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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.
FEATURED
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Buddhism and the Eastern Middle Ground: In Buddhist tradition, our death falls into a plane of existence that continues even after our final breath -
10 Facts About Hospice Care You May Not Know" />
10 Facts About Hospice Care You May Not Know: NHPCO stresses that hospice is about living fully, not preparing for death. -
Man of Many Faces" />
Man of Many Faces: A niece says goodbye to her favorite gay uncle, in whom she confided about her own sexuality
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Tag Archives: Cremation
The Neptune Society Memorial Reef
An Underwater Cremation Site for the Environmentally Conscious
The Neptune Memorial Reef is a culmination of two intersecting trends in America’s funeral industry: the increasing statistic of cremation in America, as well as a growing interest in environmentally conscious burials. Located several miles from the Key Biscayne in … Continue reading
New Eco-Friendly Coffin for Cremation
The Innovative Soul Ash Solace Coffin from Maximal Design of Belgium
Soul Ash Solace has an innovative design for a funereal vessel- it is made of light-weight materials that are completely biodegradable, (and much less harmful for our planet than showy, lacquered coffins and the like) such as papier-mache and corrugated … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Belgium, Biodegradable, Burial, Coffin, Cost of Dying, Cremation, Death, Death Care, Dying, Eco-Burial, environmental impact, Funeral, Noxious Fumes, Relic, Rememberance, SevenPonds, Soul, Soul Ash Coffin, United States
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Book Review: “Cremation or Burial? A Jewish View” by Doron Kornbluth
A case advocating burial over the increasingly popular practice of cremation
Modern society tends to prefer cremation: it is perceived as cheaper than a burial, more environmentally sound, and, well, just more hip. To the contemporary person, “the idea of scattering ashes seems a eco-friendly alternative” to burial. The idea of … Continue reading
Posted in Lending Insight
Tagged Abrahamic Religions, Ashes, Burial, Cremation, Death, Death Care, Doron Kornbluth, Dying, Eco-Friendly, environmental impact, Funeral, Funeral Services, Great Britain, Grieving, Japan, Jewish Culture, Jewish Tradition, Judaism, Natural burial, Sea Burial, Space Funeral, United States
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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
How Did SevenPonds Come to Be?
We revisit our beginning
It’s been two years at SevenPonds since we launched our first blog post and it’s hard to believe we have arrived at our second anniversary already! What a wild ride it has been. I cannot begin to express how heartwarming … Continue reading
Balinese Funeral Ceremony
Part one of Bali’s intricate end-of-life ceremonies
Bali, one of 33 provinces in Indonesia, is not only an exotic tourist destination but also home to the majority of Hindus in that country—92% to be precise. Along with this factoid comes a wealth of cultural knowledge that details … Continue reading
Photography Examines the Relationship Between Life and Death
Photographer Alex Forsyth investigates self-preservation and self-representation through "This Here Now"
Brooklyn-based photographer Alex Forsyth investigates life, death and aging with her project This Here Now, which includes three series of images. According to the artist’s profile at artistswanted.org, the project “investigates our failure in self-preservation and self-representation when working against … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Alex Forsyth, Cremation, Life and Death, photography
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How to Scatter Cremation Ashes at Sea — An Interview with Dave Gallegioni
The owner of a popular San Francisco ash scattering at sea service discusses his business
Dave Gallegioni is the Captain of the Dolce Vita 3, and the owner of the San Francisco based, family-owned and operated SF Bay Boat Memorials, which charters out to families and individuals who want to scatter their loved ones ashes … Continue reading
Hinduism: How the World’s Oldest Religion Is Not, Strictly Speaking, a Religion
Hindu death rituals are carefully defined and lovingly observed
Every culture, and every person within that culture, has a different way of dealing with death. A different set of rules, beliefs, practices, personal and societal rituals, strategies for dealing with the inevitable trauma and equally inevitable aftermath. Hinduism, the … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Buddhism, Cremation, Dharma, Eastern Traditions, Hindu Death Rituals, Hinduism, Karma
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What is Ash Scattering? An Interview with Gary Trovinger
How scattering ashes from the air can make beautiful and lasting memories for a family
The popularity of cremation continues to increase in the United States, and as it does, we’re seeing more and more creative and meaningful options for cremation ash disposition. Gary Trovinger is the owner and pilot of SCATTERINGS, a Bay Area-based … Continue reading
