WELCOME TO OUR BLOG
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
-
Final Messages of the Dying: Finding meaning in metaphors and symbolic language -
Will I Die in Pain?: For patients living with a terminal illness, the fear of pain is very real -
When A Child Has A Terminal Illness: Reflections on a short, full life, part two
-
Categories
Tag Archives: Death Rituals
Bringing the Spirit Home in Xhosa Burial Rituals
How the funeral rites of the Xhosa people of South Africa can transform a spirit into an ancestral guide
For most people, the culture, traditions, and even the existence of the Xhosa people would have remained unknown were it not for the death of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. Although the world will mourn his loss for years to come, with … Continue reading
“Sacred Dying” by Megory Anderson
How Megory Anderson creates rituals and vigils for a beautiful, peaceful dying process
Megory Anderson’s book Sacred Dying is a happy blend of a spiritual, emotional and practical guide to preparing for our final journey: dying. What does it mean to die “sacredly”? Anderson’s book highlights a variety of rituals we can employ for … Continue reading
Death Rituals in Somalia
Precise steps to ensure deceased loved ones pass from this life and on to the next
In Somalia, a small country on the eastern coast of Africa, the people follow specific protocol after a loved one has died to ensure they pass on to the afterlife. The first step is to bury the loved one’s body … Continue reading
The Little Known Ritual of Endocannibalism
An ancient ritual that takes a surprising stance on accepting death
A topic typically reserved for anthropologists, endocannibalism is an ancient ritual that involves eating the flesh of a family member or friend who’s passed away. As opposed to eating human flesh for survival, endocannibalism is performed as a ritual and … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Amazonian tribes, Ancient funeral rituals, Ancient Ritual, Anthropology Studies, Beth Conklin, Cannibalism, Cannibalism stories, Complicated Grief, Cultural Funeral Rites, Death Culture, Death Rituals, Endocannibalism, Family Grieving, First Holy Communion, Native American Beliefs, Native American Death, Painful Memories, Papua New Guinea, Tribe Rituals, Unusual Funeral Rituals
1 Comment
Historic Haida Pit Burial
A simple, archaic burial for the commoners of this indigenous society
Despite some unpleasant connotations throughout history, pit burial was once commonplace among the indigenous people of the American northwest coast (modern-day British Columbia). The Haida people, rather than individual burial, would place the remains of people who had died into … Continue reading
Posted in Cultural Perspectives
Tagged Burial, Cultural Perspectives, Death, Death Rituals, Haida, Haida Burial Customs, Haida people, Pit Burial, Totem pole
9 Comments
