

Cremation served as evidence of “‘the pagan denial of Christian beliefs about the afterlife, especially the belief in the resurrection of the dead.'”

King Saul and his sons were burned.. AND THEN BURIED.

I heard the argument that “King Saul and his sons were burned”  they did not finish the story.  Yes, their bodies were burned…but then they were buried. 

1 Samuel 31:12 Context

9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. 10And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. 11And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul12All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. 13And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

(They burned their bodies to cleanse them from all the profane things that the Philistines had done to them.  These particular things could only be cleansed by fire.   Once purified they buried their bones and fasted.) 

Book of Leviticus

DESECRATION OF THE DEAD  from a biblical perspective

The desecration of the dead is a topic that touches on the respect and honor due to human remains, as understood within the biblical context. The Bible, while not extensively detailing specific laws regarding the treatment of the dead, provides narratives and principles that underscore the importance of honoring those who have passed away.

Biblical Narratives and Principles

1. Respect for the Dead in Burial Practices: The Bible records numerous instances where care is taken to ensure proper burial. For example, Abraham’s purchase of the cave of Machpelah to bury his wife Sarah (Genesis 23:19) demonstrates the importance of a respectful burial. Similarly, Joseph’s request to have his bones carried out of Egypt (Genesis 50:25) highlights the significance of burial in one’s ancestral land.

2. Desecration as a Sign of Disrespect or Judgment: Desecration of the dead is often depicted as an act of profound disrespect or divine judgment. In 1 Samuel 31:9-10, the Philistines desecrate the bodies of Saul and his sons by fastening them to the wall of Beth-shan, an act that was later rectified by the valiant men of Jabesh-gilead who retrieved and properly buried the bodies (1 Samuel 31:11-13).

3. Prophetic Condemnation: The prophets often spoke against the desecration of the dead as a sign of divine judgment. In Amos 2:1, the Lord condemns Moab for burning the bones of the king of Edom to lime, indicating that such acts are abhorrent to God.

4. New Testament Insights: While the New Testament does not directly address the desecration of the dead, it emphasizes the sanctity of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). This principle can be extended to imply that even in death, the body should be treated with respect and dignity.

5. Cultural and Historical Context: In ancient Near Eastern cultures, proper burial was a significant concern, and the lack of it was considered a curse or a sign of disgrace. The biblical narratives reflect this cultural understanding, where the treatment of the dead is closely linked to honor and shame.

Moral and Ethical Considerations

From a biblical perspective, the desecration of the dead is not merely a physical act but a moral and ethical violation. It reflects a lack of respect for God’s creation and the image of God in humanity. The biblical call to love one’s neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) and to honor all people (1 Peter 2:17) extends to how we treat the deceased, recognizing their inherent dignity as individuals created by God.

Conclusion

The biblical witness, while not exhaustive on the topic, provides a framework for understanding the importance of treating the dead with respect and dignity. The narratives and principles found in Scripture call believers to uphold the sanctity of human life, even in death, as a reflection of God’s love and honor for His creation.

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Another pagan practice that has become socially acceptable these days is that of tattooing the body. This is even being practiced by Christians, unbelievably even wives of Pastors.  The Word of God warns us about this trap.
Another pagan ritual that is being practiced, especially among young people is the act of CUTTING of the flesh.  Self mutilation.  This is s well as tattooing and piercing is an act of worship of demonic entities through the shedding of blood.  It is mind boggling that people cut themselves.  It breaks my heart that young people are so lost and hurting that they have resorted to this abominable practice.

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Leviticus 19:28 Meaning of Do Not Cut Your Bodies for the Dead

Leviticus 19:28
“Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.”

Explanation and Commentary of Leviticus 19:28

Cutting and tattooing for the dead were religious-cultural norms in the pagan cultures under God’s judgment in the promised land. God’s warnings largely regarded practices of those cultures, because God knew that the Israelites would be tempted to appropriate the cultures which they were supposed to be replacing.

