“Rituals are cairns marking the path behind us and ahead of us. Without them we lose our way.”  Robert Fulghum

How do we keep a seat at the banquet table of our lives for those no longer living? What rituals connect us to the great cycle of life and death? How do we kindle the sparks of remembrance in an amnesiac culture? This new series offers stories from the archive of my Celebrancy blog, “cairns marking the path behind us” and the way ahead. This month: ashes to ashes.

One Last Gift for Her Mother ~ Caity’s Mom had wanted to travel around the world. “She wanted to create an adventure out of everyday,” Caity says. “She was able to do some exploring in the later years, but not as much as she wanted to.” So to honor her Mom’s wanderlust, Caity tenderly packaged some of her ashes in a beautiful little urn and enlisted friends across the country to host her.  “A grand trip with loved ones who are sharing adventures with her.” Read more…

A Beautiful & Peaceful Place by Peggy Acott ~ This autumn I traveled to Colorado and upstate New York to study with teachers I have long admired. This was made possible by a gift of money that had been held aside for me by my father, who died earlier this year…. On both of these journeys I took one of the pottery rings that hold a bit of his cremains with me, kept it in a pocket on my walks, and took a photo (a different sort of selfie) that juxtaposed the ring with a view of the landscape that his generosity allowed me to be able to experience. Read more…

Bringing My Dad Along ~ When I first came across Ash & Earth remembrance stones, I knew immediately that I would commission Holly to create one with my father’s remains. What I didn’t know was how the process would affect me. From the very start, the process felt magical. As I scooped a small portion of my dad’s ashes to transfer to her, I shed tears from a deep spring I thought had run dry. My body buzzed electric when I passed along the small packet to her later that day, entrusting his remains to an alchemical process that would take me somewhere I couldn’t yet imagine.  Read more..