Quote of the day
“Last week, I attended the funeral of one of my uncles. His irresponsible lifestyle, which included eating meat, smoking, drinking alcohol and ignoring sell by dates, resulted in his life being cut short at the age of 94.” Source
To ritualise or not to ritualise…
By Richard Rawlinson Ed’s note: Richard wrote this for us at a time when the market in blog posts about ritual was approaching saturation. There’s good stuff here, so we’re posting it now, timeless seasonal greeting and all. …that remains the question. In order to express a meaning you need to establish what the meaning […]
Chumps hit a bump
Fury in abundance is currently being vented by the good people of Portsmouth against the bungling dolts of The Co-operative Funeralcare. The citizenry is furious that Effcare intend to upgrade their branch in the residential district of Copnor by converting offices into a ‘chapel of rest’ where dead people can be visited by their relatives. Residents have […]
Quote of the day
“Now deep in my bed I lie and the world turns on the other side” John Hirst
Blues dispersal initiative
We’ve just read in the Guardian that today is reckoned to be the most depressing of the year. Gosh. If you are sitting in a puddle of seasonal misery and wretchedness, this may cheer you up: I recently changed primary care physician. After a comprehensive history and physical exam and a bunch of lab tests, […]
Talking to the dead
News from Malacca, Malaysia: The small Gujerati community here fears the final rites practice which involves talking to the dead is dying because the young are not interested. For one man, who has provided his services to bereaved families over the past 10 years, his only hope is his son. “I must pass it down […]
Heathen on earth
Posted by Charles We’ve talked a lot about ritual on this blog recently and, dang it, we’re going to do it again. In an article in the Guardian, philosopher Julian Baggini announces: I’ve recently started praying … This is, I think, a pretty worthwhile practice and it is not something you can only do if you […]
Quote of the day
“The burnt ashes are put into a cremulator that grinds them fine and grinds the bits. Some funeral homes prefer not to grind all the bits out, so that you can see it’s the remains. It’s a bit like peanut butter. Some prefer chunky. Some prefer smooth.” From an online Q and A with an American […]
Secular shiva
There’s an interesting article about grieving in the New York Times. The writer describes an accidental discovery of the value of secular shiva. First, what’s shiva? Named after the Hebrew word for “seven,” shiva is a weeklong mourning period, dating back to biblical times, in which immediate family members welcome visitors to their home […]
Quote of the day
I’ve attended both a religious and a … civil? funeral recently, and the similarities – the sadness of the person’s departure, the commemoration of a life well spent, humour, grief and the gathering together of people who might not otherwise have seen each other in a long time – were far more obvious to me […]