Cutting seems to have been the demonic practice of shedding one’s own blood in order to appease the gods of those cultures, particularly for the sake of fertility. Here it refers to cutting “for the dead.” This is done still today in Eastern cultures in the process of mourning the dead.

Besides the branding of slaves and property, tattooing seemed to almost always identify one with gods, goddesses, and cult practices. There are a few instances in Scripture where tattooing or engraving on the skin is seen in a positive light, but those may be purely symbolic references for identifying God’s people while they are in exile.

The Christian should take seriously the prohibition on cutting as it is simply self-harm and always associated with the demonic. We should also think twice before getting any kind of tattoo. While it may be a conscience issue, depending on the nature of the tattoo itself, this verse should carry at least some weight. Also, Christians should ask themselves if they are feeling a lack of identity and “specialness” before they go and do a potentially foolish thing that adds a permanent mark. They should consider what a much older version of themselves might want to say about it.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Leviticus 19:28

#1 “Do not…”
This is a clear prohibition.

#2 “…cut your bodies for the dead…”
Our bodies are created by God as his temple and we are not to disfigure it for any reason. The Jews were given circumcision, but there is no other instance where God required or even allowed his people to disfigure their bodies.

#3 “Or put tattoo marks on yourselves.”
Whether it is a permanent tattoo or a temporary one, the prohibition in this verse seems to be concerning primarily those tattoos that identify one with a pagan false god. Since this was the habit of some in the land of Canaan, God saw fit to warn his people, who were prone to wander into idolatry.

#4 “I am the Lord.”
God has made a statement and here grounds it in his declaration of himself. It is by his own authority that he commands his people. His reminder to them that he is the only God is further reason to believe that cutting and tattooing had a great deal to do with idol worship.

Expert Overview of Leviticus

Book of Leviticus Summary: A Complete Animated Overview

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Of Grave Importance: Burying the Dead

It may be akin to the Fifth Beatle, Gummo Marx, that other infielder who played with Tinkers, Evers, and Chance, and whatever else may be an afterthought or a perceived fifth wheel: the work of corporal mercy that calls out to bury the dead.

Of the seven charitable actions enshrined in catechism and tradition, this is considered the last and final. It is often forgotten because, unlike its six predecessors—feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the imprisoned and the sick, and clothing the naked—it does not emanate from Jesus’s teaching to His Apostles on the Mount of Olives: “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”

Dead, and ye buried me?

While those are not words, direct or proximate, found in the Gospel of Matthew, burying the dead indeed has been a revered practice of Christianitywhich holds bodily resurrection as a tenet of the faith. Imbued with ceremony and solemnity, a thing definitive of the catacombs, and eventually recognized, more formally, by the emerging Early Church as a charitable mercy on par with those others articulated by Jesus, the burial of the dead is a religious mandate and cultural norm now manifested in America

As with the other corporal works, it points towards salvation as an expression of the great command to love thy neighbor. But: How did the Seventh Mercy gain its status?

Those seeking a biblical justification will find it in the Old Testament, where Tobit wrote:

In the days of Shalmane′ser I performed many acts of charity to my brethren. I would give my bread to the hungry and my clothing to the naked; and if I saw any one of my people dead and thrown out behind the wall of Nin′eveh, I would bury him. And if Sennach′erib the king put to death any who came fleeing from Judea, I buried them secretly.

Other justifications can be found in Roman Catholicism’s Catechism, which teaches that “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.”

It just may be the case that this mercy of burying the dead is a key reason the early Church could emerge from the catacombs and Roman persecutions. Not unnoticed by the authorities was the passion early Christians had for properly handling the bodies of their co-religionists, and of all people. In a recent America Magazine article, Jesuit theologian Fr. James F. Keenan wrote that

the emperor Julian contended that one of the factors favoring the growth of Christianity was the great care Christians took in burying the dead. Though individuals often performed the task, the church as a community assigned it to the deacons, and, as Tertullian tells us, the expenses were assumed by the community.

