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Welcome to the SevenPonds.com blog – a community-driven extension of SevenPonds.com! I hope you find comfort and community in the resources and stories featured here. I’m always happy to hear from readers and can be reached at suzette@sevenponds.com.
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Poetree: The Innovative Urn: Margaux Ruyant's urn honors the life of the deceased while cultivating the new life of a tree -
Putting It Back Together: Exploring Grief through a near-death experience: A 21-year-old woman's near-fatal accident alters her relationship with life. -
Buddhism and the Eastern Middle Ground: In Buddhist tradition, our death falls into a plane of existence that continues even after our final breath
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Author Archives: Antal Polony (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)
Buddhism and the Eastern Middle Ground
In Buddhist tradition, our death falls into a plane of existence that continues even after our final breath
The relation of life to death, what happens after the end, what we do with the years we have and what we leave behind, remains perhaps the most consistently affecting and important issue plaguing human life. Religions throughout the ages … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Buddhism, Christianity, Death, Freud, Heaven and Hell, Karma, Psychology, Reincarnation, Science, Six Realms of Existence
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How Do You Prepare for Dementia? An Interview with Stanley Terman (Part 2 of 2)
The choices one can make to address the challenges of dementia
Stanley A. Terman, Ph.D., M.D., is CEO and Medical Director of Caring Advocates and the author of Peaceful Transitions: Stories of Success and Compassion; Plan Now, Die Later—Ironclad Strategy. He is also the creator of My Way Cards/Natural Dying Living Will Cards, … Continue reading
How Do You Prepare for Dementia? An Interview with Stanley Terman (Part 1 of 2)
A discussion on the planning, choices and strategies for dealing with dementia
Stanley A. Terman, Ph.D., M.D., is CEO and Medical Director of Caring Advocates and the author of Peaceful Transitions: Stories of Success and Compassion; Plan Now, Die Later—Ironclad Strategy. He is also the creator of My Way Cards/Natural Dying Living Will Cards, … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Dementia, Elder care, end-of-life, Stanley Terman
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Death’s Dynamism in Aztec Civilization
Where the manner of death was more important than the manner of life
Just as nearly every civilization throughout time, religion played an extremely important role in Ancient Aztec civilization. With over 1,000 gods, 14 heavens, 9 hells, and the sheer ubiquity, intricacy and flamboyance (for lack of a better term) of countless … Continue reading
“They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad to realize that I’m going to miss mine by just a few days.”
-Garrison Keillor
Posted in Laughter is Medicine
Tagged funeral humor, Garrison Keillor, Jokes about death
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What is the Nature of Sound Healing? An Interview with Silvia Nakkach, Part 2
How sound and music can aid at the end of life
This is the second of our two-part interview with Silvia Nakkach, an innovative, award winning composer, multi-instrumentalist, voice culturist and author. Her specialties include music to aid in the healing process. Founding director of the Vox Mundi Project, an organization … Continue reading
What is the Nature of Sound Healing? An Interview with Silvia Nakkach, Part 1
How sound and music can help to heal psychic wounds
This is the first of a two-part interview with Silvia Nakkach, an innovative, award winning composer, multi-instrumentalist, voice culturist and author. Her specialties include music to aid in the healing process. Founding director of the Vox Mundi Project, an organization … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Ambient Harmonies, Bedside Music, Empathic Resonance, Harp, Multi-instrumentalist, Musical Healing, Musical Healing Psychologist, Musical Therapists, musical therapy, Professional Advice, Shamans, Silvia Nakkach, Sound Healing, Therapeutic Music, Voice Culturist, Vox Mundi Project
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”My girlfriend’s weird. One day she asked me, ‘If you could know how and when you were going to die, would you want to know?’ I said, ‘No.’ She said, ‘Okay, forget it.’” — Steven Wright
Posted in Laughter is Medicine
Tagged death and laughter, Relationships, Steven Wright
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Book Review: “The Last Frontier: Exploring the Afterlife and Transforming Our Fear of Death,” (2012) by Julia Assante
Where we all must boldly go
For the uninitiated, Julia Assante’s The Last Frontier might be a bit of a stretch. The aim is certainly ambitious, certainly admirable, and she will surely win as many fans as she will accolades. Deservedly, in this reviewer’s humble opinion. … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Afterlife, Encounters, Julia Assante, Life After Death, Near Death Experience, New Age, the Last Frontier, Visitations
