Tag Archives: Celebration of Life

How Can a Celebrant Assist Grieving Loved Ones with Planning Memorial Services? An Interview with Lissin Lev Chaya

Lissin Lev Chaya shares the advantages and challenges of having a celebrant plan memorial services
Posted on July 19, 2014 by Zoë Byrne (Editor in Chief, SevenPonds)

Today SevenPonds speaks with Lissin Lev Chaya, a certified life-cycle celebrant. Currently based in Pacifica, California, she received her training and certification from the Celebrant Foundation and Institute. She has been performing rituals and ceremonies for over 20 years. Today, … Continue reading →

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Goodbye, Black: The Color-Coordinated Memorial Service Attire

Personalize an end-of-life or memorial ceremony by wearing your loved one's favorite color
Posted on July 12, 2014 by MaryFrances Knapp (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

3 Tips for a Colorful Celebration of Life Ceremony: The Victorian Era has been over for some time. Its tradition of wearing somber, formal black funeral attire to memorial and funeral services, however, is still the norm yet is starting … Continue reading →

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Celebration of Life Ceremony: DIY Lighting

DIY lanterns create a homey atmosphere for a celebration of life ceremony or memorial
Posted on June 28, 2014 by MaryFrances Knapp (Blog Writer, SevenPonds)

3 Tips to Celebration of Life Lanterns: These DIY tin lanterns are an inexpensive and environmentally friendly decoration for any memorial or celebration of life ceremony. Most importantly, they create a homey, intimate atmosphere for friends and family. Here are … Continue reading →

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“It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.”

- George Harrison
Posted on March 18, 2014 by Zoë Byrne (Editor in Chief, SevenPonds)

More in “A Rite of Passage”: ”Waking or asleep, / Thou of death must deem / Things more true and deep / Than we mortals dream, / Or how could thy notes flow in such a crystal stream?” “If we … Continue reading →

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“Harold and Maude” (1971) by Hal Ashby

A young man's obsession with death and how his chance relationship with a feisty elderly woman shows him the meaning of a full life
Posted on March 7, 2014 by Zoë Byrne (Editor in Chief, SevenPonds)

Harold and Maude is a 1971 dark comedic film, as well as a personal favorite of mine, based on a screenplay written by Colin Higgins. Higgins originally planned to direct it himself, but a test shoot left executives unimpressed, and Hal … Continue reading →

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The New Orleans Jazz Funeral

How people in New Orleans celebrate the lives of loved ones as they properly send them off at a funeral
Posted on December 26, 2013 by Zoë Byrne (Editor in Chief, SevenPonds)

New Orleans, Louisiana is no exception when it comes to playing music for loved ones at funerals. However, it uniquely incorporates the jazz music it is well-known for, along with a combination of West African, French, and African-American traditions, into one … Continue reading →

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