Civilisation drives a wedge between us and nature. We prefer the artificial to the elemental, an iPhone to a sunset. When we hit a problem we look to technology to get us out of a hole. Cremation did that very well – till we discovered just what awfulness comes out of those chimneys. Now we look to research scientists and engineers and people who can do clever things with liquid nitrogen to take us forward once more.
When death happens, though, many of us default to the elemental. Some of us like natural burial. Some of us like funeral pyres. Others like the way the Vikings did it.
I’m not aware of much call for sky burial. But we have some very good uplands in the UK and many hungry raptors. I’d like to think that the Natural Death Centre is on to this, campaigning for it, and I shouldn’t be surprised to hear that they are. Hill farmers are finding things very tough at the moment. Here’s how they can diversify.
Don’t know what sky burial looks like? If you have a detached eye and an unqueasy disposition, make your own assessment. Have a look at a video here
This “funeral” is really “way out of the box”. I am trying to imagine the character type of a person who would choose to be “buried” this way, and, I draw a blank.
I’d be really interested to talk with such a person as I research disposition alternatives.
Cassandra Yonder
BEyond Yonder Death Midwifery
In accordance with the intention of a sky burial I would wish that my dead body could be consumed by raptors thereby being useful to nature after my demise. I hope by the time my time’s up this may be available!
It almost certainly won’t, Martha. I can only suggest you devise a subversive plan and recruit confidantes. Don’t forget that, if you are full of medication when you go, you may poison the raptors. You’ll need to identify a remote place, of course, where you are unlikely to be stumbled upon, otherwise there’ll be a murder enquiry and it’ll be off to the coroner with you. Good luck!
Hi, its seems bizarre but I think this sounds like the best option for me. Sure the preparations seem a bit gruesome but having loved animals all my life and always having owned pets I see this as an idyllic way to give back to nature; without being trapped in a box to wait for worms or contributing to the earth’s ozone problems through cremation. Apart from the preparations it seems the most natural option.
I am very interested in a sky burial as I don’t care for being buried in the earth nor do I like the idea of being cremated.
I didn’t think the practice of sky burials was allowed in the UK but it definitely appeals to me.
However, I’m not sure whether my family would agree.
Possibly the oldest ‘burial’ practice known to mankind.. once the body has been stripped bare, whatever remains, is laid to rest in a familial stone tomb.
It is my sincerest hope that this is an accepted way of recycling the physical vessel again by the time this current composition of matter (that i call MY BODY) has expired. Individual organisms have, do, and will continue to come n go… long live the living orb. Be more than just yourself
I’ve always dreamed of having a sky burial my body will go to the heavens in a different way feeding birds the soil and so many other thing the earth creates us an so the body should help create life in death