• The Bizarre Phenomenon of Terminal LucidityThis curious and profound experience stumps scientists to this day

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    The Bizarre Phenomenon of Terminal Lucidity
    This curious and profound experience stumps scientists to this day



  • Our Weekly Tip: Water-Soluble and Eco-Friendly Urns for Cremated AshesThe environmentally friendly option for water scattering and burial of your loved one's cremains

    Our Weekly Tip: Water-Soluble and Eco-Friendly Urns for Cremated Ashes
    The environmentally friendly option for water scattering and burial of your loved one’s cremains

    Our Tip of the Week: If you’d like to do a water scattering or burial of your loved one’s ashes, there are a number of water-soluble and eco-friendly cremation urns available. Rather than actually having to pour out the remains, you can place the ashes in an urn which will biodegrade by itself. As the…

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  • “A grave is a place where the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student.”
    – Ambrose Bierce

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  • “Gates of Heaven”A look at the animal burial industry reveals how humans view love, loss, and death in this documentary film

    “Gates of Heaven”
    A look at the animal burial industry reveals how humans view love, loss, and death in this documentary film

    When Roger Ebert names your documentary one of the top ten best films ever made, you know you’ve done something right. Errol Morris received such a distinction for his 1978 classic, “Gates of Heaven.” Although the film is now almost 40 years old, it still holds nuggets of truth that apply to modern life. It…

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  • Corpse Meditation: A Buddhist PracticeA cultural practice of looking at death in order to be reminded of life

    Corpse Meditation: A Buddhist Practice
    A cultural practice of looking at death in order to be reminded of life

    It may sound macabre or unusual, but corpse mediation is real — and, in many parts of Thailand and some other parts of Southeast Asia, a fairly normal occurrence, specifically among Buddhist monks. It’s typical for monks to meditate while in the presence of or looking at dead bodies. Sometimes it is a literal body,…

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  • Adam Ruins Everything: How Funerals Completely Rip Us OffWitty overview of modern funeral industry carries sobering message

    Adam Ruins Everything: How Funerals Completely Rip Us Off
    Witty overview of modern funeral industry carries sobering message

    “Adam Ruins Everything” videos are really catchy: fast-paced, clear, fact-checked, funny and enlightening. In the video “How Funerals Completely Rip Us Off,” our guide Adam takes us on a tour through the history of embalming and the funeral industry, illuminating the costly, unnecessary, toxic (literally!), and sometimes pointless aspects of the “traditional” funeral, including ecologically…

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  • Monday Hearts for Madalene
    Page Hodel creates the most beautiful hearts in an ongoing celebration of love

    My Love Blossoms Eternally for You! It’s an honor for SevenPonds to share with our readers the story of the Monday Hearts for Madalene project, a true account of the power of love in the midst of death. The project’s origins take us to 2005: the moment Page Hodel encountered Madalene Rodriguez and fell “instantly, dizzyingly in love with…

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  • The Life and Death of Marina AbramovicThe grandmother of performance art throws her own funeral

    The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic
    The grandmother of performance art throws her own funeral

    One can’t talk about avant-garde art without mentioning Marina Abramovic. The Serbian artist carved a name for herself in the art world through her cathartic, sometimes disturbing performances. Her goal is to create art that makes us slightly uncomfortable, and in the process, to prompt us to question why we feel these negative emotions. The…

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  • Can Aromatherapy and Reiki Help with Terminal Illness and End-of-Life Care? (Interview)How aromatherapy and reiki promote healing through nature

    Can Aromatherapy and Reiki Help with Terminal Illness and End-of-Life Care? (Interview)
    How aromatherapy and reiki promote healing through nature

    Today SevenPonds is speaking with Heather Michet, a Registered Aromatherapist, Essential Oil Therapist and Reiki Master from Sandy, Oregon. The owner of Iris Healing Arts, Heather is a former civil engineer who transformed her personal interest in natural healing into a thriving holistic practice. Using a combination of natural solutions, energy healing and aromatherapy, Heather…

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  • Our Weekly Tip: Preparing for Your Full Military Funeral HonorsIf you're a military veteran, you have some free burial benefits

    Our Weekly Tip: Preparing for Your Full Military Funeral Honors
    If you’re a military veteran, you have some free burial benefits

    Our Tip of the Week: If your loved one or you served in the military, free military honors benefits might be available. Check your eligibility today to prepare the necessary paperwork. The U.S. military is required by law to provide eligible members and former members with a full honor guard detail at no charge. The…

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