Simon Critchley on Religion and Death
Duende or Struldbrugs? Choose now. Our operators are standing by.
Good boy, Rex. Good Boy.
A new memorial ritual emerges at Green-Wood Cemetery in NYC, where people have begun leaving sticks for Rex, a Very Good Boy whose statue may date back to the year 1884.
“Where is the Duende?”
Where is the duende? Through the empty archway a wind of the spirit enters, blowing insistently over the heads of the dead, in search of new landscapes and unknown accents: a wind with the odour of a child’s saliva, crushed grass, and medusa’s veil, announcing the endless baptism of freshly created things. – Federico Garcia … Read more“Where is the Duende?”
“Start Your Own Religion” (Timothy Leary, 1967)
An excerpt from this classic of the ’60s counterculture: How to Start Your Own Religion First, decide with whom you will make the voyage of discovery. If you have a family, certainly you will include them. If you have close friends, you will certainly want to include them. The question, with whom do I league … Read more“Start Your Own Religion” (Timothy Leary, 1967)
Death of the Endless (“The Sandman”, 2022)
Gaiman has written of his Death character that: The mythology of “Sandman” (…) includes in it seven entities who are not gods, who are not worshiped, but are essentially more powerful than gods, because gods die when they are forgotten, but the Endless are always there, and one of those seven is Death. (…) I … Read moreDeath of the Endless (“The Sandman”, 2022)
A Time to Die
Came across this art bench – one of several set up in a secluded, grassy area adjacent to a local high school – on a recent evening walk. The quote is part of a series based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and traditionally attributed to King Solomon (circa 10th century BC); it may be familiar to secularists … Read moreA Time to Die
Serendipity
There are no “signs” except those we assign.
A Pictorial Memoir of the Pixie Land Fairy Castle
I recently came across the Pixie Land Fairy Castle on an evening walk along the Ronan Park River Trail. (If he stays still, I might not spot him …) The Castle featured colorful flags, judiciously-placed pinecones, an array of painted stones and several fairies. Sadly, when I visited the spot last night, the Pixie Land … Read moreA Pictorial Memoir of the Pixie Land Fairy Castle
“Ashes to Ashes”
Tricia Romano’s new article for Alta offers an overview of the natural burial movement, including commentary from Morbid Anatomy founder/creative director Joanna Ebenstein and Return Home founder Micah Truman: “A lot of (people) are focusing on trying to change attitudes about death so that we can live, so we can have better deaths. And that … Read more“Ashes to Ashes”
“By the River”: the Death Hotels of Varanasi
For the people of Varanasi – the holiest of India’s seven sacred cities – death is a blessing. Stretching along the banks of the river Ganges, Varanasi is a place where devout Hindus go to die in the hope of achieving moksha: freedom from the endless cycle of death and rebirth (samsara). ‘Death hotels’ provide a … Read more“By the River”: the Death Hotels of Varanasi