Posted in Professional Advice
Tagged Airplane, Ceremony, Cremation, Cremation Ashes, Disposition, End-of-Life Planning, Preplanning, Scattering Ashes
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What is a columbarium? An Interview with Emmitt Watson
How the San Francisco Columbarium captures life and death through the cremation urn niche
Emmitt Watson has been the caretaker of the Neptune Society’s San Francisco Columbarium for over 25 years, and has gathered the stories to match the years. He has seen this unique and historic landmark through a dramatic renovation, from a … Continue reading
Japan’s Hotel for the Dead
Lastel addresses overcrowding in crematoriums and offers families a place to pay their respects
With the cremation rate in Japan at almost one hundred percent and the country’s death rate on the rise, it’s no surprise that the country faces the challenge of overcrowded crematoriums. In response, Yokohama-based Hisayoshi Teramura has opened Lastel, a “hotel” … Continue reading
A Look at Japanese Funeral Practices
Cultural Traditions in a Country with Almost 100% Cremation Rate
Japan has the highest cremation rate in the world, over 99%, with some local governments even banning burials. Until after World War II, cremation was reserved for the rich, but once the cleanliness and efficiency of the practice were recognized, … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Burial, Cremation, Culture, Family, Funeral, Japan, Tradition
5 Comments
Remembering My Father
Coming to terms with my father's end-of-life experience
This is Hugh’s story as told by Katie Ryan… My father lived with Parkinson’s disease for twenty years before he died and it progressed very slowly. He was diagnosed at the age I am now and died at seventy-two on … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
Tagged Ad hominem, Caregiving, Conditions and Diseases, Cremation, Death, Dying at Home, Health, Hospice, Parkinson's disease, Support group
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Remembering Her Life
Caring for my mother-in-law in her final days
This is the story of Candace, as told by Katie Ryan. I didn’t know my mother-in-law very well before she moved in with us. It wasn’t my choice, actually; my husband just knew we were the only ones who could … Continue reading
Posted in Opening our Hearts
Tagged Aid in Dying, Cancer, Caregiving, Cremation, Death, end-of-life, Health, Hospice, Losing a Parent, Loss of a Loved One, Mother-in-law, Parkinson's disease, past life
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The Island Crematorium – Rocky Island, Ireland
The 200-year-old building offers a unique space for cremation and remembrance.
The Island Crematorium on Rocky Island in Ireland is unique in its fantastic location as well as its modern approach to cremation, memorial, and grieving. The crematorium is designed for religious or non-religious services; it has spiritual as well as … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Cremation, Crematorium, Ireland, Memorial, Rocky Island
2 Comments
Changing the Material
Eco-friendly Burial and Cremation from Swedish Designer Liv Andersson
Swedish industrial designer Liv Andersson aims to create products that are an adaptation to the environment, with a holistic view of the life of the product. This project, Dust to Dust, “aims to get a holistic picture of what happens … Continue reading
Posted in Soulful Expressions
Tagged Art, Casket, Coffin, Cremation, Cremation Vessel, Design, Green Burial, Natural burial
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Real Housewives of Atlanta Season Première
Phaedra buys a funeral home and Kandi creates “Bedroom Kandi”
SPOILER ALERT We all need to zone out now and again to give our brains a rest by indulging on some sort of mind candy. Since my day begins early in the morning and ends late each night with SevenPonds, … Continue reading
What to Do When Someone Dies
Ten Tips Above and Beyond Typical Funeral Arrangements
Everyday at SevenPonds we are working hard to research and expand our content to arm our readers with more information, guidance and choices on what to do when someone dies. Our daily deep dive allows a wide knowledge base of … Continue reading
Posted in Sharing Suzette
Tagged Celebrants, Celebrity Death, Consumer Funeral Alliance, Cremation, Cremation Retailer, Crematorium, Death and Dying, Death and Loss, Disposition, Disposition Services, Embalming, environmental impact, Funeral Arrangements, Funeral home, Funeral Homes, Healing Process, Life Celebrations, Memorial Service, Natural Death Care, Purchasing Cremation, Shopping Disposition, The Funeral Rule, What to Do When Someone Dies, When Someone Dies
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An Interview with Stephanie Gaines: Part Two
The conclusion of SevenPonds’ conversation with the Crestone End-of-Life Project director
Last week, we published the first part of our interview with Stephanie, whose organization CEOLP operates one of the nation’s only legal open-air cremation sites. Today we find out a bit more about the Colorado site and the experiences of … Continue reading