Duende Today is the first day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere, and the seasons are visibly (and in other ways) shifting. From my own perspective, within my own Way, this marks the unofficial beginning of Memoria; a festival of harvest and remembrance before the onset of the winter months. That festival will “officially” begin when … Read moreMemoria 2023
undertakingnoun Synonyms of undertaking 1a: the act of one who undertakes or engages in a project or businessb: the business of an undertaker2: something undertaken : ENTERPRISE3: PLEDGE, GUARANTEE I suspect that, had the technology been available, the Shugenja of ancient Japan might well have devised an experience akin to the drop tower towards training … Read moreDrop Tower Shugendō
On the afternoon of September 17th, nine participants gathered in the Morbid Anatomy Library in Brooklyn, NYC to undertake an experiment in ritual space and time, guided by artists Bridget Carey, Tony Wolf and Virgil Wong. The main gates of Green-Wood Cemetery, just a few minutes’ walk from the Morbid Anatomy Library. Note the large … Read moreVR Near-Death Simulation and Memento Mori Rituals (New York City, September 2023)
In the weeks leading up to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, National Public Radio set up a vintage telephone booth across the river from the new World Trade Center and invited people to leave a voicemail for the people they’d lost that day.
Co-founded by Karen Elizabeth Bishop and David Sherman, The Elegy Project: The Project also includes a curriculum of courses on Modern Elegy, Ode and Elegy and Inventing Farewell: A Practicum on Elegy.
Petals fell recently in memory of Grandmaster Jung Nam Lee, former trainer of American and South Vietnamese Special Forces commandos, the pioneer of Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido in New Zealand and my first martial arts instructor. He was 86 years of age. My favorite memory of Master Lee is a moment – probably in … Read moreIn Memoriam: Grandmaster Jung Nam Lee
Returning from a recent short vacation, I’ve discovered that the small vernacular shrine dedicated to “all Beings departed due to Covid-19” along our local river trail has been replaced by this new altar/work of land art.
I’ve just returned from the first annual Sacred Harvest event at Sky Meadow, an idyllic 115-acre spiritual retreat in the mountainous Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The Harvest was a wonderful three days of wholesome work, exploration and soul-talk, and provided me with the opportunity to fulfil my long-term ambition of creating and installing a wind … Read moreThe Sky Meadow Wind Phone
In this article for the BBC, Becca Warner explores a variety of ecologically sustainable funeral options: “In the face of death, we seek consolation. And it’s been really interesting seeing how there’s been a conflict, in some cases, between what is sustainable and what people find consoling,” she says. Bags of bone ash and compost … Read more“How to plan a sustainable funeral”
YouTube documentarian Tom Scott presents this item on the revival of long barrows; Neolithic constructions that might have been churches, graveyards or landmarks, but which are now used as commercial columbaria and as ritual spaces. More at The Soulton Long Barrow and via the Sacred Stones website.