It is important when considering a natural burial ground, for yourself or for another, that you go and visit the site. The prices vary widely between sites, as they do at other cemeteries. Some are miles from anywhere, while others sit beside busy roads. Some are simply extensions of an acre or two at the edge of a conventional municipal cemetery or churchyard. Others can be rather formal, with their own chapel of rest, toilets, office and tarmacked roads. Some are very wild, becoming very muddy in the winter months, where trees grow through long grasses, and wellies are necessary for visiting and funerals. Of course, in reality they come in many different forms. In choosing a natural burial, you are contributing to an area which will grow and evolve to be enjoyed for many generations to come. The aim for the majority of natural burial grounds is to develop as areas of outstanding beauty, creating a variety of wildlife rich habitats and a fitting memorial to loved ones. Grave-side services are often held, or the body is interred after a service at a local church or other sacred site, but many people who choose natural burial grounds are not religious, seeking simply the sense of natural peace and beauty that prevails at a well managed site. They are seldom linked to any one religion or belief, although individual graves can be consecrated as desired. Burial of embalmed bodies is not permitted, the embalming chemicals that would leach into the soil being thoroughly poisonous. These are often of willow or wicker, bamboo, solid pine, cardboard or paper maché, constructed without toxic glues, paints and varnishes. Natural burial grounds become havens for non-human nature.Įnvironmental care requires that only coffins (and urns for cremated remains) made from eco-friendly products are allowed at most natural burial grounds. At some, wild flowers and grasses are sown or planted to create meadows. At some sites, graves are dug carefully beneath already growing trees. There are no headstones, curbs or mausoleum instead, trees and shrubs are planted to serve as natural living memorials. While taking great care to protect and enhance the existing environment, a natural burial ground will, at the same time, gradually develop areas of woodland, meadow and other habitats, through careful management and planting. When it is declared that cremation is a better option because ‘land is for the living’, the speaker’s anthropocentric perception is yelling through his words for the land is for the living, but not just for human beings. A good natural burial ground is an ongoing expression of respect for both. For here there is a perfect weave of reverence for nature (and in particular the non-human environment) and the ancestors. Rites to Celebrate the Seasonal FestivalsĪlso known as nature reserve burial grounds, green or sometimes woodland burial grounds, these are cemeteries based upon a very different ethos – and one that sits peacefully within the tenets of Druidry.TDN International Full Moon Peace Ritual.Fire Safety in Druid and Pagan Practice.This includes the sourcing of biodegradable coffins and eco-friendly methods of preservation. There are washroom facilities available for those attending services but other visitors should make arrangements for such before arriving.Ĭlovery Woods of Rest have strong links with local funeral directors and are happy to put you in touch with funeral directors who are able to organise green burials. The woodland burial ground is open to visitors during daylight hours, there is disabled access and dogs are welcome under close supervision. They also offer a hall for the celebration of life where non-denominational and denominational services can be held prior to an eco-burial. The natural burial ground in Aberdeenshire is currently accepting applications for eco-burials and the interment of ashes. It was founded and is run by Alexander and Fiona Rankin whose main aim has always been to rejuvenate the local surroundings, encourage the return of wildlife and allow for a peaceful, natural place where people can be buried and pay their respects. Clovery Woods of Rest is a natural burial ground in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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