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“Knocking on Heaven’s Door”
The book serves as a cautionary tale of a loss that teaches us how to take control of our own deathsWhat happens after a debilitating stroke or a sudden heart attack snatches away the vitality of an elderly parent, spouse, or friend? How can we make the transition from child to caregiver or from spouse to nurse? What questions should we ask? How can we decide what is best for our loved ones when we…
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Cryonics: the future of burial
Entering the futuristic burial of cryonicsExploring different cultures, and different beliefs when it comes to burials and end of life, is endlessly intriguing. Among modern individuals, there is a cultural trend called cryonics. Cryonics is the process of freezing someone who has died, with hopes that once modern medicine has progressed the person can be revived and treated. The practice stirs…
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How Does Social Media Affect the Way We Grieve?
Facebook, twitter and blogs become accepted forums for death and griefA recent New York Times article, “An Online Generation Redefines Mourning”, opens with the story of a twenty-something who requested a picture of his mother sent through text message. That way, he wouldn’t have to identify her remains in person. Tweets of L’wren’s recent suicide often came with the hashtag “RIP”. Funeral selfies are in…
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“The Show Must Go On”
A powerful song about strength in the face of deathQueen’s incredible power-ballad, “The Show Must Go On”, radiates the unadulterated strength that bubbles to the surface when one faces a death-sentence in the form of terminal illness. The song itself was released in 1991, just one month before the untimely AIDs-related death of lead singer Freddie Mercury. It opens to a dreary scene as Mercury sings, “Empty…
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Just Passed: Mickey Rooney
The Hollywood legend passes away in Los Angeles at 93Mickey Rooney passed away last night in Los Angeles at the age of 93, leaving Hollywood with a bevy of film classics – and an irreplaceable void. Mickey Rooney was born Joseph Yule Jr. in Brooklyn, New York in 1920. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Rooney’s father (Joe Sr.) came to the States with his own…
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“After great pain, a formal feeling comes”
Emily Dickinson perfectly captures the numbness we experience after the passing of a loved oneMy post last week was about letting go of sorrows in order to be happy, and to fully appreciate the good experiences in life. While this is an important stage to come to, it’s certainly not what immediately follows a loss. After the death of a loved one, there is pain, but it is often…
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Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel creates the most beautiful hearts in an ongoing celebration of loveIt’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 her.” The couple’s first meeting was…
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A Community of Cremation Vessels: Cloud of Stars by Zhufei Zhufei
Chinese architecture blends technology with tradition in this columbariumToday, social media technologies pervade our culture, setting the tone for the way we choose to experience life. So why not tailor technology to accommodate the ways we choose to experience death? Design for Death finalist Zhufei Zhufei is one of the pioneers of this concept. Zhufei’s design for a columbarium called, “Cloud of Stars”…
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How Can Afterlife Communication Aid The Grieving Process? (Interview)
Founder of the Annual Afterlife Conference talks about grief, meaning-making, and the surviving consciousnessToday, SevenPonds speaks with Terri Daniel, founder of the Annual Afterlife Conference. A author, hospice worker and intuitive spiritual counselor, Terri provides tools such as meditation, intuition development and after-death communication to help those in grief navigate the dying process. She seeks to help other understand the connection between a death and the meaningful growth…
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