Remembering Our Loved Ones as Living, Breathing Trees
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Have you ever wondered how much cemeteries are a waste of space and resources? This new model for burying and remembering our loved ones is based upon the organic inter-connectedness of all Life, imbuing one’s life essence into a living tree and creating Memory Forests!
If you are like me, then you see the old model of cemeteries as unsustainable, disconnected from the Circle of Life, and disrespectful to the memory of our loved ones and our planet. After all, using stones to mark a burial site and wooden coffins used from felled trees uses up a lot of natural resources from our planet, and creates an unreasonable amount of wasted space that otherwise could be left for healthy forests to thrive.
This is where organic burial pods come in!
A creative and sustainable new model
Two creative people, Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel, are working together to restore the way we think about death to a natural, organic connection to one another and our planet. Together, they have started a company called Capsula Mundi, which has created a delightful new model for cemeteries.
Their company is offering an alternative for individuals in choosing where and how they will be buried upon death, with the goal of transforming modern cemeteries into what they call “Memory Forests.”
People have two options:
Organic burial pods made up of biodegradable material where the deceased body is encapsulated in a fetal position.
Organic egg-shaped urns made up of biodegradable material where the ashes of the deceased body are stored.
The deceased person, who is encapsulated in either egg-shaped capsule, is then “planted” in the ground much like a seed, where a tree is then planted over the egg. The tree species is chosen by the person in life, ideally with the local ecosystem in mind.
As the human body decomposes, it literally gives the tree a boost of nutrients, and in terms of spirituality, imbibes the life essence of the person everyone knew and loved.
Transmuting our collective philosophy
Their philosophy is based upon the inter-connectedness of all Life:
“The biological life cycle and its transformations are the same for every living being. It is time for humans to realize our integrated part in nature. Capsula Mundi wants to emphasize that we are a part of Nature’s cycle of transformation. This universal concept goes beyond cultural and religious traditions. Only a tree, a symbol of the connection between the sky and the earth, will mark the resting place of the deceased.”
Their use of an egg as a shape for their burial pods is also carefully thought-out, as the egg has been recognized as a sacred symbol in all world religions. It symbolizes the perfect form as the birth of the Universe through the Sacred Feminine. When considering ourselves as micro-versions of the greater Universe, their couldn’t be a more perfect symbol!
By choosing to be buried in such a way, I see this as showing respect to Mother Earth. By returning our temporary bodies to the planet the same way we came into this world, we are completing the Circle of Life with no separation to the environment around us.
They go on to say:
“As tree after tree is planted, the cemetery will become a forest, free of the architectural motifs that mark today’s memorial grounds. The cemetery will be transformed into a place of nature, one where families can stroll and learn about the natural world, where communities will come together to tend and care for trees. In short, it will become a sacred forest.”
So…what would YOU prefer?
Would you prefer we as a collective continue to ravage our planet of natural resources, while unsustainably continuing to cover our world with gravestones where natural forests should be?
OR…
Would you prefer we as a collective honor our organic connection to our planet, while creating Memory Forests that rejuvenate ecosystems and serve as reminders to us all that death is simply a transition into something new and beautiful?
I for one think that this is a brilliant idea that is in alignment with our natural evolutionary path!
I encourage you to check out their website, and follow their progress as they turn this idea into fruition.
Check out the videos below to get a more in-depth view of their work:
