Carpe Diem
My Way of Life and Death
By Tony Wolf Beginning about thirty years ago, increasingly since my father died in mid-2016 and with great intensity since the start of this year, I’ve been developing an embodied philosophical/artistic approach to – and “poetic faith” in -the reality of death and its implications for living meaningful lives. It draws inspiration from aspects of … Read moreMy Way of Life and Death
Returning
This evening I returned the last of the leaves from my Autumnal altar, plus the surplus flower stems from my wife’s birthday bouquet, to nature. They will nourish the growth of the tree outside our apartment. A simple and sincere memento mori ergo carpe diem ritual gesture sealed the deal. The flowers themselves, having lost … Read moreReturning
Ukiyo-e
I woke up this morning with a carpe diem image in my mind and set to recreating it via Photoshop. Adapted from artist Totoya Hokkei’s original ukiyo-e print (undated, circa 1780-1850), this montage portrays a torch-bearing flowerskull priest gathering seaweed as he darts between crashing waves.
Totenpass
At midnight on November the first, 2020 – the first of the Days of the Dead in Mexican tradition, the night after Halloween when, according to custom and poetic sentiment, the veils between the worlds are thinnest and magic is possible, I consecrated my newly-assembled totenpass amulet. As I write these words, I can still … Read moreTotenpass
The Death Hangout
The Death Hangout is a podcast and life/business coaching company facilitated by Olivier Larvor and Keith Clarke: The Death Hangout is a very special and humanistic place (non-religious and non-political). We are a community of very like-minded people who believe death has a very useful function in our lives. And no, not just to wipe … Read moreThe Death Hangout
9 Ways You are Boring Yourself to Death
Memento mori/carpe diem perspective from Four Thousand Mondays.
Odyssey of the Dead (2019)
According to ceremonialist Daniel Lev Shkolnik: In the oldest story in existence, Gilgamesh crosses the sea of death in search of immortality. In Greek mythology, Charon ferries souls across the river Styx to Hades. In ancient Egypt, departed souls were thought to travel with Ra on the solar bark to reach the sacred field of … Read moreOdyssey of the Dead (2019)
Autumnal Equinox Memorial Altar 2020
I started creating this bookshelf altar during the day and evening of September 22, which was the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. The altar features a colorful scattering of dead leaves gathered during my evening walks, a copper string of white lights, a mirror for self-reflection, an incense holder, a small jar of home-mixed … Read moreAutumnal Equinox Memorial Altar 2020