Landis Blair, illustration from From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty

What is the difference between a coffin and a casket?

Caitlin Doughty has said it better than I ever could.

-Reid

Let be what is,

Let be what isn't,

It's a natural world in which we're living...

Green burials do not poison the Earth like many modern practices do, and I highly encourage looking into Green alternatives near you! Death can be a sensitive subject, but through art and discussions we can spread the word and legalize this sadly sparse practice.

Curious about Green burials and the Death Positive Movement? Check out; https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/

Those of you who follow Caitlin Doughty probably know this already, but right now my state (Texas) is fighting for the right to cremate remains using alkalyne hydrolysis (water cremation or 'aquamation.') More info here. https://www.cremation.green/water-cremation-is-illegal-in-texas-but-why/

With all the battles being fought for bodily autonomy right now regarding reproductive rights and trans + queer rights, let's not forget about the right to decide what happens to your body when you die. Right now, Texans who opt for water cremation as part of their death plan are left with no choice but to have their loved ones ship their body to one of the 21 states where water cremation is legal.

Water cremation is an affordable alternative to embalming and burial, much like traditional cremation. Because water cremation uses water instead of fire to dissolve human remains, many feel it is a 'gentler' process, and because the water is recycled into the sewer system and does not create greenhouse gases, some wish to choose water cremation as a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional cremation.

Anyone can sign this petition. While I apologize if this is a morbid topic, we deserve the right to decide what happens to our bodies when we die just as much as when we are alive.

We are fighting hard for S.B 105 and H.B. 2895 to become law. Please share and sign if you can.

Harvard's In Trouble for Selling Body Parts

Don't sell stolen body parts, friends. It seems obvious....AND YET.

So like I'm not an official member of the Order Of The Good Death, but I am death positive (PLEASE read up on that instead of being alarmed) but I'm completely overwhelmed by the info packet on making an advanced directive the hospital keeps pushing on me since the pandemic started (at least, that's what I'm hoping the reason is and not them anticipating some eugenicist crap befalling us soon). It's not even anxiety over my mortality–tho against my will there is that, I will not lie–I just don't know where to start. I start reading the packet they gave me and my eyes just glaze over.

My parents are in no way mentally equipped for conversations for everyone's eventual death, not theirs and least of all mine, so I can't ask them for help.

we come from the earth and from stars and the stars and the earth sustain us physically and mentally and one day we get to go back to the earth and feed what fed us during our lives and then the earth will go back to the stars and it all feeds each other and gives back and im feeling very .

God is testing both me and my bank account with this

beg your fucking pardon

the answer is yes

Wanna talk about cemeteries with me?

Open now until November 17!  The Memento Mori Market is a virtual auction of unique experiences that embrace life while contemplating death! I am offering an exclusive experience: join an intimate online Q&A with me and a small handful of others where we will discuss cemetery travel, the history of cemeteries, the future of cemeteries, and more. Participants will receive a personalized copy of my…

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is there anything else like the recipes on graves in history? the closest thing ive seen is a roman grave that said something like "thank you for visiting me have a blessing"

Not that I know of off the top of my head, but headstones/cemeteries aren't really my area of expertise.

But here's a great video from Ask a Mortician about some of the meanings behind common iconography on headstones!

-Reid

fuck death positivity

hello walkerbetweenthestars. I already saw your comment as well cause blocking me doesn't prevent me from seeing past notifications plus your comment is still there saying this exact thing. I also see that you like to harass anyone who uses the terms death positivity and order of the good death so what a great way for me to segway into talking about exactly that, not for you but for the people that actually follow blogs because they like them.

Death is a reality that we all must face at some point in our lives, often more than once. Now, I'm from the USA, a place where our death practices have been severely broken down over the past 100 years. Death has been pushed aside and ignored except for when it comes to taking money from those who are actively grieving. We're expected to pick ourselves up from our bootstraps (an impossible) and be done grieving in a matter of days but that's not adequate. Grief is complex and we should be allowed to go through it cause even though the world keeps turning, that loss has frozen the individuals world in place and they now have to figure out how to navigate it differently.

The concept of death positivity doesn't mean a lack of fear surrounding death but instead an acceptance that death is a part of life. We're all heading towards the eventual end of our mortality, something that makes life that much more important. To live well is to die well, you can not have life without death and you cannot have death without life. Working through our cultures dismissal of such a key process of life, the end of life, allows us to look at how we view death and how we can brace ourselves against the cold chill of reality. That end isn't always clean and neat, and life is unpredictable, so working through these complex feelings can help us be more at peace with death, especially when it's our turn to leave.

I've barely touched the surface of death in American society and death positivity, but I'd be more than happy to talk even more on such topics, especially because of how dysfunctional death culture is here.

At the end of the day, we should be supporting each other through these hard times. This place really sucks and we shouldn't be tearing down others who are learning to navigate a world after loss without support from society as a whole.

Check out this list of upcoming death positive events! There are workshops, unique experiences, fascinating talks, art exhibits and more.