Perhaps a 'ghoulish' topic

T.Z. · Space Knight

Perhaps a 'ghoulish' topic

mara · a grateful fan

I commend you all for being so brave as to discuss this topic here on the forum. I think death is such an important part of our lives that we should be trained to deal with it from our infancy, which sadly it´s not the case in Western cultures.

My favorite epitaph is the antic Roman one: STTL, Sit Tibi Terra Levis, May the Earth Rest Lighty on You. But I´m all for cremation myself. Inmaterial fond memories are what keep the dead alive in our hearts anyway.

I saw a sensitive, poetic Japanese movie last summer called "Departures". It´s very much on topic, and worth checking out. It´s all about the importance of funeral rites, and how they help the relatives of the deceased to say their proper goodbyes to their loved ones.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departures_%28film%29

Gerfalcon · Moody 'Wolverine' Freak

Wow Caz! That's a very noble deed!

And Lula, resting in a crystal cave is such a creative and sorta romantic idea! smile

Lula · Beguiled at Heart and Weird non stop

Such an honourable thing to do Caz, and helping other people to live.

I've been thinking about this topic, and Nic's is more of a pyramid tomb, than a headstone right? So I was wondering about material, after we were talking about rocks, which I love by the way. And I love crystals, how magical it would be to be laid to rest in a crystal cave of some sort?

And I've been drooling over these pictures of giant amethyst geodes lately.... this one is the largest in the world and is called the Empress!

It Suddenly occurred what a magical headstone something like this would make! or another crystal or mineral, in it's raw form like rose quartz?

T.Z. · Space Knight

This is a very interesting topic :^).

Well, I don't think I want to be in a casket, or a coffin when I die. I think I will donate my body to Medical Research, at least I can do something to the world even when I'm dead :^D.

BTW, Bon, I love your willow tree idea :^).

BEeNhereb4 · Senior Member

Hey ladies............I just wanted to thank all of you again for jumping in with your thoughts on this topic.   Death to me is very much a part of living and it's not something I'm afraid of talking about nor experiencing. If I have any fear about dying, it's more about HOW I might die....not that I'm going to die or are dead.   If that makes any sense to anyone.

BTW, I loved all of your responses. I too love symbolic gestures and the idea of being laid to rest in a beautiful setting appeals to me. That's another reason why I'm not into a place like Nic's pyramid. To me, I would be envisioning being cramped and crowded amongst marbles walls. I love the idea of being by the sea or in the sea or in a wooded, old cemetary under magnificient trees that have lived for ages.   I do like the idea of an angel marker........

Anyway...........thanks again Lula, Meg, & Gerfalcon.

OH and Meg?   I think collecting heart shaped rocks while out and about is a wonderful hobby to have. Every time I found one, I think I'd find myself smiling!   And that.....is always a GOOD thing!

Lula · Beguiled at Heart and Weird non stop

Meg and Bon, you are both so absolutely right, thank you.

Although when a person has passed they are forever in the hearts of other people, a symbol such as this is really for those left behind. I feel the same about funerals, the ritual is for the ones who are grieving not the departed.

I loved what you said about the rocks and rounded natural shapes Meg, like an integration with the flow of life. your mentioning the heart shape may be the first time I've ever considered something such as this as an option!

And I agree, Nic will have his own personal reasons for his choices, which are perfect for and private to him.

i just find the eventual use of them a difficult contemplation, that's what I meant.

I loved your angels too Bon!

very fitting, me thinks.

I'm with you Gerfalcon, the freedom of the sea...the wave returning to source, like infinity.

Gerfalcon · Moody 'Wolverine' Freak

Well it's a very interesting topic imho... personally I don't want to lie under any marker or in a cemetery cuz for me that's a kind of limitation, which I dislike. Methinks I'd be glad to be buried in the ocean... free and most of the time peaceful.

Meg53 · Senior Member

My father died this last June and it was a great comfort for the family that he had chosen what he wanted and made all his arrangements ahead of time. Not having to deal with that burden was like a gift for my mother and me. I never thought before that having an actual place to visit was important to me but now I find I often go there, and I like the idea that my descendents may do the same for me when I am gone. Many people make their arrangements ahead of time, I don't find it ghoulish at all. Death is part of life.
I suppose a pyramid seems strange to our culture, but Nick seems to be a person who has a lot of metaphysical ideas and is very well-read and thoughtful. He probably has lots of meaningful reasons for his choice.
I personally am not religious, but have strong feelings about spirituality, and I think symbols are important as indicators and to focus on for self-expression and inner growth.
I don't like geometric shapes so much, I prefer rounded and natural shapes. I like to pick up a rock whenever I go somewhere new to take home to my garden.I may not know which one came from where but it seems meaningful somehow to me. I also always look for rocks naturally shaped like hearts when I am walking, there is something beautiful and peaceful about the heart shape to me. I think I would like a natural substance like rock or wood for a marker of some kind, and definitely in a beautiful setting with trees. I love the ocean and always feel better when I am near it so I think that I would want to be in sight of the sea. It is not something I have given much thought to before but I like the idea of leaving behind a little place where part of me lives on symbolically.
Good topic idea.

BEeNhereb4 · Senior Member

Hey Lula!

Good to see ya dearie. Both of us seemed to have wandered over to this here 'hole in the wall' today, eh? LOL!

Anyhooo......I'm with you, trust me. I truly believe that our bodies are but shells and what happens to it after we 'pass' doesn't really matter one way or another.

But I also know that I take great comfort in being able to visit a 'place' where my loved ones were laid to rest. I find great peace in cemetaries, the quietness and the solitude appeals to me and I can sit and chat away feeling as tho they were literally right next to me....which in essence they are......I guess it just gives me a place in which to put my focus.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to add your thoughts. I'm curious what others also have to say. Hugz, B

Lula · Beguiled at Heart and Weird non stop

Hi Bon!

Yeah I saw this story...whilst I can't argue that Nic deserves a resting place fit for an Egyptian God, I find it too morbid a contemplation to dwell on it.....

In other words, pyramid, cool

but let's not go there!

For me, I'm of the view that what is permanent is our true being and that transcends both life and death...and everything else is just transient. In this sense, a permanent tomb stone does not appeal to me...but perhaps the idea of being buried under a tree and returning to the earth or returning to the vast ocean?

Much Love!

BEeNhereb4 · Senior Member

Boy........this place has been quiet lately! So here's a weird topic that all are invited to join in....

We've recently heard how Nic has commissioned his final resting place and that it's said to be a pyramid crypt in New Orleans.

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Which got me thinking about the kind of place I'd like to be laid to rest. I'm actually quite fond of cemetaries. I actually spent the night in one many years ago, a very old one on the banks of a beautiful lake in Minnesota. But I digress.

Anyhooo....so the topic of the day today is this.....

What kind of marker/mauseleom/crypt would you like to be laid to rest in/under and why? Include pics if you have any that you'd like to share....

Here are a couple examples of what I'd like......for myself, under a huge willow tree somewhere.....I picked angels because I've felt them comforting me and holding me up in life during my greatest moments of pain.

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