I live in the US where aging is shameful, grieving is rude, and death is commodified. I don’t think this perspective should be carried over. So, how could solarpunks do things differently?
My current vision involves a lunarpunk monastery. Gone are sterile funeral homes, silent graveyards, dogma and taboo. Instead, an eclectic community of death doulas serving others through the finality. The bodies of the dead become part of an ever expanding ancestral forest. A living cemetery for the living.
Housed would be thanatologists of every flavor: bookworms, artists, health practitioners, naturalists, mystics, and more. Maintaining libraries, gardens, and temples for public use. Facilitating psychedelic rituals for those with terminal illness and the bereaved. Providing funeral rites and hospice care. Hosting moonlit festivals, discussions, and support groups.
Wearing mothlike robes. Playing chimes at sundown corresponding to the phase of the moon. But I digress…
How do you imagine death and dying in a solarpunk society? Is the great unknown in the realm of lunarpunk?
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The concept of the monastery is an interesting one, though one I never thought much of. The idea of a community forest made for those who die I could appreciate seeing.
Personally for me with the spirituality, I would like to see something more like what I’ve done for one of my relative’s ashes, placing them in a terrarium with items associated with them when they were alive, as a form of shrine. I have small plants in it as well, so that there is nature associated with their spirit as they rest.
Terrarium is interesting, not gonna lie. There’s quite a lot you could do with that in memorial ways.
Personally for myself, I’d prefer to be cremated via pyre next to a lake surrounded by boreal forest. I think that’s pretty dope. Realistically, I’m not gonna give a flying left testicle once I vacate my meat suit though.
I love this vision and find it and find the comments from the community inspiring. I live in the US as well and one thing I think would supplement the “discussions, and support groups” you’ve mentioned in a lunarpunk world might be nighttime, outdoor death cafes. I’m reminded of this article from several years ago centered around a death cafe that takes place in Mount Auburn Cemetery In Watertown, MA. This article gives a good overview of what a death cafe is for those unaware. We could certainly lead the path to a lunarpunk/solarpunk future by having these today in our communities and in many ways this thread is part of that.
Exactly, yes! No stuffiness or stigma. Conversations over hot beverages in a cozy room, during batwatching picnics, or while stargazing.
Searching Death Cafes led to articles about Coffin Clubs, people coming together to build and decorate coffins for themselves and each other. On how the first one got started:
“I gathered some old blokes who were ex-carpenters and builders, and a group of women that would get creative, and we started it up in my garage and carport,” she says.
I love the thought of a morchard (mortuary orchard), be it fruit, nut or any other kind of tree/perennial plant. I think ideally the plants there should not be harvested except by families of the deceased, and the rest is left for nature/ to support wildlife.
I have thought about a community/funeral forest idea. It’s already a thing in Germany to be buried in a forest landscape (although privately owned there I believe, and not really a place where you can go to die).
Where I live, we urgently need land restoration to cover the areas destroyed by wildfires. I could see a possibility to have forests where people can be buried, tied to reflorestation and land restoration with native species. There are also plenty of people here who deal with the spiritual, with wellbeing, with psychedelics. Plus, it’s already an area where people send their old ones to die, often in nasty and depressing senior homes.
So I’ve carried the idea of places where people can age in dignity (involving children, animals, plants, social life, not the zombie homes I see now), plus places where people can be laid to rest close to nature if they wish so.
Possible obstacle: the law here doesn’t permit to bury people outside of cemeteries (some stupidly restrictive law inherited from 19th century) - but I’m sure I can find a way around it.
If anyone is carrying similar seeds, I’d be happy to exchange ideas.
I don’t know how the laws are there, but my family and I were surprised to learn that the rules for establishing a cemetery in our state/town were surprisingly relaxed. It has to have a fence or four corner posts and you had to let the state or town (I forget which) know about it. I don’t even think surveyors were involved. We set up a family plot on land that’s been in our family for awhile.
It’d be kinda funny if the cemetery restriction from an old law could be met just because the law is old and casual about this stuff. Plan the forest and sink four granite posts around it and call it a cemetery.
Whether or not the laws match, I think it’s a lovely idea. There’s a cemetery park here, built over some fairly rough terrain under a beautiful canopy, and it’s actually a nice place to be when you’re alive - so much better than the empty lawns full of rows of stones, as far as I’m concerned.
Plan the forest and sink four granite posts around it and call it a cemetery.
I guess it ultimately hangs on the approval of the local powers, and the right approach to get it. Around here it might be as easy as meeting the local city house worker who is involved in cemeteries, involve them in a casual chat, and they happen to like the idea. Worse case, the relevant person hates your guts and you have to try elsewhere or wait till they retire.
These are all great ideas and important points. Additionally, in keeping with solarpunk / lunarpunk ethics, it’s important to make sure we are in conversation with and have the approval of the Indigenous peoples of the area as well.
I’m in Europe, the indigenous people from where I am prefer being buried in catholic cemeteries, at least the older generation. For younger people I think these perceptions are changing and they might be open to different ideas. The landscape itself would have to be carefully asked if it agrees as well.
It’s an important input, thanks for the reminder. As a European in Europe I sometimes think it doesn’t matter, but it is different because I wasn’t born where I live, and have felt welcome so far because I have tried to respect that and learn before acting. Planning an entire haunted forest is quite a sizeable thing and needs thorough introduction/approval not just from the officials, but the community. I think it should probably be community owned and/or be open for the benefit of the community.
I’ve too seen many awful nursing homes. Stark, empty places with stretched thin medical staff and sparse activity calendars. Given what’s happening in my neighborhood, setting up sketchy assisted living facilities in rundown homes is the new cash grab.
Years ago, I’d visit clients in nursing homes and rehabs. The buildings were usually surrounded by a large parking lot and manicured lawns. They’d tell me how rare visitors were, no wonder given the vibe of the place. I’d end up talking for hours with them and their friends who gathered at the sound of a new voice. People need medical treatment, but that’s just one sliver of the human experience.
