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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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First the Wealth Gap, Now the U.S. Has a Growing Health Gap: Discover why the U.S. health gap is growing and how improving healthspan can enhance quality of life for Americans -
How to Comfort A Dying Loved One: End-of-life expert Dr. Marianne Matzo explains some simple ways to offer solace -
Our Annual Seven Holiday Gifts for Someone Who Is Grieving, 2024 Edition: Gracious gifts that spread love and beauty
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Categories
Tag Archives: Cultural Perspectives
Customs for Mourning in the Muslim Community
How to help an Islamic friend who is grieving
We live in an increasingly multicultural society. At some point, you will probably have a loved one, friend, or co-worker of the Muslim faith who loses a loved one to death. Knowing Muslim mourning customs can help you be more … Continue reading
Telling the Bees: A Medieval Funeral Tradition
A funeral tradition that reflects the central importance of bees in daily life and worldview
Bees were highly prized in Medieval Europe for their honey and wax. The honey was used as a sweetener and medicine, as well as the key ingredient in mead — a mildly alcoholic drink that was consumed for its nutritive … Continue reading
The Ancient Practice of Sky Burial
How the nomads of Mongolia return their loved ones to the universe
For thousands of years, the nomads of Mongolia have roamed the steppes of Central Asia, carrying their belongings and setting up their tents, called “gers,” on the harsh, inhospitable land. One of the last remaining nomadic cultures on Earth, these … Continue reading
Suspended Burials in China
A fascinating and beautiful tradition that left coffins suspended on cliff sides
There are countless unique and fascinating burial and death traditions across the world. But one that is especially intriguing — and quite beautiful — is the practice of suspended burials. This form of “burial” was practiced by the Bo people of … Continue reading
The Ars Moriendi, or “The Art of Dying”
A Medieval manual for death and dying
The Ars Moriendi (“The Art of Dying”) are two Latin texts dating back to 1415 and 1450, written to guide Christians through the process of “dying well,” according to Christian tenets of the late Middle Ages. The books inform the … Continue reading
The Teaching of The Ancient Yew Tree
How this tree has come to symbolize death in pagan cultures
The Yew tree is a species of evergreen conifer native to western, central, and southern Europe, northern Iran, southwest Asia and northwest Africa. Because of their toxic leaves and berries, yews were a symbol of death and rebirth in pre-Christian pagan … Continue reading