Keenan also quoted the early Christian scholar Lactantius, who “reminds us further that not only did Christians bury the Christian dead, but they buried all of the abandoned”—

We will not therefore allow the image and workmanship of God to lie as prey for beasts and birds, but we shall return it to the earth, whence it sprang: although we will fulfill this duty of kinsmen on an unknown man, humaneness will take over and fill the place of kinsmen who are lacking (Instit. 6.12).

On such meaningful practices did our civilization grow. Like all things deemed last, this seventh of the seven corporal works of mercy is indeed not least. It is, after all, yet another way to fulfill the commandment to love thy neighbor, especially those neighbors recently departed. As we all too will be some day.

List of ways people dishonor the dead   according to worldly standards

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The following is a list of ways people dishonor the dead:

  • Body snatching is the secret removal of corpses from burial sites. A common purpose of body snatching, especially in the 19th century, was to sell the corpses for dissection or anatomy lectures in medical schools.[1]
  • Damnatio memoriae Latin phrase meaning “condemnation of memory”, indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts.[2]
  • Decanonization is the removal of a person’s name from the calendar of saints; the opposite of canonization.
  • Desecration of graves involves intentional acts of vandalism or destruction in places where humans are interred and includes grave sites and grave markers.
  • Gibbeting is any instrument of public execution (including guillotine, executioner’s block, impalement stake, hanging gallows, or related scaffold), but gibbeting refers to the use of a gallows-type structure from which the dead or dying bodies of criminals were hanged on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals.[4]
  • Grave robbery is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal commodities.
  • Headhunting is the practice of hunting a human and collecting the severed head after killing the victim, although sometimes more portable body parts (such as ear, nose or scalp) are taken instead as trophies.
  • Human trophy collecting involves the acquisition of human body parts as trophy, usually as a war trophy, or as a status symbol of superior masculinityPsychopathic serial murderers‘ collection of their victims’ body parts have also been described as a form of trophy-taking; the FBI draws a distinction between souvenirs and trophies in this regard.[5]
  • Maschalismos is the practice of physically rendering the dead incapable of rising or haunting the living in undead form.
  • Necrophilia is sexual attraction towards or a sexual act involving corpses.[6]
  • Posthumous execution is the ritual or ceremonial mutilation of an already dead body as a punishment.

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First of all, our bodies do not pollute the earth.  Everything about our bodies is organic.  The EARTH was designed to break down our dead bodies into their natural components.  In fact burying anything in the earth works to purify it, in the same way that fire does. GOD even designed insects specifically for that purpose.   AND THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF LAND.  It only “feels” that way to people who live in cities.  There is an abundance of land, however a very small minority of wealthy jackasses control 90% of it and they want the rest as well. 

Do I think that anyone who is cremated loses the opportunity for RESURRECTION.  Certainly not.  We live in a world where individuals have very little if any control over their lives.  The ruling elite make the rules.  They also determine the options.  Laws that prohibit natural burial can force the hands of those who will be burying you.   When you are dead… you no longer have ANY SAY in what happens to the body you left behind.

HOWEVER, I am totally convinced that NOTHING can HINDER GOD from resurrecting HIS children no matter where their physical body was deposited on death.  HOWEVER, I KNOW that EVERYTHING has SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE.  I KNOW that GOD intended for humans to be buried in the EARTH, as a seed waiting for the SON.   Jesus HIMSELF had to be born of a woman, baptized, die and be buried.  There is great meaning in these events.  We are called to FOLLOW JESUS in all things.  GOD is able to overcome ANYTHING… At the same time, I believe there is much greater blessing in doing things GODS WAY.  I want to benefit from EVERYTHING that GOD has to offer.  MY PREFERENCE is to be buried in the earth.  TO NOT BE EMBALMED, or CREMATED.  My body in its entirety laid in the soil of the earth, awaiting that GLORIOUS DAY OF RESURRECTION!!  God KNOWS my heart and my intentions.  I CHOOSE GOD and HIS WAY.  I can’t control what happens to my body once I am gone… BUT LET IT BE KNOWN TO ALL THAT CHOSE TO BE BURIED IN THE GROUND.

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