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More Than a Hallmark Holiday
Rooted in Catholic and Ancient Roman tradition, the history of Valentine’s Day is fraught with love, death and trial
Every year, in the days and weeks leading up to February 14th, millions of people around the country drive themselves to distraction preparing special occasions for that special someone, all the while aware of the insurmountable expectations each year innate … Continue reading
Our Beautiful Funeral Music: “Fire & Rain,” by James Taylor
A beautiful song on loss and darkness, as lovely as it is sad
Singer/songwriter James Taylor achieved his breakthrough with this at once lovely and apocalyptic tune about love deferred and challenges ahead. Taylor reflects on loneliness and loss of faith, “Sunny days that I thought would never end,” and “Lonely times when … Continue reading
Posted in A Right of Passage
Tagged Beautiful Funeral Music, Fire and Rain, Grammy, James Taylor, Loss in Music, Memorial Music
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What is the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention? An Interview with Kristen Smith
A suicide prevention specialist discusses her work at an international suicide prevention non-profit
Kristen Smith is the Survivor Initiative Manager for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, an international non-profit “exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those … Continue reading
What are the Responsibilities of a Chaplain? An Interview with Rev. Lana Sandahl
A spiritual care professional in the medical setting tells about her work and experience
Reverend Lana S. Sandahl is Hospital Chaplain at Kaiser Permanente, South San Francisco Medical Center. She works in the Spiritual Care Department, providing counseling, spiritual guidance, comfort and advice to those facing end-of-life, intense trauma or life-limiting illness. She sat … Continue reading
Traces of Several Religions in the Kiribati Ritual of Skull Burial
On the tiny island nation of Kiribati, a death and burial ritual incorporates practices of Christianity and the local religions
In what seems a unique strategy for coping with its colonial history, death and burial practices on the tiny island nation of Kiribati, a string of atolls in the Indian ocean comprising one of the smallest countries in the world, … Continue reading
What are Crystal Singing Bowls? An Interview with Candace Keach
Sounds of solace
Candace Keach is the artistic director of the Spiral Sound of Crystal Bowls, a performance group which creates a soothing auditory and visual immersion experience through the playing of symmetrically arranged, vibrating crystal bowls. Antal: Thanks for speaking with us, Candace. Can … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Music, Sacred Geometry, Solace, Spiral Sound of Crystal Bowls
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Film Review: “Kevorkian” (2010)
A fascinating portrait of a controversial man and his fight for what he believed in
These days Dr. Jack Kevorkian, sadly enough, is not generally associated with a courageous, eccentric, and by many accounts visionary doctor, but rather with his unfortunate moniker: “Dr. Death.” Yet perhaps such a handle is fitting. It is by his … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged 60 Minutes, Aid in Dying, Assisted Suicide, Controversy, Jack Kevorkian
1 Comment
Beautiful Memorial Music: “You’ve Got a Friend,” by Carole King
A message of love through space and time that continues to heal wounds
While death is never explicitly addressed in this classic by Carole King, one can imagine this as perhaps a perfect piece of music for beautiful memorial music. There is something eternal and soul-like in King’s depiction of a friendship where … Continue reading
How Ancient Nordic Viking Funeral Burials Reflect Common World Traditions
Contrary to pop culture depictions, Norse burial funerals were conservative affairs reflective of religious belief
While the words “Viking Funeral” may call to mind images of grandly burning pyres, warrior heroes laid to waste, set to sea to have their ship lit from afar by a burning arrow, much of this is the work of … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged burial funerals, Funeral Pyre, Norse funeral, open-air cremation, Viking funeral
3 Comments
Our Beautiful Funeral Music: Elvis’ “Blue Christmas”
A song for those enduring sadness over the holidays
This classic soul piece, originally penned by Billy Hayes and Jay W. Johnson, has established itself as an enduring holiday classic, and an ideal funeral song for those late-December memorials. For this writer, at least, it helps him to feel … Continue reading
How Can Healing Physical Therapy Help? An Interview with Mark Haviland
A professional healer and alternative health practitioner explains the art of intention
Mark Haviland is a physical therapist, healer, masseuse and alternative health practitioner based in San Francisco, CA. In his business he deals often the elderly, they infirm and the dying, employing touch- and motion-based therapy to lift spirits and ease … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Alternative Health, Beyond Bodyworks, Mark Havilan, Physical Therapy
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