IS MARKING DEATH IMPORTANT?

Why is it important to scatter ashes?

Marking the passing of previous lives, returning their ashes to the elements they came from, is so necessary.  We want to give thanks for the lives lived, the seeds nurtured. 

Ceremony is an important part of that.  It gives shape and dignity to our grieving and points the way forward – not forgetting those we have lost, but helping to find a way to walk with them differently. 

Spring – a time of transition, from death of winter to rebirth of new year.  Traditionally a time of weddings and baby-naming ceremonies.  A time of looking forward to the hope and promise of good days to come.  But the seeds of those good days were planted long before, in the slow, warm days of autumn.  Seeds need cold to germinate, and winter has its place in the endless cycle of life.  So it is in life:  we lose those we love, but from the seeds of their lives, new lives come. 

Why are memorial touchstones comforting?

When people are buried, we mark their graves in ways that we hope will last forever.  Often in stone, or precious metals, products of the earth, they tell a little of their story, their mark.  We use them as touchstones, tangible links to those we love, to our memories of them.  When people are cremated, having that touchstone is not so straightforward.  There is no locus, no place to visit, no headstone, no story.  This is why we have curated some unique and beautiful artefacts which can become touchstones in homes  and gardens.  Things that become part of moving forward, rooted in memory.  They have been chosen for their intrinsic beauty, but also for their links to the land and the elements.  Each piece is unique, as was the loved one.  Each ready to find a cherished place and memorial setting of its